|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 118 Answers
- 3 Best Answers
- 5 First Answers
- 88 Useful Answers
Share this profile
Report this profile
Report this profile
About Me
I'm the Broker of Record for Marivic GMAC Real Estate or Marivic Realty whichever you prefer. I started this brokerage after working for several others, learning the areas they were just lacking from the agents prospective as well as the clients.
I'm an observer of human nature and behavior, prefer L..I..S..T..E...N..I...N...G... .... ... ....
Sorry but a big pet peeve of mine is thinking you can learn how to serve the best interest of your clients by listening opposed to assuming due to habit.
My office policy is that customer satisfaction comes first above all else.
An agent not servicing the needs of the client gets a new agent assigned to work with them, problem solved. Customer satisfaction shouldn’t be that difficult.
Agents need a lot of training but many never get training on the basics. Learning on the job can be a valuable experience however it should not be unsupervised or done so at the expense of the client.
Much like a house, you cannot build anything of value on a week foundation. I believe the same true when it comes to building successful knowledgeable real estate sales force. We try to be careful when selecting agents whom affiliate themselves with our agency by interviewing them. If you don't have ethics now, you won't learn them later! Another important virtue our agents must possess.
Agents that work for me and dedicate themselves to work full time will get the best training available and it is ongoing... You are NEVER too old to learn, if you think you know it all... ;-)
Notice: I can be a but sarcastic at times ;-) and know my personality is an acquired taste but one thing I can promise is my clients will get an honest, trustworthy, knowledgeable, diligent realtor.
A properly trained and conditioned real estate agent can be traced through satisfied clients and we have some of the best trained agents in the industry.
BTW.
Never Trust a real estate agent whose claim to fame is: I've been an agent for "X" amount of years, period!
That is a sign of arrogance and perhaps a touch of being lazy not trying to wow every client they come across.
It is very common to come across agents especially those who've been agents for a long time who are braggarts, discourage newer agents starting out, have negative attitudes, have an "entitlement" attitude toward their clients and some of which can be compared to the sleazy used car salesman stereotype. I'm trying to ensure my office doesn't house these kinds of agents. I'll just give them their walking papers. It doesn't take long for a bad apple to ruin the crop!
I'm an observer of human nature and behavior, prefer L..I..S..T..E...N..I...N...G... .... ... ....
Sorry but a big pet peeve of mine is thinking you can learn how to serve the best interest of your clients by listening opposed to assuming due to habit.
My office policy is that customer satisfaction comes first above all else.
An agent not servicing the needs of the client gets a new agent assigned to work with them, problem solved. Customer satisfaction shouldn’t be that difficult.
Agents need a lot of training but many never get training on the basics. Learning on the job can be a valuable experience however it should not be unsupervised or done so at the expense of the client.
Much like a house, you cannot build anything of value on a week foundation. I believe the same true when it comes to building successful knowledgeable real estate sales force. We try to be careful when selecting agents whom affiliate themselves with our agency by interviewing them. If you don't have ethics now, you won't learn them later! Another important virtue our agents must possess.
Agents that work for me and dedicate themselves to work full time will get the best training available and it is ongoing... You are NEVER too old to learn, if you think you know it all... ;-)
Notice: I can be a but sarcastic at times ;-) and know my personality is an acquired taste but one thing I can promise is my clients will get an honest, trustworthy, knowledgeable, diligent realtor.
A properly trained and conditioned real estate agent can be traced through satisfied clients and we have some of the best trained agents in the industry.
BTW.
Never Trust a real estate agent whose claim to fame is: I've been an agent for "X" amount of years, period!
That is a sign of arrogance and perhaps a touch of being lazy not trying to wow every client they come across.
It is very common to come across agents especially those who've been agents for a long time who are braggarts, discourage newer agents starting out, have negative attitudes, have an "entitlement" attitude toward their clients and some of which can be compared to the sleazy used car salesman stereotype. I'm trying to ensure my office doesn't house these kinds of agents. I'll just give them their walking papers. It doesn't take long for a bad apple to ruin the crop!
Testimonials
"He is the Greatest Real Estate Agent Ever!!!"
Victor Kaminski ;-) Mon May 12
Victor Kaminski ;-) Mon May 12
My Q&A
View all >>
Victor Kamin…'s Questions (6)
Victor Kamin…'s Answers (118)
Victor Kaminski answered:
They are transaction brokers and don't represent anyone in most states. There is no agent to speak to, you can only call the main number in another state Pennsylvania for housepad and then select what your calling for then type in the mls number and then the automated system will either tell you the owners number or will transfer your call to them depending on which feature they paid for, yeah! that's considered a feature.
They sell the seller signs, directional’s, forms and contracts all at additional fees to. This is nickel and diming the home owners, they must do all their own marketing, advertising, pricing, negotiating and so on. For real estate buyer agents this usually results in having to do the work of the absent agent because home owners usually don't know what they are doing or need to do so the buyer’s agent must also become a real estate tutor!
I think it is inconvenient so far, we're trying to place an offer on the house and setting up a showing was a pain in the neck, getting the sellers disclosure was to, tomorrow we'll be making the offer and I can already see how much more work I'll have to do because the listing agent is M.I.A.
Most other houses here are offering 3% + this one is at 2.5% grrr...
Anyway, I'll try and get the house for my clients but I'm going to make this perfectly clear to them and the seller, I will NOT be doing work on their behalf, they must contact their agent for that or their attorney, pester them.
Just reading through these posts it seems like discount broker heaven.
I see Jennifer didn't like marks comment no matter how true it is.
Don't worry Jen, if your plan is that good and stable his remark shouldn't be so offensive to you now should it? Hmmm...
Work 10 times as hard for 1/10th the pay, good business model if targeting the FSBO market which would probably not list with a realtor otherwise until they at least tried on their own for a while. I guess the incentive for the discounter is all the nickel and dimes; certainly dealing in a tremendous volume has to eat your time resources and advertising dollars, "IF" you are advertising these properties in any print media at all or any of the premium websites which must be paid for. Note: Realtor.com is not a premium site and they do have premium listing features if you "pay" for them. Discounters just can't compete because they don't have the budget to market the properties the same way.
Guess the agent makes most of their money as a reseller of yard signs, directionals, lockboxes, brochure boxes, etc. at more than twice their normal prices. Maybe I'll put up a site offering these items at wholesale prices and market them on all the fsbo sites and places fsbo's shop. The best part is if at some point I want to make any money I can raise the shipping & handling fees! lol...
What a brutal cycle, you DO get what you pay for unless you want to keep looking over your back to make sure someone's not sticking it to ya! lol... Oh, the webbs we weave!
They sell the seller signs, directional’s, forms and contracts all at additional fees to. This is nickel and diming the home owners, they must do all their own marketing, advertising, pricing, negotiating and so on. For real estate buyer agents this usually results in having to do the work of the absent agent because home owners usually don't know what they are doing or need to do so the buyer’s agent must also become a real estate tutor!
I think it is inconvenient so far, we're trying to place an offer on the house and setting up a showing was a pain in the neck, getting the sellers disclosure was to, tomorrow we'll be making the offer and I can already see how much more work I'll have to do because the listing agent is M.I.A.
Most other houses here are offering 3% + this one is at 2.5% grrr...
Anyway, I'll try and get the house for my clients but I'm going to make this perfectly clear to them and the seller, I will NOT be doing work on their behalf, they must contact their agent for that or their attorney, pester them.
Just reading through these posts it seems like discount broker heaven.
I see Jennifer didn't like marks comment no matter how true it is.
Don't worry Jen, if your plan is that good and stable his remark shouldn't be so offensive to you now should it? Hmmm...
Work 10 times as hard for 1/10th the pay, good business model if targeting the FSBO market which would probably not list with a realtor otherwise until they at least tried on their own for a while. I guess the incentive for the discounter is all the nickel and dimes; certainly dealing in a tremendous volume has to eat your time resources and advertising dollars, "IF" you are advertising these properties in any print media at all or any of the premium websites which must be paid for. Note: Realtor.com is not a premium site and they do have premium listing features if you "pay" for them. Discounters just can't compete because they don't have the budget to market the properties the same way.
Guess the agent makes most of their money as a reseller of yard signs, directionals, lockboxes, brochure boxes, etc. at more than twice their normal prices. Maybe I'll put up a site offering these items at wholesale prices and market them on all the fsbo sites and places fsbo's shop. The best part is if at some point I want to make any money I can raise the shipping & handling fees! lol...
What a brutal cycle, you DO get what you pay for unless you want to keep looking over your back to make sure someone's not sticking it to ya! lol... Oh, the webbs we weave!
Victor Kaminski answered:
Offers and sales made at open houses are extremely rare, it does happen from time to time but it is rare.
Open Houses are a great exposure tool that should be used but I would not raise client’s hopes too high that the open house is going to be their best chance to sell the house. If you really think that is the case as an agent, you should be performing open houses every day and not just Sundays!
Just being honest, they usually just tend to be more of a tool for agents to get more buyers.
Also Open Houses in the evenings during the week is not a bad idea for agents to get more exposure when people are coming home from work as opposed to on Sundays when they are resting in bed and just targeting the church goers and flea market junkies that can be usually found out at those times.
Open Houses are a great exposure tool that should be used but I would not raise client’s hopes too high that the open house is going to be their best chance to sell the house. If you really think that is the case as an agent, you should be performing open houses every day and not just Sundays!
Just being honest, they usually just tend to be more of a tool for agents to get more buyers.
Also Open Houses in the evenings during the week is not a bad idea for agents to get more exposure when people are coming home from work as opposed to on Sundays when they are resting in bed and just targeting the church goers and flea market junkies that can be usually found out at those times.
Absolutely, at my brokerage we put our promises in writing without even asking. We ask you, would you like open houses? Keep in mind they wont be done every weekend. You know open houses usually will not sell your home they are typically a tool for agents to get more buyer clients however I would not rule out using them. Your agent should be doing everything within her abilities to try and get your home sold even if she is not the one holding the open house she should arrange for another agent at her office to hold it.
Complain to the agency office manager or broker of record.
Good Luck
--
Victor Kaminski
Broker of Record
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
Complain to the agency office manager or broker of record.
Good Luck
--
Victor Kaminski
Broker of Record
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
Victor Kaminski answered:
This is going out to Morris County NJ aka Susan Zanzonico why the alias, don't want anyone to know where the comments are coming from? Regarding June 1st comment, Guess I've been too busy to blog, wow has time passes by fast...
No Suan I'm not angry as you put it because I'm afraid of losing a listing. Why would I be? there are many listings out there not selling are you afraid of losing one? Fear has no place in this line of work, if your fearful the next step is despiration and that ain't good!
This is a business and I try and treat it as such. I do my job well by not pulling numbers out of thin air like you my dear so please keep your spiteful comments to yourself.
The listing which you referred to was a corporate relocation, first it was with your company weichert which grossly over priced it which made my job extremely difficult of having to deal with the relo company afterword trying to get the price adjusted to what it should be and needing to justify this ever step of the way with time consuming reports and statistics but that is neither here nor there now.
You try to sound well informed but as with your previous comment which I replied to and which you are lashing out over, your research was flawed and still is. You see the property "Did sell" 4 years ago so get your facts straight, also you commented that it's not a typical Summit home but then if you read my entire posting you would see that I never implied that either. Diarrhea of the mouth can be ugly and make you look silly so get your facts straight before trying to make someone else look foolish. By the way are you still sticking to your guns that the price of Summit homes are still rising at 2% or are you even still in the biz?
I love my career, yes career because I've chosen to do this full time and constantly continue my education in the field and not just taking how to become a top producer or how to prospect for clients classes like many agents do! I like this career and I have fun with it, I'm serious about my clients and products but don't take myself or the industry seriously, especially when there are WAY too many bafoons out there making a mockery out of the real estate profession. The problem with that is the general public is quick to pick up and join in on that mockery without fully understanding it.
Back to the topic, The property is not in the best location because of the busy street and two doors down from the light but that is not why it didn't sell when listed with me, that is just an obstacle which can be overcome if the house was in a little better shape or priced at the amount I suggested.
By the way, since then it has been listed with another agency because that is what relo companies do, if it doesn't sell they'll bounce from agency to agency at the request of the client aka corporate.
I always told them it would sell at $340K to $345K and guess what? After being listed with the new agency for two months with the same results they finally lowered the price to $339,000 and is now under contract.
I know what I'm doing and know what I'm talking about. I pride myself on being excellent at pricing homes properly; it's just a matter of if the seller wants to go along with the suggested price model. I've done thousands of BPO's for banks and lenders in the past and not inflated ones like most agents do. Pricing is a specialty of mine, all part of my supreme marketing package!
Luis & Marc: Reading your comments back and forth, just so you know this is a single family house and not a foreclosure and a sub $400K property in summit. Because it is priced low doesn't always mean it is a foreclosure or pre-foreclosure property, the same goes for properties bearing the comment; Subject to 3rd party approval or bank approval.
My opinion, in a market like this with so many distressed properties on the market you must factor in the selling prices of the distressed properties when doing your pricing model. Just be careful not to follow it too closely, many of these homes are selling for less than what they should because banks are just looking to cut their losses instead of dragging them out over time and costly foreclosure & eviction proceedings plus the cost of damages any current tenant may be doing. It is a tough market to price in and cannot always be done strictly by the numbers, some common sense needs to factor into the pricing as well.
No Suan I'm not angry as you put it because I'm afraid of losing a listing. Why would I be? there are many listings out there not selling are you afraid of losing one? Fear has no place in this line of work, if your fearful the next step is despiration and that ain't good!
This is a business and I try and treat it as such. I do my job well by not pulling numbers out of thin air like you my dear so please keep your spiteful comments to yourself.
The listing which you referred to was a corporate relocation, first it was with your company weichert which grossly over priced it which made my job extremely difficult of having to deal with the relo company afterword trying to get the price adjusted to what it should be and needing to justify this ever step of the way with time consuming reports and statistics but that is neither here nor there now.
You try to sound well informed but as with your previous comment which I replied to and which you are lashing out over, your research was flawed and still is. You see the property "Did sell" 4 years ago so get your facts straight, also you commented that it's not a typical Summit home but then if you read my entire posting you would see that I never implied that either. Diarrhea of the mouth can be ugly and make you look silly so get your facts straight before trying to make someone else look foolish. By the way are you still sticking to your guns that the price of Summit homes are still rising at 2% or are you even still in the biz?
I love my career, yes career because I've chosen to do this full time and constantly continue my education in the field and not just taking how to become a top producer or how to prospect for clients classes like many agents do! I like this career and I have fun with it, I'm serious about my clients and products but don't take myself or the industry seriously, especially when there are WAY too many bafoons out there making a mockery out of the real estate profession. The problem with that is the general public is quick to pick up and join in on that mockery without fully understanding it.
Back to the topic, The property is not in the best location because of the busy street and two doors down from the light but that is not why it didn't sell when listed with me, that is just an obstacle which can be overcome if the house was in a little better shape or priced at the amount I suggested.
By the way, since then it has been listed with another agency because that is what relo companies do, if it doesn't sell they'll bounce from agency to agency at the request of the client aka corporate.
I always told them it would sell at $340K to $345K and guess what? After being listed with the new agency for two months with the same results they finally lowered the price to $339,000 and is now under contract.
I know what I'm doing and know what I'm talking about. I pride myself on being excellent at pricing homes properly; it's just a matter of if the seller wants to go along with the suggested price model. I've done thousands of BPO's for banks and lenders in the past and not inflated ones like most agents do. Pricing is a specialty of mine, all part of my supreme marketing package!
Luis & Marc: Reading your comments back and forth, just so you know this is a single family house and not a foreclosure and a sub $400K property in summit. Because it is priced low doesn't always mean it is a foreclosure or pre-foreclosure property, the same goes for properties bearing the comment; Subject to 3rd party approval or bank approval.
My opinion, in a market like this with so many distressed properties on the market you must factor in the selling prices of the distressed properties when doing your pricing model. Just be careful not to follow it too closely, many of these homes are selling for less than what they should because banks are just looking to cut their losses instead of dragging them out over time and costly foreclosure & eviction proceedings plus the cost of damages any current tenant may be doing. It is a tough market to price in and cannot always be done strictly by the numbers, some common sense needs to factor into the pricing as well.
To address "Morris County" comments in a non confrontational way...
I do plenty of work in Summit, Chatham, Basking Ridge, Bridgewater, Bernards, Bernardsville, Scotch Plains, New Providence, Millburn, Maplewood, Springfield, Berkeley Heights and in other areas of Essex, Morris, Somerset, Union and Middlesex counties. Extremely familiar with the market...
How can you make a broad sweeping statement that all homes are up 2% in Summit?
Show me that data I'm missing it somehow! My Glenside Ave listing disproves that on its own and I know off the top of my head about 10 others in the Hospital area of Summit which have sold for less than the asking and less for what they could have got just a few years ago, so tell me how that is UP 2%???
I'm not negative on the market at all but you've got to be realistic and not just throw out numbers from thin air.
28 Glenside Ave., it's not a distressed property either! It is corporate owned due corporate relocation not a foreclosure or short sale. Tell me how many homes in summit are priced at or below $359,000 and offer 3% sellers concession toward closing cost, have all appliances included, new central a/c, new hot water heater, all new electric, well maintained gas furnace, new'er roof, most of the windows are new. The only problem with the house is busy road and could spackle and paint inside. NOT DISTRESSED!!!
This house was just lowered to this price, previously it started at $382,500 and has been relisted several times, has not sold and been on the market for about 1 1/2 years before me it was listed with Weichert in summit. Still not seeing the 2% increase? ;-) "Not Being Confrontational"
I've got the cheapest single family home on the market in Summit PERIOD that includes Townhouses in the comps as well !!! Plus offering to pay closing costs, Go Figure!
Worst case scenario it's a partial handy man special without needing loads of work, just cosmetics.
Yet you say all of Summit is UP so I guess therefore it must be up! Sorry, my mistake...
--
Victor Kaminski
Owner / Broker Manager
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
http://www.MarivicRealty.com
http://www.realrep.com
I do plenty of work in Summit, Chatham, Basking Ridge, Bridgewater, Bernards, Bernardsville, Scotch Plains, New Providence, Millburn, Maplewood, Springfield, Berkeley Heights and in other areas of Essex, Morris, Somerset, Union and Middlesex counties. Extremely familiar with the market...
How can you make a broad sweeping statement that all homes are up 2% in Summit?
Show me that data I'm missing it somehow! My Glenside Ave listing disproves that on its own and I know off the top of my head about 10 others in the Hospital area of Summit which have sold for less than the asking and less for what they could have got just a few years ago, so tell me how that is UP 2%???
I'm not negative on the market at all but you've got to be realistic and not just throw out numbers from thin air.
28 Glenside Ave., it's not a distressed property either! It is corporate owned due corporate relocation not a foreclosure or short sale. Tell me how many homes in summit are priced at or below $359,000 and offer 3% sellers concession toward closing cost, have all appliances included, new central a/c, new hot water heater, all new electric, well maintained gas furnace, new'er roof, most of the windows are new. The only problem with the house is busy road and could spackle and paint inside. NOT DISTRESSED!!!
This house was just lowered to this price, previously it started at $382,500 and has been relisted several times, has not sold and been on the market for about 1 1/2 years before me it was listed with Weichert in summit. Still not seeing the 2% increase? ;-) "Not Being Confrontational"
I've got the cheapest single family home on the market in Summit PERIOD that includes Townhouses in the comps as well !!! Plus offering to pay closing costs, Go Figure!
Worst case scenario it's a partial handy man special without needing loads of work, just cosmetics.
Yet you say all of Summit is UP so I guess therefore it must be up! Sorry, my mistake...
--
Victor Kaminski
Owner / Broker Manager
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
http://www.MarivicRealty.com
http://www.realrep.com
Summit is one of those funny places that depends entirely on the property and the section and perhaps at times the STREET which it is on. Ask any agent with experience in the Summit market and they'll tell you the same.
I have a listing in summit right now which the asking price has dropped almost $50,000 and still has not sold but is now starting to get a lot more activity since the latest price reduction and incentive of offering buyers 3% toward closing costs.
This is exactly why I don't like to give wide sweeping statistics like the media and stock brokers analizing the real estate market do, it can be bad and misleading for your particular situation. I hate to sound flipped sayin it depends, but "It Depends!"
All depends on the home Xavier, why are you looking to buy or sell?
--
Victor Kaminski
Owner / Broker Manager
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
http://www.realrep.com
http://www.MarivicRealty.com
I have a listing in summit right now which the asking price has dropped almost $50,000 and still has not sold but is now starting to get a lot more activity since the latest price reduction and incentive of offering buyers 3% toward closing costs.
This is exactly why I don't like to give wide sweeping statistics like the media and stock brokers analizing the real estate market do, it can be bad and misleading for your particular situation. I hate to sound flipped sayin it depends, but "It Depends!"
All depends on the home Xavier, why are you looking to buy or sell?
--
Victor Kaminski
Owner / Broker Manager
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
http://www.realrep.com
http://www.MarivicRealty.com
Victor Kaminski answered:
Thanks for your 2 cents Chris but the seller stated in her question that SHE found the PERFECT home!!!
You're going to argue with her or were you trying to direct that argument to me?
About the last comment, I checked out the Mercola site, that guy is a Quack!
Microwave ovens, Cell Phones & Magnets cause cancer?
He's made a campaign against a direct competitor of his business which creates genetically altered seeds that grow larger veggies and fruits just as a scare tactic so people don’t eat veggies and fruits because they are all poisoned because the seeds that grew them are not natural, they've been genetically altered?
All in the same breath this quack gives a sales pitch that because you can't eat these foods anymore and you can't get these vitamins from eating meat, you'll need supplements, my Mercola SUPER - Potent Formula!!! AND don't fall for those other so called organic supplement providers, mine are the only real ones that are natural and don't contain things that will harm you like the others do, Oh Brother....
Let's keep this a real estate blog shall we, there are enough infomercials on TV.
BTW. Read this article on RipOff Report about this "Doctor" http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/114/RipOff0114203.htm
You're going to argue with her or were you trying to direct that argument to me?
About the last comment, I checked out the Mercola site, that guy is a Quack!
Microwave ovens, Cell Phones & Magnets cause cancer?
He's made a campaign against a direct competitor of his business which creates genetically altered seeds that grow larger veggies and fruits just as a scare tactic so people don’t eat veggies and fruits because they are all poisoned because the seeds that grew them are not natural, they've been genetically altered?
All in the same breath this quack gives a sales pitch that because you can't eat these foods anymore and you can't get these vitamins from eating meat, you'll need supplements, my Mercola SUPER - Potent Formula!!! AND don't fall for those other so called organic supplement providers, mine are the only real ones that are natural and don't contain things that will harm you like the others do, Oh Brother....
Let's keep this a real estate blog shall we, there are enough infomercials on TV.
BTW. Read this article on RipOff Report about this "Doctor" http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/114/RipOff0114203.htm
How long do you plan on living there?
I think after about 3 years the kids will start to glow a faint greenish tint.
Just kidding, I used to live near towers like this and the only thing I noticed was the sudden loss of memory!
Kidding again... But in winter and nasty rain storms you can hear some neat crackling sounds and at night sometimes can see a mini version of Alaska's aurora borealis, it's rare but I have seen it. Perhaps also because there were also oil storage tanks & refinery near by in linden. Maybe the gases and the high tension lines and moisture in the air were the cause. By the way this is a beautiful site, do a Google search for "aurora borealis"
Anyway I'd have to agree with Heather on this one and wouldn't pay so much attention to the radial fanatics or those who have had experienced unfortunate circumstances in their family which are either coincidence or made up stories. I lived for several years with these behind my house and I'm not sick or dead so you be the judge.
You will find people out there that have an opinion on just about everything, most not based on fact or anything proven rather just speculation and coincidence. There will always be those entertained by conspiracy theories and then other who want to make themselves a part of the story but in the end, it is ultimately your decision and based on how you posed the question, it sounds like you may have already made yours.
Perfect house, in your price range, great schools, half a football field's distance away from the house and you’re asking for people to persuade you not to buy the house???
Hmmm.... Enjoy your new home!
--
Victor Kaminski
Broker of Record
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
http://www.MarivicRealty.com
http://www.realrep.com/
(MIDDLESEX MLS SEARCH) http://search.victor.msx.mlxchange.com/
(GSMLS SEARCH) http://www.gsmls.com/
(Monmouth/Ocean MLS) http://monmouthoceanmls.com/victor
http://www.homes.com/Agent/4243382/victorkaminski
http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Edison-…
http://www.city-data.com/forum/members/victorkaminski-211209.html
http://local.yahoo.com/info-41760781-marivic-gmac-real-estat…
http://www.realrep.com/Listing/DefaultListingSummary.aspx?Sh…
http://www.city-data.com/forum/3305497-post16.html
http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/I_m_thinking_of_pur…
http://nls.point2.com/members/US/New-Jersey/Edison/Victor-Ka…
I think after about 3 years the kids will start to glow a faint greenish tint.
Just kidding, I used to live near towers like this and the only thing I noticed was the sudden loss of memory!
Kidding again... But in winter and nasty rain storms you can hear some neat crackling sounds and at night sometimes can see a mini version of Alaska's aurora borealis, it's rare but I have seen it. Perhaps also because there were also oil storage tanks & refinery near by in linden. Maybe the gases and the high tension lines and moisture in the air were the cause. By the way this is a beautiful site, do a Google search for "aurora borealis"
Anyway I'd have to agree with Heather on this one and wouldn't pay so much attention to the radial fanatics or those who have had experienced unfortunate circumstances in their family which are either coincidence or made up stories. I lived for several years with these behind my house and I'm not sick or dead so you be the judge.
You will find people out there that have an opinion on just about everything, most not based on fact or anything proven rather just speculation and coincidence. There will always be those entertained by conspiracy theories and then other who want to make themselves a part of the story but in the end, it is ultimately your decision and based on how you posed the question, it sounds like you may have already made yours.
Perfect house, in your price range, great schools, half a football field's distance away from the house and you’re asking for people to persuade you not to buy the house???
Hmmm.... Enjoy your new home!
--
Victor Kaminski
Broker of Record
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
http://www.MarivicRealty.com
http://www.realrep.com/
(MIDDLESEX MLS SEARCH) http://search.victor.msx.mlxchange.com/
(GSMLS SEARCH) http://www.gsmls.com/
(Monmouth/Ocean MLS) http://monmouthoceanmls.com/victor
http://www.homes.com/Agent/4243382/victorkaminski
http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Edison-…
http://www.city-data.com/forum/members/victorkaminski-211209.html
http://local.yahoo.com/info-41760781-marivic-gmac-real-estat…
http://www.realrep.com/Listing/DefaultListingSummary.aspx?Sh…
http://www.city-data.com/forum/3305497-post16.html
http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/I_m_thinking_of_pur…
http://nls.point2.com/members/US/New-Jersey/Edison/Victor-Ka…
Victor Kaminski answered:
All companies seem to claim they're number one! lol...
I know many agents losing business due to their arrogance and self-entitlement attitudes, there is a fine line between being arrogant and being confident. I prefer to be personable and just be myself, my professional self, not the goofball I am around my friends, business is business now and a professional appearance and demeanor is mandatory. I also like to show the seller I am interested in getting the listing but not appear too eager like a starving agent looking for their last meal, desperation is ugly and unattractive.
A note to that comment, I have actually turned down quite a few listings in my time due to several factors listed below, has anyone else? (Never mind, let's keep on topic here!)
- Seller asks about giving me something on the side, if I charge a lower commission. I love telling them, why would I do that? I'm the owner, and then see the look on the petrified deer in the headlights look on their faces. I don't like dealing with dishonest people.
- I know the property is priced way too high and the seller is unreasonable about the prospect of lowering the price if there is no activity after so much time has passed. (Sometimes more probing is required before walking out.)
- Seller over pricing a listing and demanding short listing agreement periods. I'll save both of us the wasted time, effort, frustration and my agencies advertising dollars which can be spent better elsewhere.
- The house is a total wreck and the seller won’t clean / repair it or adjust the price accordingly.
- The seller is abusive from the get go. I demand the same respect I give, you don't like it then I don't need to deal with you either!
I know many agents losing business due to their arrogance and self-entitlement attitudes, there is a fine line between being arrogant and being confident. I prefer to be personable and just be myself, my professional self, not the goofball I am around my friends, business is business now and a professional appearance and demeanor is mandatory. I also like to show the seller I am interested in getting the listing but not appear too eager like a starving agent looking for their last meal, desperation is ugly and unattractive.
A note to that comment, I have actually turned down quite a few listings in my time due to several factors listed below, has anyone else? (Never mind, let's keep on topic here!)
- Seller asks about giving me something on the side, if I charge a lower commission. I love telling them, why would I do that? I'm the owner, and then see the look on the petrified deer in the headlights look on their faces. I don't like dealing with dishonest people.
- I know the property is priced way too high and the seller is unreasonable about the prospect of lowering the price if there is no activity after so much time has passed. (Sometimes more probing is required before walking out.)
- Seller over pricing a listing and demanding short listing agreement periods. I'll save both of us the wasted time, effort, frustration and my agencies advertising dollars which can be spent better elsewhere.
- The house is a total wreck and the seller won’t clean / repair it or adjust the price accordingly.
- The seller is abusive from the get go. I demand the same respect I give, you don't like it then I don't need to deal with you either!
SIDE NOTE: Agents can estimate your closing costs but cannot give you an exact number, the mortgage reps often can’t even do that at this point which is why they supply a good faith "estimate".
The mortgage reps should be the one looked to for closing costs however a good general rule of thumb is that closing costs on a typical standard sale will usually be anywhere between 2 - 3% of the purchase price.
Price per sq. ft. is usually not known or calculated by residential agents because most do not measure the house to calculate it. They would need to measure every rooms usable space and then when all is said and done take on the risk of being sued if they're numbers were off, granted this is what Errors and Omissions insurance is for but it's better to avoid the law suit in the first place. Home sales and their prices is not that exact of a science anyway, I've seen tiny homes sell for way more then very large ones, care to explain how that throws off your theory of price per sq. ft.? This is usually irrelevant info but nice to know, in any case an agent should be able to eyeball it and give you an approximate number if they've been doing it for a while.
In my experience knowing a buildings square footage is not a very important detail when dealing with residential real estate, the question comes up from time to time more so as a question in passing as if someone told the buyer to ask the agent however there are usually more important factors, like the usable amount of space in a home and the layout and design, features, and the size of a home usually based on amount of storage space available and size of bedrooms, the raw sq. ft. of the home is never really a deciding factor.
By the way it is the listing agents responsibility to take and post the measurements of the home, so don't blame the buyers agent if that information is not available to them, they won't be measuring every home on the market, it just isn’t gonna happen.
KNOWING THE SPREAD?
I think the more important question should be what “comparable” homes have actually sold for recently vs. the average of asking price to sold price. If a home owner priced the home right to begin with and you go in with spread data, your offer is going to be way off base and probably not accepted.
AVERAGE TIME ON MARKET?
This bit of info is really more useful to a seller, to a buyer you may have room to low ball if the home has been sitting on the market not just for a long time but much longer then the "average" home on market times. Keep in mind these numbers are difficult to calculate for several reasons, many times homes that start out over priced will have the listing expire one or more times and listed with more then one agency and you wont be taking into consideration the time it was on the market each time because that data may not be so easy to gather and also very time consuming.
LOCAL AGENT?
Hmmm... It depends on the area. I've been doing this for a while and have done thousands of BPO's for banks and can tell you only a few "exclusive" type neighborhoods usually where the entire town is extremely wealthy have I come across times this would make a difference and only when it comes to pricing because one street may be more desirable than the next one over. The agency usually gets the calls so using other listings to show the buyers your home would make such a minimal difference, besides statistically another brokerage is more likely to bring the buyer to the table over the listing agency. The place where locality may make a difference is when it comes to marketing and advertising, if the listing agency is too far from the home, they may not have the contracts in place or knowledge of the local popular media to advertise the property in but that is making less and less of a difference as the internet becomes a more and more popular initial source to look for homes anyway. I would be more concerned with the marketing the agency does online for your property, not "their" internet presence because that may not do you any good, WHERE will they be advertising your home online and will it just be syndicated or will the listing be tweaked on each site by the agent/agency?
I have sold homes in record time in areas I usually don't cover just because of my tenacity of wanting to sell the home in a new area and my diligence researching where and how most other homes get sold from in the area. Hint: most of the time, the mls, internet, open houses & at times the homes magazines.
Another note: Experience (straight up years in the business) as Ruth so eloquently put it is not a good way to judge. Look for experience straight up in volume the agent has sold and if they specialize in selling the types of property you have to sell. Condos, Co-Ops, Fee Simple aka homes without any required memberships, mixed use properties, short-sales, HUD properties, etc. you get the picture. A much better gauge to judge by.
The mortgage reps should be the one looked to for closing costs however a good general rule of thumb is that closing costs on a typical standard sale will usually be anywhere between 2 - 3% of the purchase price.
Price per sq. ft. is usually not known or calculated by residential agents because most do not measure the house to calculate it. They would need to measure every rooms usable space and then when all is said and done take on the risk of being sued if they're numbers were off, granted this is what Errors and Omissions insurance is for but it's better to avoid the law suit in the first place. Home sales and their prices is not that exact of a science anyway, I've seen tiny homes sell for way more then very large ones, care to explain how that throws off your theory of price per sq. ft.? This is usually irrelevant info but nice to know, in any case an agent should be able to eyeball it and give you an approximate number if they've been doing it for a while.
In my experience knowing a buildings square footage is not a very important detail when dealing with residential real estate, the question comes up from time to time more so as a question in passing as if someone told the buyer to ask the agent however there are usually more important factors, like the usable amount of space in a home and the layout and design, features, and the size of a home usually based on amount of storage space available and size of bedrooms, the raw sq. ft. of the home is never really a deciding factor.
By the way it is the listing agents responsibility to take and post the measurements of the home, so don't blame the buyers agent if that information is not available to them, they won't be measuring every home on the market, it just isn’t gonna happen.
KNOWING THE SPREAD?
I think the more important question should be what “comparable” homes have actually sold for recently vs. the average of asking price to sold price. If a home owner priced the home right to begin with and you go in with spread data, your offer is going to be way off base and probably not accepted.
AVERAGE TIME ON MARKET?
This bit of info is really more useful to a seller, to a buyer you may have room to low ball if the home has been sitting on the market not just for a long time but much longer then the "average" home on market times. Keep in mind these numbers are difficult to calculate for several reasons, many times homes that start out over priced will have the listing expire one or more times and listed with more then one agency and you wont be taking into consideration the time it was on the market each time because that data may not be so easy to gather and also very time consuming.
LOCAL AGENT?
Hmmm... It depends on the area. I've been doing this for a while and have done thousands of BPO's for banks and can tell you only a few "exclusive" type neighborhoods usually where the entire town is extremely wealthy have I come across times this would make a difference and only when it comes to pricing because one street may be more desirable than the next one over. The agency usually gets the calls so using other listings to show the buyers your home would make such a minimal difference, besides statistically another brokerage is more likely to bring the buyer to the table over the listing agency. The place where locality may make a difference is when it comes to marketing and advertising, if the listing agency is too far from the home, they may not have the contracts in place or knowledge of the local popular media to advertise the property in but that is making less and less of a difference as the internet becomes a more and more popular initial source to look for homes anyway. I would be more concerned with the marketing the agency does online for your property, not "their" internet presence because that may not do you any good, WHERE will they be advertising your home online and will it just be syndicated or will the listing be tweaked on each site by the agent/agency?
I have sold homes in record time in areas I usually don't cover just because of my tenacity of wanting to sell the home in a new area and my diligence researching where and how most other homes get sold from in the area. Hint: most of the time, the mls, internet, open houses & at times the homes magazines.
Another note: Experience (straight up years in the business) as Ruth so eloquently put it is not a good way to judge. Look for experience straight up in volume the agent has sold and if they specialize in selling the types of property you have to sell. Condos, Co-Ops, Fee Simple aka homes without any required memberships, mixed use properties, short-sales, HUD properties, etc. you get the picture. A much better gauge to judge by.
I agree trust is a major component however you don't gain trust after meeting someone for an hour or less so you do need to have skills building rapport, especially to shorten that curve when you only have a short opportunity to do so when it comes to them liking you.
I don't want to dismiss your comment because it is an extremely important component when dealing with the public but trust needs to be earned, that is how you get referrals and build client loyalty which is pretty thin these days.
Instead of just saying trust, or Honesty or throwing out words like Integrity Sincerity, Ability, Resourceful, Diligent, Confident, I think actually being trustworthy, sincere and having resources and being diligent would be a more accurate representation of what an agent needs to do or be.
Keep in mind this question is posed to sellers and not so much toward realtors. Sorry if this sounds a little snarky but I'd like to keep the topic focused on the seller so in your answers please do so from the perspective of a seller. I do however appreciate all your input but elaborate a little instead of posting what appears to read like a tagline.
I know many agents who spend more time thinking up taglines, gimmicks and personal bios then they do focusing on their business and the product they supply, many cannot even describe the product they are selling and I'm not talking about the homes.
The first thing any agent should do is try a little self examination and ask themselves from the prospective of the seller, how is this of any interest or importance to me? What does that do for me and how can that help me?
Personally I'm always up front with people, some people like it, some don't, for those too bad. I don't stroke egos or pull punches with buyers, sellers or agents. The buyers and sellers I work with usually don't have a problem with it, agents sometimes do. I do my job well and that is part of the message I try to convey.
Bill Eckler is already ahead of most of the realtors in this job market with only a few simple arguments that require a little of forethought.
Cassellis, I appreciate your remarks.
Here is a pretty good video reference that hits on some of the topics I am referring to about how you appear to clients. Watch it; you may get something out of it, trust me. "TURN UP YOUR SPEAKER VOLUME"
http://www.wellcomemat.com/video/6DF8FF1C76#wrapper
--
Victor Kaminski
Broker of Record
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
http://www.MarivicRealty.com
(MIDDLESEX MLS SEARCH) http://search.victor.msx.mlxchange.com/
(GSMLS SEARCH) http://www.gsmls.com/
(Monmouth/Ocean MLS) http://monmouthoceanmls.com/victor
http://www.homes.com/Agent/4243382/victorkaminski
http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Edison-…
http://www.city-data.com/forum/members/victorkaminski-211209.html
http://local.yahoo.com/info-41760781-marivic-gmac-real-estat…
As a seller what is MOST important to you when choosing a real estate agent
or agency to work with?
http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Selling/As_a_seller_what_i…
to_you_when_cho-58220--
As a “BUYER” what is MOST important to you when searching for a home and or
choosing a real estate agent
http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/As_a_BUYER_what_is_…
_you_whe-58221--
Office in Need of a few good agents, what do you look for in a company as a
major deciding factor?
http://www.trulia.com/voices/Agent2Agent/Office_in_Need_of_a…
what_do_you_l-50590--
I don't want to dismiss your comment because it is an extremely important component when dealing with the public but trust needs to be earned, that is how you get referrals and build client loyalty which is pretty thin these days.
Instead of just saying trust, or Honesty or throwing out words like Integrity Sincerity, Ability, Resourceful, Diligent, Confident, I think actually being trustworthy, sincere and having resources and being diligent would be a more accurate representation of what an agent needs to do or be.
Keep in mind this question is posed to sellers and not so much toward realtors. Sorry if this sounds a little snarky but I'd like to keep the topic focused on the seller so in your answers please do so from the perspective of a seller. I do however appreciate all your input but elaborate a little instead of posting what appears to read like a tagline.
I know many agents who spend more time thinking up taglines, gimmicks and personal bios then they do focusing on their business and the product they supply, many cannot even describe the product they are selling and I'm not talking about the homes.
The first thing any agent should do is try a little self examination and ask themselves from the prospective of the seller, how is this of any interest or importance to me? What does that do for me and how can that help me?
Personally I'm always up front with people, some people like it, some don't, for those too bad. I don't stroke egos or pull punches with buyers, sellers or agents. The buyers and sellers I work with usually don't have a problem with it, agents sometimes do. I do my job well and that is part of the message I try to convey.
Bill Eckler is already ahead of most of the realtors in this job market with only a few simple arguments that require a little of forethought.
Cassellis, I appreciate your remarks.
Here is a pretty good video reference that hits on some of the topics I am referring to about how you appear to clients. Watch it; you may get something out of it, trust me. "TURN UP YOUR SPEAKER VOLUME"
http://www.wellcomemat.com/video/6DF8FF1C76#wrapper
--
Victor Kaminski
Broker of Record
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
2056A Lincoln Hwy. (Rt.27)
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911 Ext.302
Cellular: 908-884-5757
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622) Ext.302
http://www.MarivicRealty.com
(MIDDLESEX MLS SEARCH) http://search.victor.msx.mlxchange.com/
(GSMLS SEARCH) http://www.gsmls.com/
(Monmouth/Ocean MLS) http://monmouthoceanmls.com/victor
http://www.homes.com/Agent/4243382/victorkaminski
http://www.trulia.com/voices/profile/Real_Estate_Pro-Edison-…
http://www.city-data.com/forum/members/victorkaminski-211209.html
http://local.yahoo.com/info-41760781-marivic-gmac-real-estat…
As a seller what is MOST important to you when choosing a real estate agent
or agency to work with?
http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Selling/As_a_seller_what_i…
to_you_when_cho-58220--
As a “BUYER” what is MOST important to you when searching for a home and or
choosing a real estate agent
http://www.trulia.com/voices/Home_Buying/As_a_BUYER_what_is_…
_you_whe-58221--
Office in Need of a few good agents, what do you look for in a company as a
major deciding factor?
http://www.trulia.com/voices/Agent2Agent/Office_in_Need_of_a…
what_do_you_l-50590--
My Listings
View all 11 listings
Specialties
Real Estate and Multimedia MARKETING SPECIALIST including Online Marketing, Marketing Statistics Research and Analysis from print media to tv, radio, web.
Residential Home Sales:
Land Sales, New Construction Sales, Resale Homes, Condominiums, REO property management and sales, BPO's (CMA's for Banks), Short / Pre-Foreclosure Sales / Foreclosure Avoidance, Luxury Property
Global Relocation
Corporate Global Relocation
Marketing / Sales
Retail Space
Commercial Real Estate
Business Brokering
Residential Home Sales:
Land Sales, New Construction Sales, Resale Homes, Condominiums, REO property management and sales, BPO's (CMA's for Banks), Short / Pre-Foreclosure Sales / Foreclosure Avoidance, Luxury Property
Global Relocation
Corporate Global Relocation
Marketing / Sales
Retail Space
Commercial Real Estate
Business Brokering
Experience
Latest:
Owner / Broker Associate Manager for Marivic GMAC Real Estate
Knowlegable, Self Educated by reading, attending classes and observing others intensively and teaching others coupled with a Massive dose of Integrity (No Tag Lines Here!), Honesty and Good 'oL Fasioned Hard Work!!!
January 2003—present
Certifications & Awards
Global Corporate Relocation Rookie of the Year 2007
Senior Residential Specialist
Certified New Construction Specialist
Residential Construction Certified
Senior Residential Specialist
Certified New Construction Specialist
Residential Construction Certified
Interests
Real Estate ;-)
Web Development wish I was better with the graphic design
Quads / ATV's
Riding Motorcyles
Hot Rods (The real ones, Made in America before the 80's)
Building Hot Rods, restoring classics.
Camping (The real kind, no winnebego Real Roughing it...)
Web Development wish I was better with the graphic design
Quads / ATV's
Riding Motorcyles
Hot Rods (The real ones, Made in America before the 80's)
Building Hot Rods, restoring classics.
Camping (The real kind, no winnebego Real Roughing it...)
View Victor Kaminski's...
Profile
Victor Kaminski is a member of Trulia Voices:
Get the inside scoop on your area and home buying and selling.
Ask and answer questions about real estate.
Build your profile and contact home buyers, sellers and agents.
Company Info
Trulia Links
Real Estate Professionals
Residential Real Estate
San Francisco real estate | New York real estate | Los Angeles real estate | Orlando real estate | Miami real estate | Philadelphia real estate | Phoenix real estate | San Diego real estate | San Jose real estate | Chicago real estate | Arizona real estate | California real estate | Florida real estate | Illinois real estate | Massachusetts real estate | New Jersey real estate | Pennsylvania real estate | Texas real estate | Other local real estate | Home price maps | Real estate community | U.S. Property records
Legal
General Terms of Use |
Advertiser Terms of Use |
Trulia Pro Terms of Use |
Privacy Policy |
Community Guidelines
Copyright © 2008 Trulia, Inc. All rights reserved. | 
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity