Please Don’t Trip Me While I am Showing Your Listing

Over this past weekend the Miami Dolphins played football against the New York Jets. As you may have heard, a Dolphins player (Nolan Carroll) was attempting to make a play down field and needed to “run along the sideline” in order to get to his target. Along the way a Jets coach (Sal Alosi) “allegedly” stuck out his foot and tripped the Dolphins player. Now, the NFL and the New York Jets are reviewing the incident.

I’M OUTRAGED AS THIS JERK’S UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR!

This incident got me thinking. What if I was entering a home that you had listed and you tripped me upon entering the home? What would I do? I wouldn’t be able to be “helped off the field” like the Dolphins player! I wouldn’t have a backup Realtor able to take my place at the showing! I would have, however, grounds for a lawsuit and I would probably have a pretty valid Ethics complaint against Mr. Alosi.

Is the $25,000 penalty imposed by the team to the coach along with a suspension for the rest of the season an appropriate enough response to this outrageous event?

I don’t think so. In fact, I think that the coach should be made an example of and fired! Period! Maybe this will dissuade idiotic incidences like this one to occur in the future. I also think that Nolan Carroll should press charges for assault/battery against the coach. While I understand that this is football and is a rough and tough sport, but isn’t real estate mentally rough and tough at times? We don’t go around tripping fellow professionals. If we did, we’d be prosecuted immediately. We’d also, very conceivably, could lose our Real Estate License. What makes this coach any different than us? The fact that he’s a rough and tough strength and conditioning coach for an NFL team?

In this day and age, I’m surprised that there are not more idiotic incidences like the one I saw on Sunday or like the hypothetical I presented above. Maybe, over time, the NFL will consider its options and remove this guy from the league. But until then, and until Nolan Carroll presses charges and prosecutes this “turkey” to the fullest extent of the law, a great injustice is being served.

To Sal Alosi, the coach who “allegedly” performed the tripping act, you are nothing more than a big bully. Haven’t you graduated from elementary school yet?

—
Rick Schuster

Licensed Real Estate Broker – Jaycee Realty, Inc.
Licensed Title Insurance Agent – Home Guardian Title, Inc.
Licensed Mortgage Broker – Leading Edge Mortgage Corp

20283 State Road 7 – Ste 400
Boca Raton, FL 33498

561-206-2835 – via Google Voice
561-988-2546 -Fax

Watch What You Eat and You May Sell More Real Estate

Now that we’re about 1/2 way through the holiday eating season, I have finally decided that “enough is enough”.  I can only eat so many cookies, cake, ice cream, holiday bars, fudge, etc.  I can only go out to dinner “so many” times in one week and I can only snack on “so many” gift baskets during the course of the day.

Turducken (very fattening) — Honey Baked Ham — Candy Canes — Pumpkin Pie —– wow!

STOP THE INSANITY!

This year I’ve decided to do something about this crazy eating frenzy.  I am going back to sensible eating and keeping a journal of the food I consume and making healthy food choices.

After only a few days of getting “back on track”, I find that my head is MUCH clearer and I have significantly more energy than when I “grazed” on the holiday junk.

One thing that really stands out is that I am finding that I am able to think much more quickly on my feet.  This may be because of the fact that I am sleeping better and wake up VERY well rested.  Nothing else has changed in my life other than healthy eating.

This is not a coincidence!  I have changed my eating habits in the past with the same or similar successes.  Why then, do I decide that a little decadent dark chocolate won’t effect my overall performance the next day?

While the satisfaction received from the intake of the chocolate is totally satisfying, it’s only temporary.  The increased energy, positive sense of well being and ability to think more clearly obviously outweighs (no pun intended) the short term satisfaction received from the non-healthy food.

I’m not saying that you should cut out all the food sins of the season — that would be torturous.  What I am suggesting is that a little “satisfaction” in moderation is definitely better for your overall well being than pigging out on the Holiday Truffle.

So, what’s the moral of the story?  Watch what you eat and you may just sell more real estate as a result of the benefits of “good” nourishment.
—
Rick Schuster
Licensed Real Estate Broker – Jaycee Realty, Inc.
Licensed Title Insurance Agent – Home Guardian Title, Inc.
Licensed Mortgage Broker – Leading Edge Mortgage Corp

20283 State Road 7 – Ste 400
Boca Raton, FL 33498

561-206-2835 – via Google Voice
561-988-2546 -Fax

Electronic Signing is Easy (And Cool Too)!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by a Listing Agent regarding a property under contract which required “new” signatures for a real estate contract and he needed them in a very timely fashion.  Knowing it wouldn’t be a problem, I called the Buyer and informed him of the request.

Cooperative as always, my client responded that he was on vacation and would be happy to sign the documents once he arrived back home in Texas (in 6 days) because he had a computer but no printer in order to sign the documents and he really didn’t feel like going to the local Fed-X/Kinkos to receive a fax etc.

I called back the listing agent and informed him that the Buyer would be happy to sign the following week and that the documents would have to wait until then because the Buyer was unavailable and on vacation.

Because of the nature of the transaction (short sale) and the Seller’s Lender was requiring documents IMMEDIATELY, we didn’t have until the following week.  The Listing Agent then suggested that the Buyer and Seller sign the documents via electronic signature.

Having heard of this service, I was REALLY EXCITED when I learned how easy it was to execute the signing.

Here’s the process:
1.  The Listing Agent prepared the forms that needed to be signed, uploaded them to DocuSign and placed “sign here” tabs in the locations necessary for signature.  According to the Listing Agent this only took a few minutes of his time.
2.  The Listing Agent then emailed “links” for the contract to the Buyer and Seller.  The link directed the Seller and Buyer to a secure website housed onDocuSign’s site which held the contracts.
3.  The Buyer and Seller clicked the links, completed a 30 second sign up to the service (for security verification) and then inserted their signatures (regular typing from their computer) into their appropriate location(s) within the form housed on the DocuSign site.
4.  Once all parties executed the document and email was sent to me as well as the Buyer, Seller and Listing Agent with a link to view and download the fully executed agreement
The whole process was so easy that my 8 year old daughter could “follow the bouncing ball” and insert her signature in the appropriate location.

Not only was the service EASY, but it was fast and it potentially saved the deal!  Kudos to the Listing Agent for introducing me to this service and to the State of Florida and the Federal Government (ala Bill Clinton’s administration) for recognizing electronic signatures as they will eventually be more “mainstream” in many parts of our culture.

I am definitely a fan of electronic signing and anticipate signing up for one of the service providers in the coming weeks.
—

Rick Schuster

Licensed Real Estate Broker – Jaycee Realty, Inc.

Licensed Title Insurance Agent – Home Guardian Title, Inc.
Licensed Mortgage Broker – Leading Edge Mortgage Corp 

20283 State Road 7 – Ste 400

Boca Raton, FL 33498 

561-206-2835 – via Google Voice
561-988-2546 -Fax

Should We Winterize South Florida Homes

Last year the title insurance branch of our operation closed on a Bulk REO transaction consisting of 105 properties located between the Midwest and the East Coast.  Of the 105 properties only a handful were located in Florida.  During the closing process I noticed that one of the line item expenses listed on the HUD-1 (still allowable in 2009), showed “Winterizing” as an expense.  I didn’t think much of it at the time because there were only a few Florida homes included in the package. 

Fast forward to 2010 — as one featured blog article headline sates today:  “Baby, it’s cold outside”.  Yes, it is! And with the cold comes mother nature’s wrath including:  leaky pipes, weatherstripping issues, broken glass, hot water heater issues, etc.  I never thought about winterizing a home in Florida, but now, with all the vacant homes, it’s probably not such a bad idea —- especially for older homes built in the mid 1900s.

From a liability standpoint a REALTOR should definitely mention the winterizing option to a seller.
From a safety standpoint, the REALTOR should definitely mention the winterizing option to the seller.
From a selling standpoint, the REALTOR should definitely mention the winterizing option to the seller.

Did I happen to mention that it may be a good idea to suggest winterizing a home that you are about to list?

The cold weather is not the only factor.  The winterizing process consists of all of the following and more:
1.  A full furnace/HVAC inspection
2.  Fireplace Inspection — yes, they have fireplaces in Florida!
3.  Inspection of the exterior doors and windows
4.  Inspection of the roof
5.  Removal of dangerous objects from the home
6.  Checking the foundation
7.  Testing the smoke detectors — especially important in condo’s
8.  Prevention of plumbing freezes or leaks – this is especially important in North Florida
9.  Trimming any potentially harmful or destructful landscaping hazards (i.e. – coconuts from palm trees)

While this list seems appropriate for winter preparation, many of the items listed should be tested and inspected during the other 3 months of the year.

Most Importantly: Winterizing should not only be limited to homes in distress — to avoid any potential liability you should be sure to advise your seller’s of the potential risks in the event that they do not maintain THEIR property while it’s for sale.

—
Rick Schuster

Licensed Real Estate Broker – Jaycee Realty, Inc.

Licensed Title Insurance Agent – Home Guardian Title, Inc.

Licensed Mortgage Broker – Leading Edge Mortgage Corp

20283 State Road 7 – Ste 400
Boca Raton, FL 33498 

561-206-2835 – via Google Voice
561-988-2546 -Fax