John Accornero

There are two products that every Realtor should consider as they are great values for what they offer. keep in mind I was not offered anything to say this but I wanted to offer this information to my collegues here on Active Rain. If you do nothing else in marketing, check hese out.

1. You need to consider the complete website package from ALAMODE .From anywhere from $500-$700 a year you get a complete package that includes fully customizable webpages that is preloaded with rotating professionally written text, 5 websites that you can use for your listings, full lead capture and generation programs, a contact management database, not to mention a floorplan program that you can sketch and make your own floorplans. All of this is included with superb USA tech support. Your websites are slo syndicated across the web so you get extra exposure! Check www.realestateprojohn.com

2. Trulia. Trulia is a very cost effective lead generation program. With their Trulia Pro program, you get leads that may give their preapproval status and your listings get "feaured " status. Their website also features client need to knows like "crime heat maps" and "school information", as well as current inventory activity for any city. You will be come your client's hero. For the record , La Mirada is very low in crime and has increased in value in the last month much to the contrary opinion expressed by my local agent competition ( I get their flyers on my doorstep frequently)

As a favor tell them I sent you and I will return the same. Thank You

There is a fairly small city near Los Angeles that today is about 50,000 residents strong, smack between Whittier, Norwalk and Buena Park.The property values there are fairly constant averaging overall anywhere from 340000-375000 for a 3 bed and 2 bath. You will not find any legal multifamily units there and only 1 mobile home park,although there are apartments. Property values can range from just under $300,000 in the far west all the way to 600,000+ in the newly built Hillsborough area.

It is unique to realize that the founder of Rand Mc Nally maps made his home here in the begining in the late 1880's...and it all started as a olive oil ranch.(Take that Italy!)

Ok so where is this marvel of a city that somehow has manged to not have a utilty tax like its neighbors?

It is my hometown of La Mirada. The city itself was established in the late 50's and Santa Fe Springs was trying at that time to take over!

I have lived here 90% of my life and it never ceases to amaze me. We have our own 80 acre park ( La Mirada Regional Park), our own public golf course, our own amusement park ( SPLASH waterpark), a private college (BIOLA), low crime even in the Foster Rd area, plenty of grocery shoppping and home improvement stores , a hotel (Holiday INN), a theatre for performing arts,and our own cemetary.

The best is yet to come, as there are plans to develop certain areas that tha have fallen into disrepair.Just ask me for the development report. You investors should check us out! LiVE HERE and enjoy the 34th best city to live in the US.

Recently I read a post on the 'Rain about being qualified to be a buyer's agent and it centered around an inspection item that apparently the buyer chose not to do.

I have however found that listing agents perhaps create more issues and I wonder what some of them told the seller to get the listing.

First off, is your listing accurrate? If listing income property, are you listing ALL of the financials so the investor can make a good decsion? IE rents charged, expenses, cap rate,etc?In a residential setting, are you also listing the SCHOOL DISTRICTS, the HOA contact information, all the ameneties,etc? Is your listing description more than a few words? I want to know about the property, etc. Also, flyers and a yard sign, at least...are they present?

What kind of photo do you have? I still cannot believe the amount of listings that have no photo, despite it is MLS policy to have them. Why is the photo of the inside? What is wrong with the outside that I do not want to see it? Make sure your listing status is accurrate. If it says active that means you are receiving offers! Promptly acknowlege all offers even the bad one!

Are you able to coordinate all showings and inspection needs wth the seller? Do you have an electronic lockbox and do you follow up with every showing?

If a short sale, did YOU DO YOUR HOMEWORK and price it along with the area comps? The bank will do its own evaluation and the truth will be told.

Have you counseled your seller on how the house should look prior to sale? It should look ready for company every day!

Of course do you ANSWER YOUR PHONE? Don't try to say "text me or email me". THIS IS NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE. Make sure your number is not disconnected.

These are the elements of a good listing; other things like tours and QR codes can enhance but ultimately, what is in the MLS is what sells the property. Real Estate websites feed fom the MLS.

For a true and complete listing experience you need to contact me. That is all I will say.

I want to share with you a story about how a recent seller shot themselves in the foot and LEARNED.

I was Realtor #4 trying to sell someone's investment property in Los Angeles. He was frustated that that he was either getting offers from poorly qualified buyers or lowball investors. He actually rejected an offer that I had at an the list price because he said the property was appraised for more.

I basically told him if he wants to sell it for that price..."make it look like a $150,000 home instead of the $125,000 I had at listed at.

He susequently fired me and hired another Realtor who then he fired as well and then decided to sell FSBO.

Guess what? He had a buyer but he NEEDED me to help him mange the buyer because the buyers was making demands about how the property needed to be repaired. Only then did he put money into the house. He conceeded to me alot more respect than he had because he was being worn down by the buyers and said he was losing his mind. I said welcome to what I deal with every day.

In the end, he lost that buyer as well because I was told the husband and wife were still playing games with him.

THE FUNNY THING IS THE LOWBALLER INVESTORS STOPPED GIVING LOW OFFERS once he fixed things up.

Just the other day he told me he got a great offer from a 730 FICO qualified buyer. The problem ? They wanted a 45 day escrow and he wanted a faster 30days or less escrow. ( He was behind in payments on the property). I guess they just do not learn ...do they?

We all see those posting about how important it is to work with a "local agent". Let's blast through that myth! Well gee , if I followed THAT advice I would never sell anything. So yes my practice will take me out of Whittier /La Mirada sometimes to unite a buyer with a home In the Baldwin Hills district of Los Angeles like it has now.

Like all homes the mechanics of the sale are pretty much the same...same contract...same inspections...etc. just more gas. Well ok this is for my sister in law but still I would do this all the same . $140000 homes are sold the same way a $1.4 million dollar home is ...really. Read on...

First the prospective client calls me up that they want a home in let's say Baldwin Hills. They tell me that they found one on Coliseum St and so I look up the listing system to determine it pricing and showing conditions. I check the price in relation to its neighbors (HMMM...it is already priced below market). In the end my buyer offers full price and gets this fixer uppper home and we are in escrow.

Now for the differentiator. It was discovered that the area had an HOA for the homes. Although I tried to get information from the property management company, I was unsuccessful. So I did the next best thing today. While my buyer had her flotilla of contractors give her bids for the work needed to get the home live in ready, I WALKED the neighborhood and interviewed some neighbors (after I identified my purpose to them)about the HOA fee and it regulations as well I observed the general feel of the neighborhood to see how the homeowners took care of things.

Just because I took a little more time, I found out answers that gave my buyer vastly increased comfort about what they were buying and they were so thankful.

Yes...you can be a local agent...anywhere...if you do some work....

You cannot know everything...you may know 100 homes in your local area but if you do not sell one of them and instead sell another somewhere that you did not preview, then your "knowlege" is misplaced.