Real Estate and *stuff *
A real person helping real people with real estate
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Fred and Ethel finish their Worcester County travel week with RE/MAX
November 16, 2011
Fred and Ethel…the BNI Whales are just finishing up their week with RE/MAX. They aren’t quite ready to take on the blue R but they are close! Most of the day was not very exciting for them with price changes, property inspection reports, client files and short sale updating with the lenders. They declined pictures for the most part. I think Ethel is getting camera-shy.
They spent some time with some new buyers looking at foreclosure condos in Marlborough and Grafton. They had a good time and it was nice to get to know some new people. Dan and Dan are just starting out with their search and we looked a few different areas so they could start to get a feel for what was available in their price range. Time well spent!
We did walk into a foreclosure on Hosmer Street. The complex is undergoing renovations but has been hit hard with short sales and foreclosures which makes it difficult for the association to maintain their budget. There is a 2 bedroom unit that I had shown when it was short sale and I’m not sure how we crossed paths but I found my business card on their living floor amiss the belongings they did not have time to take when they were foreclosed on. I wish they would have reached out – I might have been able to sell the condo short instead of them having to endure a foreclosure. It’s a huge difference – a short sale affects their credit for a much shorter time and future employers don’t ask if someone has short saled…but they do ask if they have had a foreclosure. Sad.
The BNI Whales moved past this moment and marched on to an appointment with their new clients in Marlborough. Fred and Ethel helped list their condo on Friday and we received a full price offer on Sunday which we officially accepted this evening! They are SO EXCITED!!! We also signed their offer to purchase a new house in Southborough! YAY!!! Fingers and fins are crossed for them!
This is was the last day I will spend with the BNI Whales until the next time I win them. I hope that they enjoyed it as much as I did! I also hope that you reach out to find out more about the 7 Hills BNI Group! We do need more members and it has been a fantastic group to be a part of! If you want to be more successful in your business…it’s the place to be!
Of Whales and Mice…
November 13, 2011
Fred and Ethel…the BNI Whales…had a good taste of a sunny Sunday in real estate and *stuff*! They started the day at 4:30am because Ethel couldn’t sleep very well. She’s pretty nervous about making sure we can stall the foreclosure sale on a property before the end of the month and wanted to pull some more information together. Fred was a bit annoyed at the early hour but as he said “early to bed early to rise, makes a BNI Whale Healthy Wealthy and Wise”…or something to that effect.
After a showing at the new listing, the Whales were thrilled to get an offer on the condo they just listed on Friday! Amazing! Fred remarked that is what happens with a well priced, well marketed listing and timed release to market. The sellers are happy – the BNI Whales are happy and Sunday brimmed with sunshine!
Off to do some more showings and check in on the open houses in Rutland and Leicester. Apparently the mouse solution in the walk up attic worked well because it rained deceased mice on to a prospective home buyer. Consulted with the home owner and we won’t have that happening again (sorry Wendy!). Leicester had good traffic and Fred and Ethel think we’ll have it under contract early this week. I think they are right – they are getting the hang of real estate quickly!
Fred and Ethel finished up the day with scheduling showings for Monday and Tuesday, confirming meetings and visiting Lowes to look for indoor lighting solutions for the living room. Holding back from calling Chris McGarry – the electrician for the 7 Hills BNI Group (top rated with service magic ) to find out how to make an outdoor light an indoor one – Fred and Ethel settled on a new light fixture with the husband and called it a day.
Each profession is allowed just one representative per BNI Group – that means that you will no competition within the group for referrals! We are currently looking for a variety of industries…such as:
Florist
Limo company
JP
DJ
Event Planner
Band manager
Caterer
Event Planner
Wedding Planner
Baker
Real estate attorney
Interested? Let me know!
The Whales on a Whirlwind for Saturday
November 13, 2011
Fred and Ethel got a great taste of Real Estate on Saturday! So much so…we have limited photos of their activities.
They started out with some showings on their listings…specifically 325 Elm Str in Framingham. Elm Street is a short sale with upscale renovations that are “almost” complete. Some elbow grease and this modified ranch in North Framingham on the Sudbury line will SHINE!
From there…the whales moved on to a new client. Fred took a call on late Friday afternoon from a lovely young couple who are trying to relocate from Troy NY to Marlborough because they have an incredible job offer on the table. With only two weeks to orchestrate the move and only one day to find a new place to live – they are urgent! Ethel saw how great this couple is and wanted to help! With a flurry of phone calls and some last-minute showing requests – Fred and Ethel find them a great rental in Assabet Village in Hudson. The couple is thrilled and the whales are excited!
After a quick stop to refuel (Fred and Ethel can really pound the espresso!) They are off to meet a local contractor at another short sale to assess any necessary repairs and schedule the clean up work. The sellers have moved on so the point of contact has become the Realtor. Luckily it’s only down trees and no damage to the property except for a basketball hoop and the mailbox. The Whales are not pictured here due to safety concerns.
And then they are off to ensure that the open houses for Sunday are scheduled and staffed! Thanks to the great team at RE/MAX Professional Associates, Fred and Ethel are confident that the open houses at the following locations on Sunday will go well!
18 Burncoat Street Leicester
Open Sunday 1pm to 2:30pm
Foreclosure sale! Title V in hand! 3 bed, 1 bath, .97 acres in need of serious rehab. Priced to sell at $64,350
72 Glenwood Rutland
Open Sunday 12pm to 2pm
Amazing short sale opportunity! 3 bed, 2.5 bath in the main house with hardwoods, fireplace, oversized gourmet kitchen, views of Mt. Wachusett, full dry basement, walk up attic and 2 car garage. Also has a full in-law suite with 2 bedrooms and its own entrance!
Who are the Whales? Have you been following their progress this week? Ask me about the BNI Whales and how Fred and Ethel can increase your business!
The Whales…Wayland to Worcester and back with lipstick pigs
November 11, 2011
Wow…the Whales had quite the day! Part of the huge success I have as a realtor can be attributed to the weekly sales team meeting I have with the 7 Hills BNI Group. Each week we meet and have a chance to discuss what we do as professionals in our business and then part ways to pass referrals throughout the next six days. (A huge thanks to Pam Crawford at RE/MAX Professional Associates for getting me started – the support and eduction I have with the fantastic group of people I work with is sometimes staggering!)
But back the Whales…
Fred and Ethel started the morning at 6am with a big cup of coffee and the laptop. A quick blog post about the open house this Sunday at 72 Glenwood Rutland. Followed by emails, Craigslist postings, a listing agreement, finalizing a lease agreement for later and verifying that an auction company has received the offer on the short sale listing so we can try to hold off the auction at the end of the month. And then they are off!
Egads…they did not get the offer and YET AGAIN the “find me, fax me” fax upload function is not working! Off to Office Max for Fred and Ethel to get that offer in! Luckily there is one nearby! Fred and Ethel make a note to call into the accessline on Monday morning and get the fax function corrected. $7.68 for a five page fax is just not okay!
Fred and Ethel with meet with Sonia and Dave at their 2 bedroom condo in Marlborough to list it. Sonia and Dave have outgrown their space and want to move into a big home. Fred and Ethel played with their dog Lilly and had a quick game of “what’s in my room” with their daughter before signing the listing agreement and photographing the condo.
Now that the sale portion of Sonia and Dave’s day is done, they take off with their daughter, her friend, faithful dog Lilly in one car and Fred and Ethel get in the jeep with me to take a look at a few houses to begin their search. They are hoping to find the “diamond in the rough” on a lake and we look at lake front in Wayland. Fred and Ethel say “TEAR DOWN” and wonder if the plot shape will allow a nice 2 to 3 bedroom home to be built after this one has a date with a bulldozer!
Off to the next lake house in Wayland. Much nicer but something is amiss. The listing was on the market for 129,000 then off for a week and then put back on the market at 179,000. Fred and Ethel review the house and all the major systems but find no reason for the $50k price increase. It’s an odd layout and Sonia and Dave decide to call it a day. The whales are off to stop back home and post up their condo listing.
Fred and Ethel sort through the pictures, call on getting a copy of the condo docs and verify all the information with public records. Inputting the listing into MLS takes them about an hour total with the pictures. From here, the magic internet will spread the listing to Realtor.com, Remax.com, Trulia, Zillow, amymullenrealestate.com and beyond. Fred and Ethel will give it 24 hours to populate and then start to revisit the sites to make adjustments and monitor the activity. This happens daily for all the listings and helps keep them at the top of any buyer’s home search!
Again with more coffee…these Whales are picky too…they said something about Starbucks??!!?? Really?
Fred and Ethel rush out of the house to make a home inspection in Worcester at 4pm with a buyer. Egads…it didn’t go well. The house has been completely redone on the inside and is an investor flip from a foreclosure purchase. As the home inspector says…”It’s lipstick on a pig. Take off the lipstick and it’s still a pig.” Adam Camosse is a great home inspector and my buyer thinks the world of him. We are waiting to find out why the house is held together in the attic with steel cables. I don’t think we’ll like the answer.
A quick stop at the mail box to drop some prospecting letters in the mail for the morning. Fred and Ethel learn the value of being “the first kid on the block” with expired listings!
Last appointment of the day! Fred and Ethel meet the new tenants Mike and Amy at the rental listing in Marlborough to do a walk through of the apartment and sign their lease. The client Lynne is very excited about her new tenants and Fred and Ethel are shown here pulling up the lawn sign!
*whew* so the whales had a huge day! Listed, closed, viewed, inspected, prospected, blogged and of course took calls and meet new people! They decided that their favorite part of the job was meeting new people and helping them!
If you want to learn more about Fred and Ethel, BNI and RE/MAX – let me know!
BNI? It doesn’t involve bacon unless you are bringing it home
August 4, 2011
I am part of 7 Hills BNI – the largest global business networking organization in existence. The purpose of the organization is to build relationships between professionals in order to pass business through referrals. It’s a great concept, works very well and is fun! This year to date, my chapter has passed $117,000 in business referrals and we’re still going!
It works because each profession is only allowed one person to represent it. Currently we have several open spots in our Chapter for the following professions:
General contractor
Chiropractor
Massage Therapist
Payroll Company
Computer Repair
Architect
Event Planner
Exterminator/Pest Control
Home Inspector
Home Appraiser
Florist
Auto Repair
Auto Body
Travel Agent
Landscaper
Carpenter
Mason
If you are in one of these professions or know someone who is and would like to increase your business – let me know. We would like to invite you to visit our group in West Boylston and see what’s it’s all about. You can also visit the website: http://www.bni.com and be sure to check out the “Why Join?” section. This group has not only grown my business but it’s added new friends to my world!
Real Estate and *stuff * 