BEAVERTON HOME PRICE .com

Hello again folks, sorry for the lack of blog posts lately. I trust everyone has been enjoying their summer, then winding down and getting back into the groove of life this fall. I've been keeping busy with both Real Estate as well as my technology duties here at Summa Realty. I am known around the office as the "Director of Technology" as I help guild our company's tech choices and integrate those with our existing systems. That probably sounds more hi-tech than it really is, but the point is we continually work hard to keep everyone here as up to date as possible with what's available.

So, on to what I really wanted to talk about today…

I recently put together a new website aimed at helping home owners in my immediate area (Beaverton, OR). And that website is… (drum roll please)… BeavertonHomePrice.com.



I have an a few freebies available, like an automated, quick and dirty Competitive Market Analysis (CMA), as well as a complimentary Staging DVD. The CMA will give you a rough idea of what other homes are selling in your area and for how much. I can personally provide a much more detailed and accurate analysis, which I am more than willing to do. The free staging DVD is a great way for potential home sellers to get an idea of how to prepare their home for sale as well as what to expect during the 'showing' period.

Also on the website you will find links to search for homes, my own contact info and website, as well as our other Summa Realty agents. That may seem a bit strange to offer a link to other Realtors, right? The way I see it is that let's be honest, not all of us mesh with each other in quite the way that we'd like. We may get along just fine, but maybe you're looking for someone that just 'fits' your personality better… and I get that. So I think it only fair to provide you with options. If we don't end up working together, ideally I would like to see you work with a fellow Summa agent. How many other Realtors have told you that?!?! I'm guessing not many. While we are our own businesses, we are still a great team and love to work together and share the wealth, and I hope folks recognize and respect that.

That said, I hope you take a few moments to check out the site, click through some of the pages and feel free to let me know what you think!

Thanks for the time and talk to ya'll again soon!

- Stephan

OPTIONS

As I meet new people and catch up with old friends, we inevitably end up on the topic of real estate. And one of the most common questions to come up is "Where do I start?"

What I, and a lot of Realtors will tell you is to speak with a mortgage lender.

This may seems like a simple pass off, but I assure it is not. Knowing what you have, what you anticipate having, what you need, and how much you can get is very important, and best to know before you start your home search.

Speaking to a lender, providing them with basic personal information, and even receiving a pre-approval letter is in no way an obligation from you to that lender. You could do more research or get a referral from a friend and opt for a lender that better fits your needs. You could stick with that lender but not even start seriously looking for a home for months or years. Or you could do nothing further at all. Either way, there's no commitment or cost to you to get the basic loan info you need anticipate a real estate deal, so don't be scared.

Just like Realtors there are a ton of mortgage lenders out there, and their companies all offer a variety of mostly the same, available loan programs. I suggest you find someone that you get along with, work well and on the same level with, as well as actually like. You don't want to dread making or receiving a call from your mortgage professional.

So, that being said if you need some direction or suggestion of who to work with, here are a few folks I recommend…

Brian Billups
Bay Equity Home Loans
office (503) 305-5826
Company Webpage

Dereik Mason
First Choice Loan Services
direct (503) 988-7258
office (512) 843-2717
Company Website

Peter Wease - or - Jason Marshall
Alpine Mortgage Planning
Peter office (503) 699-6444 / Jason office (503) 748-2804
Peter's Company Webpage
Jason's Company Webpage

If you give any of these fine folks a call, please tell them I sent you and that I say 'Hi.' (And then demand the 100% special ultra-secret discount! Just kidding!)

- Stephan

AND ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

It's not always easy folks.

There's an old perception that Realtors don't do anything for their paycheck. I can personally vouch for the inaccuracy of that statement.

In my newly budding career I already experienced a wide variety of conditions. From old friends to complete strangers to new partners, the diversity of client and agent interactions has been great.

There have been "when will this happen", "wow that was fast", "how can this be", and "thank goodness it's over" moments. No matter the situation I am very grateful for the continuing on-the-job education, and am happy to report that everything thus far has had a happy ending for everyone.

That said, I'm not sure how many "regular folks" spend just about every waking hour contemplating, researching, or performing your typical working duties, but I know I do. There's not a lot of true down time, but there are pockets to relax throughout whatever you would call a "regular day" for me. It's very different from a traditional hourly gig, but I couldn't be happier that I made the switch!

Stephan

WEBSITE UPDATES

Quick website update before bed…

Added a purchases section to the "listings" page. Since not every real estate transaction is a listing I figure it would be good to show you folks what I get done on the buyer side of things too!

Also made a few other minor and random changes. Fixed some Firefox alignment issues on the "contact" page as well as added a 'touch to call' feature on the phone number section. That only works correctly via a touch screen and voice enabled device, like an iPhone.

You may have noticed I added automatic image rotation on the main page. Now you don't have to reload the page several times to see all the available images. I will update and add to that rotation of images soon as well.

Over on my twitter page I updated the background images to fit properly again. Twitter keeps changing things and it messes with everyone's custom backgrounds. :( Hopefully they leave it as is for awhile now.

I believe those all are the changes as of late. Time to get some rest before I get back out on the real estate trail tomorrow morning!

-Stephan

KEEPING ON TRACK

Time once again for another update folks!

I was lucky enough to get a call from some very cool folks as a referral from a friend. I am always very grateful for the opportunity to help anyone in their home buying or selling ventures. Even if you're not quite there yet, I bet you've got some questions! Sure you can 'Google it', but I wouldn't be at all put off if you'd like to ask me for some advice. Go ahead, try it!

Also been keeping busy handling a tricky purchase, doing my best to get my clients what they need without risking their deal. It can be quite the balancing act negotiating for what we want, but without offending the selling party. Let me also note that the quest to keep any deal together is for the benefit of the client, not my own personal gain.

My view is to be as up front as possible with the client about what I think can, might, or will happen in various situations. My job is to do my absolute best to serve you, and if I allow us to make a reckless move (without explanation of the potential ramifications) that results in a lost or negatively impacted deal, then I haven't fully served my client.

But enough about my own thoughts, what do you think?!

-Stephan

MAKING OFFERS AND TAKING NAMES

Hello again folks, how is everyone out there?! I've been keeping myself busy over here at Summa Realty.

Just closed my Co-Listed house in North Plains, yesterday. Very happy to see those folks get squared away and ready to start the next chapter in their lives. They were very impressed with the quality and amount of effort put forth by Vickie Duchscherer and myself. That is the lasting impression I hope to achieve with every client I help!

I also recently started working with a new buyer this week and it has been very exciting thus far. We saw some great houses and even put in an offer on a property. Finger's crossed that we can squeak out a good deal for her on that home.

Since I started here at Summa I've been quickly becoming the go-to technology guy here in our office. I am more than happy to assist with creating flyers, interoffice, and marketing materials as I enjoy graphic design as a hobby. I've recently been asked by the owners to help advise and broaden my tech duties as our company grows, which is a very exciting proposition to me!

So, that's my update for now. I'll report back shortly, take care.

- Stephan

OPEN HOUSE TOMORROW!

OPEN HOUSE - SUNDAY MARCH 1ST - 1PM to 4PM

Great deal at $325,000!!

I am holding an open house tomorrow for fellow Summa agent Vickie Duchscherer. Located in the desirable and convenient Hawthorn Farms Neighborhood in Hillsboro. I will have a lender on sight as well to answer your questions about home loans, credit scores and more! Come by and view a great, spacious home with tons of storage space and a large, fenced backyard!

Here's are a few links again!
RMLS Link
Virtual Tour
RedFin Link