Julie Martin Realtor® Broker Gulf Coast Real Estate

Lee and I are going to be taking the Workforce Housing Relocation Specialist Training, Thursday July 23rd. It is an opportunity to get 3 FREE CE Credits, plus a designation from the Home Builders Association of Metro Mobile as a "Certified Workforce Housing Relocation Specialist."

This course will teach the Realtor how to network with referral sources to provide employed persons Workforce Housing. Additionally, networking with merchants and service providers will bring economic benefit to the community and a service to the relocating worker.

Wednesday, July 22nd,1PM - 4PM or Friday, July 24^th, 9AM - 12PM (The Thursday class is full)

Instructor: Bob Pitts; REGISTER EARLY. SPACE IS LIMITED.

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS/OPPORTUNITIES

August

6 ... WCR Brunch - Installation of Officers 10:30 a.m.
(Becca Fields to be installed as Vice President of Membership)

6 ... Governmental Affairs 12:00 Noon

7 ... MAAR New Member Orientation (8:00 AM)

11 ... Affiliate Council Meeting 12:00 Noon

13 ... MLS Committee Meeting 8:30 am

20 ... Board of Directors Meeting 8:30 am

20...MAAR/WCR Luncheon-Heron Lakes 11:45am

September

20-23... AAR Annual Conference - Chattanooga, TN - Darryl Davis keynote speaker

November

13-16... NAR 2009 REALTORS® Conference & Expo - San Diego

DO WE WANT TO SIGN UP FOR THE BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY EXPO?

Planning for the annual Business & Technology Expo is well underway! Last year, there were more than 200 exhibitors and 1,500 attendees!

The date is Thursday, August 27 from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Mobile Convention Center. The cost to display is only $200 for a 10 x 10 exhibit space

Congratulations Joe Winans on an Excellant June 2009

MARKET PENETRATION BY AGENT
01-Jun-2009 - 30-Jun-2009

(Numbers Reflect Either Listing or Selling Agents)

Rank Name Sides Volume Average %Sides %Volume

---- --------------- ------ ---------- -------- ------- -------

1 JOE WINANS 7 $676,900 $96,700 7.29 5.44

2 DON FOSTER 5 $393,000 $78,600 5.21 3.16

3 JASON MITCHELL 4 $268,200 $67,050 4.17 2.15

4 LANCE TOIFEL 3 $400,850 $133,617 3.13 3.22

5 JULIE MARTIN 3 $299,300 $99,767 3.13 2.40

New Listings
9694 Deerfield Drive
8455 Private Road 152
Windsor Road

Under Contract
207 Bayview - Lee Martin
8741 Fields Lane - Brandy Lutz/Brandi Cook
13285 McClinton Road - Brandy Lutz
2902 Bonita - Brandy Lutz
250 Berkley - Katie Baluyut
Sims Rd. - Joe Winans

Closed
9248 Mayfield Dirve - Julie Martin/Lori Phelps
11734 Fieldview Drive North - Joe Winans
10441 El Camino Avenue - Joe Winans

CLOSING WORKSHEETS - EARNEST MONEY

NAMING PICTURES - WEBSITE PLACEMENT - EMAILING TO KAY

MANDATORY RECAD CLASS TODAY

CRE, Inc will offer three of the four types of relationships offered to the buyer and seller in the State Real Estate Brokerage Service Disclosure form. These are as follows: Single-Agent, Limited Consensual Dual Agent, and Transaction Broker. CRE, Inc and its agents will not offer or accept Sub-Agency under another Cooperating Broker. Single Agency, acting as a Buyer's Agent and Limited Consensual Dual Agency is only to be entered into with the permission of the qualifying broker.

At the initial contact between a licensee and the public and until the time a broker enters into a specific written agreement to establish an agency relationship with buyer or seller, the sales associate/broker shall be considered to be a transaction broker and shall not be considered an agent. An agency relationship shall not be assumed, implied, or created without a written bilateral agreement establishing the terms of the agency relationship. As soon as reasonably possible the licensee shall provide a written disclosure form to a consumer describing the type of brokerage service as well as the specific type of brokerage services that are provided by our company.

Consumers are not required by law to sign the form, although the licensee should encourage that it be signed. If the consumer declines to sign, the licensee shall (identifying the consumer by name) make a note to this effect on the form, and the licensee shall sign and date the form. All State disclosure forms shall be turned in to the broker.

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When sellers hire us to list and sell their property we agree to enter to represent them as a single agent. At the point Port City Realty and all the agents of Port City Realty are representing that seller as a single agent.

It is not in the best interest of our sellers to represent them as a single agent but to also sign buyer agency agreements with buyers. This could put us in the position of asking our sellers if we can act as a Limited Consensual Dual Agent for them. We do not limit our agency position with sellers when at all possible.

We respect the intellegence of our buyers. We explain to them that we are assisting them as a Transaction Broker, as soon as reasonably possible. We respect that they understand that Realtors are salespersons working on commission and only get paid if we sale them something. We will at all times follow the laws of the state of Alabama and the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Realtors. When working with buyers as a transaction broker we will:
1. Provide services honetly and in good faith
2. Exercise reasonable care and skill
3. Keep confidential any information gained in confidence, unless disclosure is required by law or duty to a client, the information becomes public knowledge, or disclosure is authorized in writing.
4. Present all written offers promptly to the seller.
5. Answer questions completely and accurately.
6. Provide information and properties
7. Show properties
8. Assist in making a written offer
9. Provide information on financing.

It's amazing to me that someone could write an article on a subject they seem to know so little about and have it published nationally. There was an article in last week's Mobile Press Register giving tips to consumers who were interested in buying foreclosures, also known as REO (real estate owned) properties. It was not written by our local editor, so the information in this article was probably published in many papers.

One of the tips was to contact the REO listing agent directly because there would be only one agent to pay, inferring that the buyer would save money because the commission would be lower. Now, we list REO properties, so we could greatly benefit from that advice, however, it is very misleading. We do have sellers from, time to time, that want us to cut the commission if we have both sides of the transaction, however, not on the REOs. The buyer cannot save money buying directly from me, the listing agent, on a foreclosure.

The buyer could actually miss out on a lot of good listings by calling the listing agent directly. I have had buyers on my automatic e-mail notification list before and discovered that is what they were doing because they thought it gave them an advantage. They were promptly removed from the list.

I would love it if all of the foreclosures we list were sold through us. And there is an advantage to working with a Realtor that is familiar with foreclosure process. But as much as I would like for it to be true, there is really no financial advantage to a buyer when they call the REO listing agent directly.

It is a good idea for buyers to ask the Realtor how much experience they have selling REO properties. It's also a good idea to see if the Realtor has any REO information sheets that explain the process.

The article named some national foreclosure websites for buyers to look for foreclosures on. Sometimes that is not a good idea. We get calls all the time from people that are on these websites and are calling about houses that sold 6 months ago. Some of these sites actually charge the buyers for registering and then give them bad information. Almost all foreclosures (including HUD, VA, banks, mortgage companies, etc) are now on the MLS. You can search for foreclosures from the websites of the local companies, and it is current information. A lot of them have separate searches for foreclosures. Most will let you register for automatic notification when new foreclosure properties are listed. All the local Realtors should have the capability of registering you for the automatic notifications. Consumers do not need to pay for information or free notification.

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This Blog by: Julie Martin, CRB, e-PRO, Broker/Realtor, Port City Realty

Mobile, AL; 877-880-8110 toll free; 251-665-4665 my cell; julie@portcityrealty.com.

Search all the listings in Mobile County, Baldwin County and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast any time for free with no sign in requirement from PortCityRealty.com.

Current Foreclosure List and Information

Current Waterfront List and Information

Current Mobile Condo List and Information

Area: 03 - MidTown East

Sales were down in June, but we are looking for a strong July.

--Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed--Copyright: 2009 by the Mobile Area Association of REALTORS
To search all the properties on the MLS go to www.PortCityRealty.com.
Prepared by JULIE MARTIN of PORT CITY REALTY on 7/8/2009 9:17:35 AM

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This Blog by: Julie Martin, CRB, e-PRO, Broker/Realtor, Port City Realty

Mobile, AL; 877-880-8110 toll free; 251-665-4665 my cell; julie@portcityrealty.com.

Search all the listings in Mobile County, Baldwin County and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast any time for free with no sign in requirement from PortCityRealty.com.

Current Foreclosure List and Information

Current Waterfront List and Information

Current Mobile Condo List and Information