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Archive for March, 2009

One Tournament: 242,000,000 Impressions

Posted in RE/MAX Allegiance News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

RE/MAX is again teaming up with Westwood One radio for broadcasts of the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

RE/MAX radio commercials – in addition to RE/MAX features and teasers – will air during each of the tournament games including the Final Four.

The number of RE/MAX ad spots increases as the tournament progresses into the final rounds, and the sponsorship also includes the “RE/MAX Broadcast Center” and the “RE/MAX Outstanding Play of the Game.” Additionally, RE/MAX commands a noticeable presence at the games themselves, with RE/MAX Balloons, table covers and billboards along “Radio Row.”

The exposure is expected to generate more than 242 million consumer impressions of the RE/MAX brand.

RE/MAX will also air several 30-second commercials during the Women’s Final Four championship game.

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Notable Quotable: Debbie Wicker

Posted in Real Estate News, Winners, tagged , , , , , , , on March 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Congratulations to Debbie Wicker, an Associate Broker form the Ashburn office, who was quoted for Loudoun County in The Washngton Post’s Housing Review 2009.

Debbie’s comment was based on the unsustainable growth of Loudoun County, VA over the last several years and the impossibility of quickly slamming on the brakes of that growth:

“It’s really hard to stop that kind of growth when the marketplace changes so quickly,” said Debbie Wicker, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Allegiance.

Have you been quoted by the press recently? Have you done a good deed for the community? Send me the info and I’ll post it.

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First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Flyer

Posted in Real Estate News, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2009 | 1 Comment »

The good people at VAR have published a nifty flyer on the tax credit to mail or give to your clients. There’s even room to print or attach your business card. Seems like a good mailer into apartment complexes to me…

Download the pdf here: first-time_home_buyer_credit_09

first-time_home_buyer_credit_091


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Real Estate Markets Gaining Interest

Posted in Real Estate News, tagged , , , , , on March 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Check out the cities that made Trulia’s greatest one year rise in searches.

City Search Rank in February 2008 Search Rank in February 2009 Change
Fort Myers, Fla. 39 13 +26
Cape Coral, Fla. 33 12 +21
Miami, Fla. 20 6 +14
Sarasota, Fla. 42 29 +13
Naples, Fla. 34 21 +13
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 49 37 +12
Scottsdale, Ariz. 48 39 +9
Washington, D.C. 29 20 +9
Charlotte, N.C. 24 19 +5
Queens, N.Y. 13 9 +4
Tampa, Fla. 21 18 +3

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McLean Manager Brian Block Featured on Maxim.com

Posted in RE/MAX Allegiance News, Winners, tagged , , , , , , on March 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Virginia Associate Prices Video Game Castles for Maxim
By Deborah Ball, RE/MAX Times Associate Editor

WHAT IT’S WORTH: Fairfax Castle (above) in “Fable 2″ will cost you 1 million gold coins. Any takers?

He usually does price comparisons on upscale Washington, D.C., condos and brownstones.

Now Brian Block is offering up his real estate expertise for another hot housing commodity: video game castles.

How does an agent land such a gig, you might wonder?

Maxim, a U.S. men’s magazine, called upon Block, a 100 Percent Club member, and another real estate agent to compare prices (in golden game coins) for 10 of the virtual world’s poshest castle homes in games such as “Super Mario World,” “Zelda,” Fable 2″ and “Ico.”

The expert opinions were featured in an article titled “How Much Are Video Game Castles Worth?”

“It’s the first time I’ve had to give price comparisons for virtual listings,” says the Broker/Manager with RE/MAX Allegiance in McLean, Va. “A few of my colleagues joked that I have too much time on my hands to do something like this, but I’m very busy.”

“It didn’t take long, and it was a fun thing to do. Plus, it was in Maxim, which is a widely read magazine.”

After the article ran, Block (ABR, CRS, SRES) sent it to his clients, prospects and colleagues. An existing client referred a gaming friend to Block after seeing the story.

“I might have a new client out of this,” Block says. “You can’t beat that.”

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Brian Block Appointed McLean Branch Vice President

Posted in RE/MAX Allegiance News, Winners, tagged , , , , , on March 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

I am pleased to announce that Brian Block has been appointed the McLean, VA Branch Vice President.

Brian Block joined  RE/MAX Allegiance in June 2003. A licensed attorney practicing law full-time for three years before starting his real estate career, Brian concentrated in the areas of banking litigation, securities & small business finance and general practice.  Additionally, during the first several years of his real estate sales career, Brian worked part-time at a well-respected Old Town Alexandria real estate law firm, and learned the ins and outs of real estate from a legal perspective.

Brian’s sales career at RE/MAX has thrived and he’s been a member of the RE/MAX 100% Club for the last several years.  Brian’s real estate blog has been recognized both locally and nationally as one of the best blogs in the industry.  In fact, he’s currently competing in the VAR National Blog Brawl. Vote for Brian here. (Please vote. His current opponent is an Atlanta Keller Williams blogger. Not voting and her winning would be wrong. Very wrong.)

In the last few years, several media outlets have focused attention on Brian’s knowledge and expertise, including, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, VAR Commonwealth, NVAR Update, Falls Church News-Press, Washington Examiner, and Maxim Magazine.  Last year, Brian appeared on the nationally broadcast CBS Early Show as a real estate expert.

Brian graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and got his law degree at George Mason Law School in Arlington, Virginia.

Brian lives in Alexandria with his wife Deborah, who runs a highly successful ballroom dance business. Together, they enjoy dancing, martial arts, reading, and travel. Brian successfully ran the 2004 Marine Corps Marathon.

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Final 2008 RE/MAX Top 100

Posted in RE/MAX Allegiance News, Winners, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 13, 2009 | 1 Comment »

RE/MAX Allegiance had several Individuals and Teams included in the final 2008 United States Top 100 List:

Individuals:

16. Willie Colston, Independence Office, VA
Willie was the Number One RE/MAX Associate in the entire eastern part of the country.

27. Anand Barnes, Ashburn Office, VA

62. Tom Buerger, Georgetown Office, DC

Teams:

8. Vicki Nellis, Burke Office, VA

61. Will Carder, Red Mill Office, VA

74. Pat Fales, Burke Office, VA

82. Frank Prindle, Leesburg Pike Office, VA

Congratulations to the Individuals and Teams above. We’re all very proud of you!

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Largest Canadian Keller Williams Franchise Converts to RE/MAX

Posted in Real Estate News, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on March 9, 2009 | 1 Comment »

The top Keller Williams franchise in Canada – a two-office Vancouver-area brokerage with more than 180 Associates – converted to RE/MAX on Feb. 26.

Bjorn Soolsma and Deborah Stevens – Co-Broker/Owners of the newly renamed RE/MAX Results Realty – determined that RE/MAX training, technology and brand awareness will help their agents reach new heights.

The Broker/Owners, who have over 25 years of real estate experience between them, see great opportunities ahead for the close-knit group they lead. The addition of their offices takes RE/MAX market share in Maple Ridge and Port Coquitlam to 44 percent and 32 percent respectively. Soolsma envisions even higher numbers.

“We want to continue to build something that is agent-focused, dynamic and results-oriented,” Soolsma says. “Combining our philosophy, resources and vision with the RE/MAX business model, brand and resources, we’re going to be the best.”

Below are probably some reasons they switched:

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Short Sale Commission Update

Posted in Real Estate News, tagged , , , , , , on March 2, 2009 | 1 Comment »

From VAR Legal Counsel Lem Marshall:

One of the most pernicious and destructive practices of short-sale lenders has been to condition contract approval or closing on the willingness of the listing firm to lower its commission, sometimes by as much as 3 points. Since September of 2007, I have been urging Realtors in this situation simply to refuse to agree, on the grounds that (i) it is inequitable to take advantage of the listing agent and seller’s precarious position in this way, and (ii) that the lender will yield if the listing firm simply refuses to alter its agreement with the seller.

This past November at the NAR Legal Seminar, the director of loss mitigation at Fannie Mae addressed Realtor counsel from around the country about short sales, and asked our advice on how to increase the efficiency of the short sale process. I was one of many attorneys present who took Fannie to task for this demoralizing practice, and while the Fannie Mae official promised to consider what we had to say on this and other aspects of these deals, I think we all took Fannie’s interest with a grain of salt.

If we did, we were wrong. Fannie has now announced that effective March 1, 2009, the approval and closing of short sales will not be conditioned on the willingness of the listing firm to alter its fee arrangement with the borrower, as long as the total commission does not exceed 6%. The official guideline is set out below.

No Negotiation of Preforeclosure Sales Commission
Servicing Guide, Part VII, Section 504.02: Contacting Selected Borrowers

Effective March 1, 2009, closing of preforeclosure sales may not be conditioned upon a reduction of the total commission to be paid to real estate agents to a level below what was negotiated by the listing agent with the borrower, unless the fee exceeds 6 percent of the sales price of the property in the aggregate. Servicers are reminded that they must continue to obtain any approvals that may be required by interested third parties in connection with preforeclosure sales.

I will be interested to see whether Freddie Mac and other mortgage holders follow suit, and will let you know as soon as we know.

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