A Real Difference... Full Service vrs Limited Service Model

I was called on a listing appointment that was to be very complicated. The owner of the property is a retired mother and the occupant of the property is the son as a tenant. The agreement the mother had with her son was that if he paid the mortgage, taxes and insurance he could live in the home with his wife. The mother lives in a retirement community and late last year received a default notice form the lender.

She was totally overwhelmed at the news and discovered to her dismay that her son ran had run into some financial difficulties and had not made mortgage payments for over 3 months. He was to embarrassed to tell his mother and because she remains on title and on the loan he was unaware foreclosure loomed. He thought of it as just being late on paying the rent. The mother brought the debt current and was then advised by her other children to just throw him out and sell the place.

That is where I came in. I went to look at the property and discovered that it had some  deferred maintenance and needed some cosmetic issues addressed before listing the property could take place. In fact some of the issues were already there when the mother purchased it several years ago. They were deemed insignificant at the time. About $10,000 worth. The mother doesn't want to risk the small amount she has in savings to live on to address the issues. Dilemma.

As to the required counseling involved and the way things are to be handled, I was reminded of the striking difference between the full service model of counseling and the way a limited service business model company provides it services.

To untangle the mess of the family and the property issues, it is going to take some expert care on behalf of the REALTOR and it could well be that this property will not even be listed for sale. Other ways of resolving some of the issues will involve other recommended professionals to assist the mother in protecting her assets and the son to be able to continue to live in the home. At least that is an option that was shared and both sides seem to think this would be the course to take before making a decision.

The Limited Service business model doubtfully has a capacity to counsel and understand the issues involved and provide the proper recommendations for the outside help that is going to needed to resolve the issues.  Even to the advising of the other legal and professionals that will be needed to untangle the mess.

In the Full Service business model, this is what we are called upon to do sometimes in the building of relationships and giving expert care. No pre-determined selling formula but real human interaction and counseling.  In the Limited Service business model, I would seriously doubt that such counseling is to be found within their business model.  There really is a difference. When I left the property, the gratitude that was expressed to me made it clear in my mind which business model was right for me.

A Memorial Day Tribute to Those that Gave All

Memorial Day is a most precious day for Reflection, Remembrance and Respect of those who gave all in a quest for to win against all tyranny. No Higher duty summons us on this day than to thank and honor our own brave and fallen few. Let each of us in our own way remember these brave souls that gave all in their belief that to do so would make a difference for each of us. Behind each of their names is a family, friends and a too short history of a cherished life given by God and delivered over to the service of country.

Tribute to those that Gave all!  Turn up your volume.

The Land Where Dreams Come True !

 I just celebrated another one of those Birthdays. They just come too fast and the time in between seems to get shorter and shorter.

My Best friend as a way to honor my Birthday, took me to a place where the little boy in me just finds its way to the surface and before long, I have forgotten what age I am and thinking more about the magic of the day.

One of the wonderful things about being alive is that you can sometimes forget about your career or other important things like "not eating junk food" and just let the day unfold and throw abandon to the wind.

When I am at DisneyLand, I get caught up in being a kid again and rushing about to stand in line so I can ride the thrill rides. Well, I do laugh a lot, I am not sure how thrilling they are however. Like the silent thoughts of gee, I hope I don't have heart attack or something. How embarrassing that would be. I reassure myself because I have never seen medics around the place so it must be OK. Back to the thrill rides. For about what seems 45 seconds of the ride, we stand in line for 30 or 40 minutes. That's a trade off that in of itself defies logic. This must be the place for dreams because I can't imagine doing that in my every day life, even for food.

So there I was in the land of dreams and the that little boy in me with no cares at all, felt all the very same things I felt when I really was a little boy. Do you supose  that when Walt Disney dreamed of this place, he had a little help from GOD? It occurs to me he must have.

Here is a little of what I took in, in the Land Where Dreams Come True. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Click here to see the Photo Tour

This morning in my garden I found a delightful surprise!

Some of what I see everyday.

I get up at the crack of dawn and the first thing I do is head outside to tend to the garden, Oh, not without a cup of coffee in hand but it is first on my agenda, everyday of the week. It centers me and makes me grateful each day to start that day on the right note. Living in California, we are blessed to have weather that allows me to have flowers year around. And I take full advantage. My back and side areas are so full of flowers, it looks a bit like I might have have overdone it. But a friend of mine in the entertainment industry that I worked for used to say to me " too much of a good thing is wonderful".

This morning as I look at the new day lilies in hopes of seeing the first new buds pop, there was a great deal of activity in the larger flower beds. Gold Finches and many other small birds were taking advantage of  the water trapped on the leaves. I counted 20 or so. They first started to flutter off but then as I stayed still, they all started coming back, some of them close enough to see them almost smile. OK, birds probably don't smile but I surely did. They made me feel glad to be there and helped me welcome another beautiful day.

So what's all this have to do with real estate? Absolutely nothing!. Isn't that great.

Paul Harvey and "now.... the Rest of the Story"

One of my favorite radio commentators is Paul Harvey. Paul is a non sensationalist journalist, a gentleman and a voice that just about every one recognizes and loves. I wish I could locate his broadcasts locally and get a daily dose of his inspiration. How wonderful he is at what he does. Always an interesting story and then he would say "and now the Rest of the Story" with its wonderful message. I am hopeful I can learn to write more like he sounds. Not always of course as it may be too predictable for blogging. That might be especially true for real estate and the information I think is needed to help my clients and others that might be interested on my take of the industry. Always seeking ways to improve the information needed for real estate and our relationships, the latest way, blogging is proving to be very interesting indeed. Paul Harvey came to mind yesterday when I was re-reading some of my last blogs. Thankfully he did, as the thought of him brings a definite smile in the heart and bit more care and elegance in my style. Some people in life seek his level of excellence and I am grateful to be included on that list. Paul sets a pretty high standard though but one we all should try a bit more to emulate. Care, compassion and grace are indeed  wonderful things. Let's revere them a bit more in our Business and Industries and especially in our Homes and Schools. No generation should ever be impervious to them. But each of us must be a standard, if we expect others to emulate us. 

For those of you who listen to Paul Harvey or have at least heard him a few times, I am sure the mention of his name brings a warm and knowing smile. So let's have more of his special and graceful inspiration. This world today needs it....and now my friends, " you have heard the Rest of the My Story". Good Day!

Amazing Photos of An Artists Work- Handpainting

An Italian artist by the name of Guido Daniele was commissioned by an ad company to create body paintings of animals. My client found received these and wanted to share them. I thought you might like to see them as well. The are many different ones but I have only included a few here. This artist is extraordinarily talented and his works are unique.

This is my first effort on ActiveRain to add photos to my blogs. I am always taking pictures and will over time develop the skill to add specific photos to my posts that will better illustrate some of my comments, so be watching for them.

So take a break from business as unusual and enjoy something a bit different. I hope you enjoy these art works as much as I have.

Buying a 2nd Home for Long Term Investment of Your Earned Equities

Owning a second home isn't for only the well healed who are concerned about financing their children´s college education, finding an alternative to languishing company 401K plans or individual IRAs in order to have a secure retirement, or simply for a way to attain additional monthly income. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that second homes are becoming mainstream all across the country, whether they're used for rental income or as vacation homes. Today, more than 10 million dwellings in this country are second or third homes and they account for better than 6 percent of residential sales. Three-quarters are considered vacation homes and the rest are investment properties or undeveloped land.

With all the equity that has been earned and often sitting in your primary residence, there would be no better use for it than to re-invest in a second home or an income property providing a nest egg for the retirement years. There is no better long term investment than Real property, be it a second home or invested into income producing property.

$20 Bucks gets you Chromatherapy

The hottest trend in bathrooms may not be just the use of granite. A new marketing strategy for new , bigger and more glamorous bathtubs is being touted as Chromatherapy. Chromatherapists claim that using colored light can stimulate the chalkras of the body and create a balance of energy that will stimulate a physical,emotional and spiritual harmony within the body. This holistic treatment is called Chromatherapy.

Therapeutic color can be combined w/ hydrotherapy and aromatherapy to heighten and stimulate the chalkras ( spiritual centers along the spine) . Once these chalkras are stimulated it is believed that they can have a healing effect on different  maladies associated with each of the colors.

Lighting effects can be very pleasing and restful in a hot tub of steaming water. After a long day what could be more enjoyable that seeing for yourself if the color effects from your own $20 Aqua Glo light gives you a new sense of being energized. As for me, I am buying one in hopes of not having to repaint my bathroom and thats definitely worth the 20 Bucks.