All Forum Posts by: Holly Baldwin

Welcome @Roxanne Mccandless !

Congrats on getting your real estate license! I am just finishing my sales courses and will be taking the state exam next month. Hope I pass too! I am also leaning towards KW. I will be joining the SLREIA soon as well.

Good luck on your investing journey!

@James Mudd

Hi James,

The term "Realtor" gets used for real estate agents just like Kleenex gets used to name all tissues and Bandaids to name all bandages. Just like not all tissues are Kleenex brand and like not all bandages are Bandaid brand, not all real state agents are "Realtors." For those real estate agents that want to be a "Realtor", they sign on with the National Association of Realtors for a fee, as well as state and local realtor associations (also for a fee). This fee gives them access to various membership benefits, one of which to be called an actual "Realtor." With those benefits also comes a responsibility to agree to the "Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the National Association of Realtors." This Code of Ethics often establishes requirements and obligations that are higher than those mandated by state law.

Hope that helps you!

@Deacon Hayes

ha ha! Rub it in all you want! I remember mowing our lawn one week during Christmas break and calling our parents in Idaho and Utah and they were shoveling feet of snow. I remember laughing at them. Payback is now here. Lol! I hated the heat, though, so that (and the crickets in my bathtub) is definitely something I don't miss!

I am so glad to hear about the values going up. I should get a market analysis for my property.....it's in Surprise, AZ in the west valley so I am sure it isn't going up as fast as those in Phoenix city limits, but great news still.

Enjoy the weather!

Welcome @Deacon Hayes !

So jealous that you are in Phoenix and I am in cold Utah! My husband and I lived in Phoenix for two years back in 2000 to 2002 and we have missed it ever since we moved from there. We still have our house there and currently are renting it out.

Congrats on eliminating your debt! That takes major determination and persistence! Those qualities will suit you well in REI!

@Harvard Hill

I enjoyed this post of yours so much! Although I am more of a buy and hold investor, many of the principles you mentioned at the end resonated with me too. Awesome job and keep up the great work! Can't wait to hear about your next project!

Welcome! Glad you found BP!

@Nikki Jacob

I would say it is very possible, depending on how dedicated you are. I, too, am a stay at home mom of one.....5 yr old who missed the cut off for kindergarten this year. So, I get about 2 to 6 hours of school in online at various times during the day and night. Some days I don't do any.

With Stringham Schools, you have 1 year to finish the curriculum. That should be PLENTY of time for you.....as long as you have a supportive husband behind you and will let you do school at night while taking care of kids. If you don't, then you might be burning the candle at both ends.

I started school the last week of October this year and am already half way through it a little less than a month later. There is a ton of info though, so I am sure I will have to take a month or so after finishing the curriculum just to review like crazy before taking the state exam. Taking too long to go through the curriculum might be a bad thing too because you will forget a lot of it over time if you don't keep reviewing it.

hope that helps!

Hi Nikki!

I am currently in real estate school (120 hr. sales agent course) with Stringham Real Estate school in SLC. It cost me $609 for the course including the textbook and I take courses online, in class, or any combination of that I want to.

Once done with school, I will pay $66 testing fee to take the state exam. Hoping to pass it the first time!

Then I will pay a $152 non-refundable licensing fee to the Utah Division of Real Estate.

Then I will pay approx. $1200 total for national, state, and regional association dues.

Then I will pay $200 for a one-time due to Wasatch Front Regional (MLS)

The rest will vary, depending on what brokerage you hang your hat with. These fees will include:

Brokerage sign-on fees (Ex. $50)

Business items (signs, cards, marketing supplies)

SUPRA Active Key fees

Insurance

Monthly MLS fee (Ex. $33)

So, overall, plan on about $2500 to $3000 to get up and going. Hope that helps you!

Hi @Jahvin Bowman !

I like your determination and quest for hands-on knowledge! That is an excellent quality to have in REI.

In your initial description you said, "I am pleased to say a family friend has chosen me to handle their short sale" This threw up red flags for me instantly. Let me explain why:

I am currently in Real Estate school to get my sales license and just tonight I finished my course on Short Sales. Here in my state of Utah, any person who is hired to work with the negotiations of Short Sales must of have an active Real Estate license. [Utah Code 61-2-2(12)d].

Your friend may have not technically "hired" you, but you really need your friend to hire licensed professionals. You can learn right along with her, but don't be her advisor, negotiator, etc. because your lack of knowledge and inexperience with Minnesota law may very well may put your friend in harms way by accident.

Sure hope it works out okay for your friend! And have fun learning along with him/her but not overstepping your bounds.

Cheers!

Welcome @Clark Davis

I also live in Utah and am an Air Force wife! My husband and I currently rent out our former home in Phoenix where we lived 10 yrs ago while at Luke Air Force Base. We also have previously used our VA loan to do a seller finance deal. So the military hasn't been too bad for us as far as investing.

This site is a great place to begin learning about REI. Keep asking questions in the forums, set up keywords to alert you of forum discussions, read the beginner's guide and listen to the podcasts too.

Good luck at Basic Training! Thanks, in advance, for your service to our country.