Roland Barcos

Hi SJSeller,
There's an old saying that 98% of lawyers give the other 2% a bad name. The reputation of realtors isn't much better and your experience reinforces this perception. This is really unfortunate, as I have found that there are plenty of ethical, hardworking, competent Realtors around. After 25 years in another career, I began in real estate a few years ago with some concern about the colleagues that I would be associating with, for the same reasons you stated. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the high level professionalism and integrity of the agents in my office, which included a wide range of newcomers and seasoned agents. Outside of my company, I've found some agents as you describe, but again I have dealt with many competitors with whom I've developed a mutual respect. Over the past few years much was said about the housing bubble, but the bigger problem was that the boom years resulted in an agent bubble. Many agents got into the business for the "easy money" and really weren't qualified for the attention to detail, communication, and follow-up work required to make a transaction run smoothly and close on time. Real estate is a very hard job in the best of times, and now that the market is struggling, lazy and incompetent agents can't survive, so you should have better luck dealing with those of us that are willing and able to provide excellent service in both good and bad times.
It sounds like this bad experience is behind you, so I assume you are wondering how you can avoid this next time, or perhaps you are hoping that this can be a warning for others.
First and foremost when hiring an agent, or anyone else for that matter, trust your instincts. If you are not already a good judge of character, then work on it. It's good to get referrals from friends, but then you also have to judge their character, as well as their motivation for the referral. If it's their cousin or their hairdresser's boyfriend, you might want to look further. It's also good to ask the agent for referrals from past customers.
Secondly, no matter how good the promises sound, get them in writing. Ask "What are you going to do for me?", get a written commitment and hold them accountable to perform. For instance, I, and many agents in my office, subscribe to a program called Quality Service Certified (QSC) which provides a written guarantee for either home buyers or home sellers.
Finally, make an assessment of the type of brokerage he/she represents. Is it independent, a small office of a huge franchise, or a large brokerage with multiple offices? Who does the agent answer to? If it's an independent, it may be themself. If it's a large company, you should be able to contact the managing broker in his/her office, and if necessary, their regional manager. A reputable company will not allow an individual agent to hurt the reputation of the company.
In closing, congratulations on closing on your new home. I hope it provides you many years of comfort and enjoyment and the memory of this bad experience fades away. If I can help you or anyone you know, please feel free to contact me.

Take care,
Roland - Tue Jul 22 2008, 17:11

Hi Katie,
You have to check with the school district to be sure that the home you want feeds into the school you want. Even if that is okay, you also need to check this time of year to be sure that the school still has room for fall enrollments. Some of the better schools have been full for months, but if you say your child is already in the school, you should be okay. Still, you need to check with the district to be completely sure. The only other advice that I would give you is to go the the district office in person, rather call on the phone. Also be aware that they are usually very helpful, but can never offer guarantees.

Good luck,
Roland - Tue Jul 15 2008, 18:49

Hi Jeela - The answer to your question is yes. Of course that's a smart aleck answer, but depending the neighborhood, the price segment, and the conditions of the home, prices are up, down and the same. I do local market research and comparative market analyses almost daily in Almaden, so I don't have to guess. To give an accurate answer, I would need to know the addresses of the homes you are interested in.
In general, the market in Almaden has returned to normal lately. Activity was terribly slow over the winter and spring, but closed sales in June were 27 and will be around 30 for July, which is fairly typical for this time of year. The median price may have dropped overall by around 5-10% since last year but that can be deceptive - it doesn't mean the price of any one house dropped that much, but that there are more sales of lower priced homes overall, so the midpoint moves down. Prices have dropped mostly for the least attractive homes: poorly kept homes on busy streets, or undesirable locations.
As for any change, no one that I have heard or read is expecting any radical change, either up or down, in the near future. We are settling into a normal market and people are getting on with their lives. People are getting job transfers into and out of the area, families are growing and need more space, children are growing and need to go to school, empty-nesters are down-sizing, and of couse there are unfortunately cases of death and divorce. So, it's a matter of life as usual and Almaden remains one of the most desirable places to live, with great schools, wonderful weather, low crime, and an overall exceptional quality of life.
If I can help you with more specific information, don't hesitate to ask.

Take care,
Roland - Mon Jul 14 2008, 17:33

Hi Lao - As a real estate agent, I'd be more than happy to take you there, but the questions you ask can best be answered by talking to the builder. Here's the contact information:

Mesa Ridge
Sales Office Now Open!
5871 Masoni Place
Gilroy, California 95020
408.848.2121 Voice
408.848.2122 Fax
Sales email: mesaridgesales@dividendhomes.com


Good luck,
Roland - Mon Jul 14 2008, 07:47

Hi Mark,
First of all, we need to know more about your goals, experience, resources, and comfort level of risk. Real estate investment covers a wide range of possibilities, so are you looking for a quick profit by flipping homes, or are you looking for stable income from a reliable rental property? Are you confident as a "do-it-yourselfer", or do you rely heavily on professionals? How much do you plan to invest, and how much leverage will you employ? As for risk comfort, have you done a worst case analysis to gauge at what point you would lose sleep over an investment loss? Would a $5,000 loss drive you crazy or could you drop $250K without blinking an eye? There are plenty of opportunities out there. You just need a good idea of what you are looking for and develop a plan that suits you.
These are just some of the things to think about and I hope you find this useful.

Good luck,
Roland - Mon Jul 14 2008, 07:35