John Ingram of New American Funding just closed a loan for a longtime client of mine in record time.... AND with a contingency on the sale of his current home AND a transfer of funds from one escrow to the other! New American funded the loan almost simultaneously once our first buyer's loan had funded! This allowed both transactions to close by 1 PM on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The Continue Reading
Archives for 2013
ANOTHER BIG NUMBER- AN ASKING PRICE THAT IS TOO HIGH!
My background prior to my 25 year real estate career was in the field of education. I was always going to be a teacher and got my degree in French from the University of Nevada, Reno. When I got into real estate in 1986, I was told teachers were generally successful in this field and it made sense to me. Buying or selling a house is an educational process. The terminology and the processes are Continue Reading
Harvey’s Brussel Sprouts
Today was our office's Thanksgiving Potluck. Every year, I make my brussel sprouts and that are a huge hit so I wanted to share the recipe. Harvey’s Brussels Sprouts 2# bag of Brussels sprouts 6 strips of thick cut bacon 1 med yellow onion finely chopped 2 cups stock (veg, chix, beef) Salt and pepper Clean the Brussels sprouts by cutting the base and removing the Continue Reading
THE BIG NUMBER….THE REAL ESTATE COMMISSION
Recently, I placed a home on the market for a 65 year old single man who is about to retire. I have known him for over 20 years but only represented him once in a real estate transaction. He was the buyer so the home seller paid the real estate commission in that transaction. However, he has bought and sold many properties over the years. I checked on the sales prices in his neighborhood and Continue Reading
There is a reason why a seller has an agent!
After a contract is negotiated and an agreement is reached on price and terms, the fun starts in a transaction with the buyer's inspections. If the property has a well and septic system, the inspections are generally expensive and a bit more complicated. Recently, a buyer had agreed to pay for the septic inspection for a Las Vegas house built in the 1980's. The septic tank was located with the Continue Reading
Wait…I have equity in my home?
A few weeks ago, our in house lender and I were chatting about the market and he asked me, "Do you have 20% equity in your house"? "If you do, you might be able to do a refinance and move your loan to conventional". It never crossed my mind that we might have equity in our home until he said that. I asked Harvey to run the comps for me and when he did, the numbers showed that we just might! We Continue Reading
Welcome Back Sara
WELCOME BACK SARA! Our office manager Sara Longhurst has been away for the last 3 months having a baby. We are happy that she's back and thrilled that she and JD had a healthy baby girl. Angela Marie is the latest addition to our family. I can't wait to see how fast she can type! Thanks to Karlee for doing an outstanding job while Sara was away! Continue Reading
Homeowners Bill of Rights
I had the opportunity to hear Robert Noggle, Esq. speak yesterday about the new HOBR legislation. He helped clear up a misconception that was pervasive and being mistakenly sold to the public at large. This misconception is that the banks can't ask for an "Arms Length" affidavit in a short sale. The banks can and likely will continue to require this document. That means that the borrower can't Continue Reading
WATCH HARVEY LIVE ON CHANNEL 8 NEWS!
Harvey and Sue gave a great interview on the Channel 8 News for our 3rd annual Chek For Kids Golf Tournament! Click below to watch the full intervew! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_42sX8Q01r4&feature=youtu.be Continue Reading
2013 Breast Cancer Walk
This years annual Breast Cancer Walk was another success and a few of us from the Blankfeld Group were in attentance and in great spirits! Joel & Ethan ran the 5K and made excellent timing while the rest of us walked and cheered! Harvey was joining in on all of the festivities as you can see! Thank you again to the team members who were able to come out and make strides for the Continue Reading
