Sub Prime Implosion

Some of you may have heard about the implosion in the sub-prime market.  Many are intimating that 100% financing is no longer available, or only available to those with pristine credit.  At this time approximately 40+ mortgage companies have closed their doors, some without notice, and foreclosures are on the rise. 

It is still possible to obtain 100% financing.  The lenders have certainly tightened up the requirements, and will continue to do so.  If you have reasonable credit and are not reaching beyond your means you should not have any problem obtaining financing for your purchase.  The wisest decision would be to call your loan officer prior to beginning your home search, and to shop within your means. 

If you would like referrals to several excellent lenders, do not hesitate to ask. 

Posted on March 17, 2007 20:29:47 by Laurie.Manny

Rewarding Excellence in Long Beach CA

 LONG BEACH REAL ESTATE

Rewarding Excellence in Long Beach CA

A TRIP TO STAPLES LONG BEACH CA THAT WILL "NEVER" BE FORGOTTEN

As you all know we Long Beach Realtors are a busy bunch and when we need something we generally need it right now.  So it was for me today.  I needed a new day planner right away for my busy Long Beach Real Estate business, so I went to Staple's up at the Long Beach traffic circle on my way into the office.  Now you know that a trip to Staples isn't much different than a trip to the grocery or drug store.  Personally I don't like going into any of these stores because I usually end up leaving with about half of their inventory. 

Upon entering the store I grabbed one of those 10 ton buckets of licorice for the office, found my new day planner and remembered I needed a new head set for my TREO, so I bop on over to the electronics department.  There is a service desk in the electronics department with a Staples employee servicing another customer.  I asked where the headsets were, received an answer and went over to check them out.  None of them indicated they were comparable to a TREO so I head back to the service desk where the customer was no longer apparent.  I asked the Staples employee for assistance, he indicated that he was still working with another customer but would get me help.  He then paged somebody named Larry twice.  I waited, and waited, and waited and I was done.  I told him thanks but it was taking too long, bye bye, and proceeded to the check out counter, a bit ticked off.  Found a mess of other items at the counter that I didn't need, tossed them into my basket as well. 

Just as I finished placing all of my items on the counter the Staples employee who tried to assist me in the electronics department arrives at the checkout counter and whisks all of my items off of the counter while saying, "You are not paying for anything today!" and places my order into bags and hands it to me saying "I am really sorry for the way you were treated here today, I will make it a point for that to never happen again, please accept my apologies".  I was speechless (a rare state for me).  I thanked him and went to leave the store. 

Read more »

Posted on March 09, 2007 19:13:47 by Laurie.Manny

Selling Your Long Beach California Home? Its A Whole New Game!

Selling Your Long Beach Home

ITS A WHOLE NEW GAME

First came the 'Do Not Call List'.  Soon to be followed by the 'Do Not Mail List'.  Now the City of Long Beach has Launched a campaign to stop unwanted handbills, which means no fliers and menus on doorsteps.  Even I have to admit that I was very pleased about the 'Do Not Call List', the unwanted solicitations were out of control.  The mail doesnt bother me much, I open my mail over a large trash can which is where the clear majority of it lands.  I dont know about you, but I like receiving the take out menus, you never know when they will come in handy.  I also enjoy getting the latest fliers and area information from my local Long Beach  REALTOR.  Its great to know whats going on in your neck of the woods. 

So, if a Long Beach REALTOR cannot call, cannot mail and now cannot drop on some door-steps, how are they going to reach the community to market your Long Beach property, beyond placing it on the MLS?  The local newspaper?  The Grunion Gazette and the Downtown Gazette have been the Long Beach Real Estate Bible and have been great resources in the past, but buyers really dont frequent the Gazette ads any more, and they are very expensive to place.  Same story with the Long Beach Press Telegram, The Real Estate Book, Homes and Land Magazine, etc¦  All of the paper resources, that have been so successful in the past for advertising and marketing your Long Beach Home, just dont work anymore.  Some, like The Real Estate Book and Homes and Land Magazine are moving most of their advertising onto the Internet in order to stay in the game.  The New York Times doesnt even expect to be in print in the coming years says Arthur Sulzberger, publisher of the New York Times. 

The Internet is evolving so rapidly that companies like Realtor.com, who have been integral in the sale of homes for years now are beginning to fade into the background as major powerhouses emerge.  Zillow, Trulia and many other companies are taking the Internet by storm.  If your Long Beach Realtor  is not a part of the transition into the future of marketing real estate in a big way on the Internet, you will be left in the dust. 

A year ago 70% of all Buyers were beginning their search on the Internet.  Now more than 80% of all Buyers are actively shopping, and finding their homes, on the Internet.  Hiring a local Long Beach Realtor who is Internet savvy, has the technology in place, and can provide you with massive Internet exposure has become an absolute necessity in todays new market.  Internet Marketing has become the only effective venue to sell your Long Beach Home

You would think that all REALTORS would have, Search Engine Optimized (SEO), lead generating web sites, wouldnt you?  A lead generating web site takes a tremendous amount of time, maintenance, knowledge and money to produce. 

As many of these real estate agents scramble to get web sites, technology passes them by unnoticed.  Welcome to the age of Blogging.  Todays top real estate professionals across the country have discovered the many advantages of an amazing opportunity.  Blogs are not like traditional websites.  They are not bogged down by all of the toys and gadgets, and provide a clear path for the search engines to find them and send your message to the top of the search engines.  Savvy real estate agents from around the country have set up local real estate blog sites and are blogging on large national networks like ActiveRain and Localism, driving heavy traffic to their websites.

Read more »

Posted on March 04, 2007 15:25:26 by Laurie.Manny

Media Madness - Let the Buyer Beware

Back on 1/26/2007 Active Rain member Chichi Ahia wrote an exceptional post; Is Your REALTOR on Your Side? (Yet Another Realtor Slam) which many of you may recall.  It was about an article By Stephen Gandel, Money Magazine senior writer, on CNN Money.com titled 'How to make your Realtor work for you'.  The article basically told buyers they didnt need representation, was inflammatory to the extreme and garnered a rapid 65 angry comments.

 
I was very disturbed by the article and did a Google search of the authors name which led me to Spencer Barrons blog. His post begins:

'How about that. I actually got quoted in Money Magazine. Albeit my statement appears a bit truncated, it is not incorrect. Im quoted as saying 'People offer higher commissions because it works'. Ill stand by that. Offering a higher commission to a buyers agent does help sell your home. It doesnt necessarily help you get a better price but it will get you slightly more traffic. Ill explain, but first, this is what Im talking about. The February 2007 Article entitled 'Is your Realtor on your Side?' by Stephen Gandel

Steves seems to be trying to get his fingers on the pulse of real estate but cant seem to get past the waiting room.'     Read More¦.

Read more »

Posted on March 02, 2007 17:11:51 by Laurie.Manny

Marketing Your Long Beach CA Real Estate For All That it is Worth

E-MARKETING

Getting "OUT OF THE BOX" to sell your

Long Beach CA Real Estate!

A very sharp tool, complimenting the already large Marketing Toolbox provided to our clients, is the exclusive and unique E-Marketing Campaign, developed for the quick and effective sale of your Long Beach Property.  Reaching over 110,000 households, it proves to be one of the fastest and most effective ways of exposing your property to the largest possible audience.

This is only a sample of many distinct and unique advantages of listing your Long Beach Real Estate with this top professional. 

Marketing your property is my job and I take it very seriously. In a slow market, you need a strong REALTOR.  

For a Free Consultation contact:  Laurie Manny (562) 212-5420

Posted on February 27, 2007 15:17:59 by Laurie.Manny