USAA Redefines Car Buying with Launch of Auto CircleTM: Find, Finance, Insure on Mobile App
SAN ANTONIO, August 4, 2010: Buying a car? USAA has an app for that. “Think of Home Circle as an all-access pass for our members. Through this program they can now tap into the same comprehensive listing information available to real estate agents”
Read more on The Auto Channel

Nursing home rat stole £50k to pay for drug habit
A nursing home worker stole £50,000 from elderly residents to fund his cocaine habit. Jaspal Sandhar, 25, also spent the cash on hiring flash cars, buying designer clothes and gambling at casinos. All his three victims lived at The Willows Nursing Home in Higher Broughton, Salford, which is owned by one of Sandhar’s relatives.
Read more on Salford Advertiser

Buying Your First House? Be on HGTV! [My First Place]
For those Austinites who are currently looking for their first home, you can have that process documented forever! And then broadcast to millions of people on HGTV! We first mentioned this a few months ago , but HGTV’s My First Place is still looking for Austinites — and their realtors — who are just beginning the search for their first home. The break down of the show is basically this: you …
Read more on Austinist

Whether you are looking for a home of your very own or are interested in creating a long term working relationship with a realtor for the purposes of property investment it is very important that you find a realtor who will listen to your needs and wishes and act accordingly. The right realtor for your needs can mean all the difference in the world between a successful and profitable transaction now as well as many more in the future (if you plan on investing in multiple properties). Below are some important things to notice when selecting a realtor that will meet your needs.

1) Does the realtor you are considering listen to your needs? This is important as it will save you both a lot of time and money in the process of finding the perfect home for your family or for an investment property. If the realtor is constantly presenting properties that do not meet your budget or price requirements it might be a good idea to either lay down the law or find a realtor that is willing to expect your wishes and needs.
2) Does he or she ask questions and provide appropriate feedback? This indicates a direct interest in your needs, which is important-particularly when planning for a long-term investment relationship though some find it even more important when purchasing a home for their family home as this is a personal matter rather than a business matter. We all have a tendency to be more selective when placing the welfare of our family in the hands of another.
3) Do you feel comfortable dealing with the realtor you are considering? As I mentioned above we tend to be a little choosier when selecting professionals to help our families. Why on earth would be any less so when it comes to the realtor that will help our families find a home? Rapport is a good word to describe the sort of relationship you need to develop with your realtor. Do you have a good rapport with a potential realtor? If not, then move along. There are many realtors in most cities and there is absolutely no reason that you should deal with a realtor that doesn’t make you feel comfortable and secure.
4) How well does the realtor in question know the area in which you are seeking a home? There are many things that make a home a ‘good buy’ for residential and investment purposes. You want a realtor that has his or her finger on the pulse of the city and the various areas of interest, growth, and decline within the city. School districts matter more now than at any other time in our history in most cases, he or she should know about the schools, new business developments, and the value of property in the area (as well as the tendencies of property values to rise or fall over the last several years).
5) Does the realtor in question have specific experience dealing with your specific real estate needs? Whether you are planning a residential transaction or if you are seeking investment property you will need a dedicated and experienced professional that can help you meet your goals.

Realtors are a dime for a dozen in most cities and competition is fierce. There is no reason whatsoever that anyone should suffer with an agent that you do not feel is working for you or have your best interests at heart. If you invest a little bit of time and energy shopping around for the right realtor to meet your needs, you will find that your real estate transactions will take much less time and effort for this small sacrifice. It is much better to make the decision based on a few careful interviews in the beginning than after looking at fifty or more homes that do not meet your needs or price range. Then you have wasted a great deal of time and effort and you must still either risk wasting more time and effort or take the time to select another realtor for your real estate needs.

I also highly recommend selecting a real estate agent with a significant online presence. This means that he or she is making use of the available technology in order to offer more options to you as the consumer. Buying a house can be a mind-boggling process for the average person. Having a good realtor can make the process work so much more smoothly.

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When it comes to buying a home, most potential buyers will use the listing price to as the number one factor to determine the homes that they look at. Even though you and a realtor may determine the asking price, the buyer will determine the selling price. If the price is too high, most buyers won?t give it a second thought – which is why you want to determine the listing price carefully.

If you set the correct price, you?ll notice a much faster sale. Setting the right listing price will also attract more potential buyers to your property as well. You?ll also notice an increase in response from realtors, and receive more calls about the property. The listing price is very important – and it can ultimately determine whether or not you sale your property.

A home can be overpriced due to several reasons. Overpricing is something you want to avoid, as buyers tend to steer clear of homes that have been overpriced. Normally, this happens when a buyer asks a lot more than the home is worth or valued at. Some buyers ask a lot more than the value of the home due to location. Although the location is very important, most potential buyers won?t give the home a second look if they think the price is too high – and more importantly out of their price range.

When you put your home up for sale, most activity will happen within the first couple of weeks. If you put the right price on your home, you?ll notice immediate interest. There are always buyers looking for homes in their price range, waiting for new homes to be listed or homes to be reduced in price. Buyers who are waiting to purchase may miss seeing your home completely if the price is too high.

To determine the listing price of your home, you should always have it appraised before you put it on the market. This way, you?ll know the full value of your home. You can sell it for market value or go a little under, although you should never attempt to go way over the value. In doing so, you?ll miss out on a lot of potential buyers. The home market is very competitive these days, which is why you want your home to draw as much interest as possible.

Keep in mind that realtors really have no control at all over the real estate market, only the plan behind marketing. Realtors don?t determine the asking price – the seller does. You can ask a realtor for advice, although you are the decider of your listing price. If you do things right and take each thing step by step, you?ll set the listing price in the right area and have no problems selling your property.

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If you have ever wondered how to buy foreclosure homes, you might be surprised at how easy and how much fun it is. Most people who are in the market to buy a home don’t know how to do it, so they don’t even look any further into it. Their loss is your gain. When you learn how to acquire them you will be a step ahead of all of the other home buyers in your area who don’t know how and therefore won’t be bidding on them against you.

There are books in the library on how to buy it that you can check out and read up on all of the tips and tricks of buying foreclosure homes. You can also search the internet for tips that can be very helpful. Most importantly, find out who is auctioning the foreclosure homes that you might be interested in bidding on and ask for the details and rules of the auction. These may be slightly different from the general rules you will find in a how to book or on the internet.

Once you have learned how to buy foreclosure homes and have made your first purchase, you will be able to help your friends and family through the process. Eventually you will feel like somewhat of an expert and you may decide to help others who are in the same situation that you are right now and build your own “how to buy foreclosure homes” web site. Foreclosure homes are usually sold at auction. There are online auctions and there are local auctions. You may have seen signs posted every so often in your town about a “sheriff’s auction”. This is likely an auction for a foreclosure home. There are also realtors and brokers who specialize in conduction foreclosure home auctions. Many of these brokers and realtors will put some of their foreclosure homes online for auction, too.

The basics of how to buy foreclosure homes is simply to find the home and to bid on it. If you place the winning bid, you pay for the home and it becomes yours. But there is a little more to it, and some of the details might be a little tricky to sort out. Make sure that you talk to someone who has experience in how to buy foreclosure homes before you place your first bid. If you will be the first person you know learning it, then you will need to learn the ins and outs of how to buy foreclosure homes on your own.

Yes, you really can sell your house fast without feeling like you are being taken advantage of. Here is the deal, my neighbor Jim just moved into the Atlanta, Duluth area only four months ago on a job transfer. His big challenge was selling his other house on the west coast. He was not able to buy another home until he had that one sold. It took him over 8 months to sell that house and during that time he was renting in a rather run down neighborhood in Atlanta. He did eventually get that old house sold and bought his next home right across the street from me. Jim and his family have been great neighbors now for almost four months, but then his company calls him with another opportunity with a big raise. What a great deal, but it requires Jim to have to plan another move just months after he bought his new $350,000 house in Duluth Georgia.

Can you imagine, relocating twice within four months, but even worse, having to move your family and belongings from two different cities into tow different cities in only four months? Ouch

Well, not really knowing the area, Jim asked me if I knew of a realtor in the area that would be able to sell his house fast without loosing his shirt. Turns out that Jim spoke with several Realtors and it wasn’t pretty at all. Including all the holding expenses, Realtor commissions and closing costs, etc, etc, would cost him thousands of dollars he did not have.

Jim had to make up his mind if he was going to take the job opportunity that had come up, he really wanted to but he wasn’t sure how he was going to sell his house in Dacula. That is when it happened. I did a Google search for “We Buy Houses in Atlanta Georgia” and found what Jim was looking for. A online “we buy houses” company that sounded fair and honest, but you never know, so I completed the online questionnaire on behalf of my new neighbor and used my telephone number. I didn’t know all the numbers on Jim’s Mortgage and such, but I explained to them what the situation was and asked if they knew of a solution for Jim and his new house.

We-Buy-Houses-Atlanta-Georgia.com called me back within 3 hours and did offer a solution. They would buy his house and get it off Jim’s credit so he could move on with his his life. Sound too good to be true? Well, it wasn’t. I called Jim to let him know what I found and he contacted them. They came over, looked at Jim’s house and his situation and guess what. Turns out these guys buy and sell houses all over the country and they had a beautiful house in the city he was moving and he closed on that one in less than a month.

How cool is that, honest, fair and genuinely good people. Don’t be afraid to use We-Buy-Houses-Atlanta-Georgia.com, after what I have seen I will use them myself when I ever decide to move. They really made it simple for Jim and I am glad I was able to help.

Foreclosures – the word that can strike panic in the heart of a home owner. Unfortunately, the housing market is going through a very painful adjustment. The number of foreclosure filings reported in the U.S. last month more than doubled when compared to August 2006. This represents a 36 percent from July 2007 to August 2007. The sad news is there is beginning of a trend that signals many homeowners are increasingly unable to make timely payments on their mortgages or sell their homes amid a national housing slump. It is as if there is no end in site.

There was a total of 243,947 foreclosure listings reported in August 2007 which is up 115% from 113,300 in the same month a year ago according to Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac Inc. All of us know someone who has been affected by the lost of their home through foreclosure. It doesn’t appear that anyone is immune to the possibility of foreclosure.

There is a silver lining because of all the foreclosures on the market. Today’s market also provides some excellent money making opportunities for people who buy and sell foreclosure homes. Where does one go to find information on foreclosed homes? There are several websites that provide the consumer and realtors an opportunity to review their homes in foreclosure list. Some of the services are free but others require a monthly subscription. The point is the information is available. As with any business you need to do your research.

Buying foreclosure properties requires some knowledge of the process but once learned, the profits to be earned from foreclosed houses can be significant. Buying homes in foreclosure training is readily available on the web. These courses will also teach you about pre-foreclosure homes and how to approach the mortgage company to buy short sell. Buying that first foreclosed home may be somewhat intimidating but remember to take it slow so you understand the entire process as it moves forward.

Starting a foreclosure business is not as hard as you think. Our step by step guide will provide you with the necessary information and foreclosure training to start your own business to buy foreclosures and turn them around for a profit. Unfortunately, the market for foreclosed homes is large and growing. This provides the opportunity for the person to help people out as well as make money.

There are homeowners guide to foreclosure available that will provide the homeowner with the necessary information to stop foreclosure. You can learn how to negotiate with the mortgage company regarding short sell of your home. Read about pre-foreclosure and what takes place during this and how to prevent it. Maybe this information is what you need to help you during your time of need.

The web is loaded with information regarding foreclosure but remember, to verify the information. Needless to say, some of it may not be correct. You will be able to profit from pre-foreclosures as well as even finding a home for yourself from our foreclosure listing. If you are a homeowner, then you will find information to help take a bad situation and turn it into something good. This may be the time to own your own foreclosure business.

Everyone who decides to flip a house has dreams of being the one to bring home the big one. You know that really huge success story about how you made more money in three months of working on a house than you and your wife combined made last year. The sad truth is that very few flippers ever have a flip that good and those that do often do not manage to do so on their very first flip. If you don’t have those dreams it’s glad to see that you have your feet firmly planted in the sometimes harsh soils of reality.

Flipping houses is one form of real estate investing that has received a lot of media attention in the last few years and is currently the source of many interesting television shows that play on do it yourself channels on television. If you haven’t managed to watch any of these shows you may be in a much better position to tackle your first flip than many who see these shows and get a false sense of confidence when it comes to bringing in a substantial profit by flipping houses. While the profits exist and are much better than most people would envision, the average first timer doesn’t fare on the higher end of the profit scales all too often.

In fact, most first time flippers make rather slim profits when the tremendous amount of work that goes into flipping a property is considered. One thing you will want to do when flipping your own property is take care not to get too greedy in the asking price. If you can make ten thousand or more on your flip after all expenses are paid (including taxes, realtors, and any fees) then you are doing exceptionally well and should be congratulated. It is those who decide to go for fifty thousand rather than being content with ten that find themselves alienating a good portion of the population that may have been interested in purchasing the property from the very beginning.

In order to make your flip a success you need to be negotiable on the price when all is said and done. This is where many people loose potential buyers and find themselves sitting on the market month after month until they find themselves in a situation where they must sell or risk loosing the house and in this situation they are often in a position that they actually loose money rather than profiting.

Success stories, when it comes to flipping houses are widely available though many of them are just as widely exaggerated. Be cautious in your optimism when it comes to flipping houses but plan for profits and you will find that you are much more likely to get them than if you enter into the house flipping and real estate investing process without a proper plan at your disposal.

Turn your house flip into a success story by spending as much time in the planning process as you spend in the entire labor process that is involved and necessary when it comes to flipping houses. If you do this and budget carefully while sticking to your budget religiously you will find that you are in a much better position to have the success you are hoping to have.

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A Realtor?s Personal Safety Guideline

Word Count:
643

Summary:
A major concern for realtors is personal safety. Many times the realtor is working alone in showing a property, having an open house, or manning the model house in a new subdivision.

Keywords:
realtor, client, property, office, car, sure, safety, house, information, escape, means, personal, personal safety, open house, don?t, license, phone,

Article Body:
A major concern for realtors is personal safety. Many times the realtor is working alone in showing a property, having an open house, or manning the model house in a new subdivision. Some personal safety issues should include:

On the first meeting of a client, have them meet you at the office. Get as much personal information as possible. A copy of the driver?s license is a good start not only for safety, but also for the client database.

If you have a strange feeling about the client, don?t show property by yourself. Ask a co-worker to go with you; at worst you might have to split the commission. If you are manning an open house and you feel that you might be in danger, leave the property and call for help.

Always drive your own car to the property as this might be the only means of escape. On the way make notes on the type of car, color, and license plate number and call the office with this information. Once at the property make sure your car is not blocked and you have an easy escape (no backing-up).

As you are showing the property, always have the client lead you; this allows the property to present itself and keeps the client where you can see them. Make sure they sign-in on the registry and if the office does not have the information on the client, get the information to them. Your office will know you are with a client at this time.

Keep your keys and cell phone close and easy to access. If need be, keys can be effective weapon of surprise. If you have a handbag, keep it with you at all times or locked in the trunk of your car. Know the property, not only do you look more professional, but safer; your client does not know all of the exits as well as you should.

Take a few self defense classes, as a few minutes head start out of the property means the difference in a safe escape and being trapped. Take the first chance for escape and don?t try to talk your way out; keep your advantage. The more time you spend in a dangerous situation means a diminished chance of a safe exit.

Let the client see that you have contacted your office and the office knows who you are with. It is also a good idea to have a secret code for trouble such as ?Pick up dog food? when you don?t have a dog. It is also a good idea to set your phone to vibrate as your client will not know if you are calling or if you are receiving a phone call.

If there is an emergency your office can play a vital role. Make sure they have the make of your car, its color, and license plate. If you are using a different car that day, make sure they have its description as well.

Make sure your office has your schedule for the day and that you check in on each appointment. If you are hosting an open house, make sure you have a registry book for clients to sign in. See if you can also include the client?s car description. Tell the client it is just in case they get a parking ticket and you want to document the reason for parking there or some other reason.

Many of these points may already in practice for the profession. Look to these procedures as also a safety concern. These safety tips should become second nature with little thought to be truly effective. Being an agent means sometimes you will work alone. With today?s cell phones and e-mail capabilities and some careful thought, you will be safer and will be in contact with help quicker.

A Realtor?s Guide To Personal Safety

Word Count:
643

Summary:
A major concern for realtors is personal safety. Many times the realtor is working alone in showing a property, having an open house, or manning the model house in a new subdivision.

Keywords:
client, property, office, car, sure, safety, house, information, escape, means, personal, personal safety, open house, don?t, license, phone, open, color license plate, license plate, office information,

Article Body:
A major concern for realtors is personal safety. Many times the realtor is working alone in showing a property, having an open house, or manning the model house in a new subdivision. Some personal safety issues should include:

On the first meeting of a client, have them meet you at the office. Get as much personal information as possible. A copy of the driver?s license is a good start not only for safety, but also for the client database.

If you have a strange feeling about the client, don?t show property by yourself. Ask a co-worker to go with you; at worst you might have to split the commission. If you are manning an open house and you feel that you might be in danger, leave the property and call for help.

Always drive your own car to the property as this might be the only means of escape. On the way make notes on the type of car, color, and license plate number and call the office with this information. Once at the property make sure your car is not blocked and you have an easy escape (no backing-up).

As you are showing the property, always have the client lead you; this allows the property to present itself and keeps the client where you can see them. Make sure they sign-in on the registry and if the office does not have the information on the client, get the information to them. Your office will know you are with a client at this time.

Keep your keys and cell phone close and easy to access. If need be, keys can be effective weapon of surprise. If you have a handbag, keep it with you at all times or locked in the trunk of your car. Know the property, not only do you look more professional, but safer; your client does not know all of the exits as well as you should.

Take a few self defense classes, as a few minutes head start out of the property means the difference in a safe escape and being trapped. Take the first chance for escape and don?t try to talk your way out; keep your advantage. The more time you spend in a dangerous situation means a diminished chance of a safe exit.

Let the client see that you have contacted your office and the office knows who you are with. It is also a good idea to have a secret code for trouble such as ?Pick up dog food? when you don?t have a dog. It is also a good idea to set your phone to vibrate as your client will not know if you are calling or if you are receiving a phone call.

If there is an emergency your office can play a vital role. Make sure they have the make of your car, its color, and license plate. If you are using a different car that day, make sure they have its description as well.

Make sure your office has your schedule for the day and that you check in on each appointment. If you are hosting an open house, make sure you have a registry book for clients to sign in. See if you can also include the client?s car description. Tell the client it is just in case they get a parking ticket and you want to document the reason for parking there or some other reason.

Many of these points may already in practice for the profession. Look to these procedures as also a safety concern. These safety tips should become second nature with little thought to be truly effective. Being an agent means sometimes you will work alone. With today?s cell phones and e-mail capabilities and some careful thought, you will be safer and will be in contact with help quicker.