Imitation is the best form of flattery until ...

Until your good name is besmirched. Homes for Heroes in the past has taken people leveraging our brand as flattery. We often ask if they would like to continue to use our good name by joining forces with us, and if they do not want to we are okay with that decision also. But recently something came up that does need to be addressed. We will let the Morris Daily Herald explain it.
Illinois allegation hurts ‘real’ Heroes

Minneapolis, Minn–When Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan took enforcement action against the Minooka, Ill.-based Homes for Heroes Inc., says Brad Oosterhuis, it was not a reflection on the “real” Home for Heroes.

“Our organization has been serving heroes continuously since 2002, and we have a serious concern that the publication of the charge against the Homes for Heroes company in Illinois could seriously tarnish our good name,” said Oosterhuis, executive director of Home for Heroes, in a recent e-mail.

Since the founding of Homes for Heroes, a press release from the Minnesota-based organization notes, many organizations have tried to duplicate the Homes for Heroes model and have illegally used the trademarked name. The widespread recognition of the Homes for Heroes name across the nation has caused many groups to attempt to leverage this successful brand to their advantage.

“While Homes for Heroes encourages all companies to support our heroes, it is illegal for them to use the Homes for Heroes trademarked name,” said Ruth Johnson, president of Homes for Heroes. “It is especially disturbing when these organizations are providing false claims and tarnishing the good name and work that Homes for Heroes is doing.”

In an effort to advance its cause and protect its name, Home for Heroes, which is now in its seventh year of operation, recently created the Homes for Heroes Foundation.

Due to its highly recognized name and brand nationally, the press release notes, Homes for Heroes became inundated with calls that were predominantly from severely wounded military personnel asking for assistance.

“These requests went far beyond the scope of our business model and ability to help,” Johnson said. The shareholders of Homes for Heroes saw a need for a charitable organization that would have a similar vision to its own. After much thought and the desire to help, they formed the Homes for Heroes Foundation.

The foundation will endeavor to provide or coordinate financial assistance to the heroes of our nation, such as military, police officers, firefighters and first responders who are in need.

Meanwhile, with the busy spring housing market well under way, Homes for Heroes affiliates will continue to “give back” by providing significant savings to its local heroes, particularly military personnel, police officers, firefighters, teachers, health care workers and others who serve our country and communities everyday.

If you would like more information about the Homes for Heroes, please call Ruth Johnson at (866) 443-7637 or log onto www.homesforheroes.com or www.homesforheroesfoundation.org.

In her enforcement action against the Minooka-based company using the Homes for Heroes name, Attorney General Lisa Madigan alleged the company and its owner, Patrick Gleason of Minooka, conducted a fraudulent charitable solicitation campaign and engaged in deceptive practices by falsely representing the local Homes for Heroes is “a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.”

Gleason has gone on record calling the IAG’s action “absurd.”

“This is absurd,” he said. We filed for our corporation and status a long time ago. The IRS asked us to put it on good paper, not wallpaper. It was done, it was all signed and sent in again. So, they’re trying to smear our names with improprieties …”

Some Buyers Still Don't Know What a Buyer's Agent Is?!

I have had the privilege of working 2 real estate markets - Dallas and Houston. To my amazement, there are so many buyers in the Houston area who either don't know what a Buyer's Agent is or simply don't care. It was only after obtaining listings that I found out that so many buyers out there call the listing agent to see property, rather than obtaining their own agent ... this was not the case in Dallas, where I only occasionally received calls from buyers interested in viewing one of my listings, and if I did, I quickly converted them to a buyer who worked solely with me.

So I'm wondering ... is it that buyers in Houston aren't aware of what a Buyer's Agent is, or again, do they simply not care and wish to cut out any "middle man" (the Buyer's Agent)?

I'm still trying to figure this one out!!

Houston has the Best Real Estate Market in the Country!!

Did you know that Houston, Texas has the best real estate market in the country?? It's true! With interest rates at an all time low, that makes it a great time to buy real estate Houston! Prices have remained stable, which makes it a great time to sell real estate in Houston, too!!

So what are you waiting for?!

Wow! It's Been A Year!!

Wow! It's been slightly over a year since I posted last!!! It has been a busy year and I hope to start blogging again on a regular basis after a long hiatus. During the last year I moved and switched brokerages, so things have been busy! Sorry to those who enjoyed by blog, but I am back and plan to pick up where I left off! See ya!

Quality Service

I work with an equal share of buyers and sellers, and I like it that way. But sometimes the workload far exceeds the number of hours in a day. When this happens, it only stands to reason that something, or some things, will fall by the wayside. While I do my best to return every call that comes in and keep my schedule as flexible as possible, I can't help but wonder what my clients think when they call me and they get my voice mail. Does this come off like I am avoiding them in any way? If so, then why? Do people actually think that an individual can in no way spend an entire day on the phone? And if not, then why are people so hesitant to leave a message, and rather, are so quick to call right back?

How does one know when they are providing their clients with the highest level of service, aside from just asking their clients? Isn't safe to assume that, if one is doing, or has done, everything that his/her client has requested, then one is providing a high level of service to his/her clients?

What message does it send his/her client when an agent is always on the phone and/or with other clients and can't answer?

Random Acts of Stupidity

Why is it that buyers insist upon calling several Listing Agents when searching for a home, rather than working with one Buyer's Agent? It doesn't cost the buyer anything to have someone represent him/her, someone that he/she feels comfortable with and trusts. I realize that not everyone is aware of buyer representation, but most people are aware that it exists. I have worked with buyers who had no problem picking up the phone and calling a Listing Agent in order to see a home or ask questions, even though they know we have an exclusive agreement to work with one another. I have even had buyers call me and ask for information about a particular property, then two sentences later, they tell me that they are currently working with an agent, under a signed agreement for representation. After confirming what I thought I had heard, they go a step further and tell me that they "didn't want to bother their agent, as he/she is very busy". Excuse me?? Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Correct me if I'm wrong, but when that buyer closes on a house, isn't their agent getting paid a commission for providing a service to them? And they don't want to bother their agent, as their agent is busy? And what exactly does that imply, that I'm not very busy? I just sit around and wait for buyers to call with questions that they really should be directing to their agent, right? Not even! So, can someone clarify this for me, please . . . so, it's not okay to call your agent to ask some questions about a particular property because he/she is very busy, in spite of the fact that he/she will get paid at some point in the near future, right? BUT it is okay to randomly call some other agent, who is also very busy and ask questions about a property, knowing that this other agent will not be getting paid because you made it to the closing table, correct?

Can someone shed some light on this for me, please??

Boy, Have I Been Busy!

You know that saying "Time flies when you're having fun"? Well, that also applies to when you're working like a madman. So, it's March now. And I am posting for the first time in about 2 months. So, sorry that I have been busy. I've been working my butt off. Anyway, enough of that already!

When Your Relo Client is Yourself

As a Realtor, one of the things I specialize in is relocating individuals, families, and others, from across the country to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. I assist them with their transition from "there" to "here", ensuring that it go as smoothly as possible, with as little stress as possible. In addition to my client's real estate needs, I do my best to handle most, if not all, of the little details that my relo clients might forget or not think about during that stressful time that is known as relocating. From utilities to public transportation to school attendance zones, I make sure that no stone is left unturned.

But what is a Realtor to do when faced with the task of relocating himself or herself to an unfamiliar area? That is something I must determine, as I will be relocating from Dallas to Houston in August or September 2007. I know nothing about the area, so suggestions from other Realtors are greatly appreciated.

If ever I could relate to my client's concerns, reservations, and fears, it is now. So if anyone has some feedback or input, please let me know. Thanks!

Real Estate Increases Risk of Infection

I am a workaholic. I get up at 7 a.m. and there I go . . . work, work, working away. This behavior continues on until as late as 2 or 3 a.m . . . EVERY DAY!! Needless to say, I work so much that only a couple of hours are set aside for me, myself, and I. This can be exhausting and wear on a person's health.

Back in June or July 2006, I was eating at the best pizza place in Dallas, Angelo & Vito's located on Frankford Road, just west of the Dallas North Tollway. My husband and I are sharing a Greek Salad, but he doesn't like olives, so he pushes them aside and I eat them. I bite into one of the salty calamatto olives and instantly, I felt one of the molars on the left side of my mouth crumble. It didn't hurt at all, which was a surprise to me. Now, anyone who really knows me knows that I have very white teeth and I do not bleach them, use any whiteners, or get any cosmetic dentistry done . . . I just take care of my teeth . . . or so I thought. So 2 or 3 months pass and all is fine with my cracked tooth. But then I got this brilliant idea to chew my gum on that side of my mouth, which caused my somewhat okay tooth to break up even more! Within a week, I had a slight infection in my gum, and I absolutely could not use that tooth for anything, not even to bite into ice cream.

At the time the tooth broke, I had no insurance (I was a single Realtor, so no spousal insurance and no health benefits from my job). So in September 2006, I got married and acquired some insurance. I went to the dentist and was asked if I had time for a nice little root canal. That would be the first of three trips to the dentist to have the root canal completed. I told myself that I had to take better care of my teeth, as it occurred to me that I had not been to the dentist in 4 years, prior to getting my license and while I still had a 7-4 job and health insurance. I had forgotten that the dentist had found a little cavity, and that I would need to take care of it sometime in the near future . . . 4 years later! My dentist found another cavity on my last root canal visit, which I had filled about 3 weeks later, while there for a cleaning. And guess what? He found another cavity!! He told me that this one was on the tooth in front of my wisdom tooth and was the result of my impacted wisdom tooth pushing against the other tooth, and that my wisdom tooth would need to be extracted so that he could fill the cavity in the other tooth. So, needless to say, I have been delaying getting that wisdom tooth removed. Some fools never learn . . .

So I woke up Sunday morning (11/26/06), after having slept with the windows open all night, and had a slight earache. I assumed it was due to the cool night air. As the day progressed, the pain from my earache increased and I began having a toothache. I looked in the mirror to see why my tooth was hurting and got a surprise! On my wisdom tooth I could see a HUGE cavity! Was my dentist mistaken in thinking the cavity was on the tooth next to the wisdom tooth? To make matters worse, my wisdom tooth appears to have chipped or cracked. Great! By the time Sunday night rolled around, I was in excruciating pain from the earache and toothache. I found some broad spectrum antibiotics I had left from when I was sick last winter and I took them. Approximately 12 hours later and after having only 2 hours of sleep that night, I felt much better. But now I have to take care of this tooth, as I am certain that the infection in my mouth was the cause of my sudden ear infection.

So what does this have to do with real estate? Because I work so much, I have, at times, neglected my health. There never was enough time for me to go to the dentist (and the lack of insurance didn't help either). So now, I have no choice but to make time to go and get my wisdom tooth removed. This is not going to be the highlight of December, I know that much!

Take care of yourself or spend lots of money at the dentist's office!!

Home Builder's Incentives

Thanksgiving Day my husband, Chris, and I decided to drive to Houston to check out some area home builders and find out what, if any, incentives they were offering (both buyer and Realtor incentives). What we found were a few nice floor plans, a handful of knowledgeable and polite sales representatives, a handful of inept and/or unprofessional sales reps, miserly incentives, and inflated prices just about everywhere we went. Why do new homes cost so much more in the Houston area than they do in the Dallas Metroplex? And why are the builders so stingy with their buyer and Realtor incentives? And what is up with those detached and/or tandem garages?

"Will You Cut Your Commission??"

I regularly visit Yahoo! Answers and there is always someone out there who asks how they go about getting an agent to cut commission. Why does he/she need to know? I understand that people like to save money, believe me . . . I do, too! But let me ask you this . . . do you work? You do? Well, you know that person that owns the company at which you work and who pays you? Not the Payroll Clerk--but the person who REALLY pays your salary or wages. Now answer this: Do you think that person has a burning desire to pay you the money that you think you'veearned?

NO! Your boss doesn't want to pay you, anymore than you want to pay your agent! So, why does your boss pay you? Because you earned the money . . . You showed up for work & did what you were hired to do (hopefully)! If your boss would've asked you to take a pay cut, would you have? Not likely! So why is it okay, in a seller's mind, to ask an agent to take a pay cut? Because you want to save money, right?! I'm sure your boss wants to save money, too, but he/she hasn't cut your pay (at least, not yet).

Real Estate is one of the few industries in which people work, and if they don't do what they were hired to do (sell homes), they do not get paid. Can you say the same for your job?

5 Things To Do Before Listing Your Home for Sale

1.) Get estimates from a reliable handyman or technician for items that need to be replaced or repaired soon, such as a roof or worn carpets. Either have the items replaced or repaired before listing your home or offer to give the buyer a repair or decorating allowance, in an amount that is equal to that of the estimates provided to you.

2.) Have a termite and wood-destroying insect inspection. If the home is not infested, attach the inspection report to the Seller's Disclosure Notice, as provided by your REALTOR. Potential buyers will see firsthand that the property is not infested, giving them peace-of-mind and confidence in submitting an offer on the property. However, if the property is infested, have the infestation treated and any damage to the property [resulting from the infestation] repaired by a professional.

3.) Be pro-active and get a home inspection (separate from the inspection the buyer may get). If any items do need to be repaired, you can have them repaired prior to listing the home for sale and reduce the chance of a buyer backing-out of a contract due to the condition of the home or need for repairs.

4.) Gather all user's manuals, warranties and guarantees on the furnace, appliances, and other items that will remain with the house.

5.) Fill out a disclosure form provided by your REALTOR. Take the time to be sure that you don’t forget problems, however minor, that might create liability for you after the sale. And remember, honesty is the best policy, so answer each question with an honest answer, even if you're worried that some buyers may lose interest in the property.