When Buying A House, Can I Talk Directly To The Seller?

     Of course, you can talk directly to the seller.  Often, when we deal with a Realtor, the Realtor wants to keep the buyer and seller away from each other.

     There are many reasons for this.  Sometimes this is very desirable for everyone.  Sometimes that is not the case.  If you believe your transaction would go smoother if you talked with the seller, get in touch with the other seller.

     The Realtors are governed by the rules of the MLS and the code of ethics of the Realtors association.  You, as a buyer or seller are not governed by these rules.

     For instance,  if you believe that the Realtor is not submitting your offer to the seller,  call the seller and ask them.  Your Realtor can not do that but you can.  You don't need anyone's permission.

     Realtors have two legitimate fears.  One fear is that the buyer and seller will make some effort to eliminate the commission.  This is almost impossible.  Realtors figure why take a chance.  If we can physically keep the buyer and seller apart, this is good.

     The Realtor's other legitimate fear is that the buyer and seller will somehow offend each other and get into a fight or flight mode.  Everybody gets mad and no closing.  This is a genuine fear.

     There could be some other reason one Realtor wants to keep the parties apart. One of the Realtors, for one of a dozen reasons, does not want this buyer to buy this property.

     If this seems to be the case, that is when you as the buyer want to certainly get in touch with the seller.  Your Realtor (governed by the rules of the MLS) can not contact the seller.  You are not bound by those rules. 

     If things smell fishy, contact the seller.  It is a pretty good bet that the seller wants the deal to close as much as you do.           
   
     http://www.climerrealestateschool.com/

How To Write A Google Review

      I hope this does not seem too self-serving.  I am writing this because I believe many of my students would post favorable Google reviews for Climer School of Real Estate if they knew how. Before you start you must have a Google account.  If you don't have one, create one.  If you are in business, there is a dozen reasons why you should have one.

     After you have created your Google account, go to Google's home page.  Click on "MAPS".

     Type in Climer School of Real Estate.

     Click on the little orange pin in the map.

     Click on MORE.

     Click on WRITE A REVIEW.

     Sign in to your Google account and write a review .

     If you are in real estate, you need to know a few basics like this.  If this is new for you, go to your neighborhood and write some reviews for your favorite restaurant or title insurance company or home inspector or florist or pest control company.  This is good karma.

     Thank you and we believe the best review is when you show up to take another real estate course.  We will see you at the 45 hour post license class.

     http://www.climerrealestateschool.com/

How To Get A Florida Real Estate License

      To get a Florida real estate license, the first thing you have to do is to apply with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for a real estate license.  The fee for this is $105. The DBPR's website is www.myfloridalicense.com . 

     You have to get your fingerprints taken. The fee for that is $57.  It has to be done at a place approved by the DBPR.

      You can find information about qualifications at my website at www.climerrealestateschool.com . You can also find out when my next 63 hour pre license class is. That is the class you need to pass before you take your Florida real estate exam.  You can take this class in a classroom for $220 or you can take it on line at Climer School of Real Estate for $199.  If you take it on line, we suggest that you buy a textbook.  You do not have to but it helps a lot.  If you take the 63 hour pre license class in the classroom, the textbook is included in the $220.  The textbook we use is " Florida Real Estate Principles and Practices and Law" by Linda Crawford.  Do yourself a favor.  Do not take an on line class from a real estate school that is not in Florida.  Read some of my previous articles to learn the consequences of that mistake.  Do not learn this the hard way.

      After you apply for your Florida real estate license through the DBPR, and you take your course from a Florida real estate school, now you need to pass the Florida real estate exam given at fifteen sites throughout Florida.  You can take this test anywhere there is a Pearson Vue testing facility.  One of my recent students is taking his test in Alaska.  There is a $31 fee to take the test. The pass rate is about 52% for first timers and about 33% foe repeaters.  That is why it is important that you go to a good Florida real estate school.

      We have a bunch of study aids to help you pass the Florida state exam. We have books and audio discs and You Tube videos.  Most of my students just come to class and go pass the Florida state exam.

     That is it . Apply $105. Get your fingerprints done $57.  Take the course $220. Pass the Florida real estate exam $31.  You are a Florida licensed real estate agent.  We even have career opportunities from local Realtors that are willing to reimburse your school tuition with your first commission.  Call Kathy in Orlando at 407 822 3926.  Get started now.  Contact us at www.climerrealestateschool.com .

Florida On Line Real Estate Course

     You can take your Florida online real estate course anywhere or you can take your Florida online real estate class from a Florida real estate school. 

     At Climer School of Real Estate, we know nothing about the other forty nine states.  We know everything about Florida real estate law.  If you take your Florida real estate course from us, we will teach you about Florida real estate laws.  We will not teach you about dower rights.  We don't have dower in Florida.  We will not teach you about community property.  We do not have community property in Florida.

    If you want to get your Florida real estate license, save your self a lot  of aggravation.  Take your basic course from a Florida real estate school with a brick and mortar location in Florida.

     What about price?  There is not enough difference between the lowest and the highest price. 

     If you are going into residential real estate, most brokers will reimburse your real estate school tuition, with your first commission.

     Climer School of Real Estate may not be the best real estate school in Florida.  Then again, maybe Climer School of Real Estate is the best real estate school in Florida. This is very important. Climer School of Real Estate is in Florida.  We have been teaching Florida rules and laws for thirty years.

     Go to http://www.climerrealestateschool.com/ and sign up for a on line real estate class.  Better yet, if you are near Orlando, come take that class in person.  Call Kathy at 407 822 3926.

An Equestrian Visit To Tryon , North Carolina

     On VRBO.com , vacation rental by owner , there is a beautiful house in Tryon, North Carolina for weekly vacation rentals.  We call it the North Carolina Stone House.

     If you are going to Tryon, North Carolina for an equestrian event, you could not find a better place to stay.

     Six adults can stay here in luxury for the price of a motel room.

     If you are taking your horse to Tryon, stay in the Stone House.

     If you need more details, call Kathy at 407 822 3926

     http://www.climerrealestateschool.com/

Can You Guarantee That I Will Pass The Florida Real Estate Exam?

     At Climer School of Real Estate, we are often asked, "Will you guarantee that I will pass the Florida real estate exam?"
     I know that the study aids that we sell are top notch.  I know that my audio dics state exam review class is exactly what you need to know to pass the Florida real estate exam.  I know that my Florida real estate math videos on You Tube are exactly what is on the state exam.
     I know that my two day cram course is the best real estate exam review class in Florida.  I know that the exam study manual that we sale with four hundred practice questions is the best book you can find to study for the Florida real estate exam. 
     I know that the one hundred question practice exam on my website at http://www.climerrealestateschool.com/ is a very close replica of the Florida real estate exam.   If you can pass that, you will pass the state exam.
     I know what you need to pass.  What I don't know is will you study?
     Fifty per cent of the people that take the Florida state exam fail.  Avail yourself to the study aids that Climer School of Real Estate has to offer.  It cost thirty one dollars every time you take the real estate test.
     If any school tells you they will guarantee you pass or offers you a refund if you fail, check with the Department of Business and Professioial Regulation to ascertain if they have a Florida real school permit.
     Since this is a violation of Florida Statute 475, they probably do not have a Florida permit.
     If you want to pass your exam next time, call Kathy at 407 822 3926.  We have a Florida permit and  our ZH number is posted right on our website.

How Well Do You Know The FAR_BAR Contract Or Whatever You Use?

     I have written a short test so you can test yourself. It is better to test yourself here instead of between contract and closing when a question comes up and the other Realtor says, "According to what your customer agreed to in the contract...."

     Take this test and answer the questions by quoting the contract form that you usually use.

     What if the house has termites?
   
     If we have a escrow dispute, how do we settle that and who pays those expenses?

     What if I don't qualify for the loan?  Do I get my deposit back?

     What if the seller backs out, what does the buyer get?

      If I am the seller, when do I get my money?  Is that in the contract?

     If the house is empty, who turns on the utilities for the inspections?

     If there is a small kitchen fire between contract and closing is the buyer still bound to close?  Who pays for those repairs?

     If it says one thing in the fine print and the opposite in the handwritten addendum, what wins?

     If the survey reveals an encroachment, what happens?

     Are the HOA fees mentioned in the contract?  How do I know for sure how much they are?

     Here are ten questions. I could write twenty more. What I want you to realize is that you have to understand this document.  Your customer is agreeing to lots of things.  I am sure there are people reading this article that have never read the contract that we use every day.

     If there are things you don't understand, get more training. Things you don't understand will get you sued or get your Florida real estate license suspended.  This is very important.


     If you are a sales manager or team leader, ask your team to answer these questions from the contract.

     If you need in help or want some additionial training, call me at Climer School of Real Estate at 407 822 3926 or http://www.climerrealestateschool.com/ . This is important.

   

What You Need To Do To Earn Money As A Florida Real Estate Agent

     You need to talk to prospects.  Everything else is a detail.

     The definition of a prospect is someone that needs or wants your product, can afford it, and will probably buy it soon from you or your competitor.

     My previous posts were about contacting forsalebyowners, expired listings and foreclosure victims.  If you did not like that field of prospects, I suppose you could send post cards to obits and search divorce records. 

     Death, divorce and duress are what keep us in business.
     Let's be practical. If you are going to get some listings and make some money, you need to talk to a prospect. 

     If you don't want to pick up the phone and call a forsalebyowner of expired listing or foreclosure victim, just admit it.  You don't want to call them.  That is OK. Send them some mail or find another way to make them call you.  Make them call you. That is the ticket.  Get them to call you.  How can we do that?

     You could start a blog.  This is a blog. How did you get here?  Did you google a word or a question?  Did I meet you somewhere and asked you to read this article?  How did you get here? 

     If you started a blog about :
     Getting Your House Sold
     Great Neighborhoods in Orlando
     Why Be Foreclosed On?
     America's Best Real Estate Agent

     If you started such a blog, would anyone read it?  Would that person need a Realtor?  If they needed a Realtor, would they call you?  If they did call you, would you list their house and get it sold?  Can you think of a reason why this would not work?  If you can, leave me a comment.

     You could start your blog at eblogger.  How much does it cost?  It is free. 

     You could start your blog at Active Rain.  That is also free.

     Or, you could not start.  Everything has to start.  Your real estate career has to start.  It does not have to start slow.  You can make it start fast.  You are probably going to have to dial the phone to do that.
    
     You could start by calling one forsalebyowner or one expired listing or one foreclosure victim.

     If the only thing stopping you is you don't know what to say, send me an email at ronclimer@yahoo.com . I am working on a short ebook  that I intend to sell for $5 and  that will be released soon.  If you would like to be notified when it is ready.

     Selling real estate is such a wonderful way to earn a living.  Do not let unrecognized fear or lack of skill slow down your start.

     http://www.climerrealestateschool.com/

How Does That Happen?

    At Climer School of Real Estate, we were discussing "goodwill", that intangible asset that some business posses.

    I used as an example of a local Bar B. Q. restaurant called Four Rivers Smokehouse in Winter Park.  I asked my twenty students how many had heard of this place.  Every hand in the room went up.  Clark, a young man that just recently moved here from Texas, remarked that he had not only heard of Four Rivers but he had checked it out.  He professed that this was better barbecue than he had ever eaten in Dallas.

    The only problem with Four Rivers is the line to get in the door is a half block long.  I first heard of this restaurant when I saw on the six o'clock channel 9 news that the neighbors two blocks away were calling the police to complain about people parking in front of their house and walking two blocks for this delicious barbecue.  You can not buy advertising like that.

    In class, Helen raised her hand and asked," How does this happen?  The answer is word of mouth.  I mentioned Seth Godin's book, "Purple Cow".  Two students wrote that author's name and title down.  Will they read that book or buy that book or recommend that book?  Probably, because it is remarkable. 

    Remarkable.  We need to be remarkable.  We need people to remark about us.  In person, on their facebook pages, on their twitter.  To be remarked about, you have to do more, be more, try more and get better results.

    It starts with a desire and continues with an attitude.

    Be remarkable.

    We all do business every day with ho hum people.  Have you read "The Fred Factor"?  It is a book, an entire book, about a remarkable postal worker.  Anyone can be remarkable.  It requires a lot of effort.

    When would be a good time to start?
    www.climerrealestateschool.com

Compute Your Own Mortgage Payments

    Mortgage brokers and Realtors like to keep a shroud of mystery around computing mortgage payments.
It is simplest, easiest way is to buy yourself a Hewlett-Packard 10 -B calculator for thirty dollars.  I strongly suggest this. There is, no doubt, an app to put this on your phone.

    The second easiest way is to understand mortgage factors. 

    Very simply, a mortgage factor is the payment on one dollar for a period of time.

    The monthly mortgage factor for 5% for thirty years is .0053682.  That means if you borrowed one dollar and paid it back over thirty years, your payment would be about one half penny per month. If you borrowed $100,000, multiply that by .0053682.  Your payment would be $536.82. Multiply the factor times the mortgage amount.

    If you know the mortgage factor, you can compute mortgage payments.
                                       15 yrs                     30 yrs
    4%                               .0073723              .00475829
    4.5%                            .00762135            .00504792
    5%                               .0079079               .0053682
    5.5%                            .0081708               .0056779
    6%                                .0084386               .0059955
    6.5                                 .0087111               .0063207
   Just multiply the factor times the loan amount, there is your principal and interest payment

   If you need more details watch my You Tube video at climerschool
   http://www.climerrealestateschool.com/ or 407 822 3926