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All Forum Posts by: Russell Brazil

Russell Brazil has started 176 posts and replied 16620 times.

Post: Tenants want garbage disposal installed

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070

Garbage disposals are the bain of the existence to most landlords. Many of us actually purposefully remove them from our properties before renting them.

Post: Blocked on Facebook

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070

Why do you care if a crazy person on the internet calls you a scammer?

Post: Title transfers in courthouse

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070
Quote from @Peter Walther:

There's also a considerable risk that the person you're dealing with isn't actually the owner of the property.


 Exactly what I was thinking.

Post: Should I sell separately or as a whole?

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070

Closing fees won't be any different if they are 4 seperate fee simple properties.

Post: title company in MD that can handle seller finance transactions

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070
Quote from @Godsheritage Adeoye:

Hello everyone,

Does anyone have recommendations for a title company in Maryland that specializes in handling seller-financed transactions?

Thank you in advance!

 Reach out to @Tom Gimer at Eastern Title 

Post: New member from Baltimore

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070

$2800 seems a little rich for pigtown

Post: Tell Me Why My Discount Brokerage Idea Is Bad: Calling All Agents

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070
Quote from @Remington Lyman:
Quote from @James Kerson:

I’d like to start a new kind of real estate brokerage. It would dually represent buyers and sellers and charge a total commission of no more than 0.6%. Instead of depending on buyer agents to drive prospects from house to house, prospects would tour houses themselves, and unlicensed “door-openers” would admit them. The listing agreement would include within the commission property photos, a set number of “door-opener” tours, some hours of phone/Zoom consultation with a licensed agent to set a listing price and discuss offers, counter-offers, and closing mechanics. Ideally AI could improve the property analytics that shape listing prices, a competitive advantage over other brokers. While this brokerage would start in Ann Arbor, I would want it to expand to all of Southeast Michigan, then statewide, and ultimately nationwide.

Initial target users would be investors/flippers, in other words, more frequent flyers than typical homebuyers. Yes, this brokerage would eliminate buyer-broker commissions, which are under threat, anyway. Agents would be paid hourly, not by commissions: the brokerage and not the licensed agent-advisors would drive all listing leads. Agent-advisors would merely provide advice, coordinate property photos, and review offers with their principals. 

Agents, tell me why this is a bad idea. Be as blunt as you can.


 Dual representation is the easiest way to get sued. I would assume your brokerage would not be able to afford to pay for the E/O it would cost you


Most E&O policies will pay out 0%, or cancel altogether if 25% of the transactions are dual agency.

Post: The 5 Most CLUELESS Note Investors I Ever Met

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070
Quote from @Joe S.:
Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:
Quote from @Don Konipol:
Quote from @Chris Seveney:
Quote from @Don Konipol:

It’s probably wrong for us to laugh at people who lack some knowledge - but why would anyone invest in something they don’t even have a basic understanding of?  Here’s the 5 most clueless note investors I’ve run across

1. The note investor who thought that even after he sold the note he was still entitled to collect the monthly note payments. 

2. The note investor who thought that after the debtor was late with a payment he could just walk in and take possession/ownership of the property without foreclosure proceedings

3. The note investor who believed that missing a note payment was a CRIMINAL offense and wanted the AG to file criminal charges

4. The note investor who thought the debtor had to pay for the full term of the note and couldn’t pay off the note early 

5. The note investor who thought interest is paid on the original principal rather than the unpaid principal balance. 


 I was expecting to see a list of names with my name up on this list :) 

here are some 

1. Buyer of note thinks seller still carries the insurance

We sold a loan once to someone and a few months after we sold it the buyer of the loan called us asking for a copy of our insurance. I was like what are you talking about? He said the borrower called and a tree fell on the roof and needed to file an insurance claim so wanted to file it against our insurance.

2. Buyer of note does not do proper due diligence and finds they need something resigned from an owner of the note down the line and think the person they bought it from needs to get that document for them.

3. Buyer who thinks if property is worth $500k and balance on loan is $100k that they can get the $500k at auction.

4. Note investors who think learning from people who scam others out of millions is a good idea and a way to have a good reputation in the space. 

“Note investors who think learning from people who scam others out of millions is a good idea and a way to have a good reputation in the space.”

I think we have to divide the above into two distinct groups.  The much larger group 1 is the people who are naive and due to their lack of knowledge, experience, and possibly limited capacity, get “suckered” by the scammers.

The smaller group 2 are those that understand but don’t care if they’re part of an unethical undertaking as long as they make money themselves. 



note investor buys a wrap note does not go through escrow and does not realize the person they bought the note from did not pay the underlying when the money was transfered.

 Sometimes escrow actually misses stuff. A couple of years ago we had a property that we had sold on a wrap and the new buyer went to get it refinanced through a title company.  The title company got our pay off and somehow missed the first lien.🤔

The title company wired the whole amount to us without deducting for the first lien or even catching that there was a first lien.  I’m not exactly sure who would have been liable, etc if we accepted it as a bonus., but we immediately paid off the first lien.  I mean, if we had been desperado’s looking to get out of town the escrow company definitely sent us more money than they should’ve.


 What was the Overage amount they sent you?

Post: Mortgage rates going up. Is the market expecting inflation?

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070

Yes the market is expecting more inflation, and that is why rates spiked. But they are slowly decreasing from the fast spike, as the market tries to make sense of rhetoric (100% tariffs on BRICS countries) vs understanding what the actual policy is. 

I do find it humorous though that thinks the recent bought of high inflation was caused by the current administration.  The increase of the money supply in 2020 is quite simply the cause of the inflation we saw in 2021-2023. Just the same way the increase in the money supply from 1969-1972 was the cause of the inflation we experienced in the same way just a few years later. Increase the money supply, without increasing economic input, simply equals inflation.

“Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon, in the sense that it is and can be produced only by a more rapid increase in the quantity of money than in output.” - Milton Friedman

Post: 5 Reasons You Aren't Making Connections With Clients on BP as an Agent

Russell Brazil
ModeratorPosted
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Posts 17,429
  • Votes 30,070

100% agree. Im typically ranked in the top 200 agents in my entire state with most of my business coming from BP. Ive never used a call to action or asked for business here. I merely provide good information and good answers.