Is it too soon to evaluate the 2012 housing market?  How about the economy?  Signs are pointing to … up.  WAIT!  Don’t stop reading just because you don’t agree!  Did I mention?  After the holidays, keyword after, the movie lines were all the way across the parking lot.  The wait to be seated at CPK for dinner was 20 minutes and that was before 6 pm!

I believe there is a willingness for people to go back out and spend again.  They got a taste of it during the holidays and it didn’t stop afterward.  Yes, some businesses are laying off … many are hiring.  And, several are hiring in large numbers.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s definitely still a mixed bag – 2 steps forward 1 step back. but that’s better than the other way around.

What does this have to do with the housing market?  Lots.  Unfortunately, for the consumer, what is one’s politics determines how one feels about the economy.  Also, it determines one’s outlook on life.

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again – you must be in the middle of it to know exactly what is going on.  This is the time of year in the normal ebbs and flows where real estate begins to pick up.  If my readers/clients insist on reading other people’s projections, make certain who you are listening to and that they are not just saying what you want to hear because they’re matching your own belief system.  In other words — know your source!  Is the writer really in the field and literally out there working with Buyer’s and Seller’s all over Orange County, California?   The fact is, what I’m saying won’t be the case everywhere; and this is why you need your Realtor; but, here goes:

This is what I’m already seeing this year:

• Inventory is down.  Check!
• Buyers are out there.  Check!
• Interest rates are low.  Check!
• Pricing is down.  Check!
• Multiple offers abound.  Check!
• People are tired of waiting.  Check!

Sounds to me like a comeback…

If you agree; and you’re ready to begin working toward either a sale or a purchase of Real Estate, visit my website by clicking here!

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Let me count the ways…

Every time I turn around I’m telling my Assistant, Samina:  “That’s why I came to Keller Williams.”  When I first made the decision to come here, I thought it was a handful of very important items.  Now I recognize just how often I say it.  So, … “How Do I Love Thee, Let me count the ways”:

1 the location
2 the building
3 the cleanliness
4 the structure
5 the Team Leader
6 the Realtors
7 the family (Team)
8 the teaching
9 the support
10 the meetings
11 the classes
12 the sharing
13 the team building
14 the profit sharing
15 the technology – e-Edge
16 the passive, willable income

17 kw cares (Be sure to ask me what this is!)

Oh, and by the way, Buyers and Sellers, a happy Realtor is a Happy Realtor — you’ll enjoy working with us!

Agents – If you ultimately choose to work with Keller Williams Realty anywhere inside the country, or internationally, because of my BLOG, please list me as your Sponsor when you sign the paperwork.  The email address to use for this is:  diane.gross2@gmail.com.  Thank you!

Do you want to know more?  Don’t hesitate to email me:  di@homesforsaleOC.com, click here to visit my website; or, call me today at 949-929-6343.  Oh, by the way, I apologize ahead of time because you’ll need to leave a message as I’ll either be in my Team Meeting or listening to a $20 Million producer give us a class on how he works…

As always, sign up below to be notified of future blog entries; and, I’d love your feedback.

Can you say that?

Sunday, I recognized that I haven’t been this excited about going to ‘work‘ on Monday, ever, … at least that I can remember; but, I was yesterday!! I couldn’t wait to start picking up the phone again to call my clients that I haven’t been in touch with by phone for some time; and, I must apologize to them.  I had become so accustomed to communicating by emails and texts, because it’s faster, and because it ‘seemed‘ that that was their preferred method of communication, and of course, I hate to interrupt people for a business call.  It’s really difficult for me to make it a ‘business‘ call because I consider my clients as friends and I’d rather just see how they’re doing, and it seems inappropriate to mix business and pleasure.

Getting in touch with my 5000 plus client base is all thanks to the recently begun 90 day challenge here in Newport Beach at my new Keller William’s office.  When I first got my license in ’92, I learned the business with the Sweathogs, Floyd Wickman program.  Nothing like ‘going back to basics!’ (Note to my clients:  It may take me a while to get through my list and I may not have your current phone number, so if you should happen to call me first, that’s okay!!)

Of course, this 90 day challenge has it’s own twists 20 years later, but what’s absolutely amazing is our group is growing rather than having Realtors drop off.  The leader of the group is absolutely amazing and a testament to the talent that this office has.

I’ve been giving it lots of thought about why I’m so happy at this office.  Besides getting in touch with my long-time clients, what’s equally as exciting is I’ve already had other Realtors contact me to determine if Keller Williams is right for them.

I have to say, one of the most important reasons to choose Keller Williams is that they believe in building a future for us as Realtors through their profit sharing plan. I’m certain, if you’re a Realtor reading this, that you can admit that you know many Realtors upon retiring that have nothing to show for their work. The Keller Williams program enables Realtors to have a future beyond selling Real Estate.

If you know me, you know that I have a loud voice.  I didn’t hesitate to tell Brock, my new Team Leader this fact, as I was concerned about the others around me.  My old office was more like a library and I didn’t want to get started on the wrong foot.  To my surprise, he said that was not a problem here.  Now that I’m here I can see why!  Everyone is sharing in each other’s success and we’re all pushing forward.

Agents – If you ultimately choose to work with Keller Williams Realty anywhere inside the country, or internationally, because of my BLOG, my kids and I would appreciate it if you would list me, Diane Gross, as your Sponsor when you sign the paperwork.  The email address to use for this is:  diane.gross2@gmail.com.  Thank you!

Feel free to contact me to find out how this works at 949-929-6343.  Don’t hesitate to visit my website by clicking here to see more about the KW products and services.  I need to get back to calling more of my ‘friends!’

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And, remember, I’m always interested in your comments or suggestions.

Though this posting is meant for other Realtors, Buyers and Sellers will see right away why working with a Realtor representing Keller Williams Realty is to their advantage.  (For Buyers and Sellers reading this entry, you may wish to begin with the previous posting first.)

REALTORS, like probably most of you, I was not even looking to change Brokerages.  I loved Re/MAX, and the management has offered for me to come back at any time, so there are no ‘hurt’ feelings, and nothing occurred to make me angry causing me to leave.

I had been hearing from a KW manager in San Clemente over the past year.  Though I can’t even remember how we first came to know each other, I’ll bet he does.  Each time we talked, he kept making suggestions about how to further build my business.  (I do run my Real Estate work as a business and not just as an individual selling Real Estate; and, I’ve had lots of experience running small businesses.)  A few weeks ago, he asked me to meet him for lunch.  I told him straight up I was not going to leave Re/MAX, as I was very happy there, and I most certainly was not going to relocate to a San Clemente office as most of my business tends to fall around Irvine; however, I can’t tell you how impressive he was with his marketing knowledge, and I knew I’d pick up some more helpful information.  For me, not going to San Clemente was a very good decision.

In this most recent discussion, KW’s ‘old’ way of doing business that you may have heard of in the past … bringing Realtors into KW so you could make money on the ‘down rung’ never came up.  This is no longer KW’s big push.  The benefits are their support and the new E-Edge Advantage (see my previous Blog entry). However, I’ve since learned that earning money this way, through the company is willable and who wouldn’t want that for their kids.

The San Clemente manager recommended I come see his ‘good friend’ in Newport Beach.  I was so impressed with what I saw here, it was amazing!  I attended a very enthusiastic office meeting, a bit like the style of Anthony Robbins; and was invited to their holiday party without even joining.  The party was well attended and the enthusiasm was abundant!  Everyone wants to know you and help you get to where you want to go!  They even had a $20mil producer come up from San Diego and talk about how he works.  He will be presenting a class in January with no worries about someone ‘steeling’ his way of doing business!

The company offers progressive ways of marketing and is always looking to make adjustments to what they do, bettering your future.  I heard at my new Realtor Orientation class today that Nationally they run in the black and it’s evident in the way they run their offices.  Everyone is smiling!

Though I’m just getting set up at my new office in Newport Beach, CA and my website is not completely up and running, please feel free to visit my NEW company website by clicking here and see all the wonderful products offered!  Financially, I believe you’ll find the cost of working here very competitive.  If you want to contact me to discuss all the advantages, please do at 949-929-6343!  Since I’m still new to the company, I can readily inform you of the differences and advantages and there’s so much more I can tell you!  If you decide to interview with Keller Williams because of this Blog, I hope you’ll let me know you liked the information I provided.

Agents – If you ultimately choose to work with Keller Williams Realty anywhere inside the country, or internationally, because of my BLOG, my kids and I would appreciate it if you would list me, Diane Gross, as your Sponsor when you sign the paperwork.  The email address to use for this is:  diane.gross2@gmail.com.  Thank you!

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As always, I’d love your feedback!

Why Keller Williams over Re/MAX and How will the move Help You?

First let me say, I did not leave Re/MAX after 11 years because something occurred to make me ‘want’ to leave. Everything at Re/MAX was still business as usual.  However, the entire time I was with Re/MAX everyone had to reinvent the wheel for themselves even though much of the time we’re all doing the same things. What I loved about Re/MAX was their ‘hand’s off’ approach, enabling us to build our own business. In my eyes, the fundamental difference between the two companies is that Keller Williams picks up where Re/MAX left off.

The biggest benefit I can offer my clients while at KW is their new E-Edge Advantage software program.  For me, this one website combines about six websites I previously utilized to provide my clients the property and educational information they desired. There’s no longer a reason for my clients to ‘want’ to receive property information from anywhere else!  Not only that, but the program will soon enable clients already in escrow to track their progress and they will be able to access their information for up to seven years on this site. This is truly a one-stop shop!

Another huge factor in my move is that I will again be building a team of specialists as Buyer and Listing Agents to work with me in better providing my clients with all their real estate needs.  Team building is a specialty of KW. I was trying to do this on my own at Re/MAX and now I will have the KW support behind me to get this done!

Though I’m seeing many more advantages to my decision to move each day, another huge factor was there is a collaborative atmosphere at this Newport Beach office that I have never experienced before in my 20 years as a licensed Realtor.  KW is in business to assist us in performing better in all facets of Real Estate.

Though located near Fashion Island at 2 San Joaquin Plaza, Ste 150 in Newport Beach, CA, the Realtors work all over Orange County, as do I, so information provided will be more broad ranged data; however, you can still zero in for information on my new website by zip code.  

Be sure to visit my new website by clicking here, and sign up to begin your new adventure with me working the Keller Williams way!

My future blog will be directed more toward Realtors that might be considering a similar move to Keller Williams Realty.

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As always, I’d love to hear your feedback.

I Want to Give You Helpful Information…

Why don’t you take me up on it?

I’ve just reviewed my Google Analytics Report to see what type of information I provide is reaching the majority of my readers.  There were two articles I wrote that received the most attention from you:

1)  SB458 Didn’t work the way it was intended, and

2) You can still buy a condo with only 5% down.

As a Realtor, I perceived all of my other topics to be extremely helpful information to both buyers and sellers alike; and, according to the comments received, they were found to be well written and good information.  However, for whatever reason, they are not causing you to spend a lot of time on my site when compared to those two topics above.  Does this indicate that the majority of the information I provide is not useful to you?

Next month, I complete 20 years of working as a Realtor.  Having been in the industry all that time, I should have the ability to communicate to you just about anything you would want to know about Real Estate.  And, what I don’t know, I can find out for you.  The time I spend writing my Blog is significant and it should count for something.  I’d certainly like to have an open dialogue about my topics, and want to hear from you about what information you would be most interested.

So that you can track how successful this request is in receiving my reader’s suggestions, or to get an answer to your own burning question(s), sign up below to receive an automatic notice of new Blog entries.

If you’re interested in allowing me to assist you with your Real Estate needs, don’t hesitate to contact me at 949-929-6343 or, click here to see how I work.

Have any of you tried the Zoom tablet? Please let me know what you think of it.

Are you as confused about the current housing market in Orange County, California as I am?  You should be because I’m confused and I should know more about what’s going on than you do!

Here’s a bit about why I’m confused.  I’m fairly up about what seems to be happening, or about to happen, but I’m always a bit more optimistic than most.  I come by this naturally because even though I’ve been in Real Estate since 1992, this is the first down market I’ve been involved in as a Realtor.  Because I know this about myself, I’m always checking myself by asking servers in restaurants I frequent how their business has been.  They’re still disappointed but I’m seeing the bars at say, Islands full instead of being the only one there.  I’m also aware that openings for employment positions are on the rise.  I try not to listen to national news because it’s usually not pertinent to our market and it’s always a downer, whether accurate or not.  I keep track of the inventory as reported in our weekly office meetings and I see inventory dropping; and, I listen to how other Realtors are conversing, and I make a determination by how busy they are and I am.  I’m hearing and seeing that loans are getting a bit easier to come by.  There are again a lot more options than just the 20% down slam dunk loan.  So, even the Banks are becoming a bit more aggresive.

Believe it or not, since May, I’ve averaged twice as many transactions per month as typical, but my income matches years’ passed.  That’s the cunundrum!  Business is up, interest is down, sales are up but prices are still dropping and interest remains among the lowest in history.  Typically, when this happens in our area, prices begin to jump up and they’re still falling … even with multiple offers.

I’ve also attempted to evaluate the type of buyers that are out there.  There are beginning to be a lot more first time buyers; but it’s difficult for them to compete with the investor/cash buyers, and it’s this type of buyer that is waiting to jump until the prices become low enough for them to see a property as an investment.  Also, we’ve gotten far enough removed from when many first started short-selling for those previous owners to be back in the market.  An even more interesting factor is I have more listings than usual demonstrating that Sellers are again willing to test the market.

At this point, given all of the above, I’ve got to say that the market in Orange County, CA is coming back…  What do you think?  Be sure to send your comments.  I’d love to hear from you. 

To contact me or to learn more about how I work, visit my website by clicking here.

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Hello All,

You probably noticed I haven’t written in a while.  That’s because my mind is in turmoil about the market and how the government used all of us.  There’s a reason that none of us can figure out the housing market… that being whether it’s getting better or not?

All of you need to watch an HBO movie special:  Too Big To Fail.  Besides being an excellent movie with wonderful actors, it’s very informative.  You may think you know all there is to know about what we’ve just lived through; but, trust me, you don’t.  After watching this movie, you’ll most certainly be better informed.

In the movie, Paulson (William Hurt) states that he has a torpedo in his pocket and he, and I think it was Bernanke (Paul Giamatte) or Geithner (Billy Crudup), said he was going to have to use it.  I believe that the torpedo was the period of time when the government was giving the buyers’ incentives of up to $8,000 when purchasing a new home.  You might remember that during that time, it appeared that the market was back!  The extra incentive stimulated the market, but as soon as the money ran out, so did the market; and, it hasn’t really come back since then.  I’m certain that Buyers were thinking the extra money would magically reappear once the government recognized that it was still needed and because it seemingly worked so well… but to no avail.

So, over an $8,000 gimme, the Buyers all went back into hibernation… hoping that the government would see the market die down again, and come back to the rescue.  Instead, the money went to the banks, litterally in hopes that the banks would lend that money to buyers supposedly making it easier to get loans, since, at the time; and still today, it was meant to loosen up the bank’s hold on their dollars.  But, unfortunately, also to no avail, as the government had not put the stipulation in writing that in order for the banks to get the money, they had to agree to lend it.

At the time that the torpedo was released, unbeknown to the general public and Realtors in particular, I, as well as many others, believed at the time that the market was already coming back.  SURPRISE!!  Finally, for me at least, last Thursday, (eight days ago) after Bernanke performed his latest trick, the housing market DID pick up for me.  The market actually felt like days gone by, and so far, it’s sticking.  Maybe that trick worked?  Or, maybe it’s just another torpedo ? !

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As always, I’m looking for your comments to this blog. To see more about how I work, be sure to look me up on my website by clicking here.

A few months ago, just when doing a short sale was getting a little more organized, SB458 was voted on and passed.  You may need to read my post just previous to this one wherein I predicted issues regarding SB458. 

To recap, SB458 is Senate Bill 458 and seemingly, but not in reality, it was designed to help borrowers complete short sales on their homes and come out of it without owing any remaining deficit to either the First or Second mortgage, or Equity line holders. Unfortunately, the outcome of this Bill, because it did not address deficits should the home owner be foreclosed on, allows the Second mortgage and/or Equity line holders to ask for so many dollars during the short sale that the First mortgage holder could not possibly agree, whereby forcing the home into foreclosure!  In reality, this is the result the Second mortgage and/or Equity line holders want.  This way, they can make agreements with the borrower to have their debt paid in full, if so desired.  And, why wouldn’t they want this?  So, in reality, the SB458 is having the exact opposite effect that was intended.

First some good news:  It’s my understanding, though not confirmed yet, that SB458 will be edited, hopefully, as soon as the end of September.  Probably before lots of people called in, I was originally told it could be the end of the year before it is edited.  Honestly, I don’t care how long it takes as long as Governor Brown freezes foreclosures until SB458 is edited appropriately.

It’s my guess that SB458′s edit will include some protection for those that will be or have been foreclosed on and it will be retro-active similarly to the original writing of SB458; and, the edit will encourage the banks’ work together to make short sales happen, and happen more quickly. Somehow, everyone is going to have to come to agreement on some percentage, I say 10%, that the First Mortgage will set aside for the Second or Equity Line.

Now the bad:  As I see it, if foreclosures are not frozen and homes do foreclose between now and the edit, borrowers may have to hire attorneys to go against the Banks that rushed the foreclosure to beat the edit.  Attorneys may also be required to adjust borrowers’ credit to show the sale as a short sale in lieu of foreclosure.  First mortgage holders will be out additional funds it costs to do a foreclosure in lieu of a short sale, and those banks could even go after the other banks for reimbursement.  The Realtors caught in the middle who have listed the home, sometimes for years at a time, will not be paid for work performed to save the Borrowers; and as what probably happens all the time, the Realtors with the Buyer can go directly to the bank with that ready, willing and able buyer and help them purchase the home directly from the bank, cutting out the Realtor that did all the work.

I wonder if the Government recognizes that short sales are already being halted on homes that were already approved by its lien holders because of omissions made on SB458 now giving lien holders the right to pursue their debt by way of a foreclosure?

The saddest part of all of this, as the negotiator put it at USAA, is that Veterans, who have already been through enough, are now losing their homes, their credit, and therefore, as I understand it, their ability to achieve security clearances.  In addition, all those buyers, Buyers’ Agents and Listing Agents currently waiting on a short sale to be approved are waisting their time.  At this point, it’s doubtful they will close unless their chosen property only has one loan, or possibly if both loans are at the same bank.  And, just when we don’t need it, more foreclosures will lead to BIG price reductions and contribute to a further weakening of our economy.

We can avoid all of this IF Governor Brown would Freeze Foreclosures until this issue is settled.  This needs to happen today!  Please help me get the word to Governor Brown. It’s very important we get this message in front of Governor Brown today!

To discuss this further, do not hesitate to comment, or contact me at 949-929-6343. To see how I work visit my website by clicking here.