The other day I was showing some referral clients homes and asked them where they met their agent that had referred them.
The husband told me that he and his wife stopped at a coffee shop every morning on the way to work (they are in the Military) and one morning the owner told them that their coffee was free. They could not believe their luck! Free-nothing is free anymore. So they asked the owner how they got free coffee and he told them that a RE/MAX agent named Steve Cohen had paid for coffee for any soldier in uniform that came into the shop.
The young soldier told me that when he got back from Iraq everyone was thankful and grateful and acknowledged him all the time but now that he had been back awhile everything was the same, he was just another soldier and this free cup of coffee made him feel that someone really cared for him and his wife and that had made his day.
He later wanted to sell his house so he went back to the shop and asked the manager for the agents card. The manager gave him the card and he realized that he had seen him in the shop nearly every day. He called Steve and listed and sold his home and is now working with me on a referral basis at his new home at Ft Bliss in El Paso, Texas
My message here is to Pay it Forward(it was also a movie a few years ago). I am asking that anyone that reads this blog to go to a coffee shop and pay some money for any solider, police officer or fireman to have a free cup of coffee on you. Don't expect anything in return- do it because you really care about the people that take care of you on a daily basis and are not always recognized like the should be. Thank you in advance.
Active Rain Real Estate Network
You can find great local El Paso, Texas real estate information on Localism.com Patti Olivas is a proud member of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network, a free online community to help real estate professionals grow their business.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
What's My Home Worth
I just added a new link to this site under Helpful Links.
Not only can you find out about the real estate market in El Paso, TX but you can find out what your home is worth in any area of the country. All you have to do is type in your zip code and an agent in that area will give you an updated Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). It is based just on numbers as the agent will not have been out to your home.
You can have the agent in your area come to the home to get a more exact figure, but just over the Internet will be a ball park figure.
I hope you enjoy this service.
Not only can you find out about the real estate market in El Paso, TX but you can find out what your home is worth in any area of the country. All you have to do is type in your zip code and an agent in that area will give you an updated Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). It is based just on numbers as the agent will not have been out to your home.
You can have the agent in your area come to the home to get a more exact figure, but just over the Internet will be a ball park figure.
I hope you enjoy this service.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Are we in a Buyer's Market?
The real estate market in El Paso, TX is changing! Right now there are right at 2400 resale homes on the market, 2665 homes that have already closed and 1082 that are pending and waiting to close. Those figures do not count brand new homes or any multi family.
Everyone is saying we are in a buyer's market and in some ways that is true. There are alot of homes on the market and they are taking a little longer to sell and we are seeing some price reductions, but the big growth spurt that El Paso is about to see has not even happened yet!!!!
The new Medical School will open and have the 1st classed within the new couple of years, the military build up has not really started yet and the high tech military weaponary buildup is just starting to be in the works.
With all of the above happening within the next few years, I feel that prices will again start to be on the rise and real estate in El Paso will drastically change. I have been in this business since the early 80's and I have never seen a market like the one we will be going into within the next year and more.
If you want to buy a home, now is the time to purchase because if you wait, prices will go up!!!
Everyone is saying we are in a buyer's market and in some ways that is true. There are alot of homes on the market and they are taking a little longer to sell and we are seeing some price reductions, but the big growth spurt that El Paso is about to see has not even happened yet!!!!
The new Medical School will open and have the 1st classed within the new couple of years, the military build up has not really started yet and the high tech military weaponary buildup is just starting to be in the works.
With all of the above happening within the next few years, I feel that prices will again start to be on the rise and real estate in El Paso will drastically change. I have been in this business since the early 80's and I have never seen a market like the one we will be going into within the next year and more.
If you want to buy a home, now is the time to purchase because if you wait, prices will go up!!!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Showed homes Yesterday
Well yesterday started out cloudy in El Paso and that is pretty unusual but the real estate market in El Paso, TX is far from cloudy. While it is a little slower and we are seeing some price reductions, El Paso is still an under rated market and will start to rise again I know.
I showed 8-10 homes to my buyer. When she first arrived at the office I went over the required paperwork (Information about Brokerage Services) and then went over the Buyer's Representation Agreement and giave her a general over view of the El Paso real estate market. Once those were signed we talked about what her real estate needs were and then I showed her all of the listings that we were going to see.
The first home was really beautiful and we spent about 1/2 hour there. The seller was rather talkative and did all of the showing but he was really proud of his home and it showed. The funny thing was that Dan and I were going to build that exact same plan a few years ago but we decided to stay in our home and remodel instead. It is a beautiful SW Santa Fe style home with an open courtyard in the middle of the home. The only thing this home did not have that the buyer wanted was a view.
The next few homes were all in the same subdivision and none of them had great views so we cancelled the ones with owners and went to a new subdivision that was the Parade of Homes this past spring and found some model homes that were just what she was looking for. The home had great views and the floor plan was superb!!!
After talking awhile she said that she really needed to sell her home in Michigan so I asked if she had a Realtor at home that she was going to use because if she did not then I would refer her to one. She and her husband had moved to New Mexico last fall and have decided to make El Paso their home but do need to sell first in Michigan.
I called a Realtor up there and got the referral all worked out and that agent has already called my buyer and is ready to get that home on the market in August.
Networking is a great way to find agents in another city and I feel that she will do a great job for my client. She was very honest about how slow their market was and was familiar with the area that my client lives in and was going to try and set up an appointment with the buyer's daughter to see the home this afternoon! Talk about moving quickly, I was impressed.
We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at a few more models and she said that she would like to bring her husband when he got back in town this weekend to look at the ones she liked the best.
Speaking of networking, we had a call from another seller that wants to sell her home here and wanted us to refer her to an agent in Reno, Nevada. Well, our daughter is a Realtor in Reno so we gave her the referral and she has already called her and I am going to see her home in El Paso today.
I showed 8-10 homes to my buyer. When she first arrived at the office I went over the required paperwork (Information about Brokerage Services) and then went over the Buyer's Representation Agreement and giave her a general over view of the El Paso real estate market. Once those were signed we talked about what her real estate needs were and then I showed her all of the listings that we were going to see.
The first home was really beautiful and we spent about 1/2 hour there. The seller was rather talkative and did all of the showing but he was really proud of his home and it showed. The funny thing was that Dan and I were going to build that exact same plan a few years ago but we decided to stay in our home and remodel instead. It is a beautiful SW Santa Fe style home with an open courtyard in the middle of the home. The only thing this home did not have that the buyer wanted was a view.
The next few homes were all in the same subdivision and none of them had great views so we cancelled the ones with owners and went to a new subdivision that was the Parade of Homes this past spring and found some model homes that were just what she was looking for. The home had great views and the floor plan was superb!!!
After talking awhile she said that she really needed to sell her home in Michigan so I asked if she had a Realtor at home that she was going to use because if she did not then I would refer her to one. She and her husband had moved to New Mexico last fall and have decided to make El Paso their home but do need to sell first in Michigan.
I called a Realtor up there and got the referral all worked out and that agent has already called my buyer and is ready to get that home on the market in August.
Networking is a great way to find agents in another city and I feel that she will do a great job for my client. She was very honest about how slow their market was and was familiar with the area that my client lives in and was going to try and set up an appointment with the buyer's daughter to see the home this afternoon! Talk about moving quickly, I was impressed.
We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at a few more models and she said that she would like to bring her husband when he got back in town this weekend to look at the ones she liked the best.
Speaking of networking, we had a call from another seller that wants to sell her home here and wanted us to refer her to an agent in Reno, Nevada. Well, our daughter is a Realtor in Reno so we gave her the referral and she has already called her and I am going to see her home in El Paso today.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Looking for homes for my newest buyer
I got a call from a woman the other day that wants to start looking at homes in the El Paso, TX area. The first thing I asked her was why she called my office. Her answer is used to track where our clients come from. She found us on the Internet and had used RE/MAX for sales in the past.
I also told her about the real estate market in El Paso and what was driving our market right now. The military build up has had a big impact on our market but the 4 year medical school that will focused on border health and the high tech military weaponry that is being developed right now in El Paso are probably the 2 biggest impacts on El Paso's real estate market.
Once we got through the normal conversation introducing ourselves I started asking the questions that will help me find the right home for their needs. I needed to know what type of home she was looking for, how soon would they be moving, had they already talked to a loan officer to get pre approved (one of the most important ones to me), do they have to sell a home to buy this one or are they in a rental and if so when does the lease expire.
She was very helpful in her information and even offered to email me a list of her wants. That really makes my job easier so once I got that list then I could go into our Multiple Listing service and start sorting through the homes that matched her criteria. She had even sent me a list of homes that she wanted to see and that was great because she is the one picking what suits her needs instead of my trying to guess which ones are the best ones that fit.
Now all I have to do is track down the agents to check for availability. Have you ever tried to call someone and it was hours before they got back to you? Frustrating isn't it? Please answer your phones or make a point to check your messages at least every 30 minutes, in some cases it could make a difference whether you get your home sold or not!!
At my office once we make all the calls to see if they are still available my staff will then put all of the listings that I am going to show on a map so that there is no problems finding the homes as quickly as possible.
I personally call the sellers' to set an appointment (that is the way it is done in El Paso-we do not have a scheduling company in most cases) and I let them know within a 15-20 min. time frame what time I will show their home. I also let them know that if I am running early or late, I will call them( and then I do!).
Now I am ready to meet with the buyer and before we go out to look I sit down with them and explain the Information about Broker Services (letting them know who represents whom) and I go over the Buyer's Representation Agreement and explain all of the things I will do when I represent them.
If there are questions I answer them now or in the car as we are driving around looking at homes. The next step will be handled in the nest post.
Patti Olivas
I also told her about the real estate market in El Paso and what was driving our market right now. The military build up has had a big impact on our market but the 4 year medical school that will focused on border health and the high tech military weaponry that is being developed right now in El Paso are probably the 2 biggest impacts on El Paso's real estate market.
Once we got through the normal conversation introducing ourselves I started asking the questions that will help me find the right home for their needs. I needed to know what type of home she was looking for, how soon would they be moving, had they already talked to a loan officer to get pre approved (one of the most important ones to me), do they have to sell a home to buy this one or are they in a rental and if so when does the lease expire.
She was very helpful in her information and even offered to email me a list of her wants. That really makes my job easier so once I got that list then I could go into our Multiple Listing service and start sorting through the homes that matched her criteria. She had even sent me a list of homes that she wanted to see and that was great because she is the one picking what suits her needs instead of my trying to guess which ones are the best ones that fit.
Now all I have to do is track down the agents to check for availability. Have you ever tried to call someone and it was hours before they got back to you? Frustrating isn't it? Please answer your phones or make a point to check your messages at least every 30 minutes, in some cases it could make a difference whether you get your home sold or not!!
At my office once we make all the calls to see if they are still available my staff will then put all of the listings that I am going to show on a map so that there is no problems finding the homes as quickly as possible.
I personally call the sellers' to set an appointment (that is the way it is done in El Paso-we do not have a scheduling company in most cases) and I let them know within a 15-20 min. time frame what time I will show their home. I also let them know that if I am running early or late, I will call them( and then I do!).
Now I am ready to meet with the buyer and before we go out to look I sit down with them and explain the Information about Broker Services (letting them know who represents whom) and I go over the Buyer's Representation Agreement and explain all of the things I will do when I represent them.
If there are questions I answer them now or in the car as we are driving around looking at homes. The next step will be handled in the nest post.
Patti Olivas
Friday, July 6, 2007
Brand New Listing
I got a new listing today and I was in competition with a discount broker! The wife and husband were both very impressed with my presentation (their words-not mine) but the husband liked the cheaper commission from the discount broker.
Real Estate in El Paso, TX is a strange but great market. While homes are taking a little longer to sell, this couple had almost doubled their investment since they bought the home about 8 years ago.
Back to the presentation- the wife convinced her husband that you get what you pay for and the true professional would take them from listing to closing on the home with all questions answered and doing all of the necessary tasks to get it sold quickly.
While discount brokers are great in a very strong sellers market, when things are slower you need someone who will put your home in the Multiple Listing Service as soon as the papers are signed and get it on the web immediately. The fact that there are different models available to sellers now makes me buckle down and provide the best service that I can to all of my clients.
Check out my web site at http://www.teamolivas.com/ to view all of our listings.
Real Estate in El Paso, TX is a strange but great market. While homes are taking a little longer to sell, this couple had almost doubled their investment since they bought the home about 8 years ago.
Back to the presentation- the wife convinced her husband that you get what you pay for and the true professional would take them from listing to closing on the home with all questions answered and doing all of the necessary tasks to get it sold quickly.
While discount brokers are great in a very strong sellers market, when things are slower you need someone who will put your home in the Multiple Listing Service as soon as the papers are signed and get it on the web immediately. The fact that there are different models available to sellers now makes me buckle down and provide the best service that I can to all of my clients.
Check out my web site at http://www.teamolivas.com/ to view all of our listings.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Happy 4th of July
I think this picture is great for the 4th of July. We were in Washington DC recently at the National Association of Realtor's Convention and every time I see our Nation's Capitol I am so proud to be an American.
We have so many freedoms in this great country and we should all be very proud of each and every one of them.
Today we want to honor our Country and our Military personnel that are serving all over the world.
One of our greatest freedoms is one that allows anyone to own a home in the United States, you do not even have to be a citizen of this country! How great is that?
Have a safe 4th of July.
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