Jim Quinn - North Orange County Real Estate

Do you give too much info to potential clients on a first meeting?

Sometimes you get calls from potential clients and if they are a first time buyer, they will understandably have questions to ask you. If you set up a meeting to have a face to face appointment instead of via the phone, do you start printing out a few homes that fit their criteria without having an approval letter? Building trust with the clients is one step that will prove to them that you are the agent for them.

Do you give a list of homes for them so that they can get a 'taste' of what is in the market for the area they're searching for without receiving an approval letter. I overheard a conversation from another agent who stated he recently got such a call. He ended up meeting with the clients and gave them a list of homes to bring home. He did not even have an approval letter from the so called clients. They met and parted ways to set up a second meeting to get the loan started.

He called the client a few times but was informed that they will call him once they get everything ready. It is reason like this why the expression of buyers are liars are prevalent in the industry. Many will want the agents to work for free and do all the leg work and in the end they select another 'friend' agent to help them through.

It is buyers like these that makes agents distrust buyers. For this matter, many choose not to work with buyers and go the route of listing homes. A wise choice indeed.

Working with Buyers who used more than one agents

Recently I spoke with a fellow agent Ron who states that he met this one buyer. She is currently wanting specific listings to be emailed to her. However, she informed Ron that he can call her when he sees a good deal out there which was fine. While out showing her some homes, he also brought some homes he hadn't emailed her and showed them to her as well. At first she asked him what was the address. He then gave her the address and started telling him if it was on a corner lot with a white picket fence. He informed her that it was right and how did she know about when there was no pictures in the MLS. The only reason Ron knew was that he had already previewed the home. She said another agent had already shown her the property!

Ron is a good agent and he doesn't work for peanuts. He questioned why she is using another agent to show her homes also when he is already helping her out. She then informed him that there are 3 other agents beside him who are showing her homes. She said whomever show her the home she likes she will place an offer with that agent.

At this point, Ron was getting furious as he felt betrayed. He gave her an ultimatum that if she continues to work this way that they should move on their own ways. She does not want to be stuck with only one agent when working with more agents open the door the opportunities for her. At hearing this, Ron bid her farewell and good luck with her house hunting adventure since he does not operate this way.

Sometimes, we run into these issues with buyers and for that matter it can be time consuming and not worthwhile. You just have to know when to cut the ties and move on to better opportunities where you can be trusted and not being used.

TRAMPLING THROUGH BANK OWNED PROPERTIES CAN CAUSE AN ALLERGIC REACTION

Showing nice luxury homes is such a pleasantry compared to our "war infested zone" bank repossed home which can be unsightly and may cause you to take a Dramamine or Diphenhydramine tablet. While showing a property the other day to a client, we encountered a home that needs more than just TLC...more like an extra strength dosing of TLC. The stench emanating from the interior orifice was more purgatory and much deserving of a 'Flip this House' episode. As Jack Nicholson stated, "You can't handle the truth!" Enough said if you have the mighty gumption to venture into this particular abode.

The interior walls were stained with a jaundiced discoloration reminiscent of an aftermath bout with motion sickness during the perfect storm. Let's just say the recessed lightings were cascading above the ceiling giving you the eerie feeling of calcified pendulums during a tour of a Halloween mansion. The carpets were stained with eclectic potpourri patterns you'd think it was one of the masterpieces from Picasso. The kitchen was in such shattered form that it made mash potatoe with gravy looked divine and pristine. The hardwood floor creeks more than the rusted hinges of a antique door.

Then it happened. The 'salud', 'gesundheit' suddenly hammered me without notice. It was like a train wrecked. hachoo...hachooo....hachooooo.....hachooooo.....hachoooooo!! geez whiz....hachoooooooo! It was non stopped. I didn't need to use the restroom but courteously excused myself and darted out of the room with such speed it may have even impressed the great sprinter Hussein Bolt. If I had gone just a little faster, I may have caught Michael J. Fox through the warp zone of Back to the Future.

You'd think Niagara Falls has torrential downpour you haven't seen anything yet. I was more of a Mega Niagara Falls or should we say Miagara Falls. My gesundheit was so robust it woke up and frightened some of the neighbors 4-footed friends. I wasn't kidding but I must have noticed the hair pointing northbound on the next door neighbor's 4-footed friend when I glanced over. My bout ended thereafter. Next time you show some of "these homes", take a Diphenhydramine beforehand or better yet bring a gas mask with ventilation. It'll save you the trip to travel to New York.

Hachoooooooo!! Excuse me. :)

Copyright (c) 2011. TRAMPLING THROUGH BANK OWNED PROPERTIES CAN CAUSE AN ALLERGIC REACTION

Flaky buyers can eat you inside out...but it's all in fun and game or is it?

Well, what do we have here. Another potential buyer who is looking to buy a home....if only that was true. I had a situation recently where a buyer came to a listing I have and wanted to put in an offer. I showed them the house but they did not react immediately. The parents had to come along to view it to give their consent. It was a LARGE gathering of people from their family I must say. I met 15 members of their family!! Geez, I thought I was hosting a Open House Farmer's Market event.

After the viewing they stated that they will call me the next day with their decision..due to their indecision. That suits me fine but the next day come around and they informed me that they will offer 50k BELOW the asking price! This was a short sale already approved and they wanted to offer below the approved appraised value of the home. I obliged and wrote it up and at the same time informed them that it would be highly unlikely that it will be accepted. They agreed and said that is what they wanted to do. Within a few days, I got word back from the bank that their offer was too low and they won't send a counter. The bank still wanted their asking price. I informed buyer that if they are not willing to go up on price that it is best to move on.

Buyers thought about it for a day and UP their price by a whopping 5k! How generous a gesture I must add. I told them that at that price it most likely will not be entertained by bank. Guess what? That's exactly what happened. Bank didn't bother to counter. After hearing about it again, I drove to show them the house again per their insistence as they wanted to see the house again. Upon looking at the house, they indicated that too much work is required. This is rather ridiculous as the home just needs new paint and carpet. The house was built in 2006 and over 2500 sft. These folks must have gone to Disneyland and came back from their fantasyland. There was not much work needed as they were only cosmetic work required. However, Mickie and Minnie must have stopped by to visit them on their way through the exit.

Upon my recommendation that they need to go up another 25k to have any chance, they informed me that they need to check with another realtor to ensure that I was not misguiding them. Wow! I was taken aback at this and INSISTED that they call several realtors if they choose to confirm the value. The home at the appraised value was already at least 15k below market. They came back the next day to state that what I told them as far as value is true. They affirmed it with several realtors but they just could not proceed at the price. Although they QUALIFIED for the appraised value of this home, the choose NOT to proceed believing prices will drop further and would like to hold out.

In all these turbulences, I had made 6 trips to the house to show various members of their family members. And on top of that, the property was 30 miles away. I informed them that I can locate something closer to their pricing but they choose to wait out a year before making a purchase. I bid them farewell and wish them the best of luck.

Moral of the story. I am pondering on wearing my Donald Duck costume next time I show them homes. Maybe then we can see eye to eye!

Copyright (c) 2010. Flaky buyers can eat you inside out...but it's all in fun and game or is it?

DUSTY DUCTS Air Cleaning Services in Valley Village CA - BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY !!

Homeowners BEWARE!!

AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COST!! This company is a rip-off and not trustworthy. I was informed by a colleague who mentioned that several of her clients had horrendous and misguided promises from this company. The company name is DUSTY DUCTS and they are based in Valley Village CA. It appears to be a family run business.

Here is the scoop on their lies. They advertise that they can clean the air ducts in the attic and vacuum for a really low price. However, when their technician do come, they HIKED UP the price almost 10-folds! This is bad marketing and for those homeowners who are in search of a duct cleaning company, I would NOT recommend you call this company.

This company is part of the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and their rating is a 1 star. They have several more complaints that are currently being filed against them. Just do your homework before you hire anyone. It's in your best interests.