Good bye 2010, Nice seeing you!

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As the end of the year draws closer it makes me reflect back on the year in review.  This year has brought about a career change for the better.  I have spent the last 5 years in IT as a network administrator and web developer. 

I have enjoyed my career as a IT professional but it was time for change.  The company I was working for was slowly dying as it grew closer to becoming the dreaded out sourced!

Real Estate is one of those things that can never be out sourced!  Homes will always be in America and represent the American dream.  Of course a few here and there will come and go but this country is still the greatest nation in the world and people want to be here!

So here is a toast to all of the real estate agents, brokers, and all the other of millions of people who make home ownership possible in this great nation!  Happy New Year and I can’t wait to see what 2011 will bring us.

Jimmy Gilley
Cressy & Everett Real Estate
Niles, MI 49120
Mobile – 269-362-4841 (Primary)
JimmyGilley.com
jimmy.gilley@comcast.net

             

Referrals: Good business, or wasted money?

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Referrals are a topic that seems to have a ton of different view points when it comes to Real Estate.

Every person will have a different view point on the subject.  I know we have that in our office alone.  Some agents say why refer a client away from you? Some say refer away and at least get a piece of the pie when you might not be able to get the whole thing.

Since I am the one writing the post I think I will give you my view point on the subject.  Referrals are a part of my business plan.  I LOVE referrals!  My view point is on the side of get a piece of the pie when you might not be able to get the whole thing. 

I have advertising online that hits areas I didn’t intent it to hit but people call me about properties outside my area of expertise or out of state!  What do you do with these people?  Blow them off? Let them fall through the cracks?  Heck no!  Refer them to agents who can serve them and will pay you for it! 

Personally I have a “coverage area” map that I have drawn up and have different “zones” based on travel time.  With in each zone I determine who I will serve within those zones based on sales price.  For instance I can drive over an hour away if the sales price of the home is worth the time and energy it will take to complete the sale.  If I don’t feel I can serve the customer properly I will refer the client to an agent I work with in that area.

I have agents set up all around my “coverage” area so that when a referral comes up I have them ready to go and serve my client properly. 

It is a win, win, win situation all around.

I save a valuable client spot and still get paid.  The agents I work with make money on the client, which helps their business, and ultimately the client gets the best possible service!

So if you don’t have a referral plan in place I suggest you start thinking about it and get one in place so that you know exactly what to do when those situations come up!

Best of luck to you and remember it is YOUR business don’t wait for others to make it go!

Jimmy Gilley
Cressy & Everett Real Estate
Niles, MI 49120
Mobile – 269-362-4841 (Primary)
JimmyGilley.com
jimmy.gilley@comcast.net

             

What do you think the bank will accept on a foreclosure?

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As a Real Estate agent you are always getting bombarded with questions from clients, and people you run into.  It seems like that Real Estate is a hot topic for most people. 

We as ActiveRain members have been challenged to write down some questions we get and to fill out the answer and share them with the community so here is one of the questions I often hear as I deal a lot with foreclosures.

Recently I was out on a showing with a client and we were looking at foreclosures in Niles, MI.  One thing I love to do is at the end of the showing is play HGTV and ask them what they liked and what they didn’t like about the home.  With foreclosures that conversation is a lot more in depth than it would be for a regular home but I play it anyways.  I think it is a nice way to lighten the mood. 

They asked me “what do you think the bank will accept on a foreclosure?”

This is a tough question to answer because you don’t want to sound dumb or like you don’t have an answer to a question but the honest truth to the matter is that we really don’t have any idea in most cases.  The only way to know what the bank will take is to have a deal that falls through they tell you what they will take.  It all depends on which investor actually owns the property.  Even though it says Wells Fargo it might not be Wells who is the actual investor, they might just be the servicer of a foreclosure.

I have seen a foreclosure deal fall apart when it was just a couple hundred bucks between having an agreement, and I have seen a bank drop thousands of dollars to get a non-performing asset off of its books.

My suggestion to them is if you feel comfortable putting an offer in at a certain price then do it!  The worst thing they can do is tell you no, and we keep looking like we were planning on doing anyways.  What if they accept your offer at the price you wanted to pay?  Usually it is well after the expiration of the contract so you can rightfully get out of the deal anyways.

So if you are looking at foreclosures and like it, then put your offer in.  You just may end up getting the home of your dreams at a HUGE discount!

Happy shopping

Jimmy Gilley
Cressy & Everett Real Estate
Niles, MI 49120
Mobile – 269-362-4841 (Primary)
JimmyGilley.com
jimmy.gilley@comcast.net

             

Kodak Moment Captured When Youth Leader Get Even!

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One of the greatest things about being a real estate agent is building relationships with my clients.  There is nothing better than working with a client, and getting to know them on a personal level.  It makes the euphoria of finding that perfect house just as much fun for me as it does for them.  

I have taken this love of building relationships and turned it into something I can do to help give back to the community by working with our church's youth group.  I spend every Thursday evening working with the greatest group of kids on the planet!  They range from 6^th – 12^th grade.  

Every year we get to go up to Western Michigan's campus and invade!  Jr. High and High school kids from around the state of Michigan take over the campus for the Michigan State Youth Convention.  The kids look forward to this ALL year long, and we normally take around 50 kids!  

The event has scheduled activities and teaching times.  They also bring in popular Christian bands to play for the weekend.  This is a great bonding experience for the kids and the youth leaders, but at night is where the real fun begins.

Usually we are back to the dorms around 11pm to sleep, but no one ever.  This is the time the group of kids always plan "attacks" on each other and against the adults.  This year the pictured kid was brave enough to silly string my room, but his payback was coming!  What he didn't realize was that I knew he was planning to make a hit on me and I came prepared!  I made sure to pack some duct tape with me for such an event and as you see it had to be used.  

Some of the kids helped me hold him down while I duct taped his wrists and feet together and hilarity ensued.  I drug him into his room and put him under his bed while the crowd of kids all took pictures on their various devices to post on to Facebook.  The part that brings us to the picture is that he crawled back out into the hall way after we left him under the bed, and I caught him, so I had to drag him back into his room and that is when this picture was taken.  

Kids still today mention that event today.  It is just another Kodak Moment that will live with us for the rest of at least my life, and probably theirs as well.  

Jimmy Gilley
Cressy & Everett Real Estate
Niles, MI 49120
Mobile – 269-362-4841 (Primary)
JimmyGilley.com
jimmy.gilley@comcast.net

             

So you want to sell your home by yourself? ::chuckle::

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Ok, let me make sure I am hearing this right.  You want to sell your home by yourself?  Let me ask you how did you come up with the sale price?  Oh wow, you heard a neighbor say that his home was worth 225,000 dollars.  Have you gone to the county clerk and research the recent home sales in your area?  With out having access to the MLS you cannot easily see what homes sold by you and what they sold for.  Oh really, you know the house down the road that has 2 extra bedrooms, 1500 more square feet and a heated pole barn sold for the same price that you want. 

How many times have you had this conversation with a FSBO?  Unfortunately it happens all to often.  As a realtor you need to be quick on your feet and keep your ammunition box full because if you are actively pursuing FSBO’s you are going to hear this same conversation a million times over and you have to be ready to counter punch. 

When you face these hurdles make sure you are ready to show FSBO’s what you have to offer and statistics for your market area.  I find it a very effective tool to show them how many FULL TIME agents are in the area and the average days on the market.  “There are XXXX amount of agents that actively work in your neighborhood, and it takes them an average of XXX days to get a home sold.  How long do you think it will take you to sell your home, in your spare time while working a full time job? 

Maybe I am just sick but I love contacting FSBO’s just to get a laugh because it is crazy some of the things these people come up with.  They honest think that putting a FSBO sign in their front yard and putting it on forsalebyowner.com will get their home sold. 

Continue to ask them questions showing them how much work it is to actually get a home sold.  Eventually they will give in and realize that they can’t do it by themselves, and if you stay in front of them while providing helpful information you will get a shot at getting the listing, that is if you continually ask for their business.

Don’t be afraid to ask for business.

Jimmy Gilley
Cressy & Everett Real Estate
Niles, MI 49120
Office – 269-683-5355
Mobile – 269-362-4841 (Primary)
JimmyGilley.com
jimmy.gilley@comcast.net

             

Hess & Harris Road, Edwardsburg MI 49112

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Open your imagination and see the possibilities to own a fabulous home that can be customized to your liking, for much less than buying it new. This is a wonderful opportunity to finish a 4 Br, 3 Ba project that has already been started. Owners started building a large 2400Sq' home with a three car attached garage, with one stall separated which would be perfect for a workshop. This property also has a finished pole barn with electric service already hooked up and ready for use while you finish the house. Two contractors give estimates 2 years ago to finish the home which averaged at 50k. The outside of the home is 95% finished, just needs a few pieces of siding, and garage doors. Septic system is already installed and rated for 3 ba. The home sits on a full basement and 2 acres. It also has a den in the floor plan which could easily be converted to a 5th bedroom. The home does not have any plumbing, electrical, or insulation making it easy for you to finish to your liking.


Jimmy Gilley
Cressy & Everett Real Estate
Niles, MI 49120
Office – 269-683-5355
Mobile – 269-362-4841 (Primary)
JimmyGilley.com
jimmy.gilley@comcast.net

       

3119 Church Street, Niles, MI 49120

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Cute 2 bedroom home located near 11th street close to shopping and jobs. Home has a detached 2 car garage, and a nice fenced back yard with a patio. Woods across the street provide great opportunity for spotting wildlife. Don't miss this home!

Great starter home for a first time home buyer!

Jimmy Gilley
Cressy & Everett Real Estate
Niles, MI 49120
Office – 269-683-5355
Mobile – 269-362-4841 (Primary)
JimmyGilley.com
jimmy.gilley@comcast.net

       

102 Clyborn, Dowagiac MI 49047

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1 year HOME WARRANTY is being offered by the sellers. This is a cute & cozy, spacious 3-4 bedroom home with hardwood floors, neutral decor. 4th room on main level can be used as bedroom. This home has a nice view of the park across the street and has a fenced back yard giving great potential for growth. This home is a must see. All Appliances Stay.

Jimmy Gilley
Cressy & Everett Real Estate
Niles, MI 49120
Office – 269-683-5355
Mobile – 269-362-4841 (Primary)
JimmyGilley.com
jimmy.gilley@comcast.net

Technorati Tags: Dowagiac MI,Dowagiac homes for sale,berrien county homes for sale,jimmy gilley

Don't be a statistic!

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The great thing about being part of Active Rain is that you get great advice for free, on your own time.

What I want to talk about is Short Sales. I just pulled a market share report in my area of South West Michigan and found that we only had 5 short sale transactions close this month. This is tragic. I know for a fact there are more than 5 people who could have been helped by putting their home up as a short sale.

Short Sale Failures

One problem people have are inexperienced agents who don't don’t know what they are doing with a short sale, which leads to them not closing It's really easy to blame it on the bank, and often enough the bank is at fault, but there are an astounding number of short sales that fail due to agent or seller negligence.

Another problem with short sales is that people simply don't want to deal with them, so rather than try, they just let the bank take their home from them.

Financial Hardship

DON'T LET THEM! If you are having a financial hardship you're not alone! Many people are having money problems, with employment issues, health concerns, or even divorce. With all that could happen,a foreclosure on your credit is the last thing you need! Instead sell your home with a short sale and save some heart ache.

Test day!

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Today was the big day! "What?" you ask.. Let me explain. Today was the day I had to face my hardest challenge yet in my journey to become a real estate agent.

As I described in a previous post, in order for anyone to become a Realtor you must complete a 40 hour class, and pass the Michigan state exam. I had successfully completed the class, so the only thing left was taking the Michigan state exam.

I had heard that this exam was quite difficult, and it did not disappoint! Having finished the class I felt pretty confident, and completing a few practice exams helped immensely, but I knew this test was going to be tough.

The first 20 questions or so really made me sweat. Growing up, I always thought tests were out to get you, but this one actually was! Questions were purposely worded confusingly, but I was on top of it and I owned this test!
Of course I had to fill out a survey and sit around waiting before I found out whether I had wasted my time and money or if I had conquered this mountain. I was feeling good about the test, but at the same time my heart was pumping so hard waiting for my results. Then a giant screen flashed a big "YOU PASSED" and the stress was gone!

Whew! What a relief to know all my studying and hard work had paid off. I also have a pocket license to show for it, and of course they took my picture to put on the license and the big, cheesy grin proves how satisfied I was. Now I can officially work as a Michigan Real Estate agent.

Now it is time for more work. I have MORE training, and time to actually get my name out there and start helping people realize their dreams of home ownership.

Jimmy Gilley, Realtor
Cressy & Everett Real Estate

Pick Your Niche

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More Research

The more I research, the more I have to consider. One thing I have found, is that most Realtors are specialized in a specific area of real estate. Just selling homes isn't enough in my personal opinion, I want to pick a specific area and be the best in that area.

Pick Your Niche

Most Realtors focus their time and energy towards creating a niche for themselves, and becoming a master within that area of the field. The purpose of this is to create a competitive advantage against other local Realtors in the area. The biggest thing that has drawn my attention, and what actually brought me into the field is house flipping.

House Flipping

House flipping is the process of buying homes that are in disrepair, and turning them into nice, livable homes through repair and minor construction. Poor condition homes are bought under market value because of the bad state of the house, and with proper care can be sold for a profit.

This process has caught my eye. It sounds like it is an absolute blast to do, not to mention being rewarding to watch a house go from a disaster to a functional home.

My father in law and I have talked about doing this well before I even started looking at a career in real estate, but now that I will be in the market everyday I think this is a perfect time to get started.

What does It Mean?

More research! Plain and simple it will require many more hours of research. There are many pitfalls out there that can to eat up all our profits on the home.

Jimmy Gilley
Niles, Michigan

Michigan Realtor State Exam

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Study, study study


Since I have made the decision to join the ranks of the real estate agents in Michigan, I had to take a pre-licensing class.

This is normally a 40 hour class, but having taken it online, it took me closer to 60 hours to complete. Have you ever taken a law class? If not, then let me tell you what this is all about. You must absolutely love definitions, Latin terms, and funny word structures such as avulsion, qualified fee simple estate, and ad valorum tax.

It isn't too terribly difficult if you put your mind to it, and I just have the mindset that despite not being interesting, it is a necessary obligation.

What this means for you


I know I am sort of complaining about it, but understand that this is all for you. As a prospective agent, the state has me go through this to ensure that once licensed, I will know everything that I need to, in order to better serve your needs as a home buyer or seller.

Next step


Since I have completed the course and received a passing grade, it is now time to take my state exam. This is the next big challenge, being the only thing between me and my first big goal of becoming a full time real estate agent.

Making The Jump Into Real Estate

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Making a successful career change.

Despite the obvious risks involved, I have decided to make a giant career change. Not only is it a scary thing on its own, but I will also now be earning my wages based solely on commission!

I'm not sure what motivated me to make this career decision. It could very well be the lack of interest in my IT job, or maybe just the need to be challenged and grow more as an individual. The possibility for something new and exciting is always attractive, so maybe the latter.

Telling Your Friends


The first thing I get from my friends when I tell them I am going into real estate full time is "The Look". You know which look I am talking about. The look that usually gets reserved for "that guy" who always has to have the best story, and tries to sound cool. That's the look I get, but I'm discovering who my true friends are, as they have immediately stepped up to the plate and given me those couple of leads to help me get started.

As with any career or job change, you must, I repeat MUST absorb as much information as you possibly can. Learning doesn't stop in the class room either; if you want to be successful, you must learn as much as you possibly can. If you ever feel that you have "developed your system" then you have crested, and are already on your way back down. Refining your techniques and communication skills is an ongoing process, and a necessary principle if you desire to better serve customers that will ultimately return the favor by buying a home from you.

Current Stage


Right now I am merely trying to take-in all the details of this giant change. When I First became interested in real estate, I started asking questions of Realtor friends of mine, and then a local broker, just to see if I would want to do this, and what it would take. I went right to the top and spoke with the Realtor of the year and her employing broker! -Both top producers and holders of high honors for the state

Closing


This is the beginning of a very long journey that I hope to bring you along with. I desire that through my struggles and successes, you will see how amazing God is, and how he can turn an average guy like me into something great.

So strap in, and lets go for a ride! Many new adventures await as well as many lessons to be learned.

I will continue to update you and let you in on those lessons and secrets.

Jimmy Gilley
Niles Michigan


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