Real Estate Adventures- Chicks Rule!!

Ever since I became a Real Estate agent, my mailbox gets bombarded with all kinds of newsletters and magazines.  In the March 2010 issue of Realtor Magazine, I came across this interestesing and fun article regarding demographics.  We all know that throughout the years women have become more and more independent. Case and point: according the National Association of Realtors, single women make up 20% of buyers, up from 14% in 1995. Wow, that's a big chunk. The article also points out that women are very influential when it comes to buying a new home. Women directly purchase or have stronger say over men in the purchase of 91% of new homes. 91%!!!!
Since women are so influential when buying a home the company Design Basics gathered data and performed reseach regarding what women want and came up with 4 types of women buyers:
1. "MAGGIE" Looks for comfort and function. Maggie is adventurous and spontaneous and preffers less upkeep. She pulls toward the "green" design.

2."ELISE" Very family oriented. She wants a home that's easy to clean, low maintenance, and durable. Elise wants storage and a large laundry room.  Elise is more likely to go with a traditional design, such as a country kitchen.

3. "CLAIRE" Status driven. Claire likes brand names and quality products like crown molding and a gourmet kitchen. She also wants space for formal entertaining . Claire appreciates symmetry in design.

4. "MARGO" Work oriented. Margo likes modern design and clean lines. She likes geometric shapes and unusual features like a J shaped kitchen island instead of a traditional rectangular.  Margo prefers edgy, European trends. 

While not all women are easy to classify, and some women may have a combination of these personas, the idea is for this to serve as a sales tool or guide to help with marketing and customer service.

Joey

Last week, I experienced one of the most horrifying moments in my life. My son Joey went missing for about an hour and half. When I say missing, I mean I didn’t know of his whereabouts. Although I am a working-mom, and my kids all go to different schools, thanks to modern technology, I’m constantly in communication with them. I don’t allow them to hang out after school, I have someone pick them up and take them to their dad’s where grandma will keep an eye on them for me, until I pick them up. However Wednesday is a different story. Joey has band practice on this day, and does not get picked up by his ride. He instead goes to practice, and I pick him up when it’s over. Well, this week, I totally forgot to remind him about it when I dropped him off in the morning, and he forgot his cell phone at home that day. Needless to say all the “reminder texts” were not read, and Joey totally forgot about practice. I called his music teacher several times only to find he was not there, it was then I decided I leave work in search of him. I figured he would be waiting at our “safe-spot” after his ride did not arrive, or he might have remembered and went to practice after all. It takes me about 20 minutes to get to his school, however on this day it took me 30 minutes. Traffic was horrible. I look for him at both places, and nothing. I then comb the school campus in search for him. No one had seen him after school. I call all his friends and no one had any idea. I have the school page him to the main office, nothing. By this time it’s been more than an hour since dismissal. I was constantly speaking with Mikey, checking if he got a call from him. Nothing. I decide to drive around and thinking he must have walked home, even though I have told him, not to. At this point I’m freaking out, and call everyone, including his dad, who also freaks out and says we need to go to the police. I’m literally in tears because I’m a block away from home and didn’t see him anywhere, when just as I’m about to park, Mikey calls to say he’s home, he walked here. I was so happy to hear those words. I was imagining the worse case scenario. My son, even though big in size, is only 13. He is so gullible and naïve that who knows what could happen. I’m thank God and all that’s good that nothing happened and it was all a result of our distracted minds. My advice for all the moms out there with school age children is to always have a plan in case of these types of situations, and most importantly constantly go over these plans. Always remind them of what to do in such a case. Also another good tip I have always used, is I type up or handwrite on a small card with my child’s name and all emergency telephone numbers and contacts and keep it in the small pocket of their backpacks. Loose change to use a pay phone is also a good idea. Of course Joey didn’t think about any of these things, but I have to admit it is partially my fault because the last time we all went over our emergency plans was back in September. :o/




Here are some cool and helpful sights with lots of tips and advice for child safety:

http://www.kidsafeid.com/

http://safety-identification-products.com/index.html

Adventures in Real Estate

REO's and Short Sales

There are many good deals to get your hands on out there in this CRAZY real estate market.  Interest rates are low, prices are low, and there's a good amount of inventory out there, depending on your area of course. Remember real estate is very "local", especially here in L. A.

I've been working with some buyers and their price range is HIGHLY competetive, especially with cash offers, most of them, if not all , from investors.  Really unfair, don't you think? Here I have a young, hard-working couple, who have sacrificed and saved  their money and week after week they are being litterally out-bid by these big guys.  Very frustrating, and somewhat discouraging.

I keep reminding them to be patient, and stay positive all while reminding myself. This real estate thing is lots of work! I have to admit, I do enjoy it. I love helping people, especially with something so big, and meaningful. I feel like I'm dealing with making some people's dreams come true.

Since a lot of  our offers are for REO's and Short Sales, I thought I would give you a quick explanation of both:

Short Sale Property:  Typically the homeowner owes more to the bank than what their house is currently worth.  The bank, or banks in some cases, have to accept a less amount of money for the property than what is owed. The process of buying a Short Sale is longer than a standard sale. It can take anywhere from 2 - 6 months to close escrow on these sales.  Some of these Short Sales are listed very low, creating "auction like" bidding from multiple buyers.

REO's (Real Estate Owned): A property that goes back to the bank after an unsuccessful foreclosure auction is called an REO. The bank owns the property and will sometimes have to handle an eviction. Banks will typically make some repairs, and sometimes even give the house a mini-makeover. Fresh paint, new carpet will show well, and get them better offers.  The process of buying an REO is similar to a standard sale and a lot faster than a Short Sale.

Mi Abuelito

My grandfather is in his 80's and has recently started having some health problems; needless to say it worries me. My grandfather was the first positive male figure in my life. As a child I was fortunate to spend my entire summer vacations in Mexico with my grandparents. During my time there, my grandfather would take me along with him to work on his farm and tend to his animals. I was exposed to nature in a way many children I grew up with never did, it was amazing. I hold those vacations dear to my heart because I was able to spend lots of time with my grandfather, which was very meaningful to me, especially because my father has never been part of my life. Inside his tough and stubborn shell was a sweet, funny, and caring grandpa. He always had stories to tell and old folk songs to sing. I really miss him and my grandmother too of course. I can't wait to go visit them this summer. I pray that my grandfather’s health holds up. Till then, I love you Abuelito & Abuelita!!!

 This is a recent picture of my grandfather. I like this shot, because it captures him in his true essence. He is so stubborn about his work on the farm that he now has a driver take him there so he can see that everything is going the way it should. As you can see he also refuses to ride inside the truck. My grandfather is not supposed to be working anymore, but no one can stop him. Perhaps it's what keeps him going. All I know is that if he is happy doing what he's doing, well then maybe we should just let him be.

Blame it on the rain!!

My "healthy living, being active" routine started off really well, the week before last. HOWEVER last week was a different story. Nature decided to  provide us with what felt like years of rain all condensed into one week!  We even had tornadoes in some areas. I for one HATE the rain. I HATE driving in it, I HATE going out in it, I just HATE it.  My hair hates it too. It gets all mad and frizzy, more than usual.

So I fell off the wagon last week. I did not go to they gym or take any morning walks.  Yeah I know, it did cross my mind to pop in a workout DVD at home, but the rain also has this lazy effect on me.  To make matters worse for my  healthy living plans,  my husband was out of town all last week, and he usually helps out with stuff at home, which  makes it easier for me to take off and go to the gym for a bit.  I do want to say that I did not give up just yet, I took my morning power walk today and will be doing so tomorrow as well. I'm getting myself back on track.

On a related note:

I found this book while clearing up some clutter at my desk at work today:

Office Yoga , Simple Stretches for Busy People by Darrin Zeer

I received it in a gift basket over the holidays and at the time didn't really care for it, but today I thought, wow, what a great idea! This is just what I need.  Incorporating some yoga while at work is a great way to relieve some stress and keep active while cooped up in the office all day. The book has over 50 illustrated stretches and  techniques that are easy to follow. The stretches are designed to be used anytime, anywhere, so anyone can make good use of it.  I'm definitely going to keep this book handy. There are many times throughout my day when I could sure use some stress relief.

Healthy Living

 With the start of the New Year there is always talk about "resolutions" and such. Honestly I stopped making "resolutions" a long time ago and instead have made goals for myself, no matter what month of the year it is. One of many goals I've set for myself in recent months, has been to get back into shape and hopefully lose some of the excess weight I've managed to gain over the years. I'm done with dieting, only because I don't really over eat or eat a lot of "bad" things. I never have, I just think my metabolism has slowed down a lot these past few years. Also when I'm dieting I feel so deprived, and that's doesn’t do my mentality any good. I love food and I think that all of us could eat everything as long as we can portion control. I really just want to feel good, tone up some "problems areas" and hopefully get off blood pressure medication. That's my REAL goal, to get off the medication. I was diagnosed with high-blood pressure almost 2 years ago, and have been taking medicine ever since. It's something that runs in my family. My mother, my grandmother, my grandfather, my uncles...it's in my genes, but that's no excuse for me to sit back and just let it happen. My Dr. has always said that regular exercise can make a big difference. My current dosage is very low, and I really hope to keep it low or better yet, get rid of it all together. So....today, I made my first attempt to be more active. I met up with an old friend who I've known for a while takes morning walks right near my work. I can totally fit in 20 to 30 minutes each morning, so I did. I met up with her today, and will be meeting her tomorrow as well. Another attempt I've made today is that I am joining another newly found friend at the gym tonight. I hope to stay committed to this; it should certainly make a difference to exercise with friends. I've tried going on my own, and I just end up getting lazy. No accountability, that's what happens. So I'm going to try this buddy-system that I set for myself and hopefully get the ball rolling. I'm hoping it will give me a good start on adding regular exercise to my routine. Wish me luck! I will try and post updates. Maybe blogging about it will also serve as some kind of accountability.

Looking forward to 2010

This year began with a fun-filled New Year's Eve party. Lots of laughs, dancing, and great friends & family. I can truly say I had a blast. I hope all who attended did too.
This year has also started off good for my new career. As you may or may not already know, I recently decided to make a career change. I became a Real Estate Agent this past summer, and working part-time in this demanding career has been a challenge for me. I landed a couple of clients at the end of 2009, which means that if all goes well, I will be closing my first escrow within the next few months. I am so excited.
In addition to my new found clients, I was just asked by one of the top agents in my office, to consider working with her. I have to admit that this makes me very nervous but at the same time I feel flattered that she would pick me out of so many other more experienced agents. This is a great opportunity for me to learn and start making some real cash. This agent has a lot of experience and I know that I can learn a lot from her. I'm really looking forward to working my butt off. It's a lot of sacrifice and commitment, but I'm ready! Let the madness begin.