Real Estate and Beyond Blog: Arkansas

TOP THREE C'S WHEN NEGOTIATING REAL ESTATE CONTRACTS I LOVE USING COUNTER OFFERS

It would be much easier to take boxing champion Ali's stance to just beat the other person into submission. However, there are other ways to close deals when it comes to real estate. I believe the art of negotiation is lost in our industry. I see it every day when I write offers on properties. The listing agent comes back to inform me that the seller has accepted another offer. What about a counter offer? I list many homes because I assist many real estate investors to Phoenix Fix and Flip a House. So, there always be something to counter offer such as price, closing date, title company, closing costs and who pays for what when negotiating a real estate purchase contract.

I was in a real tough negotiation this week with a buyer agent. He tried to play hard ball with me. This is not my first rodeo, Son. A great Realtor will always remember the 3 C's in negotiations:

1. COMMUNICATE
2. CALM
3. CLOSE

The buyer agent sent over his final counter offer number two. He stated the buyer is not willing to go any higher. Well, I know this buyer has been looking for a property becasue the same agent lost out on another listing I had to another buyer. Plus, he informed me earlier that he does not want to take the buyer out looking for another house. He was giving me more clues that the buyer really wanted the home.

I went back to my 3 C's in negotiations. I said I will talk with the seller at six o'clock when he gets off of work. We had a nice conversation. Buyer agent calls me at 6:06PM to ask if seller accepts final and last counter offer. I informed the buyer agent that the seller would like to counter offer on a few items. The buyer agent was shocked. Now, he turned on his "LET'S GET THIS DEAL DONE." I was able to write up counter offer number on which both sides agreed to with both signatures on the counter offer three. Escrow will be open the next day.

The Seller was getting impatient. He told me the following "Harry, just make it go away."

DONE DEAL WITH DELIA

CONNECTING SOCIAL NETWORKS TO CREATE ONE BIG ONE INSTANT REFERRAL SYSTEM FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS

The power of Social Media is just AWESOME. It is amazing to me how many people that we can connect with on any given day on the Internet. Social media sites are getting bigger each day as more and more people sign up for Facebook and other well know sites. Why? The answer is real simple:MONEY. We must follow the money if we are going to survive in business. Huge corporations are gaining an Internet presence to stay ahead of the competition. Yes, competition is always great for the consumer. Are you playing the social media game alone? Grandma always told me that there is safety in numbers. This is so true.

The Lone Wolf mentality is over in my opinion. If you wish to do it on your own, then good luck. I believe in a team approach. I practice this philosophy in my real estate business. I have created the Real Estate Beyond Team to assist real estate investors to take advantage of the Phoenix real estate market. I have developed the following power team that include professionals such as

• Realtors
• Mortgage bankers
• Private money lenders
• Retirement specialist
• General Contractor
• Home Inspector
• Landscaper
• Insurance Broker
• Real Estate Lawyer
• Certified Public Account specializing in real estate
• Property Management Company
• Appraisers

Here comes the power of social networking. We are all doing the same thing when it comes to social media. So, we get leads daily for different industries mentioned above. I am able to refer that client to a local professional who specializes in that area. It makes us look better by having a team in place. We have referral network working for us on a daily basis. It takes time to build this team. However, it does pay off in the long term.

I just wanted to share my experience with everyone today. Best to you.

SOCIAL MEDIA GETS YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR

We are about to embrace another day in the busy world of real estate. All of us are working harder today than ever before to stay in this game. There are far too many people giving up too easily. Why? We have to roll up our sleeves and get back to basics. I love hearing stories from Realtors who continually are successful no matter the condition of the real estate market. I wise man told me when I first entered the real estate profession was to always look out six months to a year to stay ahead of the wave. That was the best advice I have ever received. Plus, it only cost me a cup of coffee. Asking questions to the right people will get you the answers you are searching for to become successful.

What is the definition of Social Media? Let's ask the experts in the field see below:

• Social media are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings.[1] The term most often refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. .reference
• A million different definitions from a million different people. But over at Duct Tape Marketing they say "[s]ocial media is the use of technology combined with social interaction to create or co-create value." reference

I obtained two definitions of social media. Here are some of the main social media web sites that we currently use in the real estate market to obtain a web presence

• ActiveRain
• Facebook
• Google
• LinkedIN
• Twitter
• Plaxo
• MySpace
• CraigsList
• Zillow

I am sure I could of listed ten or more web sites in this post. I just wanted to get my point across that it is vital for a real estate professional to become a social media expert. The public is demanding this upon the Realtor. Why? These are the expectations that have been formed in our industry. Social media allows us to reach more people who need our services. We must balance our time to ensure maximum productivity.

We all know the ABC's of Real Estate: ALWAYS BE CLOSING

Social media can be complicated and overwhelming at times. However, we need to remember the basics. Social media allows us to obtain an Internet presence. It still comes down to basic real estate skills and resources to close deals. Yes, that means we need to know how to communicate with people. The other person on the line will know if someone is fake. Be yourself and just perform above expectations to have a satisfied client. Referrals to me are the highest compliment.

HOW TO MAKE A BID TO PURCHASE A HOUSE FROM THE ARIZONA TRUSTEE SALES

Yes, I have another busy morning at the Arizona Trustee Sales. I am working with three different investors this morning. I have found that many Realtors do not want to mess with the daily auctions. They tell me there are too many moving parts. I get the same response with new real estate investors. I have to agree with both sets of people. However, it is much easier with a team in place to purchase homes at great discounts from the auction. The Real Estate and Beyond Team was formed to assist real estate investors to take advantage of the Phoenix real estate market. The best real estate education courses tell all new investors to develop their Power Team. My team is in place to make things happen for you today.

Let's break down the necessary steps to place a bid on a home at the Arizona Trustee Sales

1. Review list of homes going to auction
2. Identify home(s) to bid after due diligence
3. Email or call me to review all properties for market value and location of property
4. Send bid(s) to bidding service to check title and liens on property
5. Place final bid after all due diligence has been completed with no problems
6. Drive the property to physically inspect property--determine estimated repairs
7. Change or leave bid as is
8. Call to check availability of private money for that day-never a problem
9. Bidder calls to inform real estate investor outcome of bid-Win or Lose
10. Bring the final funds the next day to close on property-ALL Cash or Private Money

These are the 10 steps to placing a successful bid at the Arizona Trustee Sale.

Make it happen today

PHOENIX FIX AND FLIP HOUSE READY TO GO TO MARKET IN A WEEK

Are you still buying homes from Arizona Trustee Sales? Are you still doing Phoenix and Flip homes? The answer to both questions is "YES." The Real Estate and Beyond Team continues to be very busy this summer. We continue to pick up Canadian real estate investors who wish to take advantage of the Phoenix real estate marekt. Also, we have local real estate investors that just want to get into the game. Folks! This opportunity will not last forever. Mortgage rates continue to be low along with the price of labor and materials. Where do I start? Luckily, we are here to serve.

I had one of my real estate investors call me the other day to inform me that he purchased another home from the Arizona Trustee Sale. He is my prized student when it comes to Phoenix Fix and Flip. I asked him if he needed assistance on my part. He explained to me that he had the painters in the house. The carpet and landscaper will be there tomorrow with their written estimates. This investor used the Real Estate and Beyond Network of local professionals on his own to complete the home. Why recreate the wheel? I train real estate investors that they can do it on their own as time goes on. You can do the same.

I will be listing this home this week. It is in an excellent location. We will price the home to move so we can do another Phoenix Fix and Flip before the end of the year. The goal is to turn the property to make a profit. There are far too many investors that become greedy. We must acknowledge current market conditions and adjust to it.

TAKE TIME OUT TO TAKE A PERSONAL SNAPSHOT ONE ONESELF

Everyone one I know including myself is cutting back both in business and personal budgets to overcome this dip in the economy. There is nothing wrong on reevaluating the budget here and there to save money. I am glad that people are going back to basics. I know many people that were using their house as an ATM machine. That was wrong. Here are my personal tips on money management

1. Overall Snapshot of my Financial Picture right now
2. Obtain a second quote on all of my insurances from insurance broker
3. Do not count on that bonus this year
4. Take better control of one's money
5. No more impluse buying
6. Pay cash no credit whenever possible
7. Obtain a copy of ones credit report to check for mistakes
8. Put money away for retirement
9. Purchase rental house for retirement
10. Put away money for college costs

I just wanted to share what I am doing in my own life. What are you doing in your life to adapt to this market?

PHOENIX FIX AND FLIP LEAD FROM REAL ESTATE AND BEYOND RADIO SHOW

We had another great radio program here in Phoenix, Arizona. Hi-I am Harry the host of the Real Estate and Beyond Radio Show. It is a live two hour show each week. What do we talk about? We talk about how to make money in real estate. We take education and application to obtain results. We were discussing if the American Dream is still alive here in America. We received many phone calls stating that "YES" that the American Dream is still alive. I have to agree with my audience. However, our current Government continues to make it hard for small businesses to function in order to create jobs to get our economy start heading in the right direction. We had great participation from our local listeners. It is time that we stand up to take back our hopes and dreams to turn them into reality.

I received an off air message that read the following:

"HAS ZERO CREDIT BUT A LOT OF MONEY, WANTS TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE"

Do you think you can help someone this caller?  

What would you recommend to this caller? Looking forward to your input

I have developed the TOP 10 REASONS TO BLOG ON ACTIVERAIN. I was one of those people that did not really give ActiveRain a chance. I told myself every excuse in the book on reasons not to blog such as

• Not enough time
• Nothing to write about
• Nobody will read my material
• Waste of time
• Do not really understand the concept of blogging

I am sure many of us went through these negative emotions when introduced to ActiveRain. Hey, it is new to all of us. However, I decided to do more research on blogging and the reasons to start a blog. Boy, I was missing the mark. The only ways I advertise at the current time is radio, Internet and referrals. Print advertising does not work for me at this time. So, I was missing the boat. That is when I discovered ActiveRain. I was hooked on it right away. It has become part of my social networking plan.

TOP 10 REAONS TO BLOG ON ACTIVERAIN

1. Express ones viewpoints to other people
2. To Become Local Real Expert On-line
3. Network with other professionals around North America
4. To honestly help other people
5. Learn from others from their blogs
6. Keep up to date with national and local news
7. To make money
8. Have fun and be creative in blog entries
9. Obtain better search engine rankings
10. Blogging and coffee go great together

Conclusion:

I have had a great experience on ActiveRain. I have obtained many great friends via online. My nickname is JJ-Java and Jack for those that know the joke. I am here to serve and be a difference in the real estate market. One can only make a difference in their own backyard. Then, other people will take notice and get on board. I set the example for others to follow. Are you doing the same?