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Keller Williams passes RE/Max
February 26, 2009 /In every industry, there are always little rivalries; the kind that keep managers, owners, and statisticians awake at night. When you're on the receiving end of the latest corporate dig, or you've paid your dues as the "New Kid on the Block", the ribbing can occasionally get a little personal. And of course some personalities just don't deal with defeat too well. Which is why it has been so amusing to watch the latest blogflares going up as Keller Williams announced at the annual "Family Reunion" in Austin, TX this week, that they've taken some of the air out of RE/Max's balloon. Surpassing RE/Max's national agent count ( to take the spot as the nation's 3rd largest real estate company) is especially gratifying to us here at Pickett Street, as we joined the Keller family in early 2008, after 3 years with a local RE/Max agency. To be fair, RE/Max was very good to us, and we cherish the relationships we made there. However, we have learned that Keller's culture is more suitable to our way of business: we love the supportive, cooperative, family & community-oriented, values-based team atmosphere. Another significant piece of the business decision puzzle for us was their progressive stance…Read more
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Top 3 Reasons why $ 8000 tax credit is better
February 15, 2009 /The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) have to be glad that this week is over. It had to be tortuous - thinking on Tuesday that Congress was on it’s way to approving a $15,000 tax credit for those that bought a home in 2009 - then watching the House of Representative strike it completely from the Economic Stimulus package on Wednesday. The NAR's response to the unexpected change was measured, saying only that nothing was yet decided, and that changes would be made before President Obama signed the bill into law. The week ended with a narrow passage of the Economic Stimulus Package on Friday, and (together now, with a sigh of relief) the NAR's efforts were rewarded with an honorary mention in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I preface with all of that to say this: THANK GOD! Not because I think that the measure will be a salvation to the industry, but because their are several reasons why the act passed yesterday is better than the $7,500 tax credit passed last year and the $15,000 tax credit initially supported by the NAR. Here are the top three reasons why: (1) The same benefit for all that use…Read more
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Why We Do What We Do
February 11, 2009 /Tonight saw the end of a purchase transaction that is at once a cautionary tale, and a laser bright light in the darkness of a struggling economy. To really tell the story, we have to go all the way back to August 26th, 2008, when the offer on this short sale home was written. That's right - six months from writing an offer until closing! Knowing we were writing on a short sale, there was an explicit understanding that we were on the extended timeframe plan. As the seller's lienholder was Countrywide (who takes longer than any lien holder to even look at an offer), we even knew to expect the unexpected. However, saying that and experiencing it are frequently two very different things. Due to the fact that our clients had some very specific needs, including active young children and an unpredictable work schedule, it was decided early on that Jesse and I would work in tandem on this one. One of the benefits of partnering in this business is the ability to share the load, and we have found it adds a dimension to the relationships we develop that we both cherish. There were several twists and turns…Read more
