real estate on cloud nine....for good!

Change is hard. Change can be complicated. Human nature resists change. Yet change is the only constant in our lives, and it's inevitable. One such change is the shift to cloud computing. "The Cloud" as it's often referred to is the process of using remote servers to store, manage, process, and share data. And The Cloud is changing the real estate transaction like nothing else before it. In a typical real estate transaction we have multiple parties (buyers, sellers, lenders, title companies, lawyers, appraisers, etc.) that need access to the paperwork therein. And what we normally do is either fax (sooo 1995!) or email the documents as large attachments that clog up people's hard drive space and slow down the Internet for everybody.

The Cloud is a clever solution to what most in my industry have yet to realize is a problem. It's clever because it's efficient. What if instead of sending 6 parties attachment laden emails or illegible faxes I gave everyone access to the documents on a secure server? EUREKA! I can now almost run my business from anywhere via my smart phone.

Thankfully, cloud computing is now available to the masses from services like Dropbox, Google, or if you're buying or selling a home with Coldwell Banker we use Homebase. More often than not, taking your business to the clouds is a time saver, a business enhancer, and a customer service home run.

So get on the cloud!

On the rebound

U.S. Housing Looks Ready to Rebound - Barrons.com

warehouse anyone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_VlxwbT3Ws

A shot of adrenaline for Florida!

http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?p=4&id=273173

Blowing my own horn...

Thank you for your faith and trust in me to handle your real estate needs. It's an honor and a privilege.

do it NOW!

Windows of opportunity of often seen through the rear view mirror. "I should have done this. Why didn't I buy that?" Why didn't I sell my house in 2005? You get the idea. At times, we become so preoccupied with these closed windows that we neglect the open ones that are right in front of us. Such is the case with interest rates. In short, if you're thinking about buying, do it NOW as these historically low rates won't be around forever. And if you're thinking about selling do it NOW because there are plenty of buyers out there that are taking advantage of these low rates and I simply don't have enough houses to put them in!

tough love for home sellers

In a way, I love the home sellers that grant me the privilege to guide them through such important transitions in their lives. If fact, I love them enough that I sometimes have to beat them up a little; tough love if you will.

Any of my colleagues can certainly attest to the fact that we simply have more prospective buyers than available properties for them. Sounds like a farce, right? After all, you've had your home on the market for months with agent Joe Smith without a single offer. Where are all of these alleged buyers?, you might be thinking. "And don't tell me that I'm overpriced!" Well.....maybe you are and maybe you're not. But rest assured that in a commodity market such as real estate, if you have your home on the market (especially in Miami Lakes!) and it's simply not selling it's because of one thing, and one thing only: There is NO perception of value for your property. Furthermore, perception of value has nothing to do with condition, upgrades, location, amenities, or other "stuff". Simply put, the value proposition that you're making to the prospective buyer pool is being overlooked, and passed up for other more attractive value propositions.

Your neighborhood is selling. Your competition is moving on with their lives and taking advantage of the "low prices" and "low interest rates". So what's holding you back Mr. Seller?

While it's difficult to pinpoint the problem or suggest a solution without knowing the particulars of a situation, one can be absolutely certain that market conditions have nothing to do with it.