Chicago and Southern Illinois Real Estate Happenings

 Today I made another call to a client I met SEVERAL months ago at a Payless Shoe Store in Orlando Florida. I have been keeping in touch with him via e-mail and cell phone...plus I have visited him at his place of business to catch up with him briefly.

It seems a loan officer he met gave him a GREAT incentive program for a condo complex. They will pay ALL his closing costs when he buys in that particular complex.

I have called the loan officer and he has NO problems letting me see the TIL statement or the Good Faith Estimate either. I want to make sure my client is getting THE BEST deal possible for his central Florida real estate.

The Loan officer said, "I sleep good at night because I have integrity...."

We are moving slowly yet steadily toward a closing for my client...... the loan officer has had a quite a number of trials and things to overcome in his office, YET things are proceeding.

I am so glad I have met people in THIS network who have integrity......

• Loan officers I am GLAD to be doing business with..... =-D
• Real Estate agents I TRUST and look up to..... =-D
• Other professionals in this network I am glad to know and be friends with........

This network has been a great resource for me to find great professionals in the real estate field.

It has also sharpened my sense of discrimination in weeding out unprofessional people in the business.

I see GREAT examples around me and I weigh THAT against others I see in the business who just DON'T cut it......  =-P

Being around GREAT people in life rubs off on you....... so does being around people who are.....undesirable....... ("Bad company ruins good morals........")

Take my situation of The Loan Officer who was doing something shady to my client........case in point.......... (click on the link and it will take you to my blog about the loan officer who was going to...NOT GET MY Business.....)  =-D

Having integrity is something that should be very important to everyone in life....... in your personal life AND in business.....

One bleeds into the other........ they BOTH affect each other.

That is all part of having a professional attitude in business......and it is the way I do business helping my clients buy and sell central Florida real estate.

• I find the best loans (and loan officers) for my buyers
• I get them PRE-APPROVED for a loan, not pre-qualified
• I find great homes for them to see that they can afford........
• And for sellers, I get the RIGHT value to price their home at based on comparable sold properties around it, PLUS get it LOOKING great  so it will sell FAST.
• For investors, I find properties that have a high R.O.I.
• For commercial clients we...RUN THE NUMBERS!!!  =-)
• I communicate regularly with my clients so they know what is going on every step of the way.

How can you beat that?

I don't think you can........   =-D

Ok..... now that the group "Christianity and Real Estate" is in total compliance related to Fair Housing Laws...

I want to post the description of the group so everyone in the Active Rain membership knows what it is all about (and this is quoted from the groups site):

 "We are network of real estate professionals committed to exploring the application of Christian principles to our real estate business. We seek to live what we speak, in words, deeds, motives, and methods. We spotlight God over money or ourselves and our group is open to everyone. Please read the rules on posting and comments first."

We are now at nearly 70 people and are still growing.

Do YOU have the same principles we do at "Christianity and Real Estate"?

Do you:

• Strive to put your clients priorities before your own?
• Work for their best interest 100% of the time?
• Think that ethics should be given TOP PRIORITY in life as well as in business?

Do you have:

• A still, small voice telling you,"Go and check that group out."
• Feel a sense that you would feel welcome in the group if you joined it?
• A feeling that this might be a group you can open up about things you are going through in your business and in life?
• An inkling that people would pray for you if you told them you had a need?
• A need for people to stick up for you no matter what you are going through....... as long as you are in the right (and if you aren't in the right...to LOVE you anyway)?
• A question about what to do in a particular situation according to biblical principles?

If any of the answers to those questions was,"YES".... you should make it a point to join us....or at least check us out and post a comment or two...who knows, maybe a fantastic friendship is just around the corner.......

I know I have made several good friendships in the group...and I am the founder.....

"Christianity and Real Estate" ==========> It's not just a life...... BUT AN ADVENTURE!!

\O/     \O/     \O/

This is a typical home. The abode of a typical family.

  Daddy works, mom most likely works too.

They have 2- 4 kids.

Maybe a dog or cat.

Possibly a turtle or rabbit.  ;-D

They own 2 cars and several bicycles.

They MIGHT own a motorcycle or two also.

If they have any other toys they are in the garage; possibly a boat or jetski.

They have a lawn mower OR a lawn service to keep their grass looking good.

They have LOTS of furniture and if they move will need a BIG 18 wheel truck and a CREW of people to help.

They have friends and family that know their telephone number AND their address ~~ and have known it FOR years possibly.

Their children have had birthday parties in that house.

Lots of fun, trying times and family bonding have happened in that house... there are LOTS of memories....cherished memories.

They have chosen YOU to help them find a NEW place to live for whatever reason.

Are they not more than a commission check?

Do you look at a family like this and just think of the "payoff" from the price of the home they will purchase and the home they will list with you?

Does the SIZE of the commission check you will bring home deterime if you will work with them or not?

If you had to even think for less than a second about the answers to any of my questions, your priorites are all wrong.

Remember, your client is a person, couple or family with feelings and emotions.

Yes, we have to think about the business side of the transaction; that is our primary responsibility.

Lets NOT forget about the emotions and feelings of our clients also.

Make sure you treat EVERY client with respect, dignity and worth...they deserve it.

Give them the TRUTH, even if it hurts.... DO NOT TAKE OVER PRICED LISTINGS.

Don't say you will find them the home of their dreams when they couldn't pay monthly payments on an outhouse....

get them pre-approved FIRST to see what they can afford.

Counsel them to NOT make any large purchases that require monthly payments until they close on their home.

If they have credit dings, WORK with them and a loan officer to help them get it all taken care of...

they will LOVE you for it AND quite possibly send their friends and relatives to you to help THEM.

This is how I and my team help people buy and sell Central Florida Real Estate.

"Flipping", a term used by investors has soured as home sales in central Florida have gone flat these past several months.

Flipping fueled the real estate boom in the soaring home prices of 2004-2005, BUT the total amount of homes "Flipped" was less than 6% of all real estate transactions. Flipped homes are homes held for less than 6 months with the goal of getting a return on the initial investment.

It looks like viral marketing or gossip made of all the high flying home prices happen PLUS the record low interest rates.

Remodeling, landscaping and a couple other costs make "Flipping" a business adventure of the Not Faint of Heart.

I am learning the science of it in the book,"The Millionaire Real Estate Investor" by Gary Keller.

I also have a couple of investors who count on me to find properties worth investing in.

Pretty soon people who have lost money trying to flip their properties MIGHT have to start selling at discounted prices to get out from under their debt burdens.

 Because of the way home prices are NOT going up too quick right now AND many buyers are hesitant to jump in and make a commitement with the way the market is right now, foreclosures are inevitable.

Investors are just circling in the waters like hungry sharks, waiting for signs of great deals to be made.....

ARE YOU READY TO JUMP IN AND INCREASE YOUR NET WORTH?

Call us at "The Knights Team" to see our list of preforeclosures and foreclosed Central Florida Real Estate.

 The Orlando Magic and Government Leaders are much closer to an agreement by the Magic purchasing  up to a 6 million dollar insurance policy that could guarantee all arena loans do NOT have prohibitvely high interest rates.

The Magic have offered $50 million in upfront cash and an additional $12 million in advance lease payments that the city would be able to use for construction costs. The Magic have also pledged an additional 1.75 million per year for ongoing operating expenses AND an additional $10 million toward financing the new Arts Center.

We will see what happens in the coming weeks.

Have you ever felt like this pilot that just got out of an almost certain death by the skin of his chinny-chin-chin?

He looks so alone......... doesn't he?

So many of us go through life alone when we COULD be spending time with people who care about us and are there if we need an encouraging word or MORE........

How Do These Types of people sound to YOU:  (These types are based on self will and pride in ones self, all seemingly innocent in our pop psychologies of today)

There is the "Strong Silent He-Man" type.......

Then there is the "Hold it ALL in Till You Explode" specialist in demolitions.......

Who could forget the "Don't Tell Anyone and It Will All Go Away (hopefully)" type........

Then there is the "Blame it on Someone Else and Everyone Will Not Think it's Me" type......

Or the "No-one Can Find Out I am Vulnerable" type........

Why does it have to be that way?

(Or Does it?)

How about THIS type

here on the right? 

====>

How Do these types sound to you: (Based on reality KNOWING you are just a human  being and NOT something other than you   are created to be)

"I can't Go it Alone". =-D

"I Won't Make it Another Day By Myself".

"I Realize I am NOT Made of Steel, Cobalt or Uranium 236". (hehehe..sound familiar?)

I Need The Company of Friends Who Know and Understand What I am Going Through". (The Light Comes ON!)

"Boy --- it's Good to be With People Who Care About Me".

                                                                                                              "I Feel Loved'.

We are social creatures......look at Active Rain....in just several MONTHS, this network has grown to OVER 16,000 professionals in the real estate arena of the business world!

That HAS GOT to prove something to anyone out there reading this post.

When we find unity in purpose and vision, there is strength we CANNOT deny.

It Powers us Through the Days.

It Gives us Strength to Carry on.

It Inspires us That "WE CAN DO MORE".

Find that strength at "Christianity and Real Estate".

 Don't feel like this little guy

on the left, all alone.

Where are his friends?

Is he going to go hungry?

 Does he know where he is?

Boy I Sure Hope He Gets Some Help Out There!!

 Find Some REAL HELP from people who care about YOU......   =-D

Alex Harb, Founder of "Christianity and Real Estate".

 We have done it at "Christianity and Real estate"!!

 What have we done?

Have we advanced professionalism and a moral/ethical viewpoint in the field of real estate?

Have we brought encouragement and inspiration to the countless hundreds who have read our blogs?

Have we shown WHO is the SOURCE of our morality, encouragement and inspiration?

TO ALL of THESE POINTS the ANSWER IS YES!!!

And what is the reward for all the encouragement, inspiration, professional morality and ethics in "Christianity and Real Estate"?

WE ARE ON PAGE ONE OF THE ACTIVE BLOGS SEARCH AND ARE GROWING IN NUMBERS DAY BY DAY!

We are now at 45 members and still growing.... the posts I have seen coming out of ALL of you are so heart warming to me and so encouraging! It is so difficult to pick featured posts now because of how many SHOULD be in that category. I will be featuring most of them on a week in week out basis now..... SO if you are a member of the group and don't see YOUR post featured right away, please do NOT loose heart...IT WILL get there eventually!  =-D

To those of you who are NOT in our group,"Christianity and Real Estate" and would like to join, please stop on by, read the rules and regs first. Then if you believe you belong with us, BY ALL MEANS JOIN US  here "In The Rain"!     =-D

The Quick Contact Prayer Team is up and running now...We will also be starting a Prayer Chain soon. I have already had several of you wanting to be in those groups and I have your names. When the Prayer Chain is ready to be initiated, I will be contacting those of you who have a desire to lift up those who are in need to the Throne Room of the Lord.

We have already seen a LOT of great answers to prayer and for that I am truly grateful to our Lord who love us so very much!

To God be the GLORY, great things He has done and is STILL doing in Jesus Christs name!!

      Alex Harb, Founder of "Christianity and Real Estate"

Ever wonder why your blog is not getting too many hits or not enough comments?

• You have reseached the facts for quite a while and what you have found is NOT heresay.
• You even have some nice pictures to support your facts.
• Your grammer, punctuation and spelling are flawless....it's in English even!!  hehehehe =-D
• You have stated facts and figures in a completely honest way.

Uh......wait a minute here.......a couple of things are missing:    =-D

• Did you join some groups and post the blog in a relevent venue? (Lots of people search blogs by groups now) before I posted to groups my blogs were hit less than 100 times...NOW most of them get hundreds of people seeing them..although I have yet to master having them comment..... hehehehe..... =-D
• Did you find some way of engaging your reader so the blog did not seem like just a excel spreadsheet of facts and figures?
• Did you personalize it so YOU are coming through...... People do NOT like to read something written by a person they cannot relate to or picture as a REAL person. Does the post reflect something that has either happened in your life or something you just went through or are going to go through? Do people feel closer to you because of it? As an example, read some of Bryant Tutas' blogs...... YOU cannot help but to feel close to a guy that writes like that......He brings you INTO the blog and does not just leave you there, but TELLS you something real and makes you feel as if HE is talking to you in a friendly way and style.
• Does your blog invite comments or is it just a statement of facts as you know them, period..?

If you want more people to read your blog, then try some of the suggestions here.

All that can happen is that you will be spending more time responding to comments people have made on your "creations".

And that is NOT a bad thing is it?

=-D

I have heard it said by some of the membership here that,"Active Rain is NOT a real place....it is NOT life in reality....."

I am wondering some things in reference to that statement or way of thinking:

• If Active Rain is NOT a real place then what are you typing on? An "Imaginary Keyboard"?
• If Active Rain is NOT a real place how do you find your profile everytime you log in...in a "Imaginary File Cabinet" somewhere?
• If Active Rain is NOT a real place why do you put your blogs there and type to the tune of 10s of thousands of points?
• If Active Rain is NOT a real place why do people get so uptight and have problems related to it?
• If Active Rain is NOT a real place then are the hundreds of people who have been helped by the blogs in here NOT REAL too?
• If Active Rain is NOT real life then are the relationships we have with other members "Not Real" too?
• If Active Rain is NOT real why are members getting leads AND closing transactions because of it?
• If Active Rain is NOT a real place, why ARE You in it?

If Active Rain is NOT a real place then no-one would be learning anything about marketing, client relationships and how to be more professional and ethical, we would NOT be learning about the latest gadgets and high tech toys that are out there to make us more productive and able to communicate with our clients, we would NOT be hearing about what NOT to do in certain situations, and so so much more........

I believe Active Rain is what it is...a NETWORK of professionals in the field of real estate,

learning, teaching, inspirng, helping, giving counsel, and

just plain ENJOYING LIVING while making a living in real estate.

If You agree with me, PLEASE by all means, Let everyone know here in "The Rain"

I would LOVE some "I AM REAL!" comments!! =-D

  Did God Create Evil?

A University professor at a well-known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question.

"Did God create everything that exists?"

A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"

"God created everything?" The professor asked.

"Yes, sir, he certainly did," the student replied."

The professor answered, "If God created everything; then God created evil And, since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."

The student became quiet and did not answer the professor's hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.

An other student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, professor?"

"Of course," replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor does cold exist?"

"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?"

The other students snickered at the young man's question.

The young man replied, "In fact sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy.

Absolute zero (-460F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."

The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"

The professor responded, "Of course it does."

The student replied, "Once again you are wrong sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"

Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestat ions are nothing else but evil.

To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a world that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."

The professor sat down.

The young man's name -- Albert Einstein

======================================================

This e-mail was sent to me many months ago by a good christian brother.

It always brings a smile to my face....

 Have YOU smiled lately because you KNOW God exists??

If you haven't...find YOUR smile at "Christianity and Real Estate".