Jeff Pearl

I saw pieces of some cop show the other night about this, and also a recent post about an agent only posting one photo was grounds for another agent to decide not to show that house due to lack of photos.

When we post 30 photos of the exterior and interior and floor plan, we are providing criminals with tons of information that they can use to decide which homes they want to break in to. These criminals were scanning virtual tours to decide on which homes they were going to break in to. Another kind of burglar that also scans virtual tours are " Open House" thieves. They scan tours looking for valuables that they can stick in their pockets or purses while visiting and walking through Open Houses.

Exterior photos can show locations and types of all doors and windows, sliding doors, walk outs, bushes, trees, places to hide, fences, closeness to neighbors, motion sensor lights, outdoor lights, pet doors that can be sometimes be used to crawl in, streetlights, closeness of house to street, etc.

Indoor photos can show all kind of valuables like computers and laptops, guns and rifles, antiques, sterling silver sets, vases, statues, art, tools, tv's, jewelry boxes sitting on dressers, brass fireplace equipment, a motorcycle or mower in garage, etc.

A good burglary team can use all of that infomation and more to choose the houses they plan to break in to to make the most money for their effort and risk.

And even worse, many times based on the bedrooms and family pictures hanging on the walls or sitting on furniture, they can figure out how many kids live there, whether they are boys or girls, their approximate ages based on toys and room decor, are they gone to school during the day, whether there is one parent or two living there, whether they both work, etc.

I know most of us tell owners to hide their valuables and medications, but many don't do it. So when placing 30 pics in the MLS, I try to use caution and make sure there is nothing showing in the photo that would attract the attention of a burglar or an Open House theif. Some sellers just don't want 30 pics of everything they own posted on the internet for everyone to see. So I don't decide whether or not to show a house based on the amount of photos. The seller might have requested that only one photo be posted. It's up to my customers to decide whether or not they want to see it, drive by it, or ask me to preview. If they have an interest, I'm not going to eliminate it just because there is only one photo.

The new NVAR Citation System makes it easier for the Grievence Committee to issue fines. Based on the fact that over 50% of the offers I get are not filled out properly, I expect several agents will be getting unexpected fines if they don't put more effort into properly preparing an offer. Not filling out required forms can result in a 2-$400.00 fine. Failure to clearly represent the current condition can lead to a $250.00 fine. " One way to fail to present a true picture of a property would be to retouch a photograph, or even to use an older photograph that would display the house in a better light than a current photo". So those agents that " borrow" old photos from the MLS instead of taking their own might think about changing their methods. And agents that use photoshop to remove power lines, telephone poles, or any unsightly objects to try to make the house look more desirable can also be fined for doing that.

Lock box violations fines range from $450.00 to $500.00." If you put a CBS code in the listing, send it out in an unsolicited email or post it on a website.... you may be fined $450.00" Sharing your PIN is a $500.00 fine.

It's simple enough to take pictures that present the true picture of the house you're trying to sell. This pic definately presents a true picture and makes no attempt to hide anything or deceive a potential buyer.

Sometimes the difference between a regular sale price and a Short Sale price is less than $25,000.00 If you found a house that is perfect for your customer and their family but it's a short sale, have you ever asked the listing agent how much it would be as a regular sale? Most short sales should net the lender 80-90% of fair market value, depending on condition. Suppose a property is listed as a Short Sale for $195,000.00, but the loan payoff is only $202,000.00 and with estimated closing costs of around $18,000.00 for example, they could buy that house as a regular sale for $220,000.00. You already know the house is probably worth at least 10% above the Short Sale list price. So assuming you had an extra $15,000.00 in the bank, would it make sense to just offer $220,000.00 for the house and forget about waiting 2-6 months or more on a Short Sale approval that may never come?

This approach won't work in all cases, but I know of some Short Sales ( one that I am doing now) where the payoff is low enough that owner could forget about Short Selling, and just sell as a regular sale if the right buyer was willing to pay $22,000. over the Short Sale list price.

Everyone would benefit, seller, lender, agents, and even buyer would save months of waiting time and aggravation never knowing if they are even going to get the house at the short sale price. To me, the peace of mind of knowing I have a house under contract with a closing date set, where we can get moved in and get the kids in school, etc, would be worth paying $20,000.00 over the Short Sale list price!

I use to think this was a gimmick and that it could wash the grit off of the shingles if too much pressure was used. But after seeing and hearing more about it and the " green" cleaning products used in the cleaning, I think I will consider getting an estimate the next time I list a house with a dirty and stained roof. Appears that cleaning the roof and gutters can only improve curb appeal. And why not consider washing down the vinyl siding, deck, walkways, and driveway if they are in need of a good cleaning?

There is a demo video at htttp://www.roofshampoo.com

http://vimeo.com/15634172

Ok, I have Sentrilock account as do most agents in this area. I have never been able to bring myself to activate the FREE automates feedback request system, mainly because most agents don't like receiving 3 feedback requests any more than they like receiving 3 calls on their cell phone from a marketing company asking if they want to buy anymore post cards. If agents want to provide feedback, they will, and if they want to buy more post cards, they'll go to the companies web site and order them when they need them.

So I was curious, how many agents actuially use this free feedback system that Sentrilock provides? And why is Sentrilock worried about feedback to begin with? It's a money generating business for them? Of course, you can upgrade from the free system to several different versions that you have to pay for. I was curious what questions they asked on their free version, so I just watched their introduction video. You guessed it, I didn't see any list of questions, but I would guess it's the same type of questions others provide, questions I would probably never ask if I was looking for feedback. Can I make my own list of questions? I doubt it.

If you want to watch the video on youtube, go to Sentrilock.com/SentriliteIntroduction and let us know what you think? And if you already use it, how do you like it?