WHO IS SELLING YOUR INFORMATION.... find out now!

Id like to talk about information privacy and overall awareness.  We have all heard about Target being compromised a few years back and I am sure many of you have dealt with having your credits cards compromised as well.

My question is, how many of you are giving away your information and don't even know it.  Have you heard of Moviepass?  Moviepass is a new subscription service where, for a flat rate, you can see upto one movie per day in theaters (the flat rate is often less than the cost of an individual ticket). 

How can a company do this and still be profitable you might be wondering....  the answer is simple they are selling your information.  That is their entire business model.  They sell marketing and demographic information to big firms so they can better target customer like you!

Now how does this relate to Real Estate your wondering... Certain company's are doing the same thing on a much larger scale!  They will offer discounted products and services and take a loss but sell your information in order to be profitable.  Many of these company's are not licensed Real Estate agents and/or brokers so they are not subject to the same regulations as a Realtor would be.  

These are lenders and websites offering real estate services at a discounted price preying on the fact that most people do not read the fine print!  And think how much personal information you must disclose when you are going through the home buying process...  IT IS A LOT!!!  A Realtor however has a fiduciary responsiblity to you, their client, and that includes confidentiality.

Contact me today for more information!

Buyer Be Warned...always read the fine print

Today I would like to delve nitty gritty of the "get rich quick" programs of Real Estate.  I see the Facebook ads and hear the radio commercials multiple times a day.  Personally I tend to avoid anything that sounds to good to be true. 

As a Realtor there are certain ethical lines that these programs either blur or completely disregard.  I decided to actually read the fine print off one of these programs that I hear about too often.

This is the bottom portion of nrbaltimore.com.  When you open this link you will see they use Dean Cain as a spokesman and they are giving away 599.00 dollars worth of materials to those that attend their seminar.  The materials however are mostly produced by them so they can assign any value that they wish.

In that fine print it is stated that all of the students who attended have invested in additional education and materials (very common in these programs).  All of their results are exceptional.  And of course there many variables in Real Estate and nothing is guaranteed etc...  

The way these programs often work is they lure you in with freebies and hope and they will continue taking more from your wallet than they are imparting upon you.  

Real Estate is and will always be one of the most secure investments.  Just be wry of who you invest your time and money with.

Man Plans, G-D Laughs, a Realtor Perseveres!

Yesterday myself and my partner in crime for the day, Talibah Anderson, were set up at the Relay For Life of Eastern Baltimore County event.  It was an adventure!

After arriving to the office nice and early to finish prepping handouts, inflating balloons, and accounting for everything, we were off.  At less than 10 minutes out I decided to turn off my gps (that was a bad decision), there are two non connected streets of the same name a block from one another, one is clearly labeled, the other is not.  

Essentially, we ended up adding 15 minutes, no big deal because we left early, right?  Wrong! when we were finally a couple minutes away I realized we forgot our tent.

We ended up arriving 45 minutes into our 2 hours set up window.  We still had a comfortable buffer, things look Great.  We met some awesome people, we schmooze, we had an AMAZING time! until...

After several warning shots of thunder and lightening in the distance, the skies erupted.  We were soaked.  Many of the vendors left immediately, we tried to wait it out but our handouts were getting wet and there were few to people to interact with given that everyone sought shelter.

Of course on the drive back to the office the sun came out.  Next time we will be better prepared for all contingency's!  

BTW, we will be drawing for the raffle in the next couple days, we just need to make the basket look presentable once more.

Don't be scammed...Call A Realtor

It seems everyday I am reading a new article about innocent people being scammed.

What happens is someone will appropriate someone else's address.  They will then list this address for rent in Craigslist and other venues where customers without representation might be looking.

In the ad the scammer will specify that they are out of town and they need a down payment upfront typically by wire transfer.

Ultimately, the scammer collects money, the customer, (who thinks they found a great deal) shows up at the door only to find out they were scammed.  They are out money and have no where to go...  The home owner meanwhile will have hoards of people showing up at their property, ready to move in.

Long story short, use a buyers or tenants agent when you are looking for a new place.  Realtor's are held to higher standards and face harsh penalty's if they are complicit in any scams.

Veterans, The VHO, and Doing the RIGHT THING...

Doing the right thing is EASY.  Doing the wrong or morally questionable thing we often struggle to justify.

On Sunday, an old Veteran friend currently living in Hawaii reached out to me.  He saw through my social media that I am a Realtor and he wanted to know if I can help him purchase a home in Texas.  Of course I said yes!

Now, there are some numbers to be aware of, Real estate agents can request a referral fee when referring another agent clients.  Typically that referral fee is 25% off the gross commission.  Sounds great, right?  Helping a friend find quality representation (because I did research everyone qualified in the area that he desired), and getting a small referral fee on the side, what could go wrong?

Well... I also work with the Veterans Housing Organization where 25% of my commission can be donated back to a veteran clients as a gift at closing.  So, ultimately when my old friend closes on his new house he will be receiving a nice little bonus that he can use for anything.  

A Second Chance and Much Much MORE!

Yesterday I hosted a Homebuyers Seminar at Dundalk United Methodist Church.  It was a small showing, but those that did show up were eager to learn.  I would have taken video or pictures, but to be honest, when I start talking about things I love, such as real estate, I lose track of everything else.

I just published part of my presentation online as a slideshow so anyone interested in Understanding the Home Buying Process, please click below:

Also, today I hosted an open house, it was quite the adventure...

Beyond that, today I put the finishing touches on a raffle basket that will be FREE to enter, this Saturday, June 9, at the RELAY FOR LIFE of Eastern Baltimore County event in White Marsh, MD.

Finally, today an old veteran friend reached out.  He is currently in Hawaii and looking to buy in Texas.  He wanted to know if I could help.  He was in luck!  I work with the Veterans Housing Organization and basically my referral fee is going to be gifted to him through the VHO at close.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Gas Card Drawing...

Today I held a drawing for a 25 Dollar gas card.  Eligibility requirements were simple, like my page and share a specific post.  What I learned however was that due to individual privacy settings I would not be able to see everyone who shared.  Also, some people liked the post instead of the page, that is okay.

I chose to include everyone that liked and/or shared the post.

I went live on Facebook at about 4pm on Friday June 1, 2018 and pulled names from a hat.

Cassie Stivers was the winner.

Fortunately, Cassie is attending my Homebuyers Seminar tomorrow at 6903 Mornington Road in Dundalk MD, 21222.  Expect a follow up and review of the seminar shortly thereafter.