keeping real estate simple

When you are writing a contract offer on a house one of the decision you and your Realtor will need to make is what amount of earnest money you should offer to be held in escrow. What this means is you make a deposit with a third party (typically the title company) showing the seller that you are willing to put some skin in the game to show you are serious about the deal. This amount is typically $500 or $1,000 in the KC area. However, it can be of any amount. And doesn’t have to be money. It can be anything you and the seller agree on. It can be a necklace, a boat, a cow, you name it.

For simplicity purposes, from here on out I will speak of thing in terms of this deposit being money.

There are a few things you need to know about the earnest money deposit. The first is, the check will be deposited into an escrow account. Therefore you must have the money in your account. Secondly, if you follow through with the contract and purchase the house, that money is credited back to you at the closing table. Third, if you walk away from the deal for a reason not covered in the contract, you will forfeit the money to the seller.

Now the tricky part. There is another level to this most people do not know about. If the contract gets cancelled for any reason and never makes it to the closing table, both parties have to sign the release form to allow the money to be given to the other party. You read that right. Both parties. So what happens if one side chooses to not sign it? The answer is it sits in limbo in that escrow account until one of three things happens. One is that both parties come to an agreement and sign the form. Two is that one party takes the other to court and gets a ruling from the court to have the money released to them. And three, the money is not released and after a couple of years becomes possession of the state.

Now that we know what earnest money is, and how it works, let’s look at the reasons for it, and against it.

First, why you need to do it.

As I mentioned before, this is showing the seller you are serious about your offer and you are willing to put up some money to prove it. This says to the seller you are willing to give them that money if you do not go through with the contract. In a hot market, this could be the difference in getting your offer accepted, and getting put in the trash can. In some instances, it might be more important to the seller than the actual offer. I say that because what good is a higher price offer, if it isn’t serious?

Additionally, by accepting a contract, the seller essentially has to take the house off the market while you go through the contract timeline. Technically, it is still for sale and can allow backup offers. But houses in backup status are far less viewed than those that are active. So the earnest money gives them peace of mind that if the buyer walks away, they can be compensated for the time their house was not actively for sale.

So there are the reasons you need to offer an earnest money deposit. Now for why you maybe shouldn’t.

As a buyer, you are the only party that is taking any kind of financial risk with offering a contract on a house. Two of things you will be paying for are the home inspection and appraisal. Both of which are typically paid outside of closing by you out of pocket. Whether the deal consummates or not. Add on the earnest money, and you could be looking at a few thousand dollars you are paying out that can all be lost if the deal falls apart. And it doesn’t even have to be the buyers fault!

The question then becomes, should the buyers being putting themselves at more risk than absolutely necessary? Does the earnest money deposit matter that much? For years the real estate community has shown that it does feel that it is a necessary part of the deal. But it seems like this is one of those, “the way it has always been done” type of things.  And nobody wants to be the first one to stray from the herd.

As I encounter the use of earnest money, from both the buyer and seller side, I can’t help but to feel like the earnest money deposit is an overrated component to the deal. That the risk/reward on the buyer’s side isn’t very good. When you get right down to it, you might as well be gambling with that money. Because you are gambling that if something happens, that the seller will be understanding and not hold the money hostage by refusing to sign the release. Which does happen.

So what is the remedy? I wish I knew. Because I do think there needs to be some reform in this area. Perhaps contracts need to be written in a more specific way that allows the money to be released without signatures for specific situations. Or maybe use a third party moderator to determine the release or non-release of the money. Just so that the decision making is done on facts, not emotions.

Maybe there will come a day when there is some change, maybe not. But hopefully this will give you something to think about the next time you are buying or selling a home.

I recently read an article in the Kansas City Star about how the tiny house trend has come to the Midwest. I have seen shows on tv about people searching for these tiny houses and found them to be pretty fascinating. I do have a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of living in a house full time that is smaller than most new homes master bedrooms. Of course, being a family of four, with a dog makes these houses impractical for my situation. The image of the 5 of us locked up in a 300-500 square foot box during a rainy day is the stuff nightmares are made of.

Having that said, I do understand the appeal of having it built on a trailer so you can travel and literally never leave home, and how it gets around most building codes since you are not affixed to the ground. Perhaps this is the new retirement trend instead of moving to Florida or Arizona. And can be more aesthetically pleasing than your standard RV.

But this article mentions how this trend is reaching down out of the retirees into the younger generation. I knew this to be true because I also found that a good number of the people on the tv shows were younger. This is where it gets interesting to me.

What is drawing this younger crowd to these tiny houses? Given that most young people are more tied down to jobs, schools, etc. So the traveling aspect is largely taken away. So what is left that is luring them?

I ask because it is an interesting dichotomy to what we have seen in the real estate market in the past several years. What we have found is that the average age of the first time home buyer is going up, as is the price of that first home. So what is happening is that the younger generation is waiting a little bit longer to buy, and when they do, they have more money to so. But that doesn’t mean they are buying the same “starter” homes the generations before started with, and putting more money down. No, they are skipping that segment of housing and going right to housing typical of that of an established family. Therefore leaving a void in that “starter” home market.

So what will it be, will younger generations continue to purchase bigger, higher priced homes first, or will tiny homes become the new “starter” home?

I think the answer will come in the form of seeing just how viable these homes are over the long haul with multiple generations of people. Then what happens to those houses when those younger people start having a family and need more space? Will there be a resale market for these homes? If there is not, then the trend will certainly die off.

Regardless, I do think it is a fascinating decision that people are willing to leave the space and conveniences of the traditional home for these tiny houses. I look forward to watching this trend and see where it goes over the next few years.

So what about you, could live in a tiny house? If you could, would you and why?

That is the question. But what does that mean? 1%?

In a word. Commission.

It has become more commonplace in real estate now to have a Realtor offer to sell your house for 1% commission. Sounds great, right? After all, most of the time you would pay 6%, 7% or even higher. So you have a chance to save some real money. On a house worth $200,000, a 1% agent can save you 5%, or $10,000 (assuming a 6% quote from another agent).  Nice.

On the surface this seems like a no brainer. Why wouldn’t I want to save $10,000? Here I will just leave the old saying, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”  So here is the rub…

When you sit down and actually get the details, that 1% looks suspiciously like 4% before you have even had a chance to get comfortable in your chair. How you ask? What isn’t disclosed up front is that yes, you will be paying the listing agent 1% to sell your house. However, you also have to pay the buyer’s agent for bringing the buyer into the deal and doing all the work on that end. Typically, a 3% commission is offered.

So, now as you look at it, you are really saving only 2%, or $4,000 by using the 1% agent. Still a decent amount of money, for sure.

But, ask yourself this question. Do you want to work with someone who misleads you from the start? This is someone you are trusting to help you with likely the biggest transaction of your life. Is that a wise decision?

One answer might be; I don’t care. Saving money is saving money and it really doesn’t matter as long as I sell my house and save money. Fair enough. There are plenty of people who feel the same way and the perceived savings will continue to get those agents business.

Wait, you just said, perceived savings. Yes, I said perceived.

I say this because that $4,000 you believe you are going to be saving in most cases turns out to not be saved at all. Sometimes, you end up losing more. Let’s look at how.

What is that 1% agent not giving or doing for you? A saying that comes to mind here is, “you get what you pay for.” Logically one would conclude that the agent charging less money has to cut out services in order to survive. After all, a 5 star hotel cannot offer the services and amenities that come with its rating for a 2 star hotel price. Something has to give. Unfortunately, most people find out too late that those commission savings they thought they were getting are eaten up by time on market, price reductions, and overall bad negotiating on their behalf. Because something has to give for that agent as well. They have to do more deals to make the same money, so they have less time and resources per deal. Which means you get less.

The simple fact to remember is that houses do not sell themselves. Although sometimes it may seem like they do. In the background, what people do not see is a good agent has laid a ground work of talking to other agents/neighbors etc. before the house even hits the MLS. Buyers do not just stumble upon a house. Work has gone in to put that house in front of them. The less work an agent does, the fewer buyers see your house. And you don’t have to be an economist to know that means less demand means less money for you.

That $4,000 savings doesn’t look so good anymore when that agent doesn’t have time to market your house effectively and have it sit for sale for months, forcing you to do a $5,000 (or more) price reduction to boost interest, does it? It has now cost you more money using an agent charging less in commission. Believe me, this is more common than you think…But it can be avoided.

My advice to you is to interview several agents and find out how they work. Be less concerned about the amount you are paying them, and more concerned with the amount they are going to bring to you. Pick the one you can see the value they present. In the end, they are likely to be worth far more to you. Whether that be by getting you more money out of the house, save you a ton of personal time, or handle that tricky negotiation and keep a deal together. When it is all over, you will be glad you focused on the value and not the deal.

You paid close attention to my first time homebuyer mistakes post and followed the steps to make sure you were ready to make the purchase. You searched with your agent, and the offer you put in on a property was accepted. Congratulations. But now what? Below is what takes place after you have come to terms on a deal. If you have a good Realtor, they will help you along the way with these items.

First, you need to let your lender know that you have a contract on a house so that they can get to work getting the financing in place before it is time to close. It takes time for everything to come together, so your lender will need all the advanced notice they can get to make it work. They will need to know the purchase price, as well as any seller paid items agreed upon.

Next is the inspection period. This is a 10 day (depending on the contract) window that is opened up as soon as you have a deal in place. This is a chance for you to get the house checked out to make sure there are no hidden problems that could become costly for you once you move in. The inspector will look at the entire house and write up a report detailing everything they that could be an issue. You can then use this information to open up negotiations to have these things fixed, or change the price of the house accordingly so that you can do the repairs. Or you can walk away from the deal altogether . This is a crucial step in making sure that you know what you are getting before you get to the closing table.

You also want to get your funds ready. Whether you are paying all cash for a house, or whether you are financing part or all, you will more than likely have to put in some money into the deal unless your financing is through VA, or any of the First Time Homebuyer programs which will cover all of the costs. Outside of those two financing products, things like the down payment and closing costs are expenses you will need to be ready for.  Closing costs are what you pay to take out the loan. In it you have the fees the lender charges for you to get the loan. Also, things like the appraisal, title fees, up front taxes and insurance, etc. are all bundled together to make the closing costs. You must have this money available in certified funds to bring to closing.

A side note, yet a VERY important note. Unless you are paying cash for a house, once you have signed the contract on the house. DO NOT go out and buy big ticket items. I know you may need furniture and other things to fill this new house. But you must wait until after closing. Otherwise you risk that the decrease in funds or additional credit usage will cause the lender to not loan you the money for the house. This happens more than you think. This doesn’t mean to stop paying your bills, no, keep doing that. But if something comes up that is outside of the normal monthly spending, it is best to check with your lender first.

Once you have had the inspection, and everything is settled and closing is eminent, you need to find homeowners insurance. Shop around and find the best rates with the best coverage. Make sure you have enough insurance to replace the home and its furnishing if something were to happen. Too many times people go under-insured and when something happens, they don’t get enough money to start over. So choose your policy carefully.

A final walk through of the house is something that not everyone does, but probably should. This is a chance for you to see the house in the condition that the previous owners intend to leave it to you in. It allows you to make sure that they have left behind (or taken) everything they were supposed to per the contract. As well as make sure everything is in the condition you were expecting when you made the offer to buy. If there needs to be fixes, now is the time to get that done before closing.

And now we have come to the fun part. If fun to you means sitting in a room initialing and signing your name on a hundred pages of documents. This is where everything comes together and the transfer of ownership takes place. Otherwise known as closing. You as the buyer bring the money, the seller gets the money and everyone is happy. Make sure that as you go through the documents to check that everything looks right. If something looks off, ask about it. Don’t be afraid to speak up and even slow things down a bit so that you are comfortable with the process.  It is better to address any potential errors now, than to try to figure it out later. I know this is hard when you are excited about getting the house. But you must stay calm here and do things right.

Now all that is left is to gain possession and move in. Truthfully, this is one thing that gets confusing to buyers. They come to closing, hand over the certified funds and sign endless documents to buy the house. But then in most cases, do not get the keys to house at that time. In fact, it usually is not until a day (or even two) later. Why? Well unless you are paying all cash for the house, you are using a lender to finance the deal. And apparently it takes more than just a push of a button to transfer the money from one place to another. I don’t get it either. In today’s world you would think this process would catch up to the times. But I have no control over that. So it just is what it is. So you have to wait for the lender to transfer funds through the title or escrow company to the seller. Once that is complete and the transaction has been recorded, you own the house. Well…you and the lender own the house. But that’s another blog topic.

Now you just get to have the fun of packing, moving and then unpacking all of your stuff. It’s exhausting, but at the same time fun because you are off to a new adventure in a new place. And hopefully you entrusted a good Realtor to get you through all of the above transaction deals, so that you were not already exhausted from that process. If not, hopefully you remember that for the next time you move!

For those of you out there who have yet to take the plunge into home ownership, here is a few things to consider. Renting vs Buying is something that can be researched ad nauseam as everyone seems to have an opinion on what is best for you. I am going to go on the assumption that you have decided to buy and that is why you are reading this. What I want to talk about is a few of the biggest, and most common mistakes first time buyers make. Hopefully this will help you avoid these pitfalls and make you home buying experience a good one.

Contrary to popular belief, the first step once you have decided to buy is not to go look at houses. Shocking, I know. The first step in every home search is to talk to a lender. Actually, talking to two or three is even better. And when you do this, ASK QUESTIONS. Failure to ask enough questions of their lender is the #1 buyer mistakes. They don’t come away from talking to lenders with all the information needed to make a sound decision. You know at the very least know how much how you can afford, not how much the lender will give you. There is a difference. Know the monthly payments, with taxes and insurance included. How much of a down payment will you need? How much will closing costs be? With financing options, most people believe the end all be all is the rate. While the rate is an important component, it is just one part of the entire equation. Compare the fees, Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), the type of loan compared to others, etc. There is a lot to take in, but find a good lender who will walk you through all of the parts and help you understand. If you understand and are comfortable with the financing, it will make the process of looking more fun.

The second thing piggybacks off the first, RESEARCH. First time home buyers typically do not do enough research. This can cause some buyer’s remorse after the fact when they end up in the wrong loan, wrong neighborhood, or wrong house. Working with a good Realtor can alleviate much of this as they will bring the information to you. You then just need to use it to make the decision.

Know what you want and need. That seems obvious, but too many times buyers come in to the process having not thought much beyond the number of bedrooms, baths and garage spaces within the amount of money they can spend. As you can imagine, that is a pretty broad search criteria. Creating an overwhelming number of options. On the other hand, some come in with a laundry list of “needs” shrinking the pool of potential houses down to roughly one, and it sold last week. Leaving them frustrated that they “cannot find anything.”

Sitting down and making a list of wants and needs is a good start. But let me put a twist on it. Instead of going about it as most would, “Ok, we have to have 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 2 garage spaces…” and listing off all of the needs first. Instead, try having fun and first listing all of the awesome things you WANT. No holds barred. You think a pool would be nice? Write it down. Underground Batcave? Sure, why not? Bowling alley? Hey, the White House has one, why not your pad? Write it down. This should help you open up and be creative. Fill that sheet of paper up. Use more than one sheet if need be. Now that you have done that. Go back through it and circle the things that you absolutely will not buy a house unless it has it. This will help you really focus on what is important, and what is really just something extra you hope to get. Now, you have your wants and needs identified. And hopefully narrowed the pool, but not eliminated it entirely.

Next on this list is something your Realtor should help you with, and that is doing enough to make your offer an appealing one to the seller. This goes beyond the numbers. What do I mean? Sellers want the buyer to be ready, willing, and able. What does that mean? Ready. Means you have done the work up front, know what you want, have identified their house as it, and are committed. Willing. You are in a place where you will be negotiating seriously on the house. This is not a time to just be “trying it out” or only wanting to throw very low offers out there to see if you can get a deal. In other words, you are willing to work to reach a fair deal. Able.  This here is the money. You are able to bring the money agreed upon to purchase, at the time the purchase is to take place. If you don’t meet the criteria for all three of these, you cannot be considered a serious buyer and a seller is not likely to accept an offer you may present.

Lastly, many times buyers become excited by the idea of getting a deal and not thinking about resale. They have seen the advertisements boasting the idea that you can get a house for no money down, and 50% off asking price, etc. Not understanding that in most markets, something like this is just not reality. There are deals out there. But think about, why is it a deal? There is probably a reason for it. Is the house priced low because it was poorly maintained? This can bring about problems with financing. Banks are not going to lend money on a house that could fall apart the next time the wind blows. And your insurance guy is probably either going to tell you to take a hike, or laugh all the way to the bank with the over-inflated premiums you will now be paying. Does the design, function or location of the house demand the low price to overcome these downfalls that cannot be fixed? You know, that house next door to the Wal-Mart might be a steal. But guess what, when it is time for to sell, it will be a steal again. This time with you on the short end of it. Many people like to shop at Wal-Mart, but very, very few want to be their neighbor.

All of this might seem overwhelming. However, picking the right Realtor can ensure that none of this will be an issue. They will help guide you through the process and help you be prepared and make the best decisions for you. Seek out information and help. It is out there. And it is free. No reason not to use it.

Seriously. Ok, let me rephrase that. I am not a salesman in the typical sense that you are thinking of. You will never see an abnormally LOUD commercial of me trying sell you a car for just $199 down, 0% APR  for 36 months, followed by a really fast, imperceptible statement that basically says, “you won’t qualify for this deal anyway, but come on by so we can sell you on something that isn’t quite as good.” Nor will I be ringing your doorbell asking if I can bring my state of the art vacuum cleaner into your house for a free demonstration and 3 hours of your time. Likewise, I will not be calling you (probably because you are on the national “No Call List”) to let you in on the latest deal of the century for life insurance, get rich quick scheme, etc. I am sure some semblance of the examples above popped into your head when you see the word “salesman.” Don’t feel bad. I think of those things too. That is why it is important for me to distinguish REALTORS as different.

For some people, this might be splitting hairs. But stay with me here. What I am selling is a great customer service experience and relationship. Relationship? Sounds weird. Actually, if you think about it, your REALTOR is someone who will help you through what is in many cases the biggest financial transaction you will ever have in your life. Isn’t that worthy of having a relationship? You are trusting them with your biggest asset. They are giving you their skills in negotiation, contracts, and knowledge of the real estate world. Sounds a little deeper than just deciding on whether you want the subscription to Sports Illustrated or TIME doesn’t it? I certainly believe it to be true.

The point? Don’t be afraid to engage a REALTOR with questions. We are in the business of helping you, not selling you. Or at least that is how your agent should be. Our advice and information is free. FREE. No strings attached. You can’t even call your cell phone provider for a billing answer without them pitching you an add-on or something. And they already have a hand in your pocket. We want to build that relationship with you so that when the time comes for you to make that transaction, we are the expert you call. Don’t be shy.

Here is looking at you, For Sale By Owner (FSBO). You have decided that you are going to go about trying to sell your house all on your own. And why wouldn’t you when you could potentially save thousands on commission costs of a Realtor? So you go to FSBO.com, or any one of the number of do it yourself sites and spring for the, “Full Meal Deal” MLS package for $350. I mean, if you are going to do this, you better do it right. You notice that you must disclose Buyers Agent Commission in the MLS listing. You mean I have to pay the Buyer’s Agent?  I didn’t know that. But you figure most buyers are probably going to use agents, and you don’t want agents skipping over your house if they won’t get paid, so you offer 3% assuming that is the going rate. But hey, you are still going to save 3-4%. Sweet.

You buy a few signs and use up all of the color ink in your printer making some great listing flyers for people to take from your yard.  A couple Zillow, Trulia and Craigslist posts later and you are in business. Let the flock of buyer’s descend on your front door with full price offers in hand!

Soon the phone starts ringing off the hook. But wait, it is nothing but Realtors calling to see why you are selling on your own rather than with them. Not to show my house. The very people you wished to avoid are now all you are hearing from!

So, you decide you need to have an open house to some see actual buyers. But then find that you have just burned 2-3 hours of your day showing your home to people who statistically speaking, 99% of the time have no intention or means of buying your home. So you wait, and wait, maybe fielding an extreme low ball offer or two every so often. And meanwhile the perceived value of your home is going down the longer that “For Sale” sign is in your yard.

Sound familiar to those who have ventured down this path before? Of course it does, unless you are part of the lucky 10% of FSBO sellers who actually sell their house without the help of a Realtor.  Don’t feel bad you other 90%, even the Founder/CEO of ForSaleByOwner.com was unable to sell his New York condo using his own site (http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2011/08/09/forsalebyownercom-founder-uses-agent-sell-home).  It is hard.

With that story in mind, here are 7 main reasons why you should always enlist the help of a licensed Realtor whenever selling your home (and buying a home for that matter). There are many more, but to keep it simple, let’s stop at 7.

1. Higher sales price vs. FSBO
2. Marketing strategies = More money
3. The longer it sits for sale, the more money you lose
4. Buyers shop FSBO listings to save commission
5. REALTORS are trained to separate the lookers from the buyers
6. Center of Influence (people you know) sells homes
7. Third party negotiations save time

I am going to expand upon a couple of the more important ones. If you want more information on the others, feel free to contact me and we can discuss them further.

The first is Center of Influence sells homes. According the National Association of Realtors, 43% of home sales are done through Center of Influence. In short, you have to know someone willing to buy the property. Duh…right? Not groundbreaking stuff. Buyers don’t just fall out of the sky. But what it means is that using a Realtor gives you higher mathematical probability that your home will sell because they have LARGE Center of Influences.

Next, and one that few FSBO sellers understand is that buyers shop FSBO because they want to save on commissions too. But wait, how can both the buyer and seller save on the same commission? The answer, they can’t. Buyers believe that with FSBO’s they can get a better deal because the commission has been eliminated, therefore the seller can take more money off the price because they are not paying an agent. No buyer is going to pay you the money you are saving on commission.

Last is that using a Realtor doesn’t cost you money, it makes you money. According to a study by the National Association of Realtors, using an agent on average nets the seller 17% more than FSBO. So the math here is that FSBO’s typically take 17% less on their house to save what is now 3-4% commission. Does that make sense?

In the end I hope all of this will help you know that the next time you are thinking about selling your home. Let the experts help you sell it faster, easier, and for more money!

While this is a real estate blog, often times I find things we learn apply to our everyday lives as well. Today is one of those instances. It comes in the form of Monkey Maintenance. What is Monkey Maintenance, you ask? Well, it comes from real estate motivational speaker Terry Watson (www.terrywatson.com). I had the pleasure of hearing him speak at the annual ReeceNichols kickoff ceremony in Kansas City. If you have a chance to witness him in person, do it. Well worth your time. He is incredibly entertaining and funny. So what is Monkey Maintenance and why is it important? In short, as Terry says, Monkey Maintenance is the simple act of saying the phrase, “THAT’S NOT MY MONKEY!”

Monkeys are the things that other people try to take off of their backs and put onto ours that simply do not belong there. For us in real estate, this is the buyer that cannot qualify for the house of their dreams. Or the seller that cannot get their asking price in a down market. In both cases, somehow their agent needs to be able to overcome this. Things that might apply to you could be someone at work doesn’t complete their task in a timely manner, but then expects you to work late to meet a deadline. Or your child refuses to eat what you make for dinner, but then complains of hunger. The examples can go on and on and on. People continually try to take their monkey and place it on to your back. Unfortunately, in many cases, we willingly take on that monkey. Well…no more!

“THAT’S NOT MY MONKEY!” Learn this. Use this. Believe this.

Now, there are certainly times in your life when someone needs help with their monkey. You know these times and understand that they are different than what we am talking about now. This is not a license to be greedy with your time, money or effort. Don’t be a jerk, but know the boundaries.

It seems like such a simple concept, and it is. We just don’t employ it enough. Start small, but with conviction that some things are just not your monkey. Take that monkey and return it to the back of the person who is trying to give it to you. That is theirs to deal with. Once you start making this a routine in your life, you will find that you will be less stressed and have more time for doing the things you should be, and want to be doing.

Good luck!

I will be the first to tell you that I don’t know everything there is about real estate. But guess what? Anyone who tells you that they do is lying to you. Why? Because it is always changing. By the very nature of houses coming and from the market, every day is a new day in real estate and every day is different. One house selling in a neighborhood can change the entire neighborhood.

So with that, I am going to offer up some of my thoughts and knowledge about real estate in hopes that maybe I can make things a little easier for those out there who do not deal in it every day. So if you are ever in the process of buying or selling, there could be some things that help you along the way. I might even throw in some things that apply to life in general along the way. Many times the concepts apply to both.

Who am I? I am a REALTOR in Kansas City, MO for ReeceNichols Real Estate. Shameless plug- we are the #1 real estate company in the city by a fairly large margin. Not that I necessarily have been a huge spoke in the wheel moving the company to #1, mind you. But I am one who believes that if you are going to be the best at something, you have to surround yourself with the best. So that is what I did. Cue the, “I am standing on the shoulders of giants” and other awesomely bad clichés that are appropriate. Also, I am a husband, and father to two young, head strong kids. This means I am well practiced in the art of negotiating. In fact, I think having young kids should be a must when you are considering them to be advocate on your behalf. Seriously. Those with kids are nodding in approval.

So strap in and let’s start this thing called blogging about real estate!