Spokane Washington Real Estate - Ross Quintana 509-362-1966

I recently wrote an article: How to Buy a House - 5 Must Know Tips where I describe some foundational issues that all home buyers face when getting started in their home search. Sometimes people feel the need to jump in and figure things out later when they get serious. This is almost always a disaster yet this is the default road home buyers tend to take.

A real estate agent usually gets involved once they call on a few ads. This is really the best thing that can happen to the home buyer because they then at least ahve a chance to get on the right track. As a real estate professional I can tell you that there is a right way and a wrong way to buy a house. After more than a decade of watching people be both successful and unsucessful I can say that getting educated is probably one of the largest keys to buying a home.

So nothing fancy here, we are talking about one of the most major purchases you are going to make in your life. Instead of jumping in and making mistakes, why not learn how to buy a house from a professional that does it for a living year after year. Remember, you have nothing to lose but your time, money and mind. :]

Spokane WA Real Estate Expert - Ross Quintana

Hello Everyone,

Well it is that time today, paint the face.. Build the nachos, and grab a cold beer... It's the Superbowl! In the midst of yelling at referees and cheering d-fense, there may be a good real estate lesson for us to learn from the Superbowl.

Everyone gets excited about the Superbowl even if they don't care about football. Most people don't watch the games throughout the season, but everyone focuses on the Superbowl. I see this same pattern in real estate.

There are thousands of Realtors that start the year like all of the NFL teams with hopes of having a great year, but the fact is only a handfull will do what it takes to make it to the Superbowl. Most people focus on the paycheck and the clients that are ready to transact, but very few Realtors focus on the games or critical wins along the way that make the Superbowl possible. What I mean by this is that many Realtors want a paycheck and the sale, but very few I have met really have a schedule and plan for success to get to cashing those paychecks. Without the consistent wins in regular season when no one cares, you will never make it to the Superbowl which for us is a paycheck.

You don't just get to the Superbowl, and you don't just get sales and listings. The real game of real estate is played every day in your daily habits and small wins along the way. Get a game plan, make a schedule for your business. Practice scripts and presentations and track your record of how many new clients you win. Every lead is like a play. Each prospect is going to seek to stop you and just because you win a play doesn't mean you move forward to a score with that client. It takes one good play after another to advance the lead.

Realize how much it took for each team to get the Superbowl and the year of hard work they put in and treat your business the same way. Make a plan, fight for every inch in your business and you will win clients and those will add up to sales. If you have enough sales in the year you may win it all. Go out an make your business more predictable this year by having a plan, practicing, and moving forward inch by inch with one ultimate goal in mind..... to Win the Superbowl.

Remember, Work Smart and Live Well!

Hello Everyone,

You did it, you had your eyes on her for some time and you cinvinced her she should hook up with you. You are married now and your child is on it's way. The day comes and you hold it in your arms and it looks just like you. You You set it down in the front yard and just stare at it. You think of how special the person was that let you bring this bundle of joy into the world. I am talking about your Yard sign.

Your signs are like a a small child, they count on you to take care of them. You can't just ignore them because you are busy, or tired, or distracted. They fall down and you need to pick them back up. They get beat up by kids on the street and need to be put back together. Some even get abducted! One minute they were there, then next minute they are gone and you may never see them again.

Your brochure box is like the tummy of a small child, it constantly needs to be filled. Others have their opinion of how cute or ugly your signs are, but the bottom line is that they need you! You are the person who needs to take care of them. Nobody else will love them like you do, so don't count on the seller to care for them. This little guy represent you to the world and people will not think you are a very good parent if you neglect it. C'mon take responsibility for what you have created and take care of your signs! Don't be a deadbeat dad! Keep an eye on your signs and take care of them, if you don't, you may find the one you brought it in to this world with may want a divorce.

Remember, Work Smart and Live Well.

Hello Everyone,

I have recently been doing a lot of Craigslist advertising and have noticed some people flagging my ads. Though I have used Craigslist for quite a while, I had the sneaky suspicion that it wasn't consumers annoyed with me, but likely a Tonya Harding, break the knees of my competition Realtor. Hey in the Northwest you have to watch out....

If you watch the show, "The Biggest Loser", you know that this year people have been conniving. In most reality shows there are people who are trying to eliminate other players behind the scenes. In the biggest loser they were purposely voting out the people who were losing a lot of weight and keeping the people who weren't doing a very good job so that they could have an easy win in the end. This really bothers me. If the show is about who can lose the most weight, then the bottom two in weight loss should go home leaving the best to compete with the best. They should want to win because they did the best job.

Fact is that people aren't happy just doing a better job, they have to knock others down instead of just doing what they do and getting what they deserve. Flagging other agent's ads because they look better or post more is the same thing. Just post your ads and let others post their ads. I flag ads if they go out of the realm of advertising the house. If they offer services instead of promoting a house. These are the rules of Craigslist. But in every group there are slimy people who secretly try and break the legs of others because they are jealous. Don't join in on this because it erodes your character.

Step up and do a better job, don't hate or cheat to win. Because when you do that, you are really the biggest loser!

Remember, Work Smart and Live Well.

Spokane Washington Real Estate Expert - Ross Quintana

Hello Everyone,

We have been helping people shop for homes for almost 10 years now. We have seen countless people go through the process. So I started looking at the common mistakes Home buyers in Spokane make when shopping for a home. I found most mistakes are mistakes in understanding the best process in buying a home.

#1 Don't get their own agent: A huge mistake is to look on their own and not bother an agent in fear they will be pushed by some salesperson. The problem is that having a great agent is key early on. They will point you to the best lenders so you don't waste time looking outside of your price range. They will give you real information instead of the often "old and sold" information on the Internet. And they will give you access to all the homes that you want to see.

One of the worst things you can do is shop without your own agent. Many people say they are just looking and end up calling the listing agent on a home they like. After they have spilled the beans to the agent that represents the seller, they then write up the offer with someone who probably is not looking out for them. This leads to buyers overpaying for homes and or possibly buying homes they never should have.

At Team Quintana we have a system called "Smarter Home Shopping"

1-Needs Analysis to help you find the homes that are perfect for you

2-Smarter Home Access to homes in the MLS so you only see homes that are still for sale

3-Private tours built around your schedule so you can comparison shop

We apply our expertise to educate you, and guide you through the whole process so you get the most. Did I mention our services are FREE. Call us 509-362-1966 and lets get started.