Market Center Newsletter

NEWSLETTER FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 13TH

Quote: “There is no investment you can make which will pay you as well as the effort to scatter sunshine and good cheer through your establishment (Market Center).” Orison Swett Marden

CONGRATULATIONS TO DEBBIE VITITOE; NICOLE SILVA AND CAROLE WOODWARD. Debbie won the award for being the top (#1) residential sales associate in St. Tammany Parish. Nicole Silva was awarded the Rookie of the Year for 2008 and Carole Woodward was awarded Realtor of the Year for 2008! I call that a perfect Trifecta!

LATEST NUGGET FOR THE NOGGIN, “ARE WE THERE YET?” Check it out at www.NuggetsForTheNoggin.com.

M&M’s RETURNS MONDAY. Neil Diamond and I will be hosting the M&M Group, open to everyone at 11:00 Monday in the Training Room. Please sign up so I know who plans on attending. Remember, this is YOUR hour. We will discuss whatever is on your mind. Bring your questions, your problems or just come and chat. The sign up sheet is outside the Team Leader’s Office.

CODE OF ETHICS ARTICLE OF THE WEEK: Article 1:
When representing a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant, or other client as an agent, Realtors® pledge themselves to protect and promote the interests of their client. This obligation to the client is primary, but it does not relieve Realtors® of their obligation to treat all parties honestly. When serving a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant or other party in a non-agency capacity, Realtors® remain obligated to treat all parties honestly. (Amended 1/01)

BROKER BIT: Any time you meet with a buyer and/or seller you need to be observant of who you are talking with. If only one person is buying and/or selling, simply ask, “Will there be anyone else involved in making the buying (selling) decision?” When listing a property if there is only one person ask, “Were there any other names on the closing papers?” If there was a divorce, death or abandonment, you need to know. There are legal actions that must happen before just one person can buy or sell a property. If two people want to buy real estate and they are not married, you best advice would be to get them before an attorney for legal advice BEFORE you list the property or prepare an Agreement to Buy. It also needs to be said that the gay culture is not a protected class under the Fair Housing Laws but it probably will be and probably should be. The best advise it to treat everyone equally and fairly no matter what! If there was a death of a property owner and someone has been named as the Executor of the estate, there is a legal document that so states this. Ask to make a copy for your files and the files of the Market Center. SIMPLY PUT. YOU MUST KNOW THAT THE PERSON OR PERSONS YOU ARE DEALING WITH HAVE THE LEGAL AUTHORITY TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF A CONTRACT, ANY CONTRACT.


THE PORTRAIT: This is an amazing and inspiring video, get out your hankies on this one. http://www.sonnyradio.com/theportrait.html

Cool song, a little political but how can anyone be against being American?
http://www.bornagainamerican.org

START YOUR DAY WITH A LAUGH. This, in my opinion, is the funniest thing on the Internet. http://www.chumfm.com/MorningShow/bits/march24.swf

CASHING IN ON FSBOS: Check out the article from Inman News:
http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/berniceross/cashing-in-fsbos?page=0%2C0

COMPLIANCE REMINDER. All advertisements must include the name of the company and the telephone number. Also, in small print, you must include the following disclaimer: “Each Office Independently Owned & Operated.” These are Louisiana Real Estate Commission requirements. On any electronic type communication and/or advertisement you must also include the city, state and COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, Slidell, LA 70461 – USA would serve the purpose. You must also include this disclaimer in addition to the “Each Office” described above – “Broker and associates are licensed by the State of Louisiana”. Any property type flyers are to include the DATE the flyer is prepared.

NOMAR Sponsored CE Classes, go to www.nomar.org to register
Just so you know/remember, 4 HRS of Agreement to Buy or Sell is mandatory for 2009

Mon. March 16 “Res. Agreement to Buy or Sell” 8:15am-12:15 NOMAR

Thurs. March 26 “Res. Agreement to Buy or Sell” 8:15am-12:15 NOMAR
“Procuring Cause” 12:45pm-2:45 NOMAR
“Tax Advantages for RE Agents” 3:00pm-5:00 NOMAR

Mon. April 6 “Res. Agreement to Buy or Sell” 8:15am-12:15 NOMAR

Wed. April 15 “Res. Agreement to Buy or Sell” 9:30am-1:30 West Bank, NOMAR
“1031 Tax Exchange” 2:00pm-4:00 West Bank, NOMAR

Fri. April 17 “Res. Agreement to Buy or Sell” 8:15am-12:15 NOMAR


Socrates Success Secret by Mike Litman. As you read this, remember Jim Rohn’s quote: “An education will earn you a living. Self-education will earn you a fortune.” To earn your fortune, follow Mike Litman’s and Jim Rohn’s advice.
http://www.mikelitman.com/blog/?p=136#more-136

Address the objection BEFORE the buyer thinks of it. “Mr. & Mrs. Buyer, I feel I have to warn you. Sometime after you leave the office and probably before tomorrow morning, you are going to stop and ask yourself, “What did we just do?’ I know exactly how you will feel because I often feel that way right after I purchase a home, a car, a golf club or even a slightly expensive book. It is perfectly natural. When that occurs remember it is a natural feeling and then remember what your goal is, to buy a new home. Just let the feeling pass and remember hardly a homebuyer doesn’t feel that way sooner or later.” I can’t tell you the number of times buyers have said, “Jim, you were right. As soon as we got home we started having second thoughts.” And more importantly they thanked me for preparing them for what might (could) happen. MARKETING SUGGESTION. Get a large prescription vial and create a prescription looking label with “Buyer’s Remorse Pills” on it. Fill the vial with M&Ms. “Use as needed and as often as possible whenever you feel butterflies (which is COMPLETELY NORMAL and expected when buying a home!). Delicious when used with milk. To avoid weight gain, use ONLY for a short period (few days – maximum a few weeks). WARNING: Buyers Remorse Pills can be addictive! Prescribed by: (Your Name).

You’ve heard it from me, now hear it from an "expert". 6% of nothing is nothing! DISCLAIMER. Commissions are negotiable. The 6% referred to above is nothing more than the title of an article. There is no standard or typical commission. COMMISSIONS ARE NEGOTIABLE. http://www.brokeragentsocial.com/article/220/6-of-nothing-is-nothing

IMPORTANT SCRIPT: Since I included the above article along with a disclaimer, let me explain. ALL COMMISSIONS ARE NEGOTIABLE. If anyone should ever ask you what your charge, or what is your standard commission, you should answer, “That depends. It depends upon the type of property, the condition of the property, a seller’s motivation for selling and the price of the property. I couldn’t possibly quote you a commission without first seeing your property and then discussing the marketing with you. Would you be available this afternoon or would tomorrow afternoon be better for you?” There are “testers” for Fair Housing Violations as well as anti-trust violations whose only job is to search the market for violations of laws affecting both. Just assume every inquiry is from one of these “testers” and you will be fine.