Just like all REALTORS® are not created equal, in my experience, neither are home inspectors, lenders, title comanies, and the list goes on and on.  I'm certainly going to show my bias here, but I prefer to recommend home inspectors from their own, or small companies.  Why, because when I make a recommendation to my buyers, I want to know who is going to show up.  With large companies I don't always get that luxury, and its cost me some serious buyer dissatisfaction in the past.

Here is what do I look for in a home inspector:

• Local knowledge and experience.  I prefer someone with local experience about the types of the homes in the area, and the types of systems he/she will be inspecting.  For example, some of the homes in this area have aluminum wiring.  I understand the concerns, but it shouldn't automatically fail a home inspection because of aluminum wiring.  I've seen out of area inspectors go nuts and almost squash a transaction because of the way they acted about aluminum wiring, even though it was installed correctly.  You don't want me to hear you tell my buyers you wouldn't own a home with aluminum wiring.  I do expect you to educate them on legitimate concerns. 
  
• With all due respect, keeping your opinions to yourself is important to me.  I may not be your client but I may be the reason my clients call you in the first place.  My buyers don't need to know whether you like or dislike any particular system in the house they're buying...they need to know whether it's working properly.  It's OK if you don't like heat pumps, you're not buying the house.  I'm absolutely OK if you beat up the house with quantifiable data, subjective opinions are off the table.
  
• Tools of the trade.  Can you do a moisture test if its suspected?  Do you have a moisture meter to provide quantifiable results, instead of opinion?  I'm assuming that you all have ladders and flashlights, etc.  I let in a home inspector once when I was representing a seller who didn't have a ladder.  Never even went up into the attic.  I can't imagine what the buyers were paying for with that report. 
• I use my home inspector because he can calm down the fears of buyers, and instruct them on what is and what isn't important.  I'm sure you'll agree that there are some ugly things uncovered during a home inspection, but not all of them are important.  Buyers, especially first time home buyers, need to know the difference between what they should consider importand and not.
  
• Don't expect me to point out things you should be doing, or seeing.  Some real estate agents have been sued in the past because they tried to be too helpful during the home inspection.  I'm the REALTOR®, you're the home inspector. 
  
• Safety first, but do you walk the roof or just look through binoculars.  Can someone who looks at a roof through binoculars from the street, do the same job as an inspector who walks the roof?  I have my own opinion on that as well.
  
• Comprehensive reports with pictures.  Me, and my buyers don't need the report at the end of a two hour inspection, but we would like it within 24 hours.  Rushing out a report at the end of an inspection may not be in your best interest.
  
• Home inspection report that is specific.  Again, I'll show my bias here...I hate those check off forms.  I prefer a comprehensive narrative.
  
• Buffet menu of other available inspections.  If you suspect mold, can you do a mold test on site and send the results to a lab?  How about radon?  Termites?  I'm not interested in recommending someone who can't do a complete job in one scheduled visit.  
  
• I'll never ask you whether you would buy the house, that's not a fair question.  I do expect that the report will be definitive enough so that the buyer can make that decision.
• Ethical, this is not a discretionary item.
• Licensed, insured, and ASHI or NAHI Certified.

This isn't a very big list here.  I'm sure you have other items that you like to see your home inspector do.

I'm not interested in the little give aways of the business, pens and stuff like that.  I'm interested in protecting buyer clients by providing them with the appropriate information so that they can determine whether to proceed with buying the house, or not.

Agents get solicited for business, from a whole host of service providers, all the time.  Breaking through to get on the recommended call list for an agent is pretty tough.  I take the recommendations of other agents pretty seriously.  Most agents are trained to ask their clients for referrals.  I know its not quite the same, but do Home Inspectors ask agents for referrals to other agents?  In ten years, I've never had one home inspector ask me to recommend him/her to another agent.  If you don't ask for referrals, you could be losing a good source of future business.

 

Richard Iarossi
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114
410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
Web:  http://www.RichSellsHomes.com
eMail: Rich@RichSellsHomes.com

Here's where the square peg group can show it's stuff.  I need to update what I listen to in my spare time.  My iPod can hold over 20,000 songs but I really only listen to a small number when I get a chance.  Below, not in any particular order are the albums and songs that are on my A list.  What are your's?  If you don't have an iPod...how about your metaphorical iPod instead?

 

Rolling Stones: one of the greatest R&R bands ever.  I have no idea what's keeping them still going.

Bruce Springsteen:  I'm a former Jersey boy too.  Bruce is the boss.

Frank Zappa:  Definately for the eclectic listener.  I grew up in the 60s...enough said.

Eric Clapton:  Best guitarist ever.

Bob Dylan:  Uh oh...it's that 60s thing again.  Kind of weird...he looks better now than he did back then.

Buster Poindexter:  I just love his stuff.

Led Zepplin:  My favorite hard rock band.

Queen:  Unique sound and the second best song ever.

Jimmy Buffett:  Coolest guy still singing.  I wouldn't mind living a Jimmy Buffett lifestyle.

Joe Cocker:  Could have been one of the best.

---

Best Song:  Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven

Second Best Song:  Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

Best Doowop Song: Earth Angel - The Penguins

No, the Active Rain gurus haven't created something new without telling you.  They're still smarting from the missing Blog button controversy:)

My definition of Diablogging has to do with keeping an ongoing dialog going through the comments made by members and the original blogger.  Way beyond the "nice post, thanks" comments we frequently see.

This one has been in my draft folder for a while but I decided to revive it after seeing what I consider the perfect example of Diablogging.  Richard Weisser has a featured post on being a square peg in a round hole.  As of this morning Richard's post has accumulated over 239 comments.  I find that to be a pretty amazing number, considering the post is less than 24 hours old.  Most featured posts never accumulate 100 comments before they roll off the main page.

Take a look at that post and you'll see the dialog between the poster and members of the community, and between members of the community to each other, with the poster in the background.  The creativity of the comments is compelling reading. 

He just threw the fresh meat into the cage, probably not knowing where it would ever go.  The community, by way of their comments, took it in a direction that they wanted it to go, and Richard went along for the ride.

There has been a lot of carping lately about how featured posts get selected.  AR staffers even felt compelled to weigh in on the subject as to how the selections are made.  Richard's featured post struck a nerve with the community, even on a lazy Sunday evening.  The AR staffers didn't have a difficult decision to make, the community already made it for them by the sheer number of comments.  Comments and responses (Diablogging) are what takes a blog post to the next level.

Of course, my definition of Diablogging assumes three things:

• The original post is actually worthy of comments.
• A comment is actually worthy of a response.  "Great post, thanks," is not worthy of a response but we see it all the time.
• The original poster goes back to reply to a comment and keeps the dialog going.  This doesn't always happen either.

Active Rain is a phenomenal resource and we, the community, can make it even better.  Thoughtful comments and responses by posters can take this platform to the next level.  Keep the dialog going.

 

 

 

My youngest is 27 so you can imagine my point of reference as it comes to taking care of a four month old infant overnight.  My oldest son and daughter in law left him for the first time overnight with the grandparents.  I gotta tell you...I have such renewed respect for anyone taking care of an infant, and having anything resembling a life, much less a job too.  I'm exhausted.  Don't let the picture fool you...they move around more than a Mexican jumping bean.  They never stop, and whatever they touch goes right in their mouth.

I forgot just how much drool comes out of their little bodies.  I swear he drooled his body weight each day.  It's everywhere, but especially on my shoulder.  Where does it all come from?

Oh yeah.  I forgot to mention they left their dog Wheezie too.  Wheezie and my two dogs aren't exactly best buds.  You can't have three alpha dogs in the same room.  Four month old baby, three dogs, overnight...what am I nuts?  I may be, but I loved every minute of it.

 

We can't control the housing market but we can control how we think about the housing market, and how we talk about the housing market, and what we do about it for ourselves.  We don't have a housing crisis, we have a temporary market correction.

Real estate sales go up, real estate sales go down.  The pendulum is constantly moving and it sure seems like its beginning to move in the right direction again.

We all know REALTORS® who are forever dwelling on how bad the market is...based on their current performance I can see why they think that way.  The Law of Self Fulfilling Prophecy simply states that "you get what you expect."  The more they keep dwelling on how "bad" the market is, the more it will stay that way, for them.  And the less they will do to actually help themselves.

While the housing market is certainly stressed, there are still millions of houses being sold this year.  Somebody is selling them.  It may take a bit longer and you may not make as much as you think you should, but the market just keeps chugging along.  With or without your participation.

Positive self talk is helpful, but alone, it isn't going to bring in any business.  You need to engage.  How's this for a novel approach...get out of your home office, turn off your computer, retire the pajamas for the day...and actually do the things you already know how to do.  Yep, unless you're a brand new agent, you already know how to get business.

We all need to make adjustments as to how, and who, we do business with, in the new market dynamic of 2008.  A few years ago finding new customers was like picking low hanging fruit.  Nowadays you might need a ladder, because the fruit is a bit higher in the tree...but its' still there.  Loans are somewhat harder to acquire, but money is changing hands every day.

A few short years ago FHA and VA loans weren't in fashion.  You can bet your real estate license they are now.  Do you need to brush up a bit on these old mortgage instruments so you can better serve your clients...do it now.

 

 

 

How you view the housing market is about perception.  What you do is about it for your business is about your own work ethic.  If you're content to wait for the phone to ring, that's fine.  It won't ring on its own...you have to do something to make it ring.  I know, I retired from Verizon back in 1997.

 

 

REAL ESTATE IS A CONTACT SPORT - IF YOUR UNIFORM IS TOO CLEAN - YOU MAY NOT BE PLAYING UP TO YOUR POTENTIAL

Richard Iarossi
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114
410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
Web:  http://www.RichSellsHomes.com
eMail:  Rich@RichSellsHomes.com

Crofton MD Real Estate

Are you concerned about whether the person trying to give you a referral from another state is licensed, so that you can legally provide a referral fee?  Check out Arello.com. 

From their site:

"Use this site to search for a real estate practitioner to verify the current status of that person's license or registration. This tool will research an international database for information you can use to determine whether or not the person with whom you are working is in fact authorized to assist you for a fee in a real estate transaction."

It's getting harder to hide on the internet.

 

Richard Iarossi
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114
410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
Web:  http://www.RichSellsHomes.com
eMail: Rich@RichSellsHomes.com

How you start your day could very well have an impact on how it goes and how it ends.

It's way too easy to fill the void of silence by just turning on the radio or television, and listen to the most current bad news situation.  They never seem to be at a loss for bad news.

I believe that where you spend your "head" time, positive or negative, has a compounding effect on the total you.

REALTORS® are generally more positive than the population as a whole but lately more pessimism and negative comments are poking through by agents in and outside of the office. 

I have a quote taped to my daily planner: "the less time you spend in other people's business, other people's problems, and other people's drama, the more time you'll have for your own success."  I respect other agent's in the office, but I will avoid getting drawn into their problems, and I avoid the ones who are constantly spouting negative opinions.   They usually seem to be the same people too.  No, I'm not a pollyanna, and yes, negative people do drag you down.

Did you ever wonder why some agents are always pessimistic?  More than likely they're spending too much of their time worrying about things instead of finding ways to fix them.  Makes you want to just hang out with them, doesn't it?

I don't remember where I heard it but there's a story about a father who would touch the branch of a tree near the walkway to his house every day when he came home from work.  When someone asked him why, he said, "that's where I leave all my problems and troubles from the day before I go in to greet my family."

Lately, I've been starting my day reading the blog of an Active Rainer, Richard Weisser, Coweta County Real Estate Facts and Info by Richard Weisser ERA United Realty Newnan.  He has the ability to put a positive message into what could otherwise be a dry medium, without coming across as preaching.  Try starting your day reading Richard's blog and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Remember...START POSITIVE - END STRONG.

 

Every once in a while I'll test to see how well my website IDX search is serving potential clients.  I currently have two different searches available on my website and some clients prefer one and some prefer the other.  To me, the user interface is important but not the most important factor for an IDX search.  I prefer to think that accurate data is more important to people searching for homes.

Here's some results from a simple search for active listings in one zip code:

136  MRIS (this is the baseline coming directly from our paid MLS)
194  Realtor.com
138  Property Minder*
148  HomesDatabase.com (this is weird because it's the public side of the MLS)*
204  RealtySoft
161  Trulia
150  Yahoo
257  Zillow

It's a mess out there in the public domain. 

CALL YOUR LOCAL REALTOR FOR ACCURATE INFORMATION

 

*These are the IDX searches I use on my website

Richard Iarossi
Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc.
Crofton, MD 21114
410-451-6255 Office
443-995-9595 Cell
Web: http://www.RichSellsHomes.com
eMail: Rich@RichSellsHomes.com

 

MLS BA6811040, Price reduced to $184,900.  Additional information at http://www.504SouthClinton.com. This home is NOT a short sale or foreclosure.  Easy settlement.

 

Large end unit on a wide street with parking in front or on side of unit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remodeled kitchen. New cabinets, countertops, floor, window.

All appliances convey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living room with hardwood floors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Formal dining room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exposed brick in dining room and stairs to second level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Master bedroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest bedroom with exposed brick wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus storage room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rear courtyard.

 

WOW!  These folks at Active Rain are on top of their game. You're not going to catch them snoring.

 

About a half hour after making a post yesterday I got a call on my cell phone from none other than an Active Rain Staffer, Bob Stewart.  I was caught totally surprised.

Over 113,000 members, and who knows how many posts each day, and he takes the time to call me to thank me for a post I just submitted.  STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING - YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE RAINMAKER.  How cool is that?

The post ended up getting featured, which is an honor in itself, but to get a call from a member of the AR staff is just icing on the cake.  That's the type of relationship management that we could all use a lesson from.  Thats the type of customer experience that makes Active Rain the best Real Estate Blogging Platform out there.

I've been on other platforms and recently decided to try Active Rain.  As a matter of fact, there are several familiar names now on AR who made the move before me.  Once you move to Active Rain, there's no going back. 

Here's a couple of reasons why I think Active Rain is unique, I'm sure you have others:

• I believe that Active Rain is unique in blogging platforms in that it allows you to quickly make new associations that seem more like friends and family, than just anonymous posters.  Sure, there is the occasional crazy uncle, but every family has one of those...right?
  
• Everybody sits equally at the Active Rain blogging table.  The only cost of entry is "a post with good content." 
  
• Active Rain is actually helping to contribute to the body of real estate knowledge.  This is a critically important difference from other platforms.  This isn't just a bitch and gripe session, there's actual learning going on here.  If you can't learn something from another post on Active Rain every day, I don't know what to say.
  
• Active Rain bloggers are the most supportive group of people I've ever experienced on the internet. For a group of people who are also fierce competitors, this is pretty amazing. 
  
• I don't know about you, but my posts are indexed by Google within an hour of my hitting the Post Blog Entry.  Unbelievable potential for every Active Rain participant.  
• The Active Rain platform continues to get better because they actually listen to their constituents.  Thats a unique concept.

Active Rain's stated goal is "To empower the real estate professional."  I think they're doing a great job

 

AND now...more icing on the cake

 

Check this out...they actually gave me points!  Like being comp'd at a Vegas Casino.

 

 

OK, so here's the rest of the childhood rhyme for those of you racking your brain...

"It's raining, it's pouring,
The old man is snoring.
Bumped his head
And he went to bed
And he couldn't get up in the morning.

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day;
Little Johnny wants to play."

 

A TOAST AND KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ACTIVE RAIN...CALL ANY TIME.