Robert L. Brown~Grand Rapids Real Estate Bellabay Realty, West Michigan

The Aftermath after the Election.

As November 4 has come and gone there has been an acceleration of people who think that their hate-filled messages will change the outcome. Whether you voted for Barack Obama or not he is the new president of these United States. It’s over and done. Now this is who we have. If John McCain had won I would use the same argument.Should we not get behind our president and pray for him as he leads this country? The people have spoken and “change” is what they needed and wanted. What bothers me is the people who are resistant to change. What bothers me is this country heading in the wrong direction. What bothers me is racist people trying to incite violence because someone of color captured the presidency. At the end of this blog there is an article I want you to read. I want people to see what people are saying out there. With a new presidency there is the usual amount of rhetoric bantering about. It has been saod “you can’t appease the people ALL the time”. And that is very true.

Whether you don’t agree with the next president is your choice. But when there is threats to someone’s life is another story altogether. People from all around the world look to the United States as a place of hope and change. Why do you think they flock here? They leave oppressed countries seeking freedom. They come here for change. Now you have people who felt as though how dare a person of color win the highest office in the land. Here are some excerpts from that article:

_Crosses were burned in yards of Obama supporters in Hardwick, N.J., and Apolacan Township, Pa.

_University of Alabama professor Marsha L. Houston said a poster of the Obama family was ripped off her office door. A replacement poster was defaced with a death threat and a racial slur. "It seems the election brought the racist rats out of the woodwork," Houston said

_Second- and third-grade students on a school bus in Rexburg, Idaho, chanted "assassinate Obama," a district official said.

There is more. Lots more. The country where we call home. The land of the free and the home of the brave. It takes on a different meaning when we revert back to things of the past. How can we ask other countries to look up to us when we are moving backwards instead of moving forward. There was another point that was made that I thought hit it home.

“Someone once said racism is like cancer," Ferris said. "It's never totally wiped out, it's in remission”

So what does this mean? Are people of color to arm themselves? Maybe so. There are people who will take it out on others to vent their racist hatred because they “lost the election”. Why do some people think people of color are second class? I’ve felt that way, at times here in the real estate industry. But this is more on a grander scale. I can see it now. People on the nations highways being shot at. Mixed couples being threatened. Bi-racial children in our schools put down because of who they are. The list is endless. Instead of looking at the big picture of getting this country out of the mess it’s in. Mind you the mess this country is in was not created by this “person of color” but he will be in there trying to fix it. Is it asking too much to see if he can fix it. Is it also too much to pray for him?

I’ve read some of the blogs here on AR and I’m not surprised at the rhetoric. Even among our ranks there are people who have opinions that border on defaming the new president. Some who will profess to be Christian on one hand and the temperament of their blog on the other. Would it have been different if he lost? Of course. It does show that everyone is entitled to his/her opinions. That’s what makes THIS country so great. Hopefully the negativity will die down as we move to a new era in politics. I can’t see us heading backwards. It will not benefit anyone .

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081116/ap_on_re_us/obama_racial

Robert L.Brown

FleXit Realty

616 366 7030

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com

RESPA Violation and how it affects your buyer.

In the course of being a buyer’s agent looking for the best possible deal for your client there are times when an important RESPA rule is being violated. It may be overlooked because buyers are thinking they are getting great deals and for the most part they are. But if we are not watching closely to the HUD statements there are exorbitant fees being passed along to your client and noone’s the wiser. I wrote a blog yesterday concerning this. “http://activerain.com/blogsview/786051/Exorbitant-fees-and-how-they-could-affect-YOUR-client

This is from the RESPA home page: http://nhl.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/res/respamor.cfm#HE2

It states in part:

Section 9: Seller required title insurance

“Section 9 of RESPA prohibits a seller from requiring the home buyer to use a particular title insurance company, either directly or indirectly, as a condition of sale. Buyers may sue a seller who violates this provision for an amount equal to three times all charges made for the title insurance.”

My assumption there are agents knowing full well this is going on and they turn a blind eye to it. It’s all about the deal and the commission to some agents. I don’t have a big problem with using a seller’s title company but the fees they pass along is what upsets me the most.

Robert L. Brown

FleXit Realty

616 366 7030

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com

Exorbitant fees and how they could affect YOUR client.

Recently I closed a transaction where my client closed on a bank owned property here in West Michigan. Upon looking thru the HUD statement the banks title company had assessed a fee in the amount of 550.00 and charged it to my client. Now mind you this is the day before closing and the people needed to close on this property for personal reasons. In essence they had no choice. Some of the agents out there stress that because it is a bank owned property you MUST close thru them. I say not. For the sole reason that it wasn’t negotiated during the purchase of the home.

In digging a little further I spoke with a representative from a title company I use and they informed me there is not much to search for outside of normal issues. The buyer did close on this home and I made it known to the listing agent I wasn’t happy of this fact. I’m now in negotiations with another transaction and I’ve had extensive conversations with the listing agent and I asked him what additional fees does his seller charge. He couldn’t answer that question. I finally got an email from the title rep and I forwarded it to the lender and she found that they charge 400.00 to the buyer because it is a bank owned property.This is addition to the regular title expenses they(buyer) have to incur. Here is a copy of the email I sent them:

“Why would there be a fee to the buyer who did not agree to said fee. You're right these are bank owned so a buyer is penalized for it. What happens if it is a buyer that may not have the funds to close it? If the buyer has a lender (Ms Stocks) and a realtor ( Me) and a title company(Essential) why should they be charged ? What extra that has to be done?. The home is vacant. Is it because they may be getting a good deal these fees are passed along to the buyer? As you can tell i'm not happy over this one bit.”

Here’s one from them that precipitated my email above:

“This is a bank owned property. They generally require a lot more work than your typically real estate transaction. Thus, the closing fee is higher.”

So my question is why should the buyer be penalized? The buyer did not cause this foreclosure. Buyers are trying to stimulate the economy by buying these homes. Yes they are getting them at a discount and if the banks have a problem with that they should not have written bad loans in the first place. I think the associations should make it a rule when you’re listing these homes that you disclose these “sneaky” fees up front so as the buyer can make an informed decision before they purchase. The seller wouldn’t like it one bit if the buyer said pay this fee at close and the seller not being aware of it until 48 hrs prior to close. Some may think this is an unpopular position to blog on or defend and that’s ok. When you sign up as a buyer’s agent it’s your “fiduciary” duty to protect their interests. Buyers as well as sellers are relying on our expertise and it is our duty to defend them. For this particular transaction we will be doing a split closing. A seller passes along a deed to a buyer. The buyer has title work in their name. The buyer’s lender will not fund the transaction if those two points are not met. It’s good to have a title company who has done these in the past who will not run up the tab just because it’s a bank owned home. That’s why I use Essential Title Services here in Grand Rapids.

Robert L. Brown

FleXit Realty

616 366 7030

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com

Election Over. Barack Obama captures the Presidency.

Now would be the time for some people to gloat and say I told you so. But with this economic crises we are steeped in, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the foreclosure mess we can’t afford to. As I stated before whomever gets that job will age dramatically in those four years. They have the entire weight of the American public and the world resting on their shoulders. We need a president who will bring us back the values that made this nation a great one.

But you see he cannot do it alone. “No man is an island”. You surround yourself with the best qualified people to do the tasks at hand. It is such an enormous responsibility to be a leader. None to be taken lightly. You have to listen before you speak. That’s why God gave us all 2 ears and one mouth. Weigh the options before you act. Seek God for help in making the major decisions that will befall you on a daily basis. Because the world will be watching your every step. Now is when he has to work together with the other party in the best interest of the people.

Historic as this election has been the next four years President elect Obama has to be as transparent as he possibly can be. There are people who think he will fail as well as people who think he will do a great job. There will be people who want to blame him for all the ills that have befallen the US. But the point is that he will inherit all of it. Hopefully within the next 2 weeks he will assemble his Cabinet. They too have a lot of work ahead of them. They too have to be up to the task. We as Americans he chooses the best people for those positions as well.

I won’t go down that road of “he’s the first black president thing”. I think that’s a lot of hype this country doesn’t need. We all recognize that he is black. That won’t save this country. It’s what he does that will. He needs to keep the promises he made to ALL of us. I need him to do the job he was elected to do. Serve this country and serve it well. His job is to represent ALL the people. As I listened to him ,on several occasions he is very passionate about America. He spoke about hope and he spoke about change. When you looked out into the crowds you saw the faces of this country looking on intently. Blacks, whites, Hispanics etc. This is what they need. Someone who will listen to the their plea for help. Even the rest of the world watched to see which direction our election would go. It is important for the rest of the world to know that the US will be back on track. There is so much, and sometime too much dependency on that. Now the dust has settled. Now is the time to roll up the shirtsleeves and get to work. The country’s business is at hand. And may he call on God for direction. He will need it.

Robert L. Brown

FleXit Realty

616 366 7030

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

It is your civic duty to get out there and vote for the candidate of your choice. So many people say they don’t have the time or their vote doesn’t count. I say rubbish. We should ALL be proud to consider ourselves AMERICANS. There are so many flavors that make this country the place it is.

Is it perfect here? I think not. But there are places that don’t afford the freedoms we enjoy here in the US. That’s why so many people would sacrifice everything they have to be here. We should not take this for granted. Get out there and make your mark in this election. If you don’t blame yourself. It’s not too late.

Robert L.Brown

FleXit Realty

616 366 7030

www.mrbrownsellsgr.com