Tom Bernardo

Bruce,

I am sorry to hear of your circumstances...buying a home is uncertain enough without having to put up with what you witnessed.

The previous answers may seem like they are leading you in different directions when in fact combined, they are the summ and substance of the right way to proceed.

Be sure to be pro-active. You take the bull by the horns here because you do not want this issue raising its ugly head while you are trying to close your deal.

Just so you now, the agent that feels she has been wronged in this case can actually cloud the title to the property you wish to purchase, so that is why you should not ignore it.

Start with the Brokers first. Have the broker of record for the agent that you are now working with contact the broker for the agent that is raising the stink. Assuming they can come to a happy solution for you, get that in writing.

If not resolved, take it to the board of realtors and request a "procuring cause" hearing and an ethics hearing. The board will tell you how to proceed.

As far as paying the first agent something for her time and to make this all go away, I advocate against that, but certainly you are closer to it and must decide for yourself. We agents do not make an hourly wage, so there is no need to compensate us for our time unless we do what we are hired to do and that is bring our clients to a successful closing.

In summary, do not wait. Get this issue behind you as quickly as possible. Remember, right or wrong, the other agent does have remedies for her issues and concerns, and one of them could cloud the title on the property you are trying to purchase.

The title company may not discover that until a few days before your closing. At that point the leverage of time is shifted away from you and into that other agent's favor.

I bet a couple of phone calls will get this behind you and I hope the rest of the transaction goes smooth as silk. - Mon Jun 16 2008, 01:50

Wow Joann, that stream of answers does run the gamut! Not too many of them went right to your question of "how do we go".

The short answer is, make sure you select a realtor that has closed several short sales and has several in the pipeline to close. Ask for credentials. Ask how many listings do you have that are "short". How many have you represented the Buyers on, who negotiates with the bank, the Buyers agent, the Sellers agent, the Seller themselves, or a 3rd party.

If a third party will be involved, get their credentials and ask the same questions.

Agents steering you away from a short sale, may be doing you a disservice because of their lack of success. Trust me, short sales close every day. Interview the agents that are closing them.

A good agent will also interview you. They will want to know your timing, the type of mortgage you anticipate using if you aren't paying cash, when you will be in the area to make a selection, and see if there is a purchasing strategy that works for you, with the home you like.

Some short sales may be good candidates if you like the house, and some may not due to underlying issues. An agent experienced in short sales will be able to identify those underlying issues.

You see Joann, the short sale market can best be likened to the wild west. No rules, no standards, and the ones that do exist change daily. Only an agent that has documented short sale experience will be in tune with the trends.

The good news about short sales is they are driving the market. A property that is not a short sale is not likely to sell for more than a short sale property; if there is any sort of bank financing involved in your purchase. But, there aren't very many non-short sales available. There are many more choices in the short sale arena in certain parts of the Ft. Myers area. Don't let anybody steer you away just because it is short.

So, in summary, if you want to find the house you like, first find an agent you like. Have that agent provide you with enough listings that it makes sense for you to make a "buying trip".

Then narrow down the field, don't rule out traditional sales, and then make your offer on the one you like the best. Hint, in your offer, offer to pay for items that the Seller traditionally pays for as you may be in a competitive offer situation and you may not get a second bite of the apple you wanted the most. Ask your agent for guidance.

I will be happy to provide more strategies if you interview me and ultimately select me to be your agent.

The wild west atmosphere is a little scarey, but it is also quite exciting, so have fun and enjoy it!

Sincerely,

Tom Bernardo, Realtor, GRI
Keller Williams World Class Realty
239-560-6702 - Sat Apr 5 2008, 15:05

Mike,

I am sorry to hear about your dilemna.

You need to get an answer from an attorney. If any answers your receive, come from anyone other than a lawyer, you should not count on it being accurate. I know there are realtors that are attorneys, but clarify that before you take any advise.

If you find yourself needing consultation regarding the purchase or sale of a property, then check in with a realtor.

You are smart to inquire, and understand your options, but get the proper advice from the proper professional.

Good luck to you sir.

Sincerely,

Tom Bernardo - Thu Mar 13 2008, 19:19

John,

Your question is a valid one. Trulia is a great platform.

My answer has nothing to do with me, or listing with an agent, or even Trulia specifically. It goes more to marketing which is the essence of getting anything sold.

Whether you are selling semi-conductors, or breakfast cereal or real estate, your goal is to tell your story to as many people as possible and in multiple iterations.

Does McDonalds tell you just once that "You are Lovin It"? For that matter, do they tell you from only one source? They tell you how hungry you are and how you are lovin it many many many times a day, and from a special menu for a buck that might even be carb smart or Atkins approved depending on which diet trend is vogue. And they tell you from different mediums.

You will see it on billboards, hear it on radio, bus stop benches, tv, little side ads on web landing pages, In fact John you will see two trends in marketing. The first is multiple exposures. You see the same commercial two or three or more times in one pro football, basketball or golf telecast. Even in a 1/2 hour sitcom there will be multiple interations of the same commercial. Do you see a trend here?

The second common thread is positioning. The top marketers will be in the first position after the station break rather than the last one prior to the normal broadcast resuming. Another example is, French's is at eye level in the store but the store brand is way down low on the bottom shelf. Why do you suppose that is?

Carry these two basic principals into the product you wish to sell, your home. Most agents do not spend money on print ads anymore. A few will because they think it keeps the client happy. Most agents have found that calls, showings, and offers will keep that Seller happy. There are good reasons for that. There is no prominent positioning and repetition is way to expensive.

If you sell it yourself, you should keep that in mind. If an agent is trying to pitch a marketing plan where print advertising is the highlight, be cautious.

You should research yourself, which real estate platforms get to most traffic, and more importantly, how long that traffic lingers. Naturally, agents try to get top positioning in a given price range on the various platforms. Then believe it or not, once we have a click from one of the major platforms, we do everything in our power to lure the viewer away.

The idea being we want that viewer as far away from all the other lisings (measured by clicks) as is possible. There is some art to it, some science, a lot of theory, and even some measurable results.

So John, almost every agent has a web site. You can have one too for that matter. Whether you use an agent or do it yourself, remember the two core principals of repetition and placement. Be sure to analyze all your options from that point of view.

To answer yourquestion directly, you can get coverage on Trulia, but, based on the principals of marketing for repititon and positioning, would you want to stop there?

Please let me know if you need any other marketing or real estate info.

Sincerely,

Tom Bernardo
239-425-4900
tombernardo@earthlink.net - Mon Feb 18 2008, 03:02

Mr. or Ms. Nelson,

Besides the previous answer which was dead-on, , there is one other possible cause for wide discrepancies in property taxes. If the properties happen to be older, and one owner has owned the property since well before the run-up in prices, that owner may have received the benefit of a cap on how much taxes were allowed to go up in a single year.

In other words, if an owner from before the huge increases, claimed the property as their domicile or homestead, their taxes were capped at 3% per year. Other properties may have had their taxes doubled or more over that same period if they were owned by people who had their domicile elsewhere or if the property was sold during the run-up years and then got re-assessed by the local tax assessors.

We had an election yesterday that should build a little more equity into the system. Remember, even someone that had the homestead benefits was often trapped in their homes because they couldn't afford the taxes on the replacement property if they moved! It was a double edged sword. The new amendment should balance it out a bit.

I hope this answers your astute question.

Sincerely,

Tom Bernardo, Realtor/Partner, GRI
Keller Williams World Class
239-560-6702
tombernardo@earthlink.net
tombernardo - Wed Jan 30 2008, 15:12