Real Estate Information Archive

STUDENTS BANNED FROM AN AMERICAN SCHOOL FOR WEARING AMERICAN FLAGS IN AMERICA ON CINCO DE MAYO!! Excuse me... Let me check my memo... Yep. Last I checked, Cinco de Mayo is a MEXICAN holiday! I don't put on a yamika during Rosh Hashanah. I don't wear a kimono during Chinese New Year. And I sure as heck don't take off my American flag t-shirt because it's Mexico's Independence Day. GET OVER IT, YOU COMPLAINING MINORITY!!!!! grrrr.....

This is a disgrace within our own country. It's time Americans step up as AMERICANS. No disrespect to other countries, but if YOU immigrate into the United States, either assimilate or GET THE **** OUT!!!

These school administrators should be ashamed of themselves. To be so weak as to ban an American flag in America because of an independence day in another country?? Gimme a break... Time for new leadership, people. Here is the article in it's entirety. Seriously. Time for new leadership...

Black light: noun. Invisible ultraviolet or infrared radiation. Black light causes fluorescent materials to emit visible light and is used to take pictures in the dark. (Answers.com)

Black lights were used in the 1960's and 1970's for several neon-type parties. The cool way bright colors light up in dark spaces and dark hues fade away into nothingness... Quite the amazing techno-effect!! Black lights are still used today in bars, saloons, classrooms... Even as identification tracking for police on stolen goods! However, black lights have a distinctly effective use in real estate sales as well.

Recently, I blogged about a sale where a new buyer purchased a home with evidence of pets inside the home. However, due to the heat being turned off and the carpets being recently cleaned, the buyer did not realize there was "additional" evidence of pet presence within the home.

Normally, pet urine is easily determined simply by distinct ammonia-like smell. But that is only when it is normal temperature in a home/garage. With no heat, smells dissipate. Unfortunately, when the heat is turned on, the odors come right back. If you have an aversion to these smells, it can be devastating for the resident of that property.

There is, thank God, a way to tell whether there is presence of animal urine or not on the property. Simply by flashing a black light over an area will provide much-missed insight into the condition of the walls/floors. Chemicals within urine staining cannot hide -- no matter the temperature in a home. See an example in the photo below:

When testing for urine staining, it is best to get the area as dark as possible. Pull shades. Turn out lights. Then turn on your black light. A black light will highlight the urine stains with a white or greenish hue. Mark each of the stains with a coin or colored chip -- anything to represent the troubled area. Once you are finished testing, here is the next step:

Purchase a BIODEODORIZER. This is an enzyme cleaner that digests the sources of household and pet odors. It does not mask the odors. A biodeodorizer eliminates odors entirely. A standard Biodeodorizer is $14.95 for a 32 oz. spray bottle at most veterinary clinics or online.

The key to that statement is "enzyme cleaner". A simple rug shampooing DOES NOT eliminate urine chemicals or odors. Please trust my clients who bought a house with this exact scenario. They will be replacing the carpets within the year due to masking the odors with a carpet shampoo but not eliminating them with an enzyme cleaner.

If you wish to purchase your own black light, Lowe's has 22" black light "wand" bulbs for $18.99 in Salem. You would need an extension cord to get into every nook and cranny. But it is the most cost effective. Or you can go online at www.blacklightshop.com and purchase a portable version for a little more money. I recently purchased a portable, flashlight-style MBL 49 UV LED black light that uses 3 AA batteries for $49.95. Either way, having a pet that sprays within your home is a good reason to own a black light.

Taking care of your most important asset -- your home -- is of major importance. Purchasing a $50 blacklight and a $15 biodeodorizer may save a $4,000 carpet!! Hope this helps. If you have any real estate questions, please feel free to contact me. As always, I appreciate all real estate referrals! :-) Have a wonderful week! ~~ Bobby

One month ago, my buyers had narrowly been beaten out on a recently foreclosed property here in the Willamette Valley. C'est la vie. Come to find out, the buyer who beat us did not qualify for the loan within the first week of their acceptance. One week later, at the strong urging of the listing broker, my buyers wrote the same, acceptable offer on the same property. The owner is named "CORPORATE" in all documentation -- no name, no face. They required a letter of pre-approval from THEIR lender, although we had already submitted a letter of pre-approval from a perfectly acceptable mortgage broker with whom the buyer had made full loan application. We were told we'd get a response back within 48 hours.

Two-and-a-half weeks later, no response. Nothing. Normally, I would accept we wrote a lower offer. However, the listing agent had encouraged we write the same offer ("You JUST missed", were his exact words). I was in constant contact with the listing broker who displayed uncharacteristic frustration with the "asset manager" at the holding company representing the Corporate interest. After at least eight phone calls from me, constant emails from the listing agent, and finally, getting the listing agent's recommended lender's involvement to speed up the process of the actual lender, I received a response this morning: Acceptable as long as the buyer signs the attached 14-page Addendum! So here's my question:

Q: Why would a buyer ever sign one of these addendums? EVER???

Here's one term in the contract: Page 5 of 14, Section I: "Seller's Unlimited Right to Cancel The Agreement: At any time seller shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to elect to deem the agreement null and void if (I) Required by applicable law, (II) required by any existing contract or agreement binding upon seller and/or the property, including, without limitation, any agreements with the prior owner of the property, any mortgage insurer or any mortgage broker. Upon seller's delivery of written notice to buyer of seller's election to nullify the agreement pursuant to this paragraph, the parties shall be restored to their original positions as if the agreement never existed. Should seller exercise its decision to nullify the agreement, the deposit shall be returned to buyer. Buyer agrees that should seller nullify the agreement pursuant to this paragraph, buyer waives its right to sue seller for specific performance and/or damages and fully releases seller as further set forth in the release contained within paragraph V of this Addendum."

Another: Page 3 of 14, Section G: "Buyer also agrees to pay Seller a document preparation/review fee of Ninety-nine Dollars ($99.00) on the Closing Date. This fee shall be delivered to escrow and disbursed on the Closing Date per wire instructions provided by Seller." ~~ This previously-undisclosed fee was not stated in the listing.

And last, but certainly not least: Page 3 of 14, Section F, subsection iv: "Buyer's Authorization for Seller: Buyer hereby authorizes Seller, any agent or affiliate of Seller or any investigative agency hired by Seller, to investigate  Buyer's ability to purchase the Property under the terms and conditions of the Agreement including, without limitation, ordering a credit history from a credit reporting agency and discussing Buyer's loan application with Buyer's Lender and/or its successors or assigns. Buyer shall be entitled, upon request, to a complete and accurate disclosure of the nature and scope of any such investigation."

So let me get this straight... The seller has complete access to my buyer's credit history/assets, they are charging my buyer money for no good reason, AND the seller can terminate the contract at any time, and my buyers have no recourse on the sellers at all?? The buyers pay for inspections, an appraisal, even repairs out of their own pocket, if applicable. And it is, quite simply, lost money. And lest I forget, the seller is selling the property "as-is, where-is". Completely arms length. No company name, no contact person. Nothing. They require the buyer to get loan approval through THEIR lender. Not free market choice for the buyer.

Please understand there are FAR more contingencies in this addendum: seller doesn't do a disclosure of any kind, seller can terminate the contract at any time until full acceptance by buyer and seller -- oh, and the seller doesn't sign ANYTHING for weeks at a time --, 14 pages worth of "etc., etc..." And let me state this strongly: IN ALL 14 PAGES, THERE IS NOT ONE MENTION OF A NAME OF THE OWNER OF THIS PROPERTY!!!

This is not a contract, this sniffs of unfair business practices. "You buy our property OUR way, or you don't buy our property." I've been told by several agents representing these entities: "It's their property. They can do what they want with it." True. They don't HAVE to sell it. But if that Corporate owner is one of the taxpayer-bailout lenders, THEY don't own it. The taxpayers do! And if Corporate entities want to hold onto their property, then STOP PUTTING THEM UP FOR SALE! They are not "For Sale". They are "For The Corporation"!!

Where is the wisdom in purchasing a property like this? Unless a buyer has hundreds of thousands available to them in cash, normal conventional or FHA financing options have simply been blocked. Plain and simple. The sellers won't do repairs. The buyer is on the hook for those, benefitting only the seller, IF the seller allows them access. If the seller does not give access for simple pest & dryrot repairs to put the property into structurally-sound condition (a standard requirement for FHA loans), we have no financing. OMG!!! The headaches with these properties bypass migraine territory and move right into incapacity. No wonder our lending institutions are under federal investigation/legislation.

Just a word of warning to buyers: If you look at foreclosed properties owned by "CORPORATE" owners, unless you have cash and/or pristine (and I do mean PRISTINE) credit, you may be wasting not only your time, but your money as well. I wish you the best if you travel down this path. My first-time buyers? They have walked due to frustration and may not buy their first home at all. Thanks, CORPORATE (whomever you are), for wasting our time.

I truly hope this helps someone out there. I'm not trying to step on toes, but trying to educate buyers on our current market conditions of foreclosures. If this blog makes you angry, and I hope it does, send it to your local legislator. Have them look into these contracts and get this garbage repaired before bailing out anymore of these behemoth financial institutions who created this mess in the first place. Giving them FREE money simply emboldened them to flaunt fair market practices for greed and total control, stagnating our real estate industry. Economists wanna know why real estate isn't selling? Here's a microscopic view of what's wrong with our system.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone. I hope it is sunny in your neck of the woods! :-) ~~ Bobby

In honor of Packy the elephant at the Portland Zoo turning 48 yesterday, I thought to share the ingredients to one of my most important real estate tools -- the Showings Backpack.

We've all been on showings of property with buyers where something, ANYthing goes wrong. You're showing at dusk and inevitably the electricity is turned off. The buyers just GOTTA know whether the garage is at least 25' deep for their boat. The wife wants to show her kids in New York and/or California how adorable the kitchen is but, oops, forgot her camera...

In the eyes of a new buyer, their Realtor has seen it all. They know about every possible scenario. And they are PREPARED. Whether we are or not is not important. What's important is we LOOK prepared. So I came up with a little "emergency" kit for just such occasions. Here are all of the items I carry in a day-pack in the trunk of my car and why:

1) Large flashlight - Sometimes the power is off. Or the buyer wants to look deep into a crawlspace or attic. A penlight is too small. Even a medium flashlight may be inadequate. The size of the unit isn't important, but it needs to fit into my backpack. The beam, however, needs to throw off large light. And keep an extra set of batteries on hand, just in case.

2) Digital measuring tape - A standard tape measure works also, but sometimes needs two people for larger rooms/garages. I've found a digital measuring tape with a laser is not only accurate to the 1/16", it is "laser" fast - with no potential sliced fingers. You can't miss what you're measuring with the red laser target light, either. I had one buyer who looked at houses and measured EVERY room - with an old-fashioned tape. The next set of houses we showed, I brought the digital tape. It cut off 15 minutes from each house. I was even able to measure the exact height of an 18' ceiling for their Christmas tree in a flash. And the buyer was impressed at the cutting-edge technology used by their Realtor. A Craftsman digital tape with the red tag light is about $100.

3) Digital camera - Sometimes buyers want reminders of the home. A cell phone camera works fine and is easily emailed. However, the quality of a cell phone photo usually isn't the highest. Again, a fresh supply of batteries is helpful.

4) Business cards - How many times have we been on showings and forgotten to bring cards in our wallet/purse? This way, even if we forget to refill our wallet, we can always show professional courtesy to the owner we were inside their home. A stack of 25-50 is wisest.

5) Hand sanitizer - I once walked into a repo property that had trash one foot deep inside the home. When I went upstairs, I put my hand on the rail. I actually STUCK to the railing. OMG, that was gross!

6) Women: Mace and/or whistle - Safety is paramount when showing property to buyers. You never know. And I hope all women agents are safe!

7) Mortgage calculator - Having your buyers already pre-qualified is always wisest. But if this is the first time you've met the buyer, and they have questions, always be prepared.

8) A few blank earnest money agreements and addendums - ALWAYS be prepared to write an offer at a home! :-)

9) *optional - Mini-DVD player w/ a few kids' DVDs and dual-headphones (with a $1.50 splitter bought at Radio Shack). This is simply as a distraction for kids who truly get bored during showings. I've found "Spongebob" and a couple "Pixar" movies seem to work best in my stash. And I can't emphasize enough -- HEADPHONES for the kids -- Spongebob's giggle gets a little old after 4 hours of showings!!! ;-)

10) *optional - Portable black light - This is a recent revelation. When walking through a home with a client who hates animal odor/staining, a black light may be the most professional piece of equipment you'll possess. With or without heat, the black light held close to a carpet will reveal chemical staining invisible to the naked eye. Your buyers would be impressed, and would allow you to write into your contract the carpets are to be "professionally cleaned and treated for animal urine". A portable black light is $20-$30 at Home Depot.

Feel free to add/subtract items from your own backpack. Please post any suggestions to this blog. These just seem to cover most of the occasions buyers come across at showings. This backpack can also be helpful at listing appointments.

I hope this helps. If you ever need a Realtor in Oregon, I hope you'll consider giving me a call. As always, I appreciate all referrals. Have a nice weekend! :-) ~~ Bobby

A few weeks ago, my buyers closed on a home. The home had white carpets. Not off-white. Not cream. White. They were beautiful, albeit original to the 1999-built date. The listing agent had placed a sign inside the home, "Please remove your shoes. Carpets were professionally cleaned." There were booties. The carpet nearly glowed, it was so pristine! The home was winterized and had been vacant for nearly a year. The heat had been turned off the entire time.

In my initial phone conversation with the listing agent, she said someone had tracked mud into the living room, up the stairs and into the landing upstairs a few weeks prior to our arrival. She had professionally cleaned those dirty areas. ALSO, the sellers' had done the entire house prior to listing the home nearly a year earlier.

There was evidence of dogs in the backyard, but none inside the home. There was no animal smell present inside the home. Since one of my buyers was allergic to pet urine (I didn't know you could be allergic to pet urine!) and there was no evidence of any on the gorgeous carpets, my buyers seemed satisfied. We wrote an offer. It was accepted. We had a full-home inspection where the gas had to be turned back on. The inspector ran the furnace through a cycle. Everything seemed in order. We closed on the home a few weeks later. All was right with the world! Yay!

The day after the buyer moved in, I received a phone call.

"The carpets are ruined!" Seems the dogs had in fact used those beautiful white carpets as their personal urinal. You could probably hear the buyers' expletives aimed at the sellers all the way up in Canada.

Because the home had no heat for over a year, the smell had settled into the surrounding surfaces. The sellers, thinking they would resolve the issue while they lived there, had rented a steam-cleaner, not a professional cleaning service. The sellers had PAINTED over urine stains on the walls and trim boards with regular interior house paint. The carpets had never been treated for animal urine. The heat was turned off and the home vacated for a year. So when the buyers turned on the heat for an extended period of time, the smell was painfully present. In the sellers' defense, they were trying their best to clean the carpets. But best efforts did not mean "doing it right" (i.e. professional).

When the buyers had ANOTHER carpet expert out, he "black-lighted" the floors and saw massive evidence of urine on the walls and basically all corners of the carpet was covered. The good news: The carpets could be cleansed to habitability with proper chemical treatment, but my buyers were extremely disappointed. Because the buyer is allergic, they must eventually replace the carpets at the buyers' expense sometime in the very near future.

If you are an owner with animals allowed inside the home, USE A PROFESSIONAL to remove the damage to the carpets. Or replace the carpets altogether. And ignorance does not placate an upset buyer once they buy a home for hundreds of thousands of dollars and find out it will cost even more money to fix a previously unknown (in my buyers' minds read: "hidden") issue. They were/are not happy campers.

My recommendation to any Realtor representing clean carpets to the public: Document EVERYTHING!! If your seller says they had the carpets cleaned, get their receipts. Even if it is the rental of a carpet cleaner from the local grocery store. If they used animal urine-remover, document it. A helpful hint might be to walk around the house with your own black light if you feel there is a presence of animal urine (black lights are inexpensive and show chemicals undetectable by the human eye). That smell is extremely off-putting to potential purchasers -- usually meaning replacement of carpet is coming. But without heat, odors disappear -- until it is too late (i.e. AFTER closing). And you may have some unhappy buyers on the other side looking for answers you may not be able to answer. Unless you are willing to step up and replace the carpets at YOUR expense, goodbye referrals. Use your best judgment when dealing with carpet issues. And never, NEVER trust the WORD of a seller. Not that the seller is lying. They simply may not know any better. You just want to cover yourself for future issues that may arise.

I truly hope this helps. There are 2-1/2 weeks left to write an acceptable offer before the April 30th $8,000/$6,500 Tax Credit goes bye-bye. If you need a good Realtor in Oregon, I'd appreciate speaking with you! Have a wonderful week! :-) ~~ Bobby

Last night I was showing small acreage property in a rural part of Salem, Oregon. The property was decent enough for a bargain horse property. The home was fine, although it could have used a bit of tidying up. Horse and western decorations were somewhat fitting for the setting, although a little bit overdone, in my opinion. It was once we walked into the master bedroom that we were treated to an, um, interesting sight...

Seems the owners thought so highly of themselves there were semi-nude photos of the owner's wife above the bed! She was a lovely lady, but OMG!!

There's staging. And then there's STAGING!!

My buyers couldn't get out of the room fast enough. No opening closets. No viewing the master bathroom. Just "I'm done". And we exited. Regardless what your thoughts are on erotica, the comfort level for a potential purchase with this particular buyer was severely damaged. The funniest (saddest?) thing about this scenario was that prior to the showing the listing agent had told me the owner's wife escorted all potential purchasers through the home at all showings. We just happened to arrive when the owners were not home. How awkward would it have been to have the woman on the wall standing right next to us in person? You can guess my buyers' thoughts.

If you are marketing your home for sale, please remove your most personal items from the home. There is a difference between family photos and erotic art -- not just photos of yourself, ALL erotic art (yes, men, that includes the Snap-On/Playboy calendars in the garage). But what is a seller trying to market? The home -- or their ego? Please remember not everyone has the same values or beliefs as you.

If your beliefs are SO strong you must display them all over your house while trying to sell it, understand you are limiting your marketability. I am a Christian so a wall-sized mural of Jesus being crucified may not offend me but it may offend my atheist buyer. Large photos or books about Stalin or Mao Tse-Tung might elicit strong, negative feelings by buyers. Or your extremely rare and valuable Nazi memorabilia hanging proudly over the mantle? Might offend more than a few races and religions. Nude art WILL offend a potential buyer, unless it is Hugh Hefner. But Mr. Hefner won't be buying a $300,000 horse property in rural Salem, Oregon. Sometimes we need to clean up our act. Just my opinion...

April 30th is only three weeks away. NOW is the time to write an acceptable offer before that April 30th deadline for the $8,000 first-time buyer tax credit. Call me if you ever need a good Realtor in Oregon. Have a wonderful week! :-) ~~ Bobby

This is a guest article written for my SellingSalem.com blog by Richard Moyle of Horizon Window Treatments. Thank you, Richard, for your efforts. I hope it helps all you readers out there! :-) ~~ Bobby

Window treatments are often overlooked when someone is preparing to sell a home. Most people probably just assume that they are not worth the cost and will not make that much of an impact on potential buyers. But, as many interior designers and realtors will tell you, nothing could be further from the truth. Whether your home is lacking a great deal of windows or your home is constantly flooded with light, window treatments can help draw the right kind of attention to your windows if done correctly.

Curtains and fabric window treatments can give a comfortable, livable touch to a room and help soften the overall look as well. This is probably your most versatile choice as there are a wide range of colors and fabrics available. Curtains can also be very affordable depending on where you buy them, so this would be a good way to go if you don’t have a whole lot of money to spend.

One of the most common window treatments are vertical blinds because it is very easy to find cheap plastic ones. If you have these types of blinds in your house and you are trying to sell it, remove them immediately. They can give a very cheap feel to the house and they are not aesthetically pleasing at all. If you are going to go with blinds, try wood blinds. Bamboo blinds or woven materials are often a good choice because they provide some color and texture and can be used in virtually any room.

Window treatments that insulate add a lot of value for potential buyers as it will save them money on energy costs. Cellular shades are perfect for this as they allow light to filter in minus the heat from the sun. They also trap heat inside during the winter. There are even some honeycomb shades that qualify for tax credits because of the energy they save. Remember to stick to neutral colors so that they can easily match the new homeowner’s décor.

When you show your home, make sure to maximize the natural light in every room by drawing blinds and shades up and pushing curtains or drapes to the sides. You may use tiebacks for drapes, but there is something more you can do during the installation of your drapery rods that will show off your windows in the best way possible. Instead of installing the rod at the edge of your window, try installing it six inches or so outside the edge of the window. This will make your window appear larger than it actually is and will also maximize the amount of light that comes through.

Richard Moyle
Horizon Window Treatments
212.463.0369
www.horizonyc.com

Following is a small paragraph I created this morning on my way into work explaining my blog:

"This is a “COMPLAINT - FREE” ZONE. Questions are still answered, free-of-charge. However, if you intend to contaminate my air with complaining, please move to someone else’s space. Thank you for recognizing the need to be positive and become part of the solution -- not creating more problems. ~~ The Management"

I am as guilty as anyone of complaining. Sometimes a little too loudly, I'm sure. But here is the above paragraph's inception:

In memory: Phoebe Prince, 15, South Hadley, New Hampshire

On national television this morning, my heart broke about a 15-year-old New Hampshire immigrant from Ireland who was bullied into committing suicide by multiple classmates. Death. Permanent solution to an overwhelming problem. Basically, she is dead because she was the "new kid" and others were jealous. Horrible situation for the girl's parents and friends. Awful for the classmates and their families to watch how our society has become increasingly ambivalent and violent until something so tragic can wake us to our own sins.

But with polite applause going to the New Hampshire legislature for proposing far-too-late "anti-bullying" laws, what is most outrageous is how the people of this poor girl's community are screaming for the heads of the school officials. The SCHOOL OFFICIALS?? Huh?? What about the PARENTS of the deviants who had their (probably) unsupervised "ne'er-do-wells" at home, using Facebook, cell phones and physical harm to aggregiously damage this defenseless child?? Yes, the school officials should have gone to the authorities. No question. Do they deserve to lose their jobs? Not on your life. Why? They had multiple complaints and even some eyewitness accounts of teachers viewing the abuse. Shouldn't they be fired and/or charged? Not a chance. And here is why with a real-life scenario...

A teacher (males are tremendously at risk here, btw) sees an UNDERAGE boy or girl physically or emotionally abusing another underage student. The teacher steps in, has to physically remove the abuser (seriously, how many of today's youths are gonna just "give up" -- "Aww, shucks, Mr. Teacher, you're right. I'm so sorry for being so mean. Please forgive me, abusee."). The abuser is usually abused themselves at one point, or is a bully based on outside influences. And they know ADULTS can't touch or physically threaten them. Kids aren't ignorant. They will usually fight back, if emotions are involved. And how many have heard that arrogant, deviant statement for decades: "I'm under 18. The law can't touch me!" The teacher is neutered in the legal realm. For real. But let's say the teacher is triumphant in protecting the abusee for the moment. He/she takes the abuser to the principal for proper discipline. Whew! The end.

Yeah, right. Here's the REAL outcome: The teacher, the principal, the school and the school district are sued by the BULLY'S parents for "tormenting" their poor little bully. OMG! How humiliating for my 17-1/2-year-old brute to be marched into the principal's office and asked to make a formal apology to the abusee and put on k.p. service. The horror!

I say TELL THE WORLD WHO THE UNDERAGE BULLY IS IN EVERY MEDIA OUTLET AVAILABLE!! You think that if YOUR name showed up as an abuser, a thief, an under-age rapist, that you'd EVER want the world to know it?? Neither would I. But these kids know that won't EVER happen because somewhere back in our history, some poor child was crucified in the press. I feel bad for a wrongful prosecution. But isolated instances happen every once in awhile. So today, all the punks get a "FREE PASS" because of a glitch in our system protecting the BULLY and hurting the VICTIMS. Dear God, people. Enough of the political correctness when it hurts (or in New Hampshire, KILLS) innocent people. And if THAT doen't work, I say it's time for the principal to be given a nationally-legislated paddle for just such occasions. Have a designated, increasing number of whoopings based on bullying transgressions as they increase in violence. If talking can't solve it, time for a little action. Think the bully would continue if they knew THEY were the next ones to get a swat? I don't think so either.

Enough of the lawyers and MONEY-DRIVEN finger-pointing. Enough of the "Poor Me" syndrome. WE need to step up and put a stop to all the garbage that is hurting those who cannot protect themselves. I am grossly saddened at the loss in New Hampshire. That family has a permanent, incredibly sad hole where a beautiful little girl once stood. Do the perpetrators need to be brought to justice? Absolutely. To the full extent of the law. Do the legislators need to make NATIONAL anti-bullying laws that protect VICTIMS?? YOU BETCHA!!! Do the already-scared and confused school administrators need to take the fall for this despicable crime? Properly trained about the laws that govern their school children? Yes. Fired? Not a chance.

Time to become part of the solution, my friends. You're as tired as I am of our broken country, I'm sure. Let's stand up and solve our problems with kindness and genuine good intentions that create great ACTION in cleaning up our mess. WE ARE OUR OWN BEST CHANCE. Don't blame others. START SOLVING OUR PROBLEMS BY LOOKING INSIDE FIRST!! Just my opinion...

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! HAPPY EASTER!!!! :-) ~~ Bobby

This morning I had an appointment with three very sweet sisters from Washington. Seems their family owned a 1,000 square foot, one-room schoolhouse and needed to sell it. Emotional attachment made it difficult to part with it, but the house had been vacant for some time. Since it was built in 1860, they tried to get it designated a historical landmark. Alas, the structure had been moved from it's original location which made it undesignateable. The location of the property currently is in Commercial General zoning, which makes conventional financing nearly impossible (not completely impossible, but much harder than normal). And to top it off, there had been damage to the property on the roof and siding in recent years. When the ladies had hired a general contractor to complete the repairs, the jerk took their money and disappeared before completing the repairs. Now the home has a somewhat "unfinished" look to it (people that steal like that need to be shot! - just sayin').

When these very gentle women walked into our office, they were kind of "deer-in-the-headlights". After discussing several possible options for their property/sale/donation, including giving them information about other renovated schoolhouses around the state that had sold recently, they were positively giddy afterwards! It was like watching children opening presents on Christmas morning in March. Don't know if as a residential Realtor I'll ever get the listing, or ever see a sale. But watching them fall all over themselves with joy at the fact they had real answers to most of their questions was a gift from God...  Sometimes I LOOOOOVE being a Realtor, y'know? :-)

If you know anyone with tough questions about their property, or ever need the services of a good Realtor in the state of Oregon, I'd love to speak with them. And as always, I appreciate all referrals. Have a great weekend, everyone! ~~ Bobby

Telemarketing, or "cold-calling", is generally viewed by the public as the scourge of the earth. Telemarketing had gotten so cut-throat that national legislation had created the "Do-Not-Call" List in 2003 specifically to curb this practice. As Realtors, however, we must use the telephone to do business using ethical business practices.

Therein lies the rub...

I went on Google. Typed in: "Is it illegal for Telemarketers to call me before 8am or after 8pm?" Here is the response from the National Do-Not-Call Registry:

Source: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/donotcall/#relatedrules

In addition to the establishment of a national Do-Not-Call Registry, there are other amendments to the Commission's rules implementing the TCPA that may reduce the number of telemarketing calls to your home:

• If you subscribe to CALLER ID, you should know when a telemarketer is calling you: telemarketers are required to transmit Caller ID information and may not block their numbers.

• Telemarketers must ensure that predictive dialers abandon no more than three percent of all calls placed and answered by a person. A call will be considered "abandoned" if it is not transferred to a live sales agent within two seconds of the recipient's greeting. As a result, you are less likely to run to answer the phone only to find silence or the "click" of the calling party disconnecting the line.

We are not allowed to call before 8am or after 9pm, according to NATIONAL legislation. Of course, your area may be different than mine, so I would HIGHLY recommend a quick call to your city/county/state government about this matter. I simply don't want to see an honest agent get the shaft any longer.

The next time you call someone at 8:01am and you're the 4th agent... After you've had your earful of cussing from the irate seller who was rudely awakened from his beauty sleep at 7am on a Sunday morning, ask them calmly for the names of the agents and/or companies who called earlier. They have a right to complain about shoddy business practices to the National Do-Not-Call List, the Better Business Bureau, as well as the Real Estate Agency. And so do you. You've done nothing wrong, so why accept blame for the very few cheaters who want to get the jump on the competition through unfair business practices? Encourage the seller to make a complaint if you feel that strongly.

It's time agents play by the same rules. The great majority of our profession are hard-working, honest, ethical folks trying to do the right thing for their clients. "Ignoring" the rules/laws is the same thing as breaking them. Please pass this D-N-C law onto your principal broker. Maybe we can finally all be playing on a level playing field again when prospecting for future business.

Just my opinion... If you are ever in need of an ethical, honest Realtor in Oregon, please give me a call. As always, I appreciate all referrals. Have a great week! :-) ~~ Bobby