Burbank Real Estate Blog

          ePro®.......CRS®.........SRES®?????

I thought I would tap the vast amount of knowledge and expertise available through the AR community!  I am currently sifting through the copious amounts of information regarding all of the many different designations we, as agents, can obtain.  

Here are a few examples:

CNS-Certified Neighborhood Specialist

Eco-Broker-comprehensive energy and environmental real estate training

GRI-Graduate Realtor Institute

ePro-Internet Professionalism Certificate 

CRS-Certified Residential Specialist

SRES-Senior Certified Specialist 

All designations require time, money and some thought as to which will provide value to your business.  I have some ideas as to which ones I might be interested in but I would like to know which designations you would recommend or have found to be useful in your daily business.

Your feedback, as always, would be most appreciated! 

By the way, Brad Andersohn wrote a post a few months back with great explanations and links to enroll!

For your Burbank Real Estate needs please visit my website at anaconnell.com!

Monday 25

Existing Home Sales-consensus 5.99M The market has low expectation for this number, we'll see where it comes in.

3 & 6 Month Bill Auction 

Tuesday 26

ICSC-USB Store Sales  Tracks comparable weekly sales from major retail chains and represents 10% of total retail sales.  Is considered to be one of the most timely indicators of consumer spending.

Redbook a timely indicator of consumer spending and also represents about 10% of total retail sales.  This measure tracks weekly sales from discounters, chain and department stores.

Consumer Confidence Consensus 105.

New Home Sales Consensus 920,000

4 Week Bill Auction

2 Year Note Auction 

I watched 20/20 tonight and I came away with a few thoughts:

• I think it's very apparent that many consumers, including the reporters, don't know what Realtors do and what value they bring to the process of buying and selling a home.  

• The one seller they interviewed that sold her house for $350, through FSBO.com and received multiple offers made it look easy.  They did not interview any of the multitude of owners who have tried to sell their homes without a real estate agent, unsuccessfully.  If they had included one of these sellers they might have provided some insights into the amount of work involved and a more balanced view into why people do choose to hire a real estate agent.

• They did interview one couple who were very pleased with their agent and thought the 6% was worth it, and they did quickly mention some of the services agents provide.

• Overall, 20/20 did provide better information than the 60 Minutes segment, however they seemed to put more emphasis on the studies and subjective thoughts from the authors of "Freakonomics", who also conducted a study on home sales in Madison Wisconsin. Unfortunately we have no specific details of this study in terms of size, study group etc. So we, the viewer, have no way to know how realistic this data is or how applicable to other markets.

• According to Levitt, one of the authors, in the future everyone will pay $500 instead of 6%.........you can formulate your own thoughts on this prediction.
  

• The home stager was the big winner on this show.  She projected confidence and had a succinct, somewhat powerful statement that clearly articulated a stager's value.    

I'm a bit perplexed......either the editing is such as to promote a certain viewpoint or the folks they are choosing to represent realtors are not doing a great job of articulating the worth of utilizing a real estate agent.  Based on these particular interviews I was not impressed.  Again, I recognize that the editing gods could be to blame.

Here is the link to the show!  I would recommend that you read the text or watch it and try to view this from a consumer's stand point.  I recognize that the show is out of date, which I think is atrocious that ABC does not address this point, but I think we can learn from it.

Instead of being annoyed or angry start working on your value statement to consumers. I know I'm working on mine.  We all need to do a good job of explaining why someone should pay tens of thousands of dollars to hire a realtor.

Hope this helps those that missed the show and if you watched it, I would welcome your comments! 

Thank you Marlene Bridges for pointing out that the show was 2 years old! 

Hi all,

I just saw a commercial for the 20/20 that's on tonight on ABC and the topic is how to get rich with Real Estate and "Do you need an Agent"?

Not sure where they are going with this but it should be an interesting watch, to say the least!

After the 60 Minutes one sided adventure I'm curious to see where and who they will focus their interviews on.

Just thought you might want to see it! 

Don't miss it!  Only until June 24th at the Falcon Theatre.

The Value of Names, starring Jack Klugman(Odd Couple, Qunicy MD), Liz Larsen(Law and Order) and Dan Lauria(Wonder Years, Jag) received a Critic's Choice  recommendation from the LA Times!

The show is only going on for a few more days at Gary Marshall's Falcon Theatre which is located at 4252 Riverside Drive, Burbank Ca.

This is a great, intimate venue where you can enjoy quality productions with amazing cast members for a fraction of the cost!  If you have never been to the Falcon Theatre, it's worth putting on your must do list! 

For your Burbank Real Estate needs please visit my website at anaconnell.com!

City of Burbank has a Youth Transportation Program designed for residents between the ages of 10-18.  It provides a fantastic way for our kids to get around, for FREE!

If you are a Burbank resident and have kids that need to get around take them to the Verdugo Recreation Center, 3201 West Verdugo Avenue and you can obtain free passes for them.  Proof of residency(utility bill, school ID) is required.  Participant and parent or guardian must complete the appropriate paperwork.

For your Burbank Real Estate needs please visit my website at anaconnell.com!

Confidence slips to lowest level in 16 years 

Housing starts fall in May 

California Economy, Housing Downturn should be hurting more.... 

Home Foreclosures Hit Record 

I believe in Silver Linings and I believe that all markets go through cycles. 

I'm writing this post because it seems as if everything I've been reading is very negative.  That sometimes can be a contrarian indicator. 

Now I'm not saying that we don't have more downside and I'm not trying to sugar coat the market we are in, at the same time I think that these types of markets do end.  Whether we have felt the full effect of the subprime mess and the foreclosure aftermath is anyone's guess.

Let's not forget about the brewing mess over at Bear Stearns and the potential waves that could cause.

Having said all that I'd love to know what you market veterans think of our current situation and where you think we are going in the next 12-18 months! 

Please, don't be shy! 

For your Burbank Real Estate needs please visit my website at anaconnell.com!

Recently Los Angeles Councilwoman Wendy Greuel announced the addition of 80 acres to Verdugo Mountain Park.  The park is now 565 acres and the fourth largest in the San Fernando Valley!

In an age where land is at a premium and constantly being developed it is refreshing to see local politicians that are truly interested in preserving our public spaces.  The City of Los Angeles purchased this land from a private owner and the funds came from Proposition 40 which was passed in 2002, Proposition K passed in 1996 and funds from Council District 2, Wendy Greuel's District funds.

As Real Estate agents we talk to our sellers about staging a home and making it look beautiful.  We recommend that all clutter go away and that excess family pictures be stored.  What I find amazing is how many times I walk into a home and the smell completely spoils the experience. 

Sellers need to understand that while they may be used to the odor, potential buyers will probably be turned off by it.

Here are some tips on helping the senses:

• Hire a good cleaning crew before you list the house.

• Put in new carpeting if cleaning the old one is not enough.

• Incorporate incense, candles and other aroma aids throughout the house.(Use the same scent, otherwise you may end up with a not so pleasant potpourri of scents)

• Replace litter frequently in your litter box, keep pets off your furniture.

• If possible, keep your animals in one area, or outside, to limit accidents.

 
I know some of these options may not be possible, but getting creative about finding solutions to this issue may translate into thousands of dollars in your pocket!

Every Thursday night in July and August from 6:30pm to 8:00pm the Autry National Center will host live music for outdoor dancing fun for the entire family!  

Enjoy the fabulous beat of latin jazz, mambo and Afro-Cuban rhythms along with food, drink and complimentary dance lessons!

Admission is $5 or FREE if you are an Autry member!