Grants Pass, OR

The Evolution of the Virtual Culture.

An interesting commentary was recently written by James A. Crumbaugh III, CEO of Allison James Estates and Homes, and published by RIS Media. Here is what James had to say about the evolution of the virtual culture.

I recently returned from the NAR National Convention in San Diego, California, a convention that had a feel of celebration. I believe that's because every one of the 19,000 attendees is a survivor of the past three years of the worst economic and real estate crisis this country has seen in 80 years.

For me, the experience was one of confirmation of what I believe to be the future of the real estate industry-Internet-based real estate. The business model, like ours, is a national Internet-based Real Estate Brokerage, where the Realtors work out of their home offices, and as a result, the broker has no brick and mortar expense. In return, the Realtor keeps 100% of his or her commission and just pays the broker a small association fee each month, thereby creating a profit for the broker, rather than an expense.

Two years ago, when we first rolled out our business model in Washington D.C. at the Midyear NAR Convention, the word "virtual" was absolute poison. Brokers and Realtors would come to our booth and literally run when they heard the word virtual. What a change just two years has made.

This year at the NAR National Convention in San Diego, the word virtual was the most exciting idea being discussed. Brokers wanted to learn how to create a virtual environment for the Realtors and brokers successfully. I suspect in the coming year we will see hundreds of brokerages recreating themselves under a virtual banner.

Even the Realtors this year jumped all over the virtual business model. We encountered thousands of Realtors who realized that they can now command 100% of their commissions, and that is now the accepted standard.

Furthermore, what we heard from every Realtor is the reason they don't go to an office, and the reason they don't care about an office environment is boiled down to one word: distraction.

The top producers think that when they go into an office environment, they become distracted from being productive. We heard this comment universally from almost every Realtor. Realtors' insight into their most fruitful working conditions has been an unanticipated end result of this business model.

So, after this year's convention, I feel that Internet-based real estate was not only accepted by both the brokers and Realtors, but that brokers, such as myself, were no longer the strange broker that lived out there in some mysterious virtual never-land.

The virtual culture is not only the future of the industry, but a huge favor to all the brokers who are struggling to keep their doors open, now that even brand new Realtors expect to keep 100% of their commissions.

This new business model has legs, and it will continue to expand and grow. It will, in the process, make the brokers of our industry financially healthy once again. It will also allow the Realtors to truly be independent contractors who are allowed to keep all of what they have earned.

The virtual culture is a win-win-win for the broker, the Realtor and the consumer.

Article compliments of RIS Media

How To Stage Your Home For a Quick Sale. You don't have to invest a ton of money to make your home more appealing to potential buyers - a few tips and tricks might just do the trick.

You Will Need

• Flowers
• Storage space
• Pillows
• Time to tidy up
• Good coffee
• Frozen cookie dough

Step 1: Start outdoors

For homebuyers, the first impression starts before they even get out of the car, so make your front yard and walkway as appealing as possible. Plant some flowers, rake any leaves, remove weeds, paint the fence and porch-make sure everything is in tiptop condition.

Step 2: Clear the clutter

Put away knickknacks and any odds and ends that wouldn't be in a model home. If you're in a hurry, just stick them in your car, inside desk drawers, or in other places the buyers won't look.

Step 3: Let the sun shine in

Open up your blinds and curtains; light makes a room look bigger.

Appealing aromas like coffee beans and freshly baked cookies make people feel at home and put them in a good mood. So put on a pot of good coffee and pop a roll of cookie dough in the oven.

Step 4: Pare down

Put extra furniture in storage and clear the kitchen counter of appliances like the microwave oven and toaster. Besides making your house look bigger, it will help prospective buyers picture their own belongings in your home.

Step 5: Throw around pillows

Steal a page from the home décor magazines: add throw pillows to make rooms look warm, comfortable, and inviting. And put soft, fluffy comforters on the beds, even if it's summer.

Step 6: Make it less personal

Remove family photos and your kids' artwork from the fridge. Homebuyers like to imagine what it would be like to live in the house; your photographs subconsciously prevent them from doing that.

Step 7: Splurge on fresh flowers

Put fresh flowers throughout the home. The sight and scent of flowers are proven mood boosters, which will help buyers look more favorably upon your home.

Industry surveys show that staging your home can make it sell three months sooner, and for 3% more!

Going Rogue on the Illinois River - Grants Pass, Oregon

The beautiful Illinois River is at its' finest as it meanders through the striking Oregon country on its way to join the Rogue River.

Once it goes Rogue, then the tremendous power of these two rivers are an amazing and magnificent force.

Even in November, the Illinois River Falls is formidable!

You can hear the falls long before you see it, and if you close your eyes you can almost picture a massive freight train bearing down on you.

Around every bend there seems to be another creek overcrowding its banks in its rush to join with the Illinois on its trip Going Rogue.

Here and there are tranquil pools that remind one of the tide pools at the ocean just waiting for the river to regain its' full splendor when they again will be covered with rushing rapids.

All along the river are reminders of the higher water levels, as this 70 foot log laying where it was deposited by the retreating current shows us.

Maybe this log too will eventually become petrified as is evidenced by the remains of another of its' predecessors.

Move to Southern Oregon, where there are so many things to do all year around!

Foreclosure Filings Rose 5 Percent in 3rd Quarter of 2009. Foreclosure filings, including default notices, auctions and bank repossessions, rose 5 percent in 3rd quarter, from the previous quarter and 23 percent from a year ago, according to Realty Trac's quarterly Metro Foreclosure Market Report. One in every 136 households with a mortgage loan, or 937,000 properties, received a foreclosure filing between July and September.

"Rising unemployment and a new variety of mortgage resets continue to gradually shift the nation's foreclosure epicenters in the third quarter away from the hot spots of the last two years and toward some metro areas that had avoided the brunt of the first foreclosure wave," says RealtyTrac's CEO, James J. Saccacio.

Las Vegas had the highest third-quarter foreclosure rate in the country with 5.13 percent, or one out of 20 housing units, nearly seven times the national average. Some 40,408 Las Vegas properties received a foreclosure filing during the quarter, up 9 percent from the previous quarter and 54 percent from the third quarter of 2008.

Merced, Calif., had the second-highest foreclosure rate with one in every 27 properties receiving a foreclosure filing, followed by Caper Coral-Fort Myers, Fla., where one in every 28 households received a foreclosure filing. Several cities that had not been part of the initial foreclosure wave posted the biggest year-over-year increases during the third quarter: Boise City, Idaho; Salt Lake City; and Provo-Orem, Utah.

Article compliments of Realty Trac

Trulia, Inc. has announced that 1 in 4 homes experience a price reduction during the past 12 months. More than 40% of the top 50 major metros across the U.S. are experiencing price reduction levels above 30%, significantly higher than the national average. The average discount for price-reduced homes continues to hold steady at 10% off of the original listing price.

Northeast Continues with Most Homes Reduced. The Northeast continues to see the highest level of price reductions, with 29% of current listings experiencing at least one price cut - Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire are all seeing over 30% of listings with price reductions. (Regions according to the U.S. Census Bureau).

-Northeast - 29% of listings with price reductions
-Midwest - 28% of listings with price reductions
-West - 25% of listings with price reductions
-South - 24% of listings with price reductions

"With mortgage rates still low and the expansion of the tax credit to trade-up buyers, we could see significant inventory - both new and 'shadow inventory' - hit the market during the next four-to-six months," said Pete Flint, Trulia co-founder and CEO. "Inventory levels this quarter are poised to be atypical of a normal real estate market, which could create tremendous pressure on sellers to price their homes competitively and move their property before the tax credit expires on April 30th."

Cities experiencing significant increases in percentage of listings with price reductions from June 2009 to November 2009 include:

-Kansas City, MO - 59% increase in price reductions
-Colorado Springs, CO - 43% increase in price reductions
-Omaha, NE - 39% increase in price reductions
-Louisville, KY - 37% increase in price reductions
-Milwaukee, WI - 30% increase in price reductions

Cities showing signs of the highest percentage of declines for listings with price reductions from June 2009 to November 2009 include:

-Las Vegas, NV - 34% decrease in price reductions
-San Jose, CA - 25% decrease in price reductions
-San Antonio, TX - 18% decrease in price reductions
-Los Angeles, CA - 16% decrease in price reductions
-Oakland, CA - 16% decrease in price reductions

Luxury Market Still Hardest Hit
Luxury homes (those listed at two million dollars and above) continue to bear the brunt of discounts being offered with an average of 14% being slashed from the original asking price compared to the national average of 10%. Additionally, luxury homes represent less than 2% of all current listings on Trulia, but are responsible for 25% of the $28.1 billion in home price reductions.

Article compliments of RIS Media