Agent Whiz!

iwantsandy.com

In this industry you can never be too organized. Introducing Sandy...your own personal assistant.

I Want Sandy is a reminder service, not only for stuff you need to do, but stuff you want to remember, such as urls, phone numbers, grocery lists, etc.

Each morning when you check your email simply start sending reminders to Sandy.

There is no software to download and install ...its web-based and available to you anytime, anywhere. What happens is you send an email to the Sandy email address, input a few keywords, and Sandy has the "intelligent" software to figure out what you want.

Sandy then sends you reminders by email to your BlackBerry, Palm, or iPhone, or texts you on your cell phone.

So, you get an email from a customer who would like to view homes at 6pm tomorrow. Forward the email to Sandy, and add the word Reminder in the subject line...and voila! Sandy will pop you a text or email to remind you.

I must have hundreds of passwords...I just forward them over to Sandy and instruct her to "remember" them.

There's also a search feature... if you can't remember something you told Sandy to remember for you, input a word that you know is in that reminder, and you'll receive a list of all your reminders with that text.

You can alos add a Sandy widget to your desktop or Googel calander fore easy access.

Easy.

So give it a try and see how it works for yourself.

I grabbed these examples off the website. See any you recognize?:

Example for families

1) Remind me to refill my prescription tomorrow @todo

Example for students

1) Remind me about Literature 101 study group Mon 6-9pm @weekly

Examples for professionals

1) Remember update project waterfall @todo, @"project x"

2) Remind me I have a Marketing meeting on 3/14 at 1-2pm

3) Remember my United mileage number is abcde12345 @travel

Sign up and give it a try here!

What Realtors Blog About

Okay, so you've already determined that blogging is good way to create business, but what should you blog about?

Well, if you are a real estate professional...blog about what you know about....real estate!

Let buyers and sellers know that you are a real estate specialist, that you know your community, and that you know your stuff!

Check the paper online each morning, and blog about the events taking place in your community. New developments appearing? Foreclosures on the uprise? Mortgage rates changing? Let your customers know what is taking place in their community, and how these changes affect them.

Create a specialty niche within the real estate field, become an expert in that niche, and blog about it. Love to golf? Establish a following of golf lovers. Blog about the local courses, blog about specialty golf developments, blog about new homes that have just hit the market located on the golf course. Or how about foreclosures? Stay on top of the local deals, add a mailing list opt-in to your blog, and make sure investors are informed of new local foreclosures daily.

Why not become your communities new construction specialist? Go visit each new home development in your area, meet with the builders to learn about amenities and specials. Take a tour of the community and homes available, take lots of photos, and post them on your blog. Who do you think buyers will refer to when they have an interest in that particular community?

There are so many ways to reach a buying/selling audience by blogging. We'd love to hear your ideas...share them with us at AgentWhiz...where savvy real estate professionals gather.

Search the New Way!

AgentWhiz loves finding new tools that will make our jobs easier. This is one of them.

Introducing SearchMe....the first visual search engine.

If you're like me, when I am looking for something online, I search a term, and begin visiting the different results that show. Many times, I am searching back and forth, until I find the site that meets my needs the best.
This search engine allows you to see the site, without ever leaving their page. You simply keep scrolling until you find the best fit, click and you are there. The visual aspect of the search adds a whole new dimension. SearchMe also has options similar to Google...you can search the Web, Videos, and Images.
Wow...this is going to save so much time!

Searchme lets you see what you’re searching for. As you start typing, categories appear that relate to your query. Choose a category, and you’ll see pictures of web pages that answer your search. You can review these pages quickly to find just the information you’re looking for, before you click through."

Who Thought of Calling Short Sales Short??

If you are involved in short sales, you know there is nothing short about them! At least not with the time factor involved.
But educating yourself in the short sale process and offering this service to your customers can prove to be an extremely lucrative part of your business.

• Before venturing out into the short sale field, get training! Working short sales is deeply involved, and as a real estate professional you better know what you are doing before you agree to do a short sale for a homeowner. Don't just take a class at your local board, and believe yourself to be a short sale expert. You are far from it. Research and become trained by the specialists that are actually working short sales, and know what it takes to get a short sale approved, from beginning to close.
• Educate the homeowner. Be upfront and honest right from the start. Do not make promises to the homeowner, and do not advise! Remember, always...you are not an attorney and cannot advise legally. Explain the process thoroughly, and let them know what they can and cannot expect. Discuss thoroughly the possible outcomes, including the possibility of 1099 tax consequences, requests for promissory notes from HELOC lenders, or Private Mortgage Insurors, etc. I always suggest they contact their attorney and/or accountant for further information.
• Be thorough and prepared. When you make the commitment to assist the homeowner in obtaining a short sale offer, and take on the responsibility of negotiating with their lender, be sure you have everything you need to go a good job. Know exactly what the lender will require when you submit an offer on behalf of the seller, and ensure you have every item. If  the seller is unable to supply you with an item, be sure they supply you with a reason in writing. For example, "I am unable to provide pay stubs, as I have not been employed for the last 4 months."
• Stay committed and organized. I follow a precise system for every short sale. I do not accept a listing until everything I need is supplied by the seller. Authorization to release information is sent to the lender immediately, and followed up with a call to ensure they have it recorded. Pertinent questions are asked during that initial call. When I receive an offer on the property, the entire pre-prepared package is sent to the lender with the offer. I place a call to the lender every week, and speak directly to the negotiator to track where we are in the transaction.
• Record all activities. Every call that is made or received, every fax sent , every conversation or inquiry, etc, is recorded. I offer buyers, sellers, and co-broke agents an update every two weeks, preferably by email.

I'd love to hear any comments or feedback from those in the industry that are currently involved in the short sale niche! Share your experiences.

Barbara Corcoran Talks about Staging a Home

Have you explored AmREDS yet?

   

AmREDS is designed to compliment the MLS service. Instead of listing properties for sale, AmREDS is the premier database to search for serious real estate buyers. Buyers can be searched on a variety of important criteria such as price, location, type of commercial or residential properties, etc. AmREDS enables you, the real estate professional, to be proactive in exposing your clients to listing agents, instead of just waiting for the phone to ring. Basic membership is free.

AgentWhiz...on the look-out for Contributing Authors!

Join us as a contributing author! We're looking for folks like you who have some valuable information to share with the real estate industry! If you have a great article or blog post, and would like to share it with our readers, just drop us a comment.
If we use your article, we'll include your bio and link-back to your site. A great promotional tool...get the word out!

Is your area one of the fastest growing real estate markets?

The housing implosion is nowhere near over. In 75 of the 100 top U.S. cities, prices are expected to fall in the next 12 months according to Fiserv Lending Solutions.

The S&P Case/Shiller Home Price Index, which tracks 20 of the largest housing markets, showed prices plummeting by 12.7% in the 12 months ending February. That's the biggest fall since the index began tracking prices in 2000.

Meanwhile, foreclosure filings more than doubled in the first three months of 2008, spiking 112%. So far this year 156,463 families have lost their homes to repossessions. Many markets won't hit bottom till late 2009 or even 2010.

Gallery: 10 Homes for Sale in Hot Markets

Pity the residents of Stockton, Calif., whose homes are likely to lose more than half of their 2006 value. But if you happen to live in Texas -- or any of the other cities below -- congratulations: The housing tornado passed you by.

1. McAllen, Texas

12-month forecast: 4%
Median home price: $109,000
One year price change: 2.1%
Five year price change: 23.3%
Change in foreclosure rate: 23%

2. Rochester, N.Y.

12-month forecast: 2.7%
Median home price: $121,000
One year price change: 3.4%
Five year price change: 20.1%
Change in foreclosure rate: 5%

3. Birmingham, Alabama

12-month forecast: 2.7%
Median home price: $156,000
One year price change: 2.9%
Five year price change: 29.4%
Change in foreclosure rate: 20%

4. Syracuse, N.Y.

12-month forecast: 2.6%
Median home price: $126,000
One year price change: 0.8%
Five year price change: 29.5%
Change in foreclosure rate: 27%

5. Buffalo/Niagara Falls, N.Y.

12-month forecast: 2.4%
Median home price: $105,000
One year price change: 1.6%
Five year price change: 24.5%
Change in foreclosure rate: 14%

6. New Orleans, La.

12-month forecast: 2.2%
Median home price: $158,000
One year price change: 1%
Five year price change: 43.7%
Change in foreclosure rate: 49%

7. Scranton, P.A.

12-month forecast: 2.2%
Median home price: $128,000
One year price change: 7.2%
Five year price change: 41.1%
Change in foreclosure rate: 8%

8. Grand Rapids, Mich.

12-month forecast: 1.9%
Median home price: $124,000
One year price change: -3%
Five year price change: 8.3%
Change in foreclosure rate: 37%

9. Baton Rouge, La.

12-month forecast: 1.9%
Median home price: $170,000
One year price change: 5.7%
Five year price change: 38.3%
Change in foreclosure rate: 14%

10. El Paso, Texas

12-month forecast: 1.8%
Median home price: $134,000
One year price change: 6.9%
Five year price change: 51.9%
Change in foreclosure rate: 32%

Thanks to Yahoo Real Estate.