I am really mad at CBH homes

I am mentoring another agent.  Her client is trying to build a new home from CBH homes.  They walked into the office and worked out the contract with the CBH agent the terms of the contract.  The sellers agent wrote the contract up with $1500 in the design studio (for upgrades).  We never had a chance to set the terms of the offer since it was complete and our clients had agreed to those terms.  Our clients signed the offer and they countered taking away this money.   This seems to me to be bait and switch.  If we had asked for this it would have been fine for them to counter but they wrote the contract not us.  I am advising that we counter with that money in.  The kids are afraid of losing the contract but they really could use the money so they can have things a house SHOULD have standard… Like a non shallow sink…. A closet door…. A 6 lb carpet pad….

Selling a build job for the first time…

For the first time in my 6 .5 years as a real estate agent I helped a couple write an offer on a build job.  It was sort of interesting on many counts.

1) I am helping a brand new agent out (who I am partnering with) and so technically I just referred it to her…. Well actually she got the client but it is a way to pay me for my expertise…

2) I spent a lot of time researching CBH homes and reading a new type of contract….

3) The biggest problem that buyers seems to run into is that they make the contract and that seems to be a base price.  Then you go to the design studio and pick your colors and upgrades… This can add to the price of the final home.  The couple had already picked some upgrades…We encouraged the couple to go the design studio in the next day or so before they were well underway…

4) Being me I started to worry that they might get a very basic home because they wouldn’t be able to afford the upgrades that they wanted… I am a bit reassured but when we went house hunting they seemed to love vaulted ceilings and that is an upgrade… I think that it might even be one worth paying for…

5)  I never have actually partnered with another agent officially.  This will hopefully be the first of many deals we do together…

6) The couple like the idea of picking everything… This is the obvious good part of buying a new home…

Hopefully everything will go smoothly.  I made sure the couple knew that we were looking out for their best interest.. The other agent works for the builder and represents the builder. Going totally with the builders agent is like letting your husbands divorce attorney write your paperwork….

These are Debbie”s thoughts for the day..

Found a great investment but cant interest anyone….

Sometimes as an agent we find a cash cow….. A property that has significant extra value in price or a great rental value…. I found one such property…. It is 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bath 1152 sq ft.  in Boise at a negotiated shortsale of $73000 plus closing costs.  It is even possible that the owner would like to stay at the home and rent it.  Whether you are looking for a home or an investment this is it.  The value is $100,000 today if you turned around and sold it.  I have been in it and wrote an offer on it in October.  It is a nice home for the money.  If you want to see it give me a call.  This home is near the Boise Town Square.  It’s not my listing but it is a good one… I am even thinking of making an offer.  I called my buyers but none of them are ready to move on it.  To bad because it is a very nice home for the money.

Help Wanted Buyers!

Well it has happened.  I sold all my listings!  Well one is pending!

Now I need your help… If you want to sell in the Treasure Valley of Idaho call me! The Treasure Valley includes:  Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Star, Kuna, Idaho City, Nampa, Caldwell and middleton.  This really great real estate agent will take you through the process of selling the home from start to finish…

1) Advice you on market conditions.

2) Perform a real market analysis.

3) Help you prepare your house for the market.  I have a list of different types of workmen and stagers who will make your home shine.

4) Hire a photographer for a virtual tour.

5) I will put a nice sign in your yard.

6) Keep the flyer box full.

7) Market your home on the Internet including but not limited to Zillow, Realtor.com, trulia, multiple listing service, activerain, facebook and google.

8) I blog and I will blog about your home to create a bigger Internet presence.

9) I have line ads every weekend in the Idaho Statesman every Friday through Sunday.

10) I will open your home at least once a month (if you want me to).

11) I will keep you informed on the activity and interest in your home.

12) I will present all offers and advice you on how to handle the offer.

13) I will prepare a net sheet for you for all the offers.

14) I will negotiate your offers.

15) I will be in contact with the buyers agent and their lender to facilitate the closing.

16) I will advice you on the inspection contingency form.

17) I will be in contact with the title officer.

18) I will read and examine the HUD1 and settlement form for accuracy.

19) If you are in the Treasure Valley I will come to your closing.

20) I will answer any questions you have (if I don’t know the answer I will find it).

21) I can find you your next home or your next agent if you are moving out of the area.

21) I will listen and do my best to get your home SOLD and CLOSED.

Working together we will get your home sold!  I also do short sales and I will write that up in a diffenent post!

So please let me help you get your Treasure Valley home sold!  You won’t be sorry!

Open House….My colleague wants to sit at my listing….

 

At our last meeting one of my colleagues asked if anyone had a listing he could open…. At first I looked at him funny….Why would one want to sit in someone Else’s listing?  I got over that when our agency had the new development…. After a while I sort of realized it would be dumb luck if I ever got any money…  It ruined my weekends…Well I did have a beautiful brand new home in a great setting to spend my afternoon in.  But no buyers….If they had an agent no pay…If they came back and didn’t explain that they met that really nice agent at the open house, no pay…..I sat anyway because I said I would…I hoped maybe to pick a buyer…I didn’t…..We lost the listing (they were overpriced and far from town on little lots)….

I realize that my colleague (friend) had no listings and no solid buyers…. I also realized I had two listings I wanted open and didn’t want to sit open houses on both weekend days…..  I thought about it through the rest of the meeting….  After the meeting I told him he could pick which of my listings he wants to open and I would handle the other one….

Wait you say….Don’t you want to represent both sides?  Don’t I want to pick up the buyer?  Well yes of course but I wasn’t going to open both houses…It is very wearing and I have things to do….buyers to service…I want my listing sold.  History tells me somebody else will bring my buyer…It might as well be my colleague and friend.  He picked 105 Bridgewater and I have 722 Pearl.

He called me yesterday.  He went to see the home….He is very excited….This is not a new agent…He is an older man with 20 plus years in the business…  I hope he is successful….It would help both of us if he brings me an offer….I hope he also picks up a buyer…

  Open Saturday 1-4 PM

 

For me I will sit Pearl…. A very nice home about 1/4  of mile from mine….It is on the Boise Bench…A wonderful older neighborhood close to everything with a lot of spirit and class.

  Open Sunday 1-4 PM

 

Sometimes helping another person is a win-win situation.  My friend has something to do today and I have both homes open…Maybe we will both be successful to help us end 2011.  Wish us well….

Sometimes solo real estate is like a solo medical practice…..

Today as I try to get ready I wish I had a partner…. The only problem is I don’t take in enough for me so how can I take on another agent?   I have had a scary few weeks and my step mom is still in the hospital. Meanwhile I am preparing for my full nest to become empty.  My middle chick takes off on Thursday…. Another goes to China at the end of the month…The youngest goes to college… 

Meanwhile back at the ranch I still have a pending going slowly (buyers aren’t sure they the home.  I have a new listing and another one on the way.  I have a couple of buyers that I seem to be putting off…..  Pictures tomorrow…. Landscaping today….  My mother in law arrived last night…. I am not sure which way to turn…..

Some of my friends seem to have partners….I sort of wonder how well it works?  I have a team of lenders, title officers, inspectors and repair people.  I am wondering if I would feel less stressed if I had a team-mate who also sold houses….  Do you split the comissions 50-50?  How do people with partners work it out?

My dad used to be in a solo private practice and he almost always on duty…. Eventually he had a heart attack and became a VA doc (which he loved) because he was a flight surgeon.  The veterans liked him and he liked the veterans and he didn’t have to deal with the buisness aspect.

I wonder if two of us could follow up on leads better?  We could discuss our clients needs and listing and perhaps come up with better solutions….  These are random thoughts as I prepare for the day….

I suppose if nothing else happens my nest will be empty in 2 weeks and I will have too much time on my hands….

New LISTING 722, S Pearl St., Boise, ID 83705

New Listing 722 S. Pearl St. Boise, ID (edit/delete)

722 S. Pearl St., Boise, ID  83705 ,  MLS number 98475211

722 S. Pearl St., Boise, ID 83705

Come home to your beautiful home on the bench.  Gorgeous hardwood floors and tons of natural light.  Updated tiled bathrooms with a great shower in master bathroom.  Lots of storage and built-ins, Pella windows and newer AC.    Delightful family room to play, relax or watch TV.  Two bonus rooms downstairs.  Wonderful covered patio with park like setting with unique fence and two Stor-Mor storage sheds.  Walk to Boise State, downtown, shopping and restaurants!  Close to schools, public pool, freeway, parks and airport.  Normal sale! Make sure you find the Egyptian room in the basement.  NOT REO NOT SHORTSALE!!!  Easy close.  BTVA

This home has 1565 sq ft on the main level.  There are three bedrooms and 2 baths on the main level.  There is also 728  sq ft of basement space  This is a gem with North End charm in a charming area of the Bench.

Call Debbie to see this beautiful home at 761-2551,Email 208-761-2551

Search Boise Homes 

Working from the hospital….

In the last post my step-mom was in the ICU.  She is getting better and will finally have the surgery on her arm tomorrow… It has been a very difficult week and my step-sister in law and I took the car home this weekend.  I do not have pictures from the hospital but I will include one from a break at the beach on Thursday… I do love the ocean. I actually went in fully clothed because I left Boise in a hurry and had no time to get a swim suit.

Now as an active real estate agent I still had work to do.  I did not work on new clients but I had 2 things that I had to keep going.  I have a pending that we ran the inspection on.  I picked this bank owned house for the buyers (sort of scary) and they came up Sunday July 31 to see the home.  They liked it (phew….) and we proceeded to the inspection scheduled Wed.  I arranged for the inspector to be let in.  We got the report on Thursday and my buyer wanted to walk.  It was just a little more repairs then he wanted to deal with.  I prepared the return of earnest money form and sent it to the buyers.  I informed the loan officer.  The loan officer called the buyer and talked him into waiting.  He thought that the underwriter might call many of the items that worried the buyers.  He often works with this listing agent and I was relieved but a bit nervous.  My buyer sent the inspection report for the underwriter.  I waited and waited…. I wanted to see what the underwriter was going to pick.  Meanwhile my step mom developed a liver problem to add to all her other problems.  It was a tense day.   I was worried because Friday was the last day for the earnest money to be returned because of the inspection.  I waited some more getting more worried.   I talked to the listing agent who assured me I could get my buyer out of the contract or hope for the underwriter to pick the scary stuff up….  I had not worked with the loan officer and felt this was leaving my buyer very vulnerable.  What if the underwriter didn’t care about the same things that concerned my buyer?

I called my broker to discuss the problem and came up with a solution (poor broker I started talking told him I figured it out and went to work).  My solution was a very careful reading of the contract.  I could stop the clock by putting in the repair request.  I knew, my buyer knew and the listing agent knew that the seller would not agree to anything that didn’t prevent the underwriter from approving the loan.  But it also stopped the clock until Monday.  Today the seller agreed to wait until the appraisal was in so my buyers doesn’t have to worry about losing his earnest money.

I still don’t know if the sale will go through but my buyers will get their earnest money back if they don’t proceed with the sale.  I know the house is a good value.  I have protected the buyers!  If I had $25,000 cash I would be glad to buy it as an investment.

I did all this work from the hospital…..People (including the listing agent) were helpful when they heard about my situation.

‘The other project I worked on is a job site I hope to list in a couple of weeks.  I have been working as a sort of contractor arranging the workers at the site.  I left my handyman partner in charge of meeting the sprinkler guy (that is really the name of the company) and the heating contractor.  I got the report and talked to the owner.  Again it is amazing what you can done with a cell phone and a good internet connection….

This was a very tough week and I am very tired.  I am up $7 from gambling in Tonopah on the way home (the Ramada is very nice)…..I did my caregiving and my real estate work from the hospital room….Pray tomorrow goes well for my step mom tomorrow….

More HUD Fun… They tried to take the keys before my buyer could change the locks…

Yesterday we funded and closed on the home with the cut down rose bushes.  At the signing the title officer said something that made me nervous so I went and got the keys the day before we were supposed to fund.  I DID NOT GIVE THEM TO THE CLIENT.   I found out at 1:30PM that the deal was recorded.   I gave the keys to my client around 3:00 PM.  While we were still on the properpty the listing agent came for his lockbox, sign and keys.  I told him my client needed the keys because the locks hadn’t been changed yet.  He said it is a new rule from either HUD or the asset manager that they need to collect the keys.  I asked if he could wait until Monday to collect the keys so that my client could have the locks changed.  At first he didn’t want to do that but I pointed out without the keys my client had no way to secure the property and her son-in-law would not have time to change the locks until the weekend.  The family has a huge amount of repairs to make (including a new electrical box and pole) before they can live in the place.

 

I understand why they don’t want the keys out but if I hadn’t collected the keys the night before my client might have had to break into her new home.  That is ridiculous. No one called me to see if my client was in yet.  Would he have come out to unlock the home if my client hadn’t been in.  I should have tried to make him change the locks since he wanted the keys so badly.

Next time I close a HUD deal I will ask the listing agent to pick up the keys a day after closing.