The questions you need to ask a real estate agent before you go out to sell or buy a house. First of all it is a good idea to select a real estate professional who can help you in your endeavors.
The questions: All 12 of them
Here are 12 questions you can ask them before you decide to work with them. This way you discover their faults before they cost you time and money. Check back next week for the answer to these questions that will benefit you.
Interviewing a REALTOR.
“The Twelve Important Questions To Ask Before You Sign Anything!”
Do you work as a full-time Realtor?
How many listings do you have at this time? (More is better.)
Do you have a full-time personal staff of assistants to overlook all the details? May I meet them before I sign anything?
How many potential buyers and sellers do you talk with in a day? A week? A Year? How do you track those numbers?
If I choose to do an IRS-1031 tax deferred exchange, are you experienced in this type of transactions? How many have you done in the last 5 years?
In what ways will you encourage other Realtors to sell/buy my home?
How many properties have you sold within the last 6 months? 90 days? 30 days?
Do you have references and their phone numbers with you that I may call and interview today before I sign anything?
How long do you see yourself selling real estate? I’m in it for life!
What percentage of your business is from referrals? How about last year?
What guarantees on your services do you offer?
If you don’t sell my home in 60 days – will you cancel the listing?
Here are my answers: https://wp.me/p1Kaw0-Dd
What to do now?
Here’s an easy three step process to speak with me I will not badger you nor convince you do to anything you don’t want to do, I’ll listen to what you have to say because I can’t read your mind, Although some real estate agents may want to talk
Call Cliff today on his cell: 650-346-7366
I will listen. Once I have heard what you have to say I will respond, I will give you the best information that over 41 years being a Realtor can offer. If I don’t know the answer to your questions I will tell you so. I will also offer to find out the answer for you with your permission, But, you need to do the 3 step simple process. That is: Take out your cell phone.
Look up my number. 650-346-7366
And call me immediately.
I will speak with you provided I am not with another client. If I am please leave a message and I WILL call you back as soon as I have completed what I was doing. I will call you back! Please call today and you may text to that same number if that works for you,
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Do You Really Own The Home You Just Purchased In Redwood City?
Who really owns the home you paid all that money on? Remember when your agent told you…”Your offer has been accepted”? What a great feeling that was and how sweet those words were to your ears. You now own your own home. You now have a piece of the pie! Or do you?
Home with smoke
No you don’t. You have a ratified agreement with the seller, which says they will sell you their home at the price and terms you all had agreed to in the purchase agreement.
You had a set time, maybe 10 days to check the property for defects, 15 days for the bank to approve your loan so you could buy the home. It was called the escrow period and usually was about 30 days in length.
What about the home sellers?
During those 30 days the seller still owned the property and most of them still lived in the home. They had agreed in the purchase agreement to not encumber the property, nor commit waste upon the property, and to leave the home clean and free of debris at the close of escrow.
This period is known as the escrow period. This is when your escrow/title company searches all records to be sure they can give you “clear title” to the property. Additionally, they balance the pay off of the loans, taxes, insurance payments, and any other expenses, which may be on the deed.
Why does escrow take so long?
Once all the “clouds” on the title have been resolved the title company will issue title insurance, which protect both you and the bank from anyone laying claim to the property. BTW, the bank will need title insurance to protect their interest.
Now every cloud has been resolved and the balance sheet equals out you are ready to sign your closing papers. Both buyers and sellers must sign their own individual closing papers in front of a Notary. When done you have what is known as a completed escrow. No, you still don’t own the home yet!
The escrow papers are signed now what?
Usually, 24-48 hours later the title company goes to the County Recorder’s office and gives them the Grant Deed and Reconveyance Deed to the Recorder who in turn records them in the county records. This is known as the recordation of the deed. Once done you are the proud owners of your new home. Congratulations!
What should I do now?
There’s an easy 3-steps process to answer all your question you may have about the escrow process. With a time line of what happens and how it will affect you call or email Cliff Keith and Team today: 650-346-7366 or Cliff@SFBayHomes.com is the easiest way. So what do your do?
3 step process
1.) Pull out your cell phone
2.) Look up my number (Hint: 650-346-7366)
3.) Call me immediately
Once we speak I will answer all your questions without any costs or obligations. You may also go to my website listed below and do a search for the subject you are looking for information on. When we speak I will answer your questions and use my 40+ years being a Realtor to give you the answers that is the true and in your best interest. Consider me as a real estate resource center that can bring the peace of mind you may be seeking.
[Tweet “Who Really Owns The Home You Paid All That Money On?”]
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Answers to 12 questions you can ask any real estate agent before you sign anything These 12 questions are intended to be asked prior to committing to work with any agent. Below are my answers to the 12 questions. Now that you know my answer you can compare them to what other agents have told you. This will give you a standard comparison to gauge any other agent to may speak with. If you do ask the same questions of every agent you’ll begin to see if they are working in your best interest or not to save you time and money.
Here are my answers to 12 questions
Yes I work as a full-time Realtor. I have had my license since 1976.
I now have 3 listings.
Yes I have a full-time 4 person staff plus a part-time assistant, and a personal listing/escrow independent contractor both make sure no details in your transaction are not overlooked. You may meet with them in addition to all the other staff members who make sure all of Cliff Keith and Team™ clients have a world-class experience.
I talk to at least 1.15 buyers and sellers everyday 5.75 every week and 69 every quarter, and 276 every year. Those important numbers are viewed daily through my ritual of filling out my “ABC” To Do List.
I have experience in doing IRS Code-1031 tax deferred exchanges and average at least one a year. Over the last 5 years I have done 6 of them.
I will encourage other Realtors to sell your home through various means. Here’s only a partial list follows: Monthly Newsletter, Networking, Today Sotheby’s Office Tour, SamCar and Silicon Valley Associations of Realtors Tours, Multiple Listing Service, Realtor.com, FaceBook.com/AboutRedwoodCity, SFBayHomes.com, ListingLink.com,
TV
I have sold 9 Properties in 2016. The last 90 days I have close 2 of those 9 and the last 30 days I have closed escrow on 1 property.
Yes I have a list of references and their phone numbers that you may call. You may read some on my blog at SFBayHomes.com, along with other Social website like my business one at LinkedIn.com
I see myself selling real estate for life. I will share my vision with you if you want.
To date for 2017 my referral business is 100.00% in 1998-99, 2002-10 it was 100%, 2000 it was 72.72% and 2001 it was 86.67%. You will be part of the 2017 referral business if you decide to do business with Cliff Keith and Team.
My guarantees include a Today Sotheby’s Services Guarantee, and I offer my personal guarantee to both buyers and sellers that I call my “Right to Fire” and “Sold in 60 Days or Else!”
I will cancel your listing with no questions asked if it doesn’t sell in 60 days and you want to hire another Realtor.
In case you forgot the question or you discovered just the answer here’s the question to refresh your memories. https://wp.me/p1Kaw0-D8
Call Cliff 650-346-7366
What do I do now?
If you like what you have read and want more information on how Cliff Keith and Team along with Today Sotheby’s Realty can help you please do this easy 3-Steps Process:
Take out your cell phone
Look up my number…hint 650-346-7366
Call me immediately
When you call we can discuss together what it is you are trying to do and see if I can help you, If I can’t I will tell you and perhaps direct you towards what you need, Our business model is one of leading with a helping hand. We will never be a bother and only contact you when we have something to tell you that will help you If this sounds like a Realtor you would like to work with pick up that cell phone now and call.
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Answers To Last Week’s 12 Questions For Your Real Estate Agent
Here’s your real estate newsletter entitled Cliff’s Notes on real estate…If you’re like me, you’ve been looking around for signs of spring. All we can do is to sit around hoping to hurry it along. But as usual, spring comes in its own time. Mean while, enjoy this month’s fun and informative newsletter; Cliff’s Notes on real estate…
The focus this month is on a variety of subjects, from contemplating old age to solving the mystery of Saturn’s rings. Ever wonder if spiders can hear? (I know, me neither.) But, this month you’ll find out provided you read this month’s edition, along with some other wonderful factoids and stories.
And remember, if spring means buying or selling a home in your plans. Remember to get in touch with me. Don’t wait for the last moment. Now is the perfect time to maximize your profits because of the low inventory and high demand of homes, We can discuss that, when you contact me @ 650-346-7366. Once we design a proper marketing plan for selling your home, then we can get started on accomplishing getting it SOLD.
If you want to purchase a new home I have a new service. It’s aimed at accomplishing a venue for homeowners and buyers without the craziness, You see I am interviewed on a regular basis by home owners who want to sell their home quickly.
These homeowners don’t want have strangers traipsing through their homes. They don’t want open houses. And they want to sell quickly without the hassles of most real estate transactions.
When that happens I need buyers who can make a decision quickly. Buyers who are ready to buy a home and don’t want to be in the multiple offer situations. I am sure you understand how others are faced with that in today’s rapid changing real estate market,
Think of me as your resource center on real estate. You know you can always count on me to be in your corner by having me invest my time with your transaction. Call now. 650-346-7366.
I look forward to our conversation soon. Read more…
[Tweet “Cliff’s Notes for March 2017 on real estate and other important matters…”]
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A wise wizard saw a horse crying in a field. The horse was fine and had good qualities, but it told the wizard, “I wish I could be more beautiful.”
Camel vs Horse
The wizard said, “Well, this is your lucky day. I can make you more beautiful. Tell me in what you want to change.”
The horse said, “It seems to me that I am not well proportioned. My neck is too short. If you can make my neck a little longer, my upper body will be more beautiful. And if you can make my legs longer and thinner, then I will look more beautiful in my lower body. And if you could give me more stamina, I will be fine.”
The wise wizard said, “I understand!” Then he turned the horse into a camel.
Horse
The wizard said, “But this is what you asked for.”But the horse cried, “I wanted to be more beautiful. Why did you make me an ugly camel?”
The horse cried, “No, I don’t want to be a camel. People will laugh at me and they won’t know what to do with me. I want to be a horse again.”
“Why do you want to be a horse again?”
The horse described the things he loved about being a horse, and the wonderful things he could do as a horse. So the wizard said, “That sounds like a very fine creature. Would you like to become that creature?”
“Yes,” said the camel. And so the wizard turned him back into a horse and the horse was happy. ~Cliff
Everyone who texts, emails or calls in the correct answer by the last day of this month will be entered a drawing for a $30 gift certificate to Starbucks
_______________________
January Question
Q: Who invented the lightning rod for conducting electricity around a building and safely into the ground?
A:Benjamin Franklin.
Congratulations to:
Jen Spotorno of Redwood City
Are You Insane? Here’s How To Fix That
It’s been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. If you look at that statement in reverse, it can be a useful life tool.
For instance, you might keep getting the same unwanted results over and over again, even though you try different things. Perhaps you keep getting passed over for promotion. Or your boss keeps having a “talk with you.” You keep having the same arguments with your spouse. Or your business keeps struggling.
If you keep getting the same unwanted results – it may be a sign that you’re doing the same old things, but dressing them up differently so that you think you’re changing.
Want to really change? Try this:
First, admit there’s an ongoing problem.
Second, create two mental pictures…one of the results you keep getting, and one of the results you want. Put those pictures at opposite ends of an imaginary line, the old on your left and the new on your right.
Third, mentally enlarge the picture on the right and reduce the picture on the left.
And fourth, take steps to actualize the picture on the right.
Continuously ask if the things you are doing will put you closer to the new picture or move you back to the old.
Try A Spending Fast
Some major financial professionals were recently asked for their best tips on living within a budget. One suggestion that sounds particularly intriguing is declaring a moratorium on spending. Commit to spending absolutely no money for one day a month. Try stretching it to two or three days if possible.You’ll find out how much money you spend without thinking about it, and you’ll break yourself of the habit of reaching for your wallet on impulse. You may also find that you can do without a lot of things you thought you needed.
Kick-Start Your Brain In The Morning
We’ve all heard that eating a good breakfast is important in the morning. Here are a few other aspects of a morning routine that can enhance your day, too:
Picture the outcome. Before you get to work, imagine a positive day, meeting, or project. Actions tend to follow intentions.
Plan the day. Take five or ten minutes to sort through all your appointments and to-do’s for the day. Get it out of the mind and onto something you can see. The less clutter in your brain, the more focused you can be.
Take deep breaths. The oxygen will fire up your neurons and enhance your mood. Stretching, yoga, or brief exercise can help you breathe deep. Relax your muscles as you breathe. You can do this all through your morning routine, even as you enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.
Have a happy thought. When you first wake up, even before you get up, think a happy thought. Think about what you’re grateful for, or what you’re looking forward to about the day. Ignore creeping doubts for now.
Free Reports!
How sellers price their homes and why.
Information on earning 8-10%!
How to make 8% -10% secured with local real estate.
How to buy your home Before it hits the open market.
Now That’s A Tough CEO
A corporation brought in a tough new CEO to shake things up. Touring the facilities on his first day, the new CEO spotted a young man leaning against a wall while other employees were working hard around him.
He marched up to the man. “You! How much do you make in a week?”
Confused and alarmed, the young man stammered, “About $300.”
“Here.” The new CEO pulled out his wallet and thrust $300 in cash at the man. “Go home, and don’t come back.”
“Yes, sir.” The man took the money and immediately ran away.
Proud of his tough image, the CEO turned to a nearby group of employees who had stopped to watch. “What was his job, anyway?” he asked. They eyed each other nervously. Finally, one said, “He’s the pizza delivery guy from down the street.”
Add-On Front Patios
Front porches and back patios have joined forces. The result is the emergence of the “front yard patio.”
A front yard patio is inviting, which might herald a reversal of a 70 year trend towards hiding out in our houses and entertaining only in our backyards. This condition was a direct result of the age of the automobile, when garages gradually crept to the front of the house at the expense of our porches.
For those of us with garage-dominated or porch-less facades, the front yard patio is a welcome feature—a decorative, as well as functional entertaining space that says, “Hello.”
Front patios can look like almost anything, and be constructed of any material that can be made weed-free and level, including brick, stone, gravel, or wood. They can be attached to the home, wrapped around the front door, or set off on their own. And they can be enhanced by such things as:
A fire pit or heat lamps.
A small side fountain.
Low shrubs or low walls.
Tea lights or lanterns.
Front patios are more than simple functional changes in our space and lifestyle. They’re also a smart move for home sellers as they gain traction with buyers who see them as inviting and desirable features that add value to the house.
Why Honey Doesn’t Spoil
Honey is unique among organic compounds in that it constitutes a “perfect storm” of attributes against spoilage:
Most of the honey is a supersaturated solution of sugar. Sugar is hygroscopic, which means it attracts water. Bacteria and other microorganisms that come in contact with this solution are desiccated (water is drawn from them into the solution). The same happens to yeast and other fungal spores, leaving almost no organisms in the honey that can spoil it. This supersaturation of sugar also inhibits the growth of yeast and other fungal spores.
Furthermore, bees process honey by means of an enzyme called glucose oxidase. You might know glucose oxidase from something else…it used to be called “Penicillin A,” which destroys bacteria. Never leave a jar of honey standing open. The supersaturated sugar solution will absorb moisture from the air and gradually become weaker, losing its anti-bacterial properties.
Are You Being Green or Greenwashed?
Confused by green marketing and labels? You’re not alone. What, exactly, does green mean?
Green in general refers to the adoption of environmental management practices and products intended to minimize the damaging impact on the environment from resource depletion and pollution.
Green does not refer to healthy living, like doing yoga. Green refers to how you get to the
Greening Tree
yoga studio (ie. in your gas guzzler or your electric car… assuming your electric car was manufactured and delivered using green methods).
Many products call themselves green based on nuance, while others go all-out to green-up. In fact, there is no oversight of what green means, and no standard by which a consumer can judge if a product is truly green.
“Greenwashing” refers to excessive claims about the process or product beyond authentic environmental benefits. Greenwashing is rampant these days, and it’s up to the consumer to decide if it’s important enough to them to evaluate the manufacturing chain to determine if the product is truly green.
Kitchen cleansers are a good example. Many cleansers are labelled green, because the chemicals applied to your counters are “natural” (lemon juice). But the product might well have been manufactured, bottled in plastic, and delivered through the same high-polluting process that has been used for decades.
Should we stop caring about green? Not at all. The “green movement” serves us, if for no other reason than to help each of us think green, and adjust our own practices and expectations to be better conservators of our environment.
Eventually green standards will be developed, giving consumers a measure by which to judge products that call themselves green.
“We’ve all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.” ~Robert Wilensky
Imagine me as your real estate consultant. What I do for you is invest my time consulting, negotiating, and organizing the details of your transaction because I want you to have a superb experience that will cause you to want to introduce me to the people you care about most.
The purpose of my business is referrals, which means I must bring the type of value that makes you feel comfortable introducing me to the people you know that need my help.
After all, a referral is sending someone you care about to someone you trust.
Scientists have known since the 1930s that plants sense the length of the days and use that information to decide when to flower. It was only in 2005 that studies revealed a gene called FT which is active in the leaf and whose activity is regulated by day length.
Flowers of Spring
FT produces a messenger molecule that is transported to the shoot tip where it activates a “gene program” that leads to the formation of buds. The program causes proteins to form that then talk to other proteins that exist at the future locations of buds.
Why does all this matter to scientists? Daffodils bloom in spring as the days get longer. Roses wait until summer. Rice flowers in the fall as the days shorten. Consider the benefits of early flowering rice. In parts of the world, this could allow production of more than one harvest per year, further reducing world hunger.
The color red is one of the easiest and cheapest colors for mankind to create using artificial means (as opposed to crushing berries). The reason for this is because of
Country Red Barn
something that happens when a star dies.
As a star shrinks, pressure and temperature rise, creating a long series of reactions that produce heavier and heavier elements. At some point, the star becomes too heavy and falls apart.
One of the elements that causes this rampage of self-destruction is iron, which then spreads throughout space, eventually ending up on planets like Earth. Red paint is made from a compound of iron and oxygen called Fe2O3. So the next time you see a humble red barn, think of the cosmos that went into its iconic color.
After you’ve enjoyed my newsletter, please recycle it by passing it along to a family member, friend, neighbor or coworker.
Q: Why is a pencil like a riddle?
A: It’s no good without a point!
This newsletter is intended for entertainment purposes only. Credit is given to the authors of various articles that are reprinted when the original author is known. Any omission of credit to an author is purely unintentional and should not be construed as plagiarism or literary theft.
Copyright 2017 Cliff Keith dba SF Bay Homes with Today | Sotheby’s International Realty. This information is solely advisory, and should not be substituted for medical, legal, financial or tax advice. Any and all decisions and actions must be done through the advice and counsel of a qualified physician, attorney, financial advisor
The healthiest competition occurs when average people win by putting
above average effort. —Colin Powell
[Tweet “Save Time and Money with Cliff’s Notes on real estate… February 2017”]
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Sold Out of homes. How you can help and make money. We have sold all of our inventory of homes. This is great for you, and again not so great. We have no new homes for sale to offer our home buyers; however, all our home selling clients are happy because their homes have sold at a price acceptable to them.
Want to see available homes?
As an alternative you may wish to see all the other homes in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) that are for sale today, please go to the Start your home Search box in the middle of the page at the top of this page
Fill in your criteria for a new home under the Property Quick Search panel and click the Search button. If you would prefer, I can arrange, with your permission, to have new homes coming on the market for sale, to be sent to you. I can do this on a daily basis, or whatever other time-frame you may require. By clicking the Contact Cliff button on the menu bar it’ll allow the process to begin.
What will happen?
Realtor
By using the Contact Cliff feature you will be given without obligation a free personal organizer. Your personal organizer will let you know immediately when a new home comes on the MLS on a daily basis. This is beneficial to you as a home seller because you will be informed of your competition immediately. We will consult you as to what to do with that information so as to optimize your profit when you do sell your home.
Sold Out No cost nor obligations
There is no cost or obligation to you. We do want to earn your business. If you like what Cliff Keith and Team does for you and how we treat you. Not only by the information you are given but at the ease and speed by which you receive it. If you like our skills and behavior then we would appreciate the opportunity to help you sell your home.
What to do next
3 step process
There is an easy three-step process to find out more information about selling your home. The 3-Step Process is:
Take out your cell phone
Look up my number: (hint 650-346-7366)
Call me immediately
When you call I will answer all your questions using my 40+ years of experience. I will NOT try and sell you anything. Cliff Keith aka SF Bay Homes are a resource center to help the public like you. I too am a Realtor so my motive is to show you how it will benefit you to have me in your corner when it is time for you to sell your home and will want me to represent you. After all it is probably the biggest asset you will liquidate in your whole life. You’re going to want Cliff Keith in your corner at that time,
[Tweet “Sold Out of homes. How you can help and make money.”]
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Made in USA
