Scott Gephart CRS - Oregon Real Estate

Just because you haven't handled a Short Sale before, doesn't mean you can't work one.

At Chaparral Realty Group we often have agents send their Short Sales to us so that we can properly handle and close them for you. You receive a referral, and it is a great way to learn more about short sale transactions. Like anything else, it gets easier the second time.

By referring your Short Sale transaction to us, we can help you to understand what paperwork is necessary, what to expect and can also help ease some common misconceptions brokers have about Short Sale transactions.

Using a professional that has experience in handling the Short Sale process is crucial for the successful completion of a short sale transaction. It is just as important for that professional to have a firm understanding of the Foreclosure process from beginning to end. Short Sale transactions can be very complicated in that the standards of practice in the real estate industry are still in the development stages.

Finding a company and or broker that has the expertise to lead you through the Short Sale transaction whether you are a buyer or seller will be the difference between having a smooth experience or a nightmare. Make sure the broker you choose can provide you with a resume of past experience having handled Short Sale and Foreclosure transactions.

Short Sales in Medford are abundant, as foreclosure rates continue to hold steady. If your clients are asking about Short Sales, call us right away. We have many Short Sales listed, and are working with many owner who are considering Short Sales as opposed to going through formal foreclosure. We also have established relationships with lenders, experience negotiating the details and the right past experience to get these deals closed. Simply stated, we are Medford's Short Sale Specialists - and we can assist you to find available Short Sales, and to close them. We also work with many banks to sell their REO properties (bank owned). Just like Short Sales, REO properties can often offer fantastic deals for your clients. Contact us today!

I'm writing today about the importance of a team based office versus an opponent based office. In essence, the work environment you choose has a lot of impact on your enjoyment of your business as a Realtor.

Chaparral has the kind of environment where brokers partner together to succeed in tandem. We share our strategies with one another, offer support to one another and also share what is currently working within our own business with our co-workers. Why? Because we believe that we succeed quicker in a collaborative manner. We believe that anything beyond friendly competition within an office breeds resentment, and can lead to an uncomfortable working environment.

One of my favorite things about Chaparral Realty Group is that we work here as a team. I started this company with that ideal in mind.

Our team is comprised of like-minded brokers looking to succeed as a team. We each hold stake in building this business to its maximum potential, and given our team spirit - we take great enjoyment when any one of our team members succeed. We use our combined skills as something to market to our clients. By working closely together, counseling each other on contracts and addendums and sharing our ideas we grow together.

I've worked in offices that are more individualized before, and I managed to achieve some success. But the team dynamic here at Chaparral Realty Group is something that truly makes each day more enjoyable and fun. It feels like we play for team Chaparral, because that's what we are. A seasoned TEAM of dedicated professionals working together to form a stronger allegiance for our clients, and our individual business. The success I have now is far greater, and is something to truly be proud of - because I am succeeding as part of a team.

I am curious to get some input on the costs of carrying REO listings including what portion of the costs are typically covered by the individual broker versus the company.

I am currently have a few relationships in Southern Oregon with banks to sale their REO's and it seems that all the banks or servicing companies have their own procedure for handling the up front costs to the broker/company that comes along with the REO business.

If anyone has some experiences they would like to share it would be appreciated.

Good morning AR!

Recently in an office discussion we talked with our brokers about the benefits of marketing versus their costs. In recent years, brokers would simply rely upon yellow and white page ads, billboards, signs, and promotional giveaways. Ads were placed in the open house section of the local and regional papers, and some brokerages even dabbled in radio and television advertisement.

Those days were a little simpler. You expected to pay hundreds per year for advertising in order to do business. Brokers targeted neighborhoods and sent out flyer or postcards. Broker knocked on doors in order to meet new potential clients, and a whole lot of sponsorships of local events or charitable organiztions.

What we often failed to see, was the true cost of this type of advertising. Sure it would bring in clients, and deals. But when the dust settled how much had we paid to earn our commissions?

With advances in technology, the game changed. Did it get more complex? Absolutely. However, it became less expensive for brokers to get their names out to the public. Currently, a shift in trends has occured toward a blend of print and online advertising. Websites such as www.postlets.com began to appear, allowing brokers to advertise online for free. Tools such as www.ams.treb.com were developed by companies such as the Real Estate Book which allowed brokers to buy print ads, and then have them sent out to numerous online portals or search pages where buyers go to search out listings.

What we are experiencing now is once again changing. There are now resources available online that allow brokers to get their names out to the public and to begin networking. With tools such as www.facebook.com brokers can tap into social networks and earn new clients without paying a penny.

At Chaparral Realty Group www.chaparralrealtygroup.com, we've embraced these technollogies for our new brokers just getting started in the real estate game. We help coach our new brokers to learn about new and exciting tools which give us the edge. By schooling them about such tools as www.activerain.com, we help them to get their names out there without having to invest so much cash up front.

A strong active rain presence affect your rankings on www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, and www.msn.com when buyers and sellers search the net looking for real estate info. Sites such as www.zoominfo.com and others allow agent to add their contact information for free, thus placing them on a list of local brokers who appear online when searched. With Active Rain, we teach them to create blogs to showcase their talents and expertience, which then appear once they are searched online.

Next, by fostering a group of contacts through www.facebook.com they can then reach out to the public offering to answer questions and help folks to find homes or sell homes. Next, we encourage them to create their own websites, generating leads, and then feeding the content of their online marketing through www.postlets.com directly to their website.

These channels all flow together to help new or established brokers to increase their contact database, and also to properly market their listings to this database and to the general public.

Next, by attending local events and charitable functions - brokers can meet locals who just may turn out to know someone who needs to buy or sell. During these events, they can pass out business cards featuring their website address.

All in all what they are doing by following this model, is establishing a local presence and establishing clout as a knowledgeable broker. In essence they can build their business for very little up front cost.

The best part of this system is the numbers. Lets look at what this new approach will cost.

Business cards through www.gotprint.com = $35.00 (1000 cards plus shipping)
Active Rain account = Free
Postlets account = Free
Facebook account = Free
Attending events = Free
Personal website = Free for brokers of Chaparral Realty Group

Total investment (figuring personal website cost is $300) = $35.00 (produces national exposure)

Now lets compare it to the old approach:

Business cards = $35.00
White and Yellow page ads = $250
Postcards plus postage = $100

Total investment (figuring personal website cost is $300) = $385.00 (produces only regional exposure)

As you can see, the difference is substantial. By utilizing modern technology it is now more affordable than ever to build a client base. Considering the many other expenses brokers must pay in order to do business, I think we can all agree that embracing modern technology just makes sense.

Repost from an earlier blog entry by Matt Jameson

Good morning AR,

Something that came up recently in conversation here at Chaparral Realty Group, and has also come up numerous times while teaching my Digital Photography Composition class to agents:

HOW MANY PHOTOS SHOULD I TAKE / POST TO MLS?

On one hand many brokers post to MLS with around four to six photos - while sometimes you see agents posting rediculous amounts of photos including mutliple angles from each room and even pictures taken from the crawlspace in the foundation.

Thus the conversation sparks: how many photos would be consider enough without being overkill.

Well think of it this way. Lets get hypothetical for a moment: Suppose you were planning on renting a home, and had searched for your new place online. You find a few websites featuring available rentals that have numerous details to help you decide if this rental is right for you.

If you were to see a listed rental with 30 pictures, pictures so detailed that you felt like you had already seen the home in person: would you take the extra step to see the property? Chances are, if you felt like you saw enough from the photos - you could make your decision based simply on the photos alone. But this is a VERY BAD thing. Why? Well for one major reason, photos often have a habit of making things look less spacious than they really are. Often times bad lighting, bag angles, and even horrible colors can cause a home to look less than it's best in photos.

The basic concept here, is that if you give them too many photos - they'll often find a reason NOT to come and view the home. "I like the house, but the living room looks really small, and the neighbors yard is atrocious. Lets look at some other homes."

SO, WHATS A GOOD BROKER TO DO?

Well, first off - we must determine how many photos would be enough to draw someone in to schedule a showing. In my photography class I teach Brokers how to take photos in such a way that they leave some mystery, or in essence they give the viewer a reason to want to view the home.

One way of doing this is to take photos that capture the essence of a room, but leave subtle hints about adjoining rooms. For example, take a look at this photo I took:

Notice how there are areas of the kitchen you cannot see? This makes the viewer want to see more.

Here's another example:

Notice how you see sneak peaks of the adjoining rooms, but never a full photo of any room? This again, is designed to create curiosity in the viewer. This causes the comment, "Looks great, I'd love to see the rest of the home"

One good rule to use when deciding how many photos are enough: Take at least one photo from each room that would be considered an asset to a home. This means, leave out that tiny 1/2 bathroom, and instead focus on the largest bathroom. Do we really need a photo featuring the cluttered garage of the current homeowner? Simply mentioning a 2 car garage is enough.

A second good rule is to consider your angles. See how this house photo features the best lines and architecture, while leaving out portions of the home?

This is designed to make the home look great, but also to cause the viewer to want to see the portions left out of the photo. Also when taking photos of the exterior of a home, angles help to accentuate the three dimensional quality of the home. With this home, if we shot it straight on - the viewer wouldn't see the depth of the covered porch and entry. This angle allows one to get a sense of how nice the front porch really is.

An old and true addage comes to mind. Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.

So to sum up: Take better pictures, and less of them. Leave out elements, in order to generate curiosity. Use angles to highlight three dimensional aspects. Leave out cluttered areas or tiny rooms.

ONE FINAL NOTE:

What about those owners who insist on taking their own photos? Well, be proactive - and offer to come and assist them in their photography. In some cases these owners are hobbyist photographers, or simply wish to assist you by thinking "since I live here, I know best which areas should be highlighted."

Mention that you can assist them to identify the best angles and rooms to feature. If you encounter any resistance to your ideas, just let them know that you have a lot of experience with what works and what doesn't - and that you just want to help them get the best possible photos in order to quickly sell their home. And also, offer some tips to them that you've seen in this article. Often times an owner just needs to see a visual representation of the concepts you are trying to get accross. Show them this article :)

(all photos shown are copyright of Matt Jameson, and were taken with a Cannon Powershot A570 with no special lenses or lighting)

Happy shooting!

-Matt