I'll be the first to admit...sometimes I have a bad attitude. It isn't something I enjoy, or something I like. But it is a part of me, a typically glass half empty kinda gal. But KNOWING it is half the battle, as they say. Don't ask me who "THEY" are.

I've hit some pretty high walls this year,professionally speaking, as I am sure we all have. Most recently, a snag in November that I let get me down. Thanksgiving break couldn't come soon enough in my book. I was feeling bad, just not enjoying going into work, and this bothered me quite a bit. Because I love my job. So to have to drag myself to the office every day really got to me. I took off for Thanksgiving weekend, not really sure how I would feel the following week, but hopeful that somewhere inside me I could pull some strength to get back on the ole' real estate horse.

I spent a lot if time that weekend examining my attitude. It's something we all read about quite often, here on active Rain and elsewhere. ATTITUDE. Mine stunk!!

So I dusted myself off and went back into the office after Turkey Day weekend and got back to it. I didn't really have to good attitude deep inside, but I pretended like I did. You know...fake it till you make it. I made a firm resolution that I WOULD NOT be a party pooper for the holidays, and to just put my attitude and worries on "hold" if you will.

Then, this weekend I put two deals together. Two GOOD deals. This was spur of the moment stuff, not anything I had been cultivating or working for any long period of time.

And it made me wonder....

Did my attitude have anything to do with this reversal of fortune?

Did looking at the sunny side bring about positive things?

So next time things begin to look down for me, my first step will be an attitude adjustment. And we'll see where it leads from there...

Kelley A. Weimer, a house "SOLD" name!

www.buypreblecounty.com

Real Estate Services for Eaton Ohio and other Preble County Communities.

A funny thing happened on the way to the closing table...I picked up a whole new family. And I have active rain to blame, or rather, THANK, for this!

Back this past summer, right in mid-august, I received a call out of the blue, asking me about homes for sale in the Lake Lakengren area. I had a couple homes for sale in this gated community at the time, but the buyer wasn't even calling about one of my listings, rather, another agents. So I asked her "How did you get my name"?

Turns out she had been on the Internet recently, and had run across a blog I did on Lakengren. Well, it is my very own neighborhood, so in a way, yeah, I DO feel like the local expert on this great community. Anyways, the caller told me she had read my blog, and really liked me. THAT is the POWER of the BLOG my friends...it builds rapport for you.

So lo and behold, the caller turned out to be a resident of Las Vegas Nevada, and she and her husband were looking for a home back here in Ohio. Why would anyone leave Vegas for Prebel County Ohio you might be asking yourself? Welp, one word = GRANDKIDS! They wanted to be close to the grandkids. I'm NOT a grandparent myself, but I imagine if I EVER moved my kids away from their grandparents, there would be hell to pay. So I could empathize.

What stared in August as a simple house hunting expedition turned into a much longer process than me or my clients had ever dreamed or hoped. LOTS of snags. Many bad turns. But gee, I really came to like these peole over the course of time. Jumping over the hurdles together, helping them pick out a home, SIGHT UNSEEN!!!, and even just tripping thru the logistics of communicating with clients on a 3 hour time difference really made us close. I talked to them almost every day. I met the kids here in Lakengren. I met the grandkids. I became like family.

So now the deal is done and my sweet little clients out in Nevada are planning to uproot and head East. And I have to say, it feels funny, not talking to them anymore on a daily basis. But I sure can't wait to meet them.

And I never would have imagined, back when I began writing a simple little story about the neighborhood I live in; Lakengren in Eaton Ohio, that I would ever see a sale as a result of the blog. Or better yet, meet some wonderful people who I now call dear friends. My blog took about 30 minutes. The sale took about 4 months. The friendship will last a lifetime. THAT is the power in the rain.

Kelley A. Weimer, a house "SOLD" name!

www.buypreblecounty.com

Greetings! I have been contacted by many people over the past couple years who have found me one way or another, and call to ask about my work for Titanium Solutions. I know in the current housing market, many people are also out there looking for a nice way to get some supplemental income, and so I thought a little info about this company and the ins and outs might be beneficial. Or I hope it will!

Titanium Solutions was founded in 1999 and today it is the premier national borrower contacting organization. In simplest terms..Titanium works as a go-between for borrowers and lenders, to help people in mortgage hardship understand the options available, and to ultimately prevent foreclosures. Titanium Solutions works with several of the Nations largest Mortgage servers, including Country Wide, Litton, Indy Mac, Cendent and Ameriquest. They send out "HOME RETENTION CONSULTANTS" to meet with borrowers in default, get current detailed financial pictures, and report back to Titanium, who in turn reports the info to the lender so some options may be explored. Options other than foreclosure.

I work as a "Home Retention Consultant". You must be a licensed real estate agent to qualify for this job. As an HRC, I receive assignments from Titanium Solutions. It is then my responsibility to contact the borrower whose name I have been assigned, and arrange for a face to face meeting if at all possible, to discuss with the homeowner their current mortgage issues, and the ways that Titanium and their lender might be able to help them.

For instance: sometimes with my assignment, I will receive an opportunity to offer a loan modification. I had a couple about 2 years ago who were paying about 12% on their loan, and about 3 months in default. I went in and spoke to this couple, arranged for the missed payments to be "forgiven" and helped the couple do a loan modification that dropped their rate down to 8%, and shaved down the monthly payments to a much more reasonable amount. They wee able to keep the home. That's a good feeling.

In another instance: I was given an assignment without a loan modification available. Upon speaking with the client, I found out that making any sort of payment on the home was just about impossible, so we negotiated for a short sale of the residence. The homeowner was happy to have someone who could answer her questions, and I was happy to give her some peace of mind, not to mention pick up a listing.

So, what are the pros and cons of this type of work? Here they are:

The Pros:

The pay isn't bad: I won't lie, its not great either. If I cannot get a face-to-face meeting with the homeowner, I still get paid $25.00 for an exterior picture and opinion of value. NOT a BPO! Just a simple "the house is worth X amount of dollars".

For a face-to-face meeting, I get paid $50.00. If I get financial information filled out and sent back within my deadline, I get paid $75.00. They will sometimes throw a bonus in there as well if things are completed in a timely fashion.

For an interior BPO, I get paid for the assignment, plus $100 for the interior BPO.

It can be "feel good" work: I really felt good helping that couple work out a loan mod and KEEP their home. I now keep in regular contact with them, and you can bet when the time does come to finally sell, I'm the Realtor that will stick in their minds. I like to be the helping hand, and give people the answers to tough questions. It feels good to help take the burden off of peoples shoulders.

It makes for some nice mad money: This hasn't been a huge money maker for me, but of course, I live in a very rural area, so for those who are located in more urban areas of the Country, the work might come a bit more often. My first year, I made about $1500. for the entire year. Like I said, mad money.

Titanium Solutions pays on time: My payments have ALWAYS been on time and exactly what I was promised they would be. They are a LEGIT company.

Training: There was a bit of an upfront cost to train, and become a "member". If I recall correctly, about $100.00. I DID make up that money very quickly, and the training is very in depth and good.

The Cons:

The pay isn't good: And its not bad either! Titanium Solutions expects the HRC's to visit the homeowner three times to attempt contact. Meaning, if I don't catch someone at home the first time, I gotta drive back out there two more times. OK, this isn't so bad while gas is $1.57. But when it was close to $5.00/gallon, I had to think long and hard about if I was willing to drive out 25 miles a possible three times, and maybe STILL not get who I need. Titanium encourages home visits, rather than phone calls. Well, sometimes it just doesn't work. And it also leads to con number 2...

Some homeowners get mad: I've been fairly lucky in that MOST people I have met have been receptive to my visit. BUT, it takes some time to figure out the right way to approach people about a subject as sensitive as this. And a few times, I have been a little leery of the situation. If I get a bad feeling, I just take my exterior picture and move on. Some things aren't worth it.

Its hard to get help: I think this is just common of any large company anymore...sometimes its hard to get the help you need, or find the right person within the organization to answer my questions. It happens.

So, hopefully if you are looking into Titanium Solutions, this will help you out a bit. If you have other questions I didn't cover, please feel free to ask. And no, I wasn't offered any compensation from Titanium Solutions for writing this, it just seemed like info that needed to get out there! Thanks.

Kelley A. Weimer, a house "SOLD" name!

www.buypreblecounty.com

02/23/2009 UPDATE

Titanium Solutions has seen some major changes since the start of 2009. HRC (Home Retention Counselor) training ha been intensified quite a bit. We have had several on-line classes as well as tests to pass in order to keep our HRC status current. In addtion, the payscale has changed also, in very favorable ways.

I am just providing info on Titanium SOlutions. If you want more info to see if its something for you, the best thing to do is visit thier web site at www.titaniuminc.com

What ever happened to the term "friendly competition"? Is this a phrase people are afraid of now?

One thing is for sure in this ever changing market; many agents have made the switch from one brokerage to another. Some for the money, some for the training, some for the hopes of increased sales, and some because the brokerage they were in couldn't make it in this new phase of real estate. And those are all legit reasons. Many more agents are sitting back, maybe contemplating a change, and waiting to see what the best option might be. I'm OK with all of this. Shoot, I'm not a stranger to a brokerage switch myself. But I see many brokers preying now on this situation. Circling over the weakening competition to grab up the good agents before there are just crumbs left to pick from. Well, I suppose this is OK in given situations.

But here's what I don't get...seems to be a new mindset in some broker/owners today to completely decimate the competition. Which begs the question; WHAT'S WRONG WITH SOME COMPETITION?

Frankly, I don't believe any brokerage should be the ONLY choice for a consumer. There are societal AND economic dangers inherent in monopolies. The dangers of allowing one company to assume supremacy over a market frightens me, and yet, the prospect seems to excite some. Lets be the "only office the public can call". Lets be the "only choice any buyer or seller has". NO THANKS!

I'm all for having a good team of agents in my real estate office. I'm NOT all for having no competition out there to go up against. First of all, when no one is left but colleagues within my own office, how ugly will this get? It could get pretty bad, going to a listing appointment knowing the person I'm up against works in the office right next to mine.

Secondly, it would make me rusty. Part of the excitement of getting a listing, or obtaining a new buyer, is knowing that I worked hard for the business and I possibly beat out someone else. It keeps me on my toes. It makes me stay educated on what other companies are up to. And, its fun. I work hard to keep a good rapport with every agent in my little Preble County community. But at the same time, every agent out there knows that when the time comes for business to be done, my game face is going on, and may the best woman, or man, win.

So whats with the urge to just shut down the competition altogether?

Its fun to win the race, but gee, it sort of loses its appeal if I dont have anyone to race against.

Kelley Weimer, a house "SOLD" name!

www.buypreblecounty.com

This might be a controversial subject, but I'm willing to take the risk. Mind you, the Home Inspector in question here is my own family member, so I'm REALLY taking a risk.. But the question begs to be asked.

Here's how the scenario played out:

September 9 2008: I ordered a full home inspection/pest inspection for an out of town client, on a bank owned home in my own neighborhood. The inspection was completed, results given to myself and my clients, and the invoice given to me. I asked the home inspector how she would like to be paid and was told to "have it be paid at closing". Fair enough so far.

October 15 2008: This is supposed to be the close-by date. I had sent the invoice over to my Title company a couple weeks ago. Well, some sticky issues regarding financing are raised. So my clients file for an extension on the closing date, for November 1 to be safe. The bank says OK, and the home inspector also says "OK".

November 1 2008: This sucker ain't gonna close. Its an A-Frame house and there are NO COMPS.

November 5 2008: Yep, the deal is dead and I am now searching for a new home for my clients, with a couple of good possibilities. I go ahead and mail the home inspection invoice to my clients (across country) and tell the home inspector that I have done so, and to expect payment shortly.

November 8 2008: We've found a new house already and have a contract worked out. My clients would like to close ASAP and ask that a home inspection be done QUICKLY! I agree. It is another bank-owned and time is of the essence. So I call the same inspector at the request of my clients. The inspector says to me "Yes, I'll do the home inspection but I might hold the results until I get paid for the last inspection" Huh??

November 12 2008: Mind you, this is about 7 days since I mailed the inspection invoice. My clients HAVE received it, but just yesterday. It takes a little while for mail to get from Ohio to the West. So they now have the invoice and have written a check and are putting it in the mail TODAY. I know full and well they are good for it, based upon my knowledge of their situation.

November 13 2008: The inspection is done today and the home inspector/family member comes to my house afterwords. I ask "So how did it go?" And the answer? "Well, I'm not going to tell you until I get paid for my last job". Frankly, I didn't know what to say except.."The check IS in the mail, and honestly, I didn't get paid for MY last job at all, but that's the nature of this business".

November 16 2008: My clients are calling me, asking where the inspection is and how did it go? How embarrassing. I actually have to say to them that I cant tell them until the home inspector gets her hands on the check from the last job. I am FED UP. This is a bank owned property. There are only so many calendar days in which my clients have a legal right to argue something in the home inspection. And my inspector is holding up this process. So I call her and tell her I HAVE to have the inspection TODAY or I will have another inspector out there this afternoon to do the job, and she won't be paid for this one either.

Tell me...do you think I was in the wrong? Did the home inspector have the right to withhold the report? I feel that I was taken advantage of due to being "family" to this inspector. I cant imagine she would have tried this with any other agent in my office.

Just looking for opinions on this one. Thanks!

Kelley Weimer, a house "SOLD" name!

www.buypreblecounty.com