Who Loves Short Shorts

It had been over a year since I had talked with Joe and Rita. I had met them at an Open House on RODNEY  in the PIEDMONT_NEIGHBORHOOD in Portland Oregon. I remembered that Rita was a type A personality backed by a Let’s get Going attitude. I also remember from last year that they had an abundant amount of enthusiasm but not much money. A year ago I had sent them to my lender  TAMMY_WITTREN of Northwest Mortgage. Tammy is very good at sitting people down, analyzing there problems and structuring a game plan for them to follow. A sort of road map to Real Estate Financial success.

As Rita began to speak I sensed that something was up. With a little prodding Rita began to unravel like a ball of yarn. Both Rita and Joe had been so impressed with the work done by one of my rehabbers a year ago that they became convinced that they could do the same. 

( Step 1) was to call Tammy . True to form Tammy quickly determined that they were not in a position to purchase. She gave them a game plan to follow and of course in their minds that was not acceptable as it would just take too long. So they went out on their own and found a FSBO to purchase.

They had been working on the FSBO for about 6 months when they out of the blue gave me a call. It sounded over the phone as if they were stuck on a solution to a plumbing question and wanted some advice and asked if I would come over and take a look. I agreed. 

When I arrived I was greeted with a Horrible sight. I tried to be positive but everything I seen indicated that they had bought a major Money Pit. Not the worst thing in the world, that of getting a little in over your head. However the Seller was now threatening  to foreclose on their contract of sale and he wasn’t interested in thier problems or solutions. He just wanted paid off and he wanted it now!

To further complicate matters for Joe and Rita they had put up their Cars and household possessions as collateral. I advised them to see an attorney as there was nothing that I could do for them. They were totally buried in this house and it still needed at least 60 days worth of work to get it in to a financible state.

A month went by and Joe called. After beating around the bush for a while he said that they had lost the house and their cars. The Seller had felt sorry for them and let them keep their personal possessions. Rita was too embarrassed to call but they wondered if I could come out to their home for a talk. It turns out that they had purchased a second FSBO just after they had bought the first Fixer. The Home was of course leveraged beyond belief and they were not even sure of the payoff amount.

They had borrowed from several family members enough money to buy the home from the bank using a no-income no-doc loan. Their theory was that they would pay off all of the family members after they refinanced. Big problem was the home needed a lot of work and they had not been making the full house payments. Just making enough to keep the bank at bay while they continued to poor more and more money into the other Money pit neglecting this home.

After arriving they took me though the home and we discussed potential market values. I left and returned the following evening armed with a full market analysis. A review indicated this house to be worth between $240,000 to $248,000 with 20 very relevant comps in the same subdivision and roughly the same condition.

After spending some more time on the comps I once again asked if they had those payoff figures from their lender that I had asked about. They did and it turns out that they owed a total amount of $270,000. Further more the payoff letter was accompanied by a foreclosure notice. I looked at them and asked if they new what a Short Sale was. They did not. It means Rita and Joe that you have no equity in this home at all. You will need to get permission from the lender to market the home at a sales price of less than you owe.

They finally got the message a few weeks later. I had presented the market analysis to the Lender along with a marketing plan. I listed the home and we were able to sell the home for $245,000. The bank forgave Rita and Joe the difference and let them walk. I wonder when I will here from them again and under what circumstance.

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Whats the Purpose of Advertising

Sometimes I have been called “ The King of Cheap Advertising “. My competitors often remark how Spartan my ads seem. (They are normally not more than 3 or 5 lines in length.)  In fact a Large ad for me would be a whole 6 lines. I have even written many ads that were only 2 lines long. How do you keep your Seller’s happy with ads like that, they ask?. If only they new. Do you know?

                                            What’s the Purpose of Advertising ?

The Old man had worked for the OREGONIAN Newspaper in the real estate advertising department for most of his life. He went on to say “ I recognize many of you who have signed up for this class in advance by the poor examples you have submitted to the paper for us to publish. You guys and gals just don’t get it. ” That was soon to change.

The Old man went on to explain how we should look at advertising as if we were looking through the eyes of an unemployed worker who half heartedly is searching through the help wanted section.

You first must thing like the consumer. Contrary to popular belief they are not there to find anything. In fact just the opposite is true. Let me demonstrate how the average consumer reads the classifieds. ” Nope I aint no brain Surgeon so I cant do that, I don’t have a college degree so I cant do that, I sure don’t have over 10 years of experience so that wont work for me either. ” And so it goes with those many Buyers who are afraid of finding the right house as well. ” Nope not enough bedrooms, Nope to small of garage. Nope not my kind of neighborhood.”

You need to stop giving your Buyers the ammunition to shoot your AD down. “So what kind of ad will work you say?” I’m glad you asked he answered before anyone could say a thing. Try something like this.

Caption :  ” Owners Sad.”

Body : Their Loss can be your gain. Be sure to call Herb today for this Charming home with Spacious rooms and a Great yard. ( Add the Price and Contact info and your done.

Here are some additional Captions ;

• Big Ugly House   ( for fixers )
• Call Now or Kick Yourself In the Morning
• Anthony Renaldo Smithe once Slept Here ( use any name of a previous owner )

“Obviously”, the Old man said “ the Caption is there to draw attention.“ You cant sell anyone anything who wont stop long enough to hear your message.

When it comes to the Body be a little vague. Build a story or emotion. Stop telling all of the details. Use descriptive phrases to make your point. Let’s say your listing is a Bungalow home with hardwood floors and French Doors  etc.

Here is an example for the body :

The moment you step into the sun-filled room you can feel the warmth sweep over you. Your pace quickens as you pass over gleaming hardwood floors, past the shimmering glass panels of the French doors until your standing on the edge of a SECRET GARDEN.

I left the seminar Full of ideas. I couldn’t wait to get back and employ my new found techniques. That weekend my first ad debuted. I went with the Owner’s Sad headline.  I had tried on multiple occasions to sell this house without success. My previous ad attempts had pulled in about the normal response rate, 3-5 calls.

The ad was set for Sunday. I received my first call on Friday afternoon from the Typesetter at the Newspaper who was placing my ad. By Monday Morning I had received over 75 calls. By Wednesday I had a backlog of 125 Buyer’s who had responded to the Owners Sad ad.

What truly amazed me then and still amazes me today is that People will make up the Story if you don’t tell them. In my Owners Sad ad people were sharing there sympathy’s with the Seller for their Catastrophic Illness, or loss of a Loved one. Some people even were wondering about the Divorce. How they ever come up with those ideas from my little ad I will never know. What I do know is, What’s The Purpose of Advertising!

Let_Your_Next Portland_Oregon_Home_Find_You_With_This_Web_Site

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Random Meaningless Jibberish

Blogging has now become a passion. I had thought about blogging for some time. I guess that it was a little over 2 years ago when someone mentioned that I should write a Blog. After all for someone who had been in Real Estate for almost 19 years and who has been consistently on top even from year 1 probably has a lot to say they conjectured.

Well it turns out that I do indeed have a lot to say. Of course that does not always mean that everyone wants to hear it. However I do have had a pretty good following and it is a craft that I am constantly working on.

The Writers of Posts that I admire and follow the most seem to garner a lot of comments. I do not follow anyone because of their popularity. For me to follow, you must earn it by creating well written posts. The format Content and links although very important elements, are not necessarily the driving force that causes me to follow you.

I don’t even think that it would be possible for me to verbalize what I really like. So I will fall back on Old Faithful, ” I know it when I see it ” I also know What I Don’t Like when I see that. And that brings me to the Point of this Post.

                       Why do you Blog ? What do you hope to Gain?

When first starting out, and while you are still trying to find your voice. You will occasionally hit it on the mark. Sometimes you may even get recognized by those who have been writing for much longer than you. Encouraged you may quickly delve right back into it writing several more posts with little or no attention paid to them. This is the time period of discovery of your voice or writing style.

As you begin to gain momentum you may be blessed with a following of other members who frequently read and encourage and comment on your efforts. As I have watched my own growth through this procession I frequently re-read and edit past efforts that are not up to my new found standards.

I am an avid reader and tend to read and comment on as many posts as I can daily. I am surprised by the number of people who do not write posts following the same game plan as I do. In fact they are not even playing the same game as I am.

They are playing a totally different game. When this happens my first reaction is to ask Why? Am I doing it wrong? Do they know something that I do not know? It wouldn’t surprise me, happens all the time. What is it, what is the game that they are playing you ask?

Well I am glad you asked. Many of those who have taken to sitting at the key board are prolific writers. Fact of the matter is, I wonder how they have time to do any real estate business at all. Writing sometimes as many as 4 to 6 posts a day.  

Writing more that one post a day that contributes to the better good of all garnering several comments is really a daunting task. I have come to notice a familiar theme with some authors. Many do not receive any comments. Post after post after post. Day after day after day. Week after week after week, and still zero comments.

So am I a schmuck for trying to write posts filled with meaningful content ( heavy on the trying part ). At the end of the day is there just as much value in Posts with no comments vs posts with comments?

What is your take on the Subject?    Meaningful or Meaningless?

Technology Allows my Buyer’s To beat the Odds.

Back in April of 2007 I made an effort to be as mobile as practical to both benefit me and my Clients. Up until that point I had a pretty good system working. I am an active Real Estate Broker affiliated with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors. The Company is located in a suburb of Portland Oregon and I tend to work primarily in the inner city. I am whats known as an Out-Of-Office Agent. That is I do not physically maintain an office space at my office.

It was not just a cost savings decision that caused me to be and out-of-office agent. It was because I did not see the value of having an Office space that I would have to commute to all the while burning up valuable time which I could put to better use than being stuck behind the wheel in traffic.

But like I said I had a pretty good system working. I would generally get up in the morning, Run the Hot sheet, print out the matches and hit the streets running. If I saw a house that matched my clients needs I would call them and show the property. Should they like it well enough to write an offer, I would jot down the information let them go off and talk about it over coffee while I went to my home office and created all of the paperwork on an On-line forms program.

Within an Hour I would be back in front of the Client with the paperwork in hand. After 20-30 minutes or so I would have gained all the signatures and made my way back to my home office to Scan and email the offer to the Listing Agent. Like I said, I had a pretty good system working or so I thought.

That was until the market started to get crazy. Suddenly it seemed as if ( thanks to my new Web_Site  a prospecting dynamo ) I had more clients that ever before. Now I am the kind of agent that likes to give all my clients personal attention and top notch service. This running around thing was starting to impede my abilities to perform.

Hence as alluded too in my post Deal_Or_No_Deal where I talk about my purchase of a new  Toshiba  Laptop Computer and my hope for its future benefits and then subsequently in the post The_New_Laptop_Pays_Off  I tell the story of my ability on virtually my first weekend out to Pay for the system. It was on that Post that Ardell   asks in her comment ” How did you print the offer? “  To Which I responded ” Ardell : The answer to that is in a future Post. Thanks for stepping in out of the RAIN. “

This was that Future Post. The Printer that I bought is an HP_460  portable Ink Jet color Printer. I had looked hard at the Cannon IP90 but was just more familiar with HP. The HP 460 has a larger Ink capacity as well. On top of it I also had purchased a Portable Scanner called NeatReceipts_Scanalizer  Which not only allows me to scan on the fly but also has a spiffy organizer tool allowing you to define different folders for your scans including those for the Tax Man when you want to scan those ever so important receipts. Printer was less than $250 and Scanner was less than $200. Thank you Staples  for now I am truly Mobile.

Looking back is fun. I still have the laptop, printer and scanner and have used it time and time again.

Now most of my clients call me after my_Buyer’s_Web_Site emails them with a listing match ( often times only minutes after the listing hit the MLS). I can meet them at the property and if need be we can write it up on the spot. Print it out, Scan it and send the offer to the Listing Agent in Minutes. There by beating all of the competition by miles using my proven system. By the way Congratulations is in order for John ( you know who you are ). John just closed on his new home using my system catching all of the competition flat footed for this truly wonderful custom built home in Portland Oregon.

      Herb Hamilton is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors working in Portland Oregon

                  Home Buyers and Investors Buy A Home or Buy an Investment in Portland Oregon

                              ” A Real Estate Transaction with Herb is one YOU will Profit from “

www.portlandrealproperty.com   A Web Site full of local Portland Oregon real estate searches for homes and local Portland School and City information.

http://www.househuntportland.com/  A Web Site for the home buyer of Portland Oregon Real Estate. Receive updated real estate listings daily or hourly 24/7. Sent by email on a street map with a Photo a Description and an Address.

http://www.portlandflips.com/ An Investors Web Site. Spend your time analyzing the results that will be sped your way within minutes of becoming active in the local RMLS. If your an Investor and You Want Potland Oregon Real Estate Investment Properties then this is your site.

The Tree Lined Streets of Portland Oregons Laurelhurst Park

Portland Oregon sometimes called Bridge Town due to all of the bridges that cross the Willamette River separating East Portland from West Portland. Nestled between Mt._Tabor  and the Willamette River on the East side is Beautiful Laurelhurst Park and Neighborhood.

Laurelhurst is one of Portland’s premier neighborhoods with elegant homes on beautiful tree lined streets and was once home to many of Portland’s Early day Lumber Barron’s.

 Welcome to Laurelhurst Park Portland OR.

   

Prestigeous East Bound Gates of Laurelhurst Park

     

  

More Walking paths in Laurelhurst Park

  

Laurelhurst Homes are a tribute to the beauty and grace of Laurelhurst Neighborhood

  

  

 Herb Hamilton is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors working in Portland Oregon

                  Home Buyers and Investors Buy A Home or Buy an Investment in Portland Oregon !

                              ” A Real Estate Transaction with Herb is one YOU will Profit from “

www.portlandrealproperty.com   A Web Site full of local Portland Oregon real estate searches for homes and local Portland School and City information.

http://www.househuntportland.com/  A Web Site for the home buyer of Portland Oregon Real Estate. Receive updated real estate listings daily or hourly 24/7. Sent by email on a street map with a Photo a Description and an Address.

http://www.portlandflips.com/ An Investors Web Site. Spend your time analyzing the results that will be sped your way within minutes of becoming active in the local RMLS.If your an Investor and You Want Portland Oregon Real Estate Investment Properties then this is your site

Failure What do YOU Mean Failure!

You thought about it long and hard then one day you took the Plunge. You took the schooling, did all the tests, and then finaly Bam! You got your Real Estate License.

As you look around surveying the other agents, ever notice how some people it seems are just naturals. They come out of the gate swinging and never look back. Then there are some people who make up that group or the 80% failure rate in the first 2 years. Oops! Did no one ever tell you that? Yikes sorry about that, but it’s true.

In fact I would be willing to bet that if you take into consideration all of the people who attempt to get there licence but never go through with it the failure rate is probably up around 95%. So how can we keep you out of it?

Probably the greatest thing that any one can do is to sit down and write out a business plan and goal. This also works well for the agent who is not happy with their production, or is doing okay but just wants to take it up another notch.

But before you can start to do the business plan there is something more important than that. Something that is so key to this entire problem that if you don’t get this you really have no chance at success. What is it?

It is simply understanding what this business is. What are the primary elements and how must they be implemented.

• First and Foremost Real Estate is a People business. It is built on the relationships that we establish through the Sale, Purchase, Rental or Lease of Real Property. We are not only Real Estate Sales People, rather we are relationship developing people whose product is Real Property.

When First licensed I have seen this played out over and over again. The new agent comes into the office asking how do they get to work with the buyers. There are as many different policies as there are different answers to this question. I submit to you though what I would consider to be the best approach for not only the company but also the agents longevity.

• NO AGENT should be allowed to work with any Buyer until they have a listing for sale. Unless you work for a company that only represents Buyers. Most of us do not. The reasoning behind this is that the office telephone rings because of listings. We do not live in a Country where the listings are a secret. Buyer’s do not have to call up and ask if we know of any house’s for sale. They can see them by the signs in front of them.
• By allowing an agent to share in the incoming telephone calls without themselves contributing any thing to make the phone ring, it is a slap in the face to those who have worked so hard. Now if an agent is to busy to work the leads and chooses to refer or higher an agent as a buyers agent then that is a different matter.
• By Forcing the No Buyers till you have a Listing rule, you create more product. Agents understand what the true nature of the business is like and every one wins.

I have worked pretty much the same way for most of my career. I have always tried to be the Agent that I would want to work with.

No high pressure sales techniques. You call we discuss. If we can’t do business we will part friends.

    Herb Hamilton is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors working in Portland Oregon

                              ” A Real Estate Transaction with Herb is one YOU will Profit from “

Herb Hamilton is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors working in Portland Oregon

                  Home Buyers and Investors Buy A Home or Buy an Investment in Portland Oregon ! www.portlandflips.com

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10 Top Winning Stratagies of Top Producers

Ever wonder how The Top Producers stay on Top? We all struggle from time to time but one thing that Keeps Top Producers on Top is a consistent strategy. Although from Agent to Agent techniques very, you will find at the very heart of each and every Top Producer these core group of simple strategies that YOU can apply.

www.portlandrealproperty.com Portland Oregon information.

www.househuntportland.com Let your next home find you.

                                  Top Producers Ten Techniques to Greatness

1. Attitude: Attitude is key to having a successful day. Routine will help establish a great day. A good breakfast, Positive affirmations, A daily planner filled with scheduled activities and events, A mirror to reflect in while on the telephone. A positive attitude it will help you excel. A negative one will tear you down. Avoid meetings and conversations with negative people. Work only with People you Like.
2. Transaction Goals : Sit down and create a goal for number of transactions you would like to do for the year. Break it down by month and week and day. Create a plan on how to achieve your goals. What is your success ratio of each technique you hope to employ. Example : If it takes you 5 open house to get three Buyer leads resulting in 1 contract, then you know what your success ratio is. Plan it and it will happen.
3. Prospecting Goals : The mark of a great prospector is one that can show you in his day planner a flow sheet designed to meet the transaction goals. Every method of prospecting should be flow charted and worked into a day planner. A Time Management Plan is essential. Plan it and it will work.
4. Know your Market : There are many neighborhoods in my market area if you were to give me the street cross streets and describe the property I could tell you what color the house is. I could also recite how many times it had been on the market over the last 10 or so years. I know exactly what each home should sell for and why. Take time to go back through your neighborhoods from time to time and dump out what you used to know yesterday. Agents fail when the start thinking about what homes used to sell for instead of knowing what they will sell for.
5. Ask for the Business : All the prospecting in the world wont pay off at all if you cant ask for the business. Look for new ways to ask for business. Give everyone in the world a business card. Don’t be afraid to give them one every day. If they say I already have one, smile and ask them to pass it on. Prospect regularly for referral business. Put a not in your bills that you send out each month, people look at them you know. Write down a list of 10 new opportunities for referral business each month and act on it.
6. Communicate the Results : Communicate the results of your activities to virtually everyone. Listings, Buyers, Sellers, Referral partners, Lenders, Title Companies, Spere of influence, virtually everyone. You will be surprised how many people that know you would love to live vicariously through your achievements. How many people do you know that have said ” I used to know him when… ” Allow people to support and champion your achievements.
7. Hire an Assistant : Each and every state has there own rules for assistants. Follow them and quit complaining about the dollars. An assistant worth there salt should double or triple at minimum what they cost you. What should an assistant Do? Your Job is to be in front of Buyer’s and Seller’s all day long. The Assistants job is everything else.
8. Education : Devote time to educating your self. Be it Continuing education classes, Cd’s or tapes of other top producers, books, Blogging and commenting, Peer Group meetings or Conventions and trade shows.
9. Exercise : A Physical and mental exercises strategy should hold a prominent position in your daily planner. Good mental and Physical conditioning will keep you tuned and ready. A sloppy body or mental attitude can present a poor impression to a new client.
10. You Get by Giving : Give of your time and money. Give back to the community. Get involved with charities of your liking. Get behind a cause. It will enrich you in many more ways than money could ever hope to.

So you Think you are Prepared Are You?

How Prepared are You as a Real Estate Agent? Do you carry with you the necessary tools do you your job? You never know in this business when the need may arise and an opportunity may be lost. I will give you an example.

On a damp Tuesday Morning a group of us were looking at all the new vacant land properties just outside of the city limits offered by a local Real Estate Brokerage. Most of the parcels were fairly small and easy to get to.

As we made our way up the single car road towards the 1/2 acre of ground the caravan came to a sudden stop. Being the 5th or so car back it took me a while to make my way up the rain soaked slippery cart path.

When I got to where the first car had stopped the group had formed and were looking across a small land bridge at the head of a small gully. On the other side stood the listing agent. Hurry up he was calling out to the stragglers still making there way up the slippery road.

Okay Okay he called out as the drizzle began to pick up a little steam. Now as a true Oregonian we would’t call that a Rain. We might call it a Driven Mist, as it began to pelt down on us while while huddled together listening to the agent regale the attributes of the listing.

The crowd was indeed getting restless and seemed as if they wanted to bolt but did not want to offend the agent. I called out and asked to him, What is the Price? He quickly answered back beaming from ear to ear. And the term’s I asked what are they? Still beaming he quickly satisfied my questions and asked in a booming voice ” Do you have some one for this ?”

To which I answered Holding up the Earnest money contract that I had extricated from the inner pocket of my Blazer ” Yes! Here is the Offer! How soon can you present? It is full price cash with a 10 day closing! ” The crowd assembled was in the murmur state and only the owner of the Real Estate office who was present made the following comment.

Dang , Herb !  I was going to do that but did not have an offer sheet with me. I thought I would have enough time to do it when we got back to the office. Good for you. He went on to say ” Folks that is what being prepared is all about “.

Herb Hamilton is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors working in Portland Oregon

                  Home Buyers and Investors Buy A Home or Buy an Investment in Portland Oregon !

                              ” A Real Estate Transaction with Herb is one YOU will Profit from “

www.portlandrealproperty.com  A Web Site for the consumer full of Local Content as well as Portland Oregon real estate mls Home searches . You’ll also find Portland area school information as well. New Content and Photo’s are constantly being added.

http://www.househuntportland.com/  A Web Site for the home buyer of Portland Oregon Real Estate. Receive updated real estate listings daily or hourly 24/7. Sent by email on a street map with a Photo a Description and an Address.

http://www.portlandflips.com/ An Investors Web Site. Spend your time analyzing the results that will be sped your way within minutes of becoming active in the local RMLS.If your an Investor and You Want Portland Oregon Real Estate Investment Properties then this is your site.

http://www.portlandrealproperty.com/rosecityblog  My Portland Real Property web site Blog. Full of articles reflecting real estate issues, event and more in Portland Oregon and beyond.

http://www.portlandonline.com/ City of Portland On-line. From Parks to Jobs find out about our beautiful City of Roses on Portland Oregon’s Web Site.

Portland_Maps Enter a Portland Oregon address and get a ton of information on the home including maps zoning Sewer etc. Aerial maps included.

Portland_Or._Mt._Tabor_Neighborhood  One of Portland Oregon’s Premier Tree Lined Street Neighborhoods built Around the extinct Mt. Tabor Volcano.

Portland_Or._Laurelhurst_Neighborhood  Crown Jewel of Portland’s eastside, Laurelhurst Park and Neighborhood lies between Mt. Tabor and the Willamette River.

http://www.rebuildingcenter.org/ Link to Portland Oregon’s Nonprofit center for used building materials. If you need parts for that old house come to the Rebuilding center in North Portland’s Mississippi District.

http://www.rejuvenation.com/ Rejuvenation is Portland Oregon’s unique Period Authentic home for full reproduction fixtures and Architectural trim. Salvaged building materials are found here as well.

http://www.hippohardware.com/ Hippo Hardware is another very unique Store located in inner SE Portland Oregon with every kind of conceivable part for you old home. Truly an interesting experience.

http://www.ccb.state.or.us/ State of Oregon’s Contractors and Construction Board. Find out what new laws effect the construction industry. Check on Contractors Licenses and History.

http://www.oregon.gov/REA/index.shtml State of Oregon’s Real Estate Agency.

Oregon’s_Real_Estate_Agency_Pamphlet Learn about Agency . What are a Buyer’s Agent’s responsibilities, what are a Sellers Agent’s Responsibilities. Dual Agency.

The_Pickle MLS IDX Property searches.

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So THIS is The Internet Hummph!

Have you had Enough? Fed Up , sick and tired, is your back against the wall? If this Internet thing is so great then why can’t I find anything. I mean come on…. Sure Google tells me for the search term real estate there are over 260,000,000 pages to choose from. Page one has only 10 results.

Well that’s not to bad. So if the page I am looking for is # 257,000,000 it will only take me 16,062,500 minutes to find it. So what if I do not have the time to look for the next 31.7 years to look for this page? You probably might need a few more search terms.

But even if you were to have the perfect search terms it is still a needle in the haystack search. I don’t know about you, but those are just to long of odds.

What if……?

Come check this out.  Out of_State_Homes . Here you will be presented with a variety of homes in various Cities and States and Price Ranges. No obligation required just Homes, Homes and more Homes.

If your looking for a Portland Oregon Home be sure to check out all the MLS Listings right here at The_Pickle where you can search for homes on a neighborhood map and see the results as quick as the push of a button.

If you want to be more proactive about your Real Estate Home buying search effort then by all means you should sign up for the free email service to Find_Your_Home in_Portland  Oregon just follow the link to House Hunt Portland. This is like a dream come true for todays home buyer. The service will deliver results to you 24/7 within 20 minutes of the property hitting the market if you choose so. No agent can even come close to providing you srvice as fast as this automated service can.

Home buyer after home buyer who have recently signed up for this service are beating all of the competition to the best listings. What Does IT Cost? Nothing, Zero, Nada. I only ask that if you use the service that you intend to use my broker services as well to help you purchase.

                                                                      So are you ready ?                 I am!      

No high pressure sales techniques. You call we discuss. If we can’t do business we will part friends.

    Herb Hamilton is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors working in Portland Oregon

                              ” A Real Estate Transaction with Herb is one YOU will Profit from “

Herb Hamilton is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors working in Portland Oregon

                  Home Buyers and Investors Buy A Home or Buy an Investment in Portland Oregon !

“Find_a_Home_In_Portland_Oregon  A Web Site for the consumer full of Local Content as well as Portland Oregon real estate, mls Home searches . You’ll also find Portland area school information as well. New Content and Photo’s are constantly being added.

A_MLS_Home Search_in_Portland_Or  A Web Site for the home buyer of Portland Oregon Real Estate. Receive updated real estate listings daily or hourly 24/7. Sent by email on a street map with a Photo a Description and an Address.

An_Invsestors_web_site_for_property_searches_in Portland_Oregon   An Investors Web Site. Spend your time analyzing the results that will be sped your way within minutes of becoming active in the local RMLS.If your an Investor and You Want Portland Oregon Real Estate Investment Properties then this is your site.

Portland_Oregon_Rose_City_Blog   My Portland Real Property web site Blog. Full of articles reflecting real estate issues, event and more in Portland Oregon and beyond.

City_of_Portland_Official_Web_Site  City of Portland On-line. From Parks to Jobs find out about our beautiful City of Roses on Portland Oregon’s Web Site.

Portland_Maps Enter a Portland Oregon address and get a ton of information on the home including maps zoning Sewer etc. Aerial maps included.

The_Rebuilding_Center_in_Portland_Or   Link to Portland Oregon’s Nonprofit center for used building materials. If you need parts for that old house come to the Rebuilding center in North Portland’s Mississippi District.

Rejuvenation_Hardware_and_Used_Building_Products   Rejuvenation is Portland Oregon’s unique Period Authentic home for full reproduction fixtures and Architectural trim. Salvaged building materials are found here as well.

Hippo_Hardware_Used_Building_Products_Of_Portland_Oregon  Hippo Hardware is another very unique Store located in inner SE Portland Oregon with every kind of conceivable part for you old home. Truly an interesting experience.

State of_Oregon’s_Contractors_And_Construction_Web_Site   State of Oregon’s Contractors and Construction Board. Find out what new laws effect the construction industry. Check on Contractors Licenses and History.

Real_Estate_Agency_of_Oregon  State of Oregon’s Real Estate Agency.

Oregon’s_Real_Estate_Agency_Pamphlet Learn about Agency . What are a Buyer’s Agent’s responsibilities, what are a Sellers Agent’s Responsibilities. Dual Agency.

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Do YOU Reward Poor Service

How many of us growing up in the USA have been taught that we can do anything we want. “ Apply yourself and you can do anything. ” Not only did I hear this from my family but I also have heard it repeated over and over again for most of my life. It is one of the true Battle Cries given to our youth as a message designed to inspire greatness with the hope that our children will continue the legacy of our forefathers to be the stewards of the greatest nation on earth.

Two days ago while having coffee at My_favorite_coffee_shop_University_Park_Coffee  in North Portland, I witnessed an Older Lady discussing with the teller the appropriate amount for a Tip. After the Lady left, the Teller and I had a good laugh as I shared with her a story about Gratuity_and_Poor_Service.  The young lady working behind the Coffee Bar agreed with me and my story completely.

This morning when I walked into University Park Coffee for my morning wake up call the young lady was waiting. She told me that yesterday evening a group of friends and her had gone out for dinner and drinks. They were taken aback by the poor service that they received. In fact she made a point at telling me just how poorly they were treated for what appeared to be no reason at all. Before they left she mentioned my story to her friends. They all had a good laugh and left deciding that the poor service they received deserved no tip.

On the subject of Good Service and Gratuity in any service oriented industry, good service has its own rewards. They can come in the form of tips or even advancement in position or new jobs.

In Real Estate a bi-product of Good Service is the recommendation ( a referral ) from our clients to others. These are the highest forms of compliments that we can receive. Like wise if we perform badly we are likely not to hear from our past clients at all. And sometimes we wish we would not hear from them if they were terribly offended.

The Reward for  Poor Service does nothing to further the cause of this great nation. In deed the reward for poor service be it a tip or a referral does great harm. The reward for poor service is a validation to those providing the poor service that we accept there minimum standards as good enough. If we continue to reward minimum standards a downward spiral effect will eventually erode the great work that our ancestors started, that work that once said you were getting the best because it is MADE IN THE USA , be it a product or service.

Rewarding Poor Service degrades us all and is a slap in the face to those providing excellent service be they Wait staff or Real Estate Agents.