http://www.re-syndicate.com The thoughts, adventures and scripts of an online 'Super' Real Estate Broker. Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:36:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en How the Washington Mutual Takeover Will Affect Consumers September 26, 2008 11:06 AM ET | Emily Brandon | Permanent Link - Originally posted on http://tinyurl.com/3lfb9e -  The government seized banking giant Washington Mutual last night and then sold some pieces of it to JPMorgan Chase for approximately $1.9 billion. Here is how this ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/09/26/how-the-washington-mutual-takeover-will-affect-consumers/ I remember selling real estate in San Francisco back in 2003. Everything was selling. If the property had a parcel number it would sell. The fundamentals were just thrown out the door. Times have changed. When I moved to Chula Vista in July of 2007, we were very close to buying a home. ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/09/20/the-red-to-zip-diaries-what-a-difference-a-couple-of-years-can-make/ Today started off nice, I had just picked up my extra hot white mocha when my cell phone started to ring. The phone call ended up being a client who was interested in purchasing a home. She had said that she was working with an associate agent of mine through Zip; ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/08/04/wait-arent-you-so-and-so-redfin-to-zip-part-2/ Today, I attended my first all district meeting here in San Diego. It was held at the Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club, a little less than a hundred agents met to discuss current market conditions and introduce the newbies (like myself) to the rest of this large district. Christian our District ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/06/18/from-redfin-to-ziprealty-month-1/ Today, I received a preliminary report for a contract that I wrote almost 3 months ago. Can you imagine? I left Redfin 5 weeks ago, but for whatever reason the title company still decided to send me the escrow package as the broker of record. I specifically told them that I was leaving. ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/06/11/3-months-later-ohh-another-short-sale-approval-figures/ Today, my first ZipRealty trainee wrote his first offer. It reminds me of my first offer that I wrote when I worked at Century Homes, so many years ago. In some ways, my actions today mirrored the look in my previous broker's eyes(who is also my Aunt) as she explained the legal effect ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/05/31/so-many-days-have-passed-since-my-time-at-century-homes/ Today I completed my transition to ZipRealty.com; the similarities between both firms are endless. Everything from the CRMs to their commitment to quick email responses, but I must admit ZipRealty has an extensive training program that rivals Redfin's.  Comparatively, Redfin transacts business in 6 markets while ZipRealty is in 37 markets ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/05/24/from-redfin-to-ziprealty-the-beginning/ With all of the fall out that has already occurred with the sub prime mortgage debacle. I wanted to address an old addition that home buyers over the last 7 years typically avoided but had to deal with. Private Mortgage Insurance. Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is a premium that can ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/05/11/it-is-not-going-to-get-any-bettertime-to-get-creative/ Today the Federal Open Market Committee voted 8-2 cutting the fed funds rate .25 percent to 2.0%.  For those of you who don't know the Fed Funds rate is the rate at which banks with a temporary shortage may borrow from member banks with a temporary excess. This active trading ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/05/01/bust-them-up-bernanke/ Yesterday, I attended an all day seminar about short sales in Southern California. It was hosted by the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.). I was joined by a good portion of Southern California's Redfin super team(Sara Masey, Anna Nevares, and Angela Creech). CAR's representatives carefully elaborated on the state of ... http://www.re-syndicate.com/2008/04/17/so-your-telling-me-to-go-short-on-southern-cali-done/