Realty World Northern California & Nevada

I was on the telephone with John Pinto of Realty World – Pinto & Associates last week and he commented on some of the initiatives we are hammering hard on with our Q&A and consumer forums that are accessed from your Member Site.

During the conversation he mentioned the concept of blogging about the life of a transaction. The more I thought about it the more ingenious the idea became. Crafting your blog with layman terminology and dropping the backroom closing table speak; one could easily write about the daily happenstances’ of opening and closing a transaction with incredible detail to a “soap opera” style story of the experience.

Presenting problems, challenges and the respective solutions to a successful transaction is certainly noteworthy and interesting to others that may find themselves in similar situations.

Thanks for the idea John! This is undoubtedly something everyone can write about and post!

Did you know that the property inspection industry in the State of California is unregulated? What protection does your inspector offer should a condition in the property not be identified in the report and become a problem down the road?

It is imperative that the property inspector is qualified to provide your client with a professional assessment of the condition of the property they are investing in. It amazes me when I come across a REALTOR® who doesn’t know whether the inspector carries General Liability, Errors & Omissions (E & O) and Workers’ Comp insurance. You will find that a reputable home inspection company’s E & O will not only provide protection for the homebuyer or seller, but also the REALTOR, often referred to as “Referring REALTOR Coverage”.

Although the inspection industry is unregulated, the California Trade Practice Act Chapter 338, enacted in 1996, encourages courts to consider the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and the California Real Estate Inspection Association(CREIA) when determining whether an inspection meets the required standards. To find out if an inspector is a member of either association go to http://www.ashi.org/ or http://www.creia.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

So, REALTOR and homebuyer and homesellers beware…qualify your inspector!

Okay, I know what you’re thinking… networking is showing up at some event where there are lots of people to meet, you shake hands like a campaigning politician, introduce yourself, and pass out your bundle of business cards one at a time. Do you know there are some people that actually perceive ‘networking’ to be just that? In this new wonderful world of online social networking sites that seem to pop up faster than gophers at a golf course, we can network to our hearts content without even changing out of our pajamas and leaving the house. Then again, there still are those grocery stores, community events, and other social gatherings that may very well present some great opportunities for you.

Networking is about building your social sphere, allowing you to develop and maintain favorable business relationships. So, what are some characteristics that enable one to become a Supreme Networker?

1. Immediate Referral Follow-Up: This is critical and should be a priority when you receive any viable business referral whether it’s in-person from a friend or an online prospective customer. You need to stay on top of these contacts. Are you aware that today’s consumer “expects” a response from a business professional within one hour? Missing that timeframe could mean the difference between making or breaking a potential business transaction.
2. Trust: Whether someone is referring you to a contact or vice-versa, there must be trust. Why? Because it is something we earn and once you’ve obtained someone’s trust, your reputation and credibility is on the line. Think about it… no one would refer a qualified contact to you unless there was absolute trust in your ability to handle it professionally and appropriately.
3. Positive Attitude: There is a reason why you should surround yourself with positive people… because it is contagious. Having a positive attitude can turn you into a “people magnet.” Associates and others alike will flock to you. They’ll want to be around you. And, they’ll likely want to introduce you to friends, family, and other people they know. And so on and so on.
4. Listen: The art of networking is dependent on learning from others. It’s not talking about you, you, you. Take the focus off yourself. The more you listen to another person’s experiences, wants/needs, and get to know them, it will be much easier for you to establish a relationship with that person.
5. Be Sincere: There is no worse situation than speaking to another person who’s plastering on a smile and gritting their teeth trying to look happy when you know full well that it’s a complete facade. If you don’t show you care and are truly sincere, it will show. People pick up on insincerity right away. Give people your complete attention, show them you care and that you mean it.
6. Be Grateful: Express your sincere thanks to business associates and clients at every given opportunity. Extending gratitude toward others will help you to cultivate relationships, which may lead to increased business referrals.

Hope these brief tips will help you become more successful in your social networking strategies.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

If your vision of the future is a little foggy and you are in search of a firm source of knowledge that will lead you and your family to greater wealth and a more satisfying existence, I have a small 150 page book for you to read.

The Richest Man in Babylon was first published in the mid 1920’s and has been in print every year since then. Sadly it is not a popular book in our public schools but should be required reading by the third grade.

I hope these reviews will peak your interest enough that you’ll order your first copy.

amazon.com link

Lately in my commute I have been cursed with very thick low lying fog, what valley dwellers refer to as “Tooley Fog.” Usually, I can look up and see a starlit sky… yet looking straight ahead as I drive, this strange view allows me no more than a couple of hundred yards of sight, if that much.

As I cautiously make my way back and forth on I-5 in this confining foggy world, many times I find myself very tense in an attempt to magically look through this gray mass in a futile attempt to see what lies beyond, good, bad or indifferent.

It is always amazing to me that when you might venture upon an opening in the fog how crisp, sharp, and fresh everything appears. It is as if you are witnessing everything for the first time and you cannot take in the wonderment of your surroundings fast enough.

And so it is today in so many ways, especially in the real estate world. Because of the news media the true picture is a foggy one, not truly clear as to the whole picture of the actual overall real estate market. Yes, it is true that due to the fact that some lending institutions reached beyond normal lending guidelines, there are many homeowners losing their homes to foreclosure. However, as much as the news media is painting a grim picture that the sky is falling, everyone needs to take the time to quit trying to look through the fog that obscures our vision, the true picture… and understand the moment.

By far the realtor needs to step up to the plate and educate themselves concerning the new lending quidelines, the economy, and programs that might assist when there seems to be no hope for so many. Many realtors are still in the listing and selling pitch mode, when before any listing can be taken or purchase contract written. Consumers today need to be educated, enlightened, and given direction, allowing them to be given a ‘crisp, sharp, and fresh’ understanding of choices that lie before them. Given the chance to ponder these choices, a trust and loyalty will be built and will become the foundation of the rest of the transaction and future transactions