Jim Lee & Janet Holt Edmond Oklahoma Luxury Home Realtors

Myra Shirley, one of the state's top real estate professionals, joined EXIT Strategies Realty in Edmond

"We're excited to welcome Myra to EXIT Realty," says Jim Lee and Janet Holt, Broker/Owners of EXIT Strategies Realty at 3925 E. Memorial Rd Edmond OK 73013. "EXIT Realty is growing and attracting top producing agents like Myra each and every day."

Myra brings six years of real estate experience to EXIT Realty in Edmond.
Myra came to real estate following a career in executive restaurant management, where her expertise was in client relations. That laser focus transferred easily into real estate and was instrumental in propelling her quickly into one the metro area's top producing agents.

"I learned early on that listening to people was the most important thing I could do," Shirley said. "Listen closely, ascertain their needs, then their desires and once I've done that finding the perfect home is easy.
EXIT Realty is growing across North America and provides sales associates with the opportunity to earn residual income over and above their own transactions and an enhanced retirement and beneficiary benefit; all of which have been unheard of in the real estate industry until now.

For more information about EXIT STRATEGIES REALTY, please call 405-285-9322. EXIT STRATEGIES REALTY is located at 3925 E. Memorial Road Edmond OK 73013.

Due to the current economic time many homeowners are finding themselves facing a short sale or worse a foreclosure. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for the best of a bad situation.

•1. Don't blame yourself! Don't let pride and guilt cloud your judgment. Many companies are downsizing and or closing due to our current economic environment. Even people that are not direct victims of job loss or downsizing are being affected by the economic slowdown. These circumstances are in no way representative of anyone's character or their ability to provide for their families.

•2. Time is of the Essence! Timing is a huge factor in determining the difference between a short sale and a foreclosure. Sometimes it boils down to a matter of days. Try to keep from going into a state of denial. The quicker you can work through the process the better for all parties involved.

•3. Remember "It's just a house." Many people place a huge sentimental value on their homes and rightly so. It's where they raised their families. They built their dream home in their dream location. They completely renovated it themselves. And the list goes on. However, when facing foreclosure it is imperative that the homeowner move forward as quickly as possible. No one can take away the memories and that is what is most important.

•4. Get your property listed as soon as possible. Getting your home on the market as soon as possible works best. For the homeowner, taking a proactive approach will create a greater sense of well being for the homeowner and it makes it easier to work with the lender and or lawyers.

•5. Chose the right Realtor^© to market your property. Again, "Time is of the Essence", so choosing the busiest Realtor® in town is not always to your best advantage. To them homeowners are often just numbers. Also choosing a Realtor^© that deals primarily with foreclosures is not really a good choice either. They typically want to wait until the bank already owns the property, whereas the homeowner wants to get out from under the property with as little damage to their credit rating as possible. The best choice is usually a Realtor^© that has a very aggressive marketing plan. They should advise you to list the property at around two to three percent below market value and pay an above average commission to the selling Realtor^©. This will facilitate a much quicker sale for the home owner and allow the homeowner to move on with their lives. Ultimately the sales price and the commission will be up to the lender to accept, renegotiate or decline anyway.

The steps I've outlined here are mostly mental. It is so very important for a homeowner facing a short sale or foreclosure to get their head wrapped around and come to grips with the inevitable as soon as possible. The quicker they can put the process behind them the quicker they can begin to heal.

Jim Lee and Janet Holt joined real estate professionals from all over North America recently at the headquarters of EXIT Realty Corp. International for an intensive week of training and networking.

EXIT Realty's Broker Owner Training is one of the most leading edge programs available in the real estate industry. Fifteen of the industry's top professionals, including company executives and EXIT Realty's CEO and Founder, Steve Morris, gather to teach the essential skills to build a top producing brokerage in any market.

"This is the second time I have attended EXIT Realty's Broker Owner Training. For me this session was to clarify my focus. It reinforced my core belief that client service is paramount. My business partner Janet Holt and I are building a real estate company by design where our Realtors are rewarded for excellence in the uses of technology, core personality awareness and market knowledge. EXIT Realty's Broker Owner Training provides all of those skill sets wherein trainers with expertise in specific areas instruct each of us to the point of mastery and prepare us to teach others how to create superior client satisfaction through knowledge and technology." Stated Jim Lee of EXIT STRATEGIES REALTY.

This program, which is provided at no charge by EXIT Realty and is exclusively attended by the brokerage's top management including franchisees, brokers of record and administrators, enhances their business acumen and positively affects their approach to life. Attendees are also encouraged to return regularly to "sharpen the saw." They leave well-equipped to build a successful real estate brokerage for the benefit of the Edmond community.

NEW INTERNET SCAM COST RENTERS THOUSANDS

If you are looking for a new place to rent, and due to our current economic environment many folks are, you should be aware of the latest internet scam to take your money. Like those ready to buy a home, most people who are getting ready to rent start their search on the internet. One of the most popular places to start that search is Craig's List. And why not? It is a great free service, but using it does require caution on the part of the consumer. So as a consumer you should remember the old adage, "If it sounds to good to be true it usually is."

Recently, creative con-artists have started searching websites where "For Sale by Owners" post their listings. Many of the sellers on those sites, in order to make their homes sound more attractive to prospective buyers, give very explicit information regarding their property. From there it is simple for scammers to cut and paste information into free sites, such as Craig's List. They include photos and details of the home they gleaned from the original seller's posting but now the property is offered for rent. In order to make it very attractive to prospective renters they post the rent well below market value. These ads are usually posted for only a matter of hours but in that short time get hundreds of hits.

The renter is then contacted by the scammer, first through email and then by a disposable phone. They tell the renter that they had the house for sale but that the market is so slow they had to go ahead with their move and now they are offering the home for rent. They tell them they are renting it for just enough to cover the house payment. Sometimes the amount of rent they quote is only a fraction of what the house payment would actually be. The con-artist then goes on to tell them that they have friends staying at the home as house sitters until they can sell or rent it and if they will mail them the deposit, they will mail them the keys to the property and a copy of the lease within twelve hours of receiving the rental deposit. The keys never come! Of course they require the deposit to be in a money order with the "payable to" left blank or "cash". Their reasoning for this is because they haven't set up a bank account in their new location yet. In some cases when the keys don't arrive the renters load up their belongings and showed up at the property on moving day. The person they meet at the front door is not a house sitter but the homeowner. In some instances, fights have broken out between the renter and the homeowner and the police have been called to put a stop to the debacle. In the end it is the renter who has lost out.

If you are a victim of or suspect this type of fraudulent activity, you can contact the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in order to file a report. The FTC reporting toll free hotline is 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357). If the ad was on Craig's List, you should report the ad as soon as possible to abuse@craigslist.org. Never give out personal information that is vital to your privacy such as social security numbers or birth dates.

Recently, creative con-artists have started searching websites where "For Sale by Owners" post their listings. Many of the sellers on those sites, in order to make their homes sound more attractive to prospective buyers, give very explicit information regarding their property. From there it is simple for scammers to cut and paste information into free sites, such as Craig's List. They include photos and details of the home they gleaned from the original seller's posting but now the property is offered for rent. In order to make it very attractive to prospective renters they post the rent well below market value. These ads are usually posted for only a matter of hours but in that short time get hundreds of hits.

The renter is then contacted by the scammer, first through email and then by a disposable phone. They tell the renter that they had the house for sale but that the market is so slow they had to go ahead with their move and now they are offering the home for rent. They tell them they are renting it for just enough to cover the house payment. Sometimes the amount of rent they quote is only a fraction of what the house payment would actually be. The con-artist then goes on to tell them that they have friends staying at the home as house sitters until they can sell or rent it and if they will mail them the deposit, they will mail them the keys to the property and a copy of the lease within twelve hours of receiving the rental deposit. The keys never come! Of course they require the deposit to be in a money order with the "payable to" left blank or "cash". Their reasoning for this is because they haven't set up a bank account in their new location yet. In some cases when the keys don't arrive the renters load up their belongings and showed up at the property on moving day. The person they meet at the front door is not a house sitter but the homeowner. In some instances, fights have broken out between the renter and the homeowner and the police have been called to put a stop to the debacle. In the end it is the renter who has lost out.

If you are a victim of or suspect this type of fraudulent activity, you can contact the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) in order to file a report. The FTC reporting toll free hotline is 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357). If the ad was on Craig's List, you should report the ad as soon as possible to abuse@craigslist.org. Never give out personal information that is vital to your privacy such as social security numbers or birth dates.

EXIT STRATEGIES REALTY's Jim Lee was recently awarded the Administrator Training Award at the completion of EXIT International Administration Training.

Fully Accredited EXIT Administrator

"Jim has worked hard and this award is well-deserved recognition of that effort," said Janet Holt, Broker/Owner of EXIT STRATEGIES REALTY.

EXIT Realty is growing across North America and provides sales associates with the opportunity to earn residual income over and above their own transactions and an enhanced retirement and beneficiary benefit; all of which have been unheard of in the real estate industry until now.