Achieve inner peace.

Enjoy perfect health.

Make more money.

If you attend our upcoming program on short sales you'll probably make some headway on #4 but I can't make any promises on the other three. Sorry! But one outta four ain't bad, is it?

"KEYS TO SUCCESSFUL SHORT SALES" - 

A Panel of Experts  November 18th, 2009   

Pick a time and location!

Kansas morning location with BREAKFAST (click here for details) $5.00

Missouri afternoon location with LUNCH (click here for details) $5.00

KCRAR has assembled a team of pros to help you with this ever-growing segment of our industry. To make a long story short (pardon the pun) this isn't your basic short sales class.  This will be intermediate to advanced education.  Even if you're a total novice at SS's you'll learn plenty, so make sure you book the date.

Read the flyer at the above links for information about the panel members and the program content.  I will be the moderator at the event and I promise I'll try not to mess it up!

Achieve all you desire.  Be there!

 Happy sales until we meet again.

Yes, it's definitely English and it refers to aspects of SOCIAL MEDIA.

Here's a good, short explanation about this electronic phenomenon from Wikipedia (the popular internet encyclopedia) "Social media supports the human need for social interaction, using internet- and web-based technologies..." Think about reading a newspaper or watching television news. It's a one-way street where all you can do is listen.  But with social media you can say what you want, anytime you want, and be connected with people you rarely see. Social media brings people together in a unique way.

I'm talking about using some popular social web sites to promote yourself and stay in touch with people. I don't mean your personal website (that's another of those 'one-way streets'). I mean www.Facebook.com and www.LinkedIn.com and www.Twitter.com and others designed for people to connect and share with each other.

But how can you learn about all this?  Well, BFF, there are articles on our website right here.  Start reading, then jump in and set up passwords and establish accounts on various websites. But you need to learn what the experts say about it, so start reading right away because it's easy to make mistakes and you don't want to inadvertently hurt your business.  Then watch what others are doing and you'll get the hang of it. These websites are free so don't worry about spending any money. It's easy and you'll be up and running in no time.

I know whole families on Facebook who are actually 3-generation participants. Parents and their children are active users while the third generation is actually the sonogram photo they  posted of the soon-to-arrive grandchildren. LOL!

It's entertaining, informative and a good way to advertise yourself, IMO.  Once you get more proficient you might even want to start your own blog.

BTW, don't get so hooked on social media that you become one of those people driving down the street texting and tweeting behind the wheel!  If you cut in front of me I'll have to blog about what you did!

Thanks for reading and happy sales to you until we meet again.

 PS. LOL? IMO? BFF? BTW? Learn some internet slang and abbreviations here and impress your friends. But beware, they're not all PC (politically correct).

What is your experience with Social Media?  Tell us!

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With apologies to Floyd Wickman I’ll pass along a term this great sales trainer coined. I can’t explain it as well as Floyd the Master, but here goes:

 It means COME INTO THE OFFICE.  And that’s exactly what you should say to every single potential buyer. Whether they call on your ad or your sign or are referred by someone you know, start with the CITO (pronounced “See toe”) and you’ll save tons of time and make a lot more money.

It makes sense to meet them before rushing over to a property and here are two extremely good reasons:

1. Your personal safety
2. It’s good business

 You probably didn’t know that 206 Realtors® were murdered on the job in the United States from 1982 to 2000. If you think you’re a good judge of character, you’re not! Con Men are Con men for a reason… they’re good liars. And if you think you can defend yourself, you’re wrong.  Attacks happen quickly and you’re probably not trained for lightning fast responses like an Army Special Forces Ranger.

Learn to say, “Let’s get together at my office.  We’ll have a cup of coffee and review some things before we head over there.”  (If pressed, tell them you have an office policy about personal safety and you have to meet them first. Normal people will understand.)

Once they arrive you can get them settled in the conference room and show them your buyer presentation and ask to see their pre-approval letter.  Of course they don’t have one so you can send them off to take care of it before showing property.  After all, they want negotiating strength, don’t they? And most sellers need to know they’re approved, right?  There’s no point in seeing houses today without the pre-approval letter!!! You just accomplished two things… you’ll have a preapproved buyer and you’ll weed out the lookie-loos and the con men. DO NOT show houses until the approval is ready.  You won’t lose out on anything by waiting.  You’ll gain.

Anyone who won’t drop by your office first is probably not a real buyer for you, anyway.  It’s a 99.9% certainty they won’t buy from you.  So forget about them, don’t waste your time and protect yourself from evildoers. Use the extra time to prospect for real customers.

This initial meeting is a wonderful way to bond with buyers and explain issues like buyer agency, inspections, showing procedures, contracts, earnest deposits, etc. This works equally well with strangers, friends and relatives.  Win them over first and your whole job will be that much easier down the road. You’ll have credibility with them and enough knowledge about them to do a better sales job.

Granted, you won’t see a lot of agents using the CITO. Okay, let’s look at this way… you’re smarter than they are! You save more time and gas than they do!  You have more buyer loyalty than they do! 

CITO.  Goofy word.  Smart choice.

Happy sales to you until we meet again, Jan.

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Most of us are good hearted, trustworthy and eager to please.  Unfortunately we assume everyone is the same way.

Watch for scams!  Con men and women rely upon your trusting and eager-for-a-sale attitude so they can take advantage of you. Here are field reports of popular scams going on right now.  If you know of others, email me and I’ll publish them. And you know what to do if you encounter a scam, right? Ditch them ASAP and notify the FBI.

1)      This one involves a woman who wants to “rent to own” or lease a vacant residence until she can close, but she has to move immediately. She claims to be pre-approved but insists the lender will call you versus you calling the lender.  The important part is she needs to move NOW and can pay $200 right away and will pay the rest of the deposit and the 1^st month’s rent in two weeks. However, she NEVER pays a dime.

By the time an eviction is secured, she has already moved and is working on her next unsuspecting victim.

(note: vacant properties have always been prone to various problems including personal safety. NEVER advertise a property as vacant or ready to move in.)

2)      This one involves a man who claims to be looking for upper bracket properties.  Actually, there have been several upper bracket scams over the years!  This one in particular sends an email as copied here:

         I might be interested to put an offer for a property that I have seen before.

    I spoke with the seller’s agent for a while, although they are very nice people,  I don’t feel comfortable going ahead without my own agent (also on the basis of my lawyer’s advice). Obviously you haven’t worked for me yet, but overall I might be interested to introduce you as my agent (for this transaction only) if you would agree with following conditions:

1- Out of buyer’s agent commission that you will be offered, I will collect 75% from you and you will take 25%. I will get a check from you equivalent to this amount at closing (regardless of when you will be paid). We will put this agreement in our contract with numbers and all details.

2- Although you will take only 25% of buyer’s agent commission, you will perform full and honest duties to protect my interest and represent me during this purchase to the best of your capabilities.

3- You will produce me with related documents regarding the percentage of commission that you are offered before signing the offer so we could enter the numbers in our contract.

Please let me know fast, I might want to go head with the offer very soon.
 
Best regards
Faris           CELL 913-645-7929

The moral of the story?

Always make potential buyers COME INTO THE OFFICE! I know you're sick of hearing this and /or you don't think it's important because you don't see other agents doing it. But think of the time you would save and the bonding you would create with potential buyers!  Make them come in and listen to your buyer presentation, see if they have a pre-approval letter - and if not, send them off to get preapproved BEFORE showing. I'm going on the assumption that serial killers and paranoid schizophrenics won't apply for a loan.  Now, aren't you glad you met them at the office first? Trust me, the ones who won't come in aren't worth a thing except trouble.

Happy sales to you until we meet again, Jan

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_____________________________________________________________________________

November 11, 2009 Two State Core:

 The question was whether the Listing Agent can be present with the Selling Agent (and the Buyer) when a counter offer from the Seller is being presented.  (We had discussed how it was permissible for the Buyer's Agent to join the Listing Agent when the offer is presented to the Seller.)

 _____________________________________________________________________________

 From the Two-State Core class on August 5th:  Jan Pringle sought the opinion of one of the KCRAR Contracts instructors who also teaches Short Sales... "It is my opinion that the definition of a short sale is a sale in which the proceeds do not cover the mortgage amount owed. Whether the seller has funds to cover the difference is not what defines a short sale. 

Just because the seller has the funds to bring to closing to make certain everything is paid off does not mean he will actually do so when faced with doing it at closing time. I believe that it should be treated the same in all ways as a short sale where the funds are not available so there is no misunderstanding by the buyer."

Additionally, here is a lot more information in a column appearing in the August 2009 edition of KCRAR's Realeyes newsletter: (by Susan Bowers, HMLS President) This should explain things better than I did in class.

__________________________________________________________________________

From the class on June 9, 2009 - FBI & Appraisal Fraud. The student handout materials were lacking the following parts of Don Gossman's presentation.  Sorry! Here they are:

Part II

Part III

is Kansas City's very own Mike Phillips, that's who!

Mike Phillips, Owner/Broker of Century 21 All Pro, was recognized by the Wall Street Journal as the #1 real estate agent in the country with 1,148 transaction sides in 2008.

Besides (obviously) juggling a million other things, Mike teaches the KCRAR continuing education class on selling foreclosures.  You've heard the old adage, "If you have a job to be done, give it to a busy person."  Well, that's the case with Mike.  When I'm scheduling a month's worth of classes and emailing a dozen different people with potential dates, Mike always writes back asap with a "yes" to whatever date I suggest.  Amazing!

And we're thrilled to recognize another very significant accomplishment by another of Kansas City's own... Ellen Brewood, Realty Executives of Kansas City in Leawood.  "Sellin Ellen" distinguished herself by making the Wall Street Journal list in the #26 spot with 296 transaction sides. Fantastic!

How about top teams?  Here's more good news! Our town can also boast having a high ranking team among us, too. In the Wall Street Journal's 31st place  is. . .  The Koehler Bortnick Team, LLC of Reece and Nichols with 380 sides. Unbelieveable! This group has been recognized with many other impressive awards over the years, too.

Considering the 2008 total membership of the National Association of REALTORS was 1,197,529 it's an honor for us to have the cream of the crop right here among us.

Is it something in the air around here...or the water? Maybe it boils down to good old fashioned tenacity, confidence and ability.  I vote for the last three with a huge dose of hard work thrown into the mix. In the absence of hypnotizing them and delving into their subconscious minds to understand what makes these highly successful people tick, we'll have to assume it's the above reasons. But whatever the case, let's hope they all find time to smell the roses, too.

Next time you meet up with one of these outstanding individuals, pat them on the back and thank them for showing us how it's done!

Congratulations!

Happy sales to you until we meet again, Jan

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I think he was right... it's truly hard for us to understand the law sometimes and we never know when it might rear up and bite us on the . . .ankle.

That's why we have lawyers! But before a person is recognized as an authority on the law, there really needs to be the letters J.D. behind his or her name.

Here's my name and alphabet soup: Jan Pringle, WHS, CTM, ATWD, RETAA, GCREP-GL.  Did you notice there's no J.D. showing there? In fact, far from it!

The good news is you have access to real, real estate attorneys who actually graduated in the study of jurisprudence. In other words, not Jan Pringle.

Here's the point I want to make. . . I love all your phone calls. You keep my memory sharp and you keep me busy researching and studying so I can help you in your business.  You keep me on my toes when you call to play Stump the Pringle. But sometimes you're just asking the wrong person.

Sometimes you should be calling a real, live attorney.

So don't be disappointed when you call the KCRAR office with a question and end up hearing me say, "You need to call the LEGAL HOTLINE."

We have a whole page on this website about this FREE service to managing brokers. Check it out here. How can you go wrong? If you think it's a legal question... save yourself a dime and call the Hotline before calling me. You'll be glad you did.

Happy sales to you until we meet again, Jan

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Larry Licensee, CRB, GCREP-GL, AHWD

???? abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz ?????

So what's the big deal with the alphabet soup behind someone's name?

Well, it says something about you to the public.  It says something good.  Granted, the public doesn't know the first thing about Graduate Realtor Institute or At Home With Diversity or Certified Residential Specialist. 

But, they DO have a subconscious minndd that noticces the lettterss. (See what I mean?)

They sense a mental link to the education degrees they're familiar with and have seen before, such as M.D, DDS, B.A., CPA, Ph.D. The letters tell them you are a person of advanced education - someone who is probably more knowledgeable and capable than the average Joe or Jolene.

Building trust and confidence with the consumer is an important key to success, isn't it? With some alphabet soup, you've won the first step in winning them over and besides, you'll always have lunch ready, too.  (haha)

But there's another huge benefit to these letters. It means you not only look smarter... but you really ARE smarter! After all, we want people to trust us with a decision involving hundreds of thousands of dollars. But there's something wrong with this picture if we can't be bothered to be well educated so we can deserve their trust and perform as effectively as the consumer deserves.  

Information abounds about the various designations and certifications available to you. Just click here for Kansas designations or here for Missouri designations. 

And if you're really smart you'll jump on the bandwagon with what KCRAR has to offer. The Workforce Housing Specialist certification only requires two short classes and your name will be listed on our public service website, too. This course is only offered twice each year and it's coming up again: August 7 and August 14, 2009. You can register for it as you would for any other class. The cost is $120 for both days and you'll be cool like me. . . Jan Pringle, WHS

Look smart.  Be smart.  Get some alphabet soup cooking!

Happy sales to you until we meet again!                                                                       

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Here comes the most controversial match of 2009! 

The opponent in the purple corner is When I Need It and                                                        in the green corner is Before I Need It.

These two contenders have very different styles of combat and have battled for decades to resolve the age old question of “Which way is better to attend education programs?”

One look at the faces of these two adversaries tells a big story. Before I Need It is calm, composed and smiling. There isn’t a hint of nervousness. This fighter is floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.

When I Need It, however, appears panicky and uptight, circling the ring anxiously. This fighter just met a new buyer with specific needs beyond the education level of this fighter and unfortunately classes on the needed subject have already taken place. Also, license renewal is just around the corner for this fighter and time is running out.

On the other hand Before I Need It attended classes on the subject in question a long time ago and has already coasted through several transactions. Actually, this contender is armed with other valuable knowledge that will help with the unique needs of future buyers, too. Things always proceed smoothly for Before I Need It because classes and workshops are attended (wow! you guessed it!) before they are needed.

In a contest like this the winner is usually easy to predict.  The odds are definitely in favor of Before I Need It when it comes to either license renewal classes or special-topic workshops. Before I Need It is always well versed, ready for anything, comfortable with a changing market and has more CEU’s than needed for license renewal.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The winner and still Champion of the World is -                           Before I Need It!

Happy sales to you until we meet again,

Jan

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Actually it doesn't matter what you're sick with. . . 

If it's something we can catch from you please stay away from class!

Unless you're absolutely certain your sniffles are from hayfever or that your upset tummy is because of your own cooking, please be considerate and stay home. PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP!?!?!

When you sneeze, cough and otherwise exhale germy germs in the classroom you affect all the people around you.  And when your big bad bugs land on your fellow Realtors they take them home and give them to their families who go to work or school and give it to countless others. You could easily affect hundreds of people! (Me included. Yuck!)

Why?  Probably because you waited too long to get your CE hours and you have one week until license expiration. On the other hand, since you have two whole years to take your classes why wait until the last minute? Start early! What a novel concept! When you're down to the eleventh hour there are too many things that can go wrong... your car won't start, your alarm doesn't go off,  you forget to turn off the iron and have to make a U-turn on the highway to go back home, or you're in a coma.

Whatever you do, don't drag your sore sickly self to class. Stay home in your favorite PJ's, brew some hot tea with honey ... and the Surgeon General advises a shot of whisky, too. (haha I just made that up)  You can take some online classes with your own computer, then relax and think of all the revenge and paybacks you just saved yourself from.  Get well soon!

Happy sales to you until we meet again. Jan Pringle

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