All Forum Posts by: Guy M.

Great response. I just discovered the power to bid on HUD homes two days ago. I've been cramming so much info into my thick skull for the past 48 hours.

To add to your terrific response... concerning the 48-hour deadline to get paperwork in, I've heard that if you sent the paperwork in on time AND they find errors, you get a time extension to correct those errors. So the message I'm getting is that it may be beneficial to send the Asset Manager something less than correct if you know you're going to bust the deadline getting your stuff in order.

Can anyone back me up on this statement?

@James S.

Man, I'm sorry about your situation but, um, I wouldn't sell the property to someone else. That's not good business. For this guy to be getting off after everything he has been caught engaging in is slimy.  This guy tells you that he'd "take care" of someone and, subsequently, the person ends up dead tells me this dude has connections. This is not a situation you'd want to pass off to someone else. This is beyond the average "problem tenant" scenario.

You need some legal and personal security counsel. The city is being irrational putting all the responsibility on you and your father. I'd be suing, that's for sure. Nobody gets caught with drugs and such then walks in a sound legal system. Something is crooked... you need to elevate this. 

Think about it... even if you sell to someone else, this guy is threatening YOU not to evict him; therefore, this guy will be coming for YOU when the new landlord (or whatever they would be) evicts him. He supposedly murdered a guy for causing damage to someone else's property. It sounds like, in his mind, you and your father owe him. This guy is not the property's problem, I strongly believe he's your problem. He knows where your business is and he might know more. 

These criminal types don't think on our level. Their principles are not our principles. If I were you, I'd concentrate on your personal well-being instead of trying to offload a problem (that may not be offloadable) to someone else.

This is pretty bad...  

The best agents, the guys and gals I'm trying to emulate, put in their work to market themselves. They are organized, produce a marketing plan, and reinvest their money to double or even triple their marketing efforts. They educate themselves on every possible loan option for buyers and communicate consistently with their clients.

There are a lot of "knowledgeable" agents but that doesn't mean they work. I know plenty of smart lazy people who "could have been" instead of "are." The best agents are work-horses. You'll know them when you see them... their faces are everywhere in your market.

Yup. I agree.

I feel like some individuals who support agents open-carrying fire arms are doing so to make a statement that really has no place being made in the real estate business. This is just my opinion, and I understand that no opinion is fact. I just can't wrap my mind around someone thinking open-carry while working with clients is a good idea.

There is a rule that military service has taught me... consideration of others. As an agent, you are a fiduciary (i.e. a person a client puts trust in). If an agent does anything to call that trust into question, they're not being a very good agent. 

What's more, most agents rely on referrals sooooo.... would an agent really want to be remembered as the person with the gun, or be remembered simply as a good agent clients feel comfortable referring others to? 

Being an agent really is a selfless career. You're thoroughly beholden to your clients and POTENTIAL clients. Everything about you should say "I'm here to protect your interests" instead of "I'm here to protect myself." Having a gun blazing off the side of your hip adds zero value to your work. You most certainly will alienate the very people you NEED to do business with.

Now there are circumstance where I do think open-carry is helpful, but I'll leave that off the table.

Hello, Investors.

I'm a Realtor® located in Colonial Heights, VA (Richmond/Petersburg area) willing to work with all kinds of real estate investors. Being an investor myself, I understand how you work and what is required for a property to be considered a "deal."

If you're a new investor, I'll crunch the numbers for you on the deals I pass your way (fix and flip, or buy and hold). The BP calculator should be able to help you on that front, however, it's nice to have those numbers served to you on a platter, right?

If you are a wholesaler in the Richmond area, I'd like to get your contact information so I can show clients homes that are not listed on the MLS. I'll provide you with my client preferences, and if you have the properties under contract, we'll make something happen. Of course, I'll need to know the assignment fee amount upfront.

What I need to know from you is:

• Your property price range
• The kind of properties you want to purchase
• Your preferred investment area
• How many offers you plan on making when looking for a deal
• How you fund or planning to fund your deals 

If you haven't determined any of the above information, that's cool... we'll figure that stuff out. I just need to know that you are serious (my time is valuable) and you'll be willing to use my services for buying or selling (i.e. paying commissions).

I'm looking to stay busy... so all comers are welcome.

Contact me with any questions: 804-504-1372

Thanks, James.

I'm a Realtor® located in Colonial Heights, VA servicing Richmond, Henrico, Petersburg, Hopewell, Chesterfield, Chester, and Colonial Heights.

I don't think agents should open-carry, and here's my humble opinion from experience:

I grew up in a suburb of New Jersey where violence was glorified. I was one of those guys who would fight, stab, or even shoot you for asking me for a dime... I'm not kidding. Steady eye-contact with me was certainly grounds for consequences. I was so bad, my father begged an Army recruiter to sign me up for military service.  

If a person (such as an agent) came to a rough neighborhood displaying a "threat," they make themselves subject to any measure taken to be subdued. In neighborhoods with a lot of potential aggressors, open carry is an invitation to get exactly what you were trying to avoid. Predators (and they are predators) know that you must discharge your weapon for reasons such as self-defense, but these individuals will shoot you for no good reason and do it when they know you're not ready. Making the argument that they are cowards won't reverse the fact that you're beaten or dead.

With that said, open-carry is pretty brazen and stupid in my opinion. Concealed carry is wise and more effective for an agent, if they decide to carry at all.

Even until this day when I see someone open-carrying... I'm thinking "who does he think he is?" It's nothing for a shady character to put some wood to your head, take your gun right off your hip, and keep moving like nothing ever happen. Don't show that you're tough... be tough. Boxers don't walk around with boxing gloves on daring someone to square up with them.

I'm the nicest agent in the world. However, if a person wants to bring harm to me or my client... then they'll get the rest of my story up close and personal, and it won't be pretty.

I'm just sayin...

Congrats, Sharaya!

I'm in Virginia but our experiences may be similar, so I'll share the process I went through:

Like you, I completed my required real estate training online with an approved RE school. When I completed training, I had to take a proctored (library; college) exam to receive my certificate; the exam was 100 multiple choice questions. The proctor sent my completed exam back to the online RE school. I received my grade the next day and was told to send them a front-shot photo of myself after which they sent my certificate and photo to the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). Once DPOR and the Virginia Real Estate Board (VREB) had my qualifying info, I was able to schedule to take the National/State real estate exam (I suggest you schedule immediately after you've completed the RE school exam).

When I took my licensing exam, I had to pay the fee (your fee may be different) before they sent me into the exam room. Once I passed the two part exam (national & state), oh btw... they gave me my results right then and there, they also gave me a print out of my results for proof (just in case). The nice gentleman administering the exam told me to get my fingerprints AFTER (in VA potential agents have to be fingerprinted for background checks) I find a broker. The reason for his advice was that the fingerprints last only 45 days in the system... it may take longer to interview brokers, so waiting to do my fingerprints wouldn't put me in a time crunch. However, it only took me a week to find a broker, so I could have just gotten the fingerprints done right after the exam instead of making two trips (oh well).

You do not need a resume. YOU are interviewing the broker, not the broker interviewing you. You will discover that most brokers are excited to see you walk through the door. They want commissions... the more agents, the better! You do not work for them, you are an independent contractor. Call around the area and make appointments to meet various brokers; this will help them be ready to answer all your questions. Tell them you are about to get licensed (or better... you passed the exam) and you're looking for a broker to work with. If you just pop into offices, the broker may be busy or they won't be prepared to answer your questions thoroughly (it happened to me). During your interview of the broker, you'll find that they'll spill the beans if you ask all the right questions, and even then, they'll still spill the beans. Ask them about their commission split, monthly fees; ask if they cover errors & omissions (E&O) insurance, how they'll help you earn your post license education (PLE) and continuing education (CE). Ask the broker if he or she actively sells or not... most of them will tell you they only work with past clients and funnel new clients to their agents. Some of the big brokers have franchising fees (about 7-8%) they charge their managing brokers which will reduce your commission off the top. To make this short, I Googled all the questions I needed to ask the brokers. When I actually met with them, all the conversations became natural and the Q&A took care of itself. Most of them gave me a full tour of their office and introduced me to staff.

Be prepared to spend some cash. When I finally choose my broker (they covered my E&O insurance, partnered with a local RE school so my CE is free, and they had a low monthly office fee), I filled out my licensing application, and my broker signed it. I mailed it off and within a week I was issued a license number (I checked the DPOR website). I was officially a real estate salesperson/agent but NOT a REALTOR. I had to join the Southside Virginia Association of Realtors (SVAR), Virginia Association of Realtors (VAR), and of course the National Association of Realtors (NAR). I filled out the application, my broker signed, and I paid for the remaining dues of 2015 and all of 2016 at the SVAR office; I spent about a good grand. Once I became a REALTOR, I could get access to the MLS. To join the MLS (payments due quarterly), it costs $285 - $340 depending on in which part of the quarter you are paying. We also use electronic/remote keys for lock-boxes in VA which costs $50/mo. When I get my experience and sell a few houses, then I'll consider switching to the big name brokers to utilize their expensive lead-generation tools. Otherwise, I think my broker is a perfect fit for now.

It'll cost you about $2000 a year to be a real estate agent, but selling a few houses a year will more than cover that cost. I hope this helps.

Google Voice is gravy on the biscuit. I have multiple accounts in order to have multiple numbers I use for business. I'm in the Richmond/Hampton Roads area, so I have an 804 and 757 GV number. I use the 804 number for client calls (as an agent) and I use my 757 number for regular REI calls.

When you set the account up, be sure to uncheck "Ask unknown callers to say their name" in the "Call Screening" section so the Google Voice intro isn't heard by the caller (i.e. "welcome to Google Voice, please state your name after the tone"). In the "Caller ID" section choose "Display my Google Voice number," this way the Google Voice number will appear on your phone when you get a call. You'll want to save that GV number as a contact under your business name (likewise for your other GV numbers).

I'm thinking Western Union or Money Gram as two good options. Just curious... why don't you have a P.O. Box set up for mailed rent?