Vancouver Wa Real Estate - Elite Realty NW

I received a very disturbing call earlier this week and although it resulted in a listing for me, my new clients are in some very tough financial trouble.

A few weeks back an internet lead was forwarded to me through my site that is unfortunately becoming more common in the Vancouver Washington real estate market. An owner of a Vancouver Home had asked me to contact him in regards to selling his home and he had asked if I was experienced with short sales. I sent him several emails and tried to get him on the phone at least a dozen times with no luck.

This week my phone rang and when I answered it was him and his wife wanting to interview me over the phone. Talk about pressure! A blind interview with no advanced notice. Luckily I had his call sheet right next to my phone and I was ready to discuss his situation with him. This is what unfolded as we were talking:

He and his wife were involved with an investing club a few years back when a real estate agent from Vancouver Washington was the guest speaker at one of their meetings. This agent showed the group a new townhome community that they were building and told them how they had put together an investors' package for out of state investors. Did I mention that my client lives two states away? The short version of the story is that the investors were told that the units would rent for about $1600 and were sure to appreciate a fast rate. At the time, parts of Vancouver Washington were appreciating a 12 to 13% annually. Unfortunately this project isn't in one of those areas! This project also wasn't in the area where townhomes were getting $1600 per month in rent!

Are you seeing where this is going?

Oh yeah, there is one more thing, my clients have never visited the property! They have owned it for two years and have never set foot inside. I am not sure if they have ever been to Vancouver Washington!

So the townhome has been rented for the past two years at $850. They are using the agent's recommended property management group, paying them a little under 10%, and they have never increased the rent. They have been paying the balance of the mortgage out of their pocket every month. They financed 95% of the purchase with a first and a second mortgage.

While I know that the agent involved is shady (I know who he is and this isn't the first deal that has threatened to bankrupt people) I can't help but think that these investors were getting into a deal that could have easily been avoided with just a little bit of homework. For those of you who are wondering, YES, I scolded them. I read them the riot act and I even ended with one of my mother's favorite lines, "Have you learned anything from this experience? Good. Now tell me what you have learned."

It is lucky that they ended up getting me on the line as I am one of the more experienced and successful short sale agents in Clark County.

Do you know anyone looking for a drastically discounted investment property?

Sorry for the lack of pictures guys. I am working in a model home on my laptop. Virus protestion is going crazy and I can't seem to upload any images. Hope to add pictures later.

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver, Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in West Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground. We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service.

The Power of Being Nice - A Vancouver Washington Real Estate Story

As a real estate agent here in Vancouver Washington, it is very easy to get caught up in yourself. Your own listings. Your own buyers. Your own life. It is a tough business and there usually isn't time to worry about everyone else, right? Maybe kinda right, but let me tell you this story of how being nice has paid off in spades for me.

A phone call that I took yesterday is what prompted me to write this post. The call was from an agent who was calling to thank Janice and me for visiting an open house that she was holding a while back. We were just driving through the neighborhood when we noticed that an agent in our company was holding an open house a few blocks away. We decided to stop in to say "hi" and to see how things were going for her. At the time, she let us know that she was struggling with the listing. We talked her through a few things, discussed a better pricing strategy, and were on our merry way. Yesterday's phone call ended with, "You guys were so nice to stop in try to help me and I would like to give you guys this listing." How cool is that?

It sparked a few other thoughts. Janice and I really turbo charged our business when we started focusing on new subdivisions. We have listed and sold 4 subdivisions in the past 3 years and have worked sales manager for several others. I am often asked by other real estate agents how I got those listings. Until now, I haven't really understood the dynamics of how I got this deals. But right now it is clear as day to me; I got them by being nice!

For example, there is a condo / townhome project here in Vancouver Washington that was listed with another agent in our office. I popped by the model home one day just to see who was onsite and to see how they were doing. While touring the model, the agent mentioned that she had been working for several months without a break. She was tired and needed a vacation. I volunteered to take a few shifts at the model home to help relieve her workload. She agreed. I picked up 3 days a week. The only deal was that I could keep any leads that I got while working there and I would get the buyer's agent commission if I sold one. It was a win / win situation for us both. I got a good source of leads and she got a much needed break. Two and a half months later she called me to let me know that she had discussed it with the builders and that she was giving me the listings on that project and the listings for 3 other subdivisions! Just because I was nice enough to help her when she needed it!

Think it was a fluke? Listen to this one:

Three years ago the real estate market in Vancouver Washington was booming. People were lined up to buy new construction and the builders could name their own price. A new subdivision was being built in my neck of Vancouver. We noticed that the model was complete and there were open house signs throughout the neighborhood. We stopped in to tour the model home and started chatting with the listing agent. He told us that he was going to be listing 2 more neighborhoods for the same builder in the following 3 months and he was worried as to how he could handle it all. The first thing out of my mouth was "How can I help?" The long and the short of is that we worked the models at all three subdivisions for about 16 months and sold about 27 of the new homes. The leads that I got from that project have accounted for more than half of my business since those projects have been finished! Be nice to your fellow agents; it is the gift that just keeps giving!

As a side note: I wish I didn't have to say this... I never once asked for any of these listings and I never once went through back doors to try to get a builder to change agents and to use us. That is the quickest way to be blacklisted from these kinds of projects. I was there to give a helping hand and to generate leads for my database. (Oh Yeah, I sold a bunch of house along the way too!) I just wanted to be part of the project. I never imagined that I would end up listing them all!

The tip that I want to share with you is simple:

Be helpful. Be nice. Be ready if anything should come your way!

p.s. Let me tell you what the photo is all about. I was having a difficult time finding an image that represented "nice" so I ended up using this photo that Janice and I took of our travel companion, Happy Bunny, on a trip to London a few years back. Click here to see Happy Bunny's travel pics.

Big smile, yellow nose, pink floppy ears, what could be nicer than that?

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver, Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in West Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground. We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service.

Clark County Parade of Homes

The 2008 Clark Parade of Homes in Vancouver Washington is also home the "The Cottage."

This beautiful home was built by Tamarack Homes. In my opinion, this is the greenest home at the parade, just ahead of the "Green Haus" which is located right around the corner.

The "Green-ness" of this European cottage style home comes in several ways. Special attention was paid during planning and construction in order to become LEED certified:

The walls were built using 24" on center studs, allowing more space for insulation as well as using less lumber.

The stucco finish was designed to allow space between the stucco and walls to prevent moisture buildup and airflow.

Meticulous prep work also meant that every cut of lumber was planned out ahead of time for minimal waste.

Aged hardwood floors in the main living areas were custom milled from old reclaimed barn joists.

Of course this beautiful home isn't only focused on being green. The soaring eighteen foot ceilings in the great room add a touch of elegance that anyone would be proud of. The gourmet kitchen is appointed with a WOLF 48" range, double ovens, antiques marble counter tops, an extra large sink, giant pantry, and a special composter and recycle bin. The main floor master suite features ten foot ceilings and decorative leaded glass window custom made by Almega.The European fixtures in the master bath spa were provided by Hans-Grohe and Durvait European Fixtures.

The Clark County Parade runs through September 7, 2008. Hope to see you there!

As an added eco-friendly touch, the landscapers installed raised beds in the garden for growing fruits and veggies!

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver, Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in West Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground. We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service.

As our real estate market here in Vancouver Washington remains in a stalled condition, may of you are thinking about remodeling to hold you over. Jonathon in Georgia makes some great points and I thought that all of my readers might benefit from his post. Enjoy!

Green Drinks in Vancouver, Washington

In an effort to bring more sustainable building and green living ideas to Vancouver Washington, I have been attending classes, meeting, and group get togethers for folks with similar ideas. Last night was the monthly meeting for Green Drinks in Vancouver, Washington. We met at Hula Boys in downtown Vancouver.

The meetings are an informal affair with attendees from all walks of the "Green" movement. This month there was a group of 30 - 35 people gathered to listen to Jill Sughrue. 

Jill is a sustainability consultant and coach with Sustain Northwest.  A volunteer with the Northwest Earth Institute, Jill provided us with a very brief history of this organization and the seven thought-provoking discussion courses that they offer regarding voluntary simplicity, raising healthy children, global warming, food choices, etc. See www.nwei.org for more information on starting a discussion course at your work, home, neighborhood, church, etc.

Green Drinks is an excellent opportunity for any green minded person to network with like minded individules and learn more about what is happening in the area of eco-friendly living.

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver, Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in West Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground. We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service.

A New Park in Felida

One of the great things about living in Felida is the commitment that the county has made to the neighborhood. There are public parks throughout the neighborhood and new ones popping up all the time.

The newest park in Felida is the Sgt. Brad Crawford Neighborhood Park at the corner of NW 131^st street and NW 47^th Avenue.  This beautiful park has been in the planning stages since April 2006 and is finally reaching completion. Here is the latest report from the county parks commission:
August 13, 2008 Status Report:The contractor has finished planting all the remaining trees and plants, with the exception of the large sea grass planter in the entrance plaza. The entire park has also been hydro-seeded for grass. The ocean-washed concrete entry plaza has been poured. Remaining work includes finishing up the picnic tables, installing fencing along the back of the park, topping off the wood chips in the playground, finishing up the entry plaza, and installing remaining bollards, signs and garbage cans. Five additional benches that were paid for thanks to neighborhood fundraising efforts will also be installed soon. As part of a separate traffic safety project, Clark County Public Works also began installing a pedestrian safety island at the intersection of NW 131st Street and 47th Avenue this week.

By reading the report, it looks like they are well ahead of their timeline of October. At least my kids think so. They have been playing at the park for the last few weeks! Thank you to the folks at Clark County Planning for a job well done! Here is a shot of the park today:

One of the nice things about the development of this park is the fact that the county solicited input from the local residents. There were several meetings with residents and the neighborhood association in which everyone could participate in designing the new park. It was a perfect example of the county working together with the community to build something that will be beneficial for the neighborhood.

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver, Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in West Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground.We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service.

O.K. Time to Fess up. I know you have one. I bet you don't talk about him. Why gnot? Now is the time to come clean. I want to see it. Todd Clark wrote me and told me that he has one and that it pees on rocks!

Let's see it. Your best gnome shot. There are gno rules. There are gno prizes. Let's just make this a collection of ActiveRain Gnome shots.

I'll start.

This is Gary. He is a Garden Gnome. When we first got him he was placed in our master bath right on the edge of our soaking tub. He lived there for about 2 years until one day my wife decided to move him out to the garden. I guess she got freaked out or something. I didn't think that it was fair to move him out without much gnotice so I moved him into our kitchen window. He seemed to like it there. Again my wife moved him outside. She is like that sometimes. I moved him back in and placed him on our bar. A little while later I found him on the mantle of our fireplace. I am gnot sure exactly how he got there. Maybe by himself? GNow, as you can see in the picture, Gary is hanging out on our deck. He seems happy.

As a side gnote:

Gary doesn't seem to have any interest in becoming a Vancouver Washington Real Estate Agent. I have talked to him about opportunities on numerous occasions (mostly in the bath a year or so back.) but he just sits there with a blank stare on his face. He seems to ponder the possibility while he sits and smokes his pipe. He hasn't been to work with me yet but I am thinking that maybe a day as a realtor might be exactly what the doctor ordered. Maybe we should call out for a bring your gnome to work day. Of course alot of people would have to come out of the closet for that to be a success.

You saw mine, now its time to show me yours!

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver, Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in West Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground. We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service.

The Green Haus in Vancouver Washington

The 2008 Clark Parade of Homes in Vancouver Washington is lucky enough to have one of the first LEED Gold certified homes in its line up.

The "Green Haus" was built by Axiom Luxury Homes specifically for the Parade of Homes. I had the opportunity to walk through it last week and I can tell you that living "Green" in a sustainably built home doesn't mean that you will have to make any sacrifices.

This gorgeous home sports Eldorado Stone accents, Skirl siding with cedar trim, cedar board and bat, and pervious pavers to mitigate rainwater runoff.

The health conscious interior includes non VOC earth toned wall colors, knotty alder woodwork, and a solid Telluride natural stone fireplace.

The living area is nicely finished with a GE Smart House system, structured wiring, theater, and the floors are reclaimed from a 100 year old barn.

In an effort to minimize its impact on the grid, they have included all Energy Star appliances, spray insulation for a better seal, highly insulated windows, and a super high efficiency furnace (95%) and AC unit (16 Seer).

To minimize water usage, this beautiful home is equipped with low flow fixtures, low flow showers, and dual flush toilets.

Here are a few other features that were built in to the high efficiency home:

• Smaller home with better use of space for a lower environmental impact.
• No windows on the west and east facing walls for better energy efficiency.
• Drought tolerant plants and correctly sized irrigation to minimize water needs.
• Sealed heating-A/C ducts and all ducts in conditioned space.
• Conditioned crawl space for better indoor air quality and more efficient heating/cooling.
• Whole house ventilation system for fresh air exchange.
• Local products, sustainable products, recycled products.
• Stringent construction methods for quality, cooperation, and durability.
• Limiting waste from construction and recycling nearly all remnant materials.

As you can see from the specs, there was a lot of careful planning that went into this wonderful Vancouver home. As I walked through the home I noticed that no detail had been overlooked. This is the type of home that fits my definition of a Green Home perfectly:

"A green home is a home that minimizes its use of outside energy, minimizes the pollution that it expels, while maximizing the comfort, health, safety, and wellbeing of its inhabitants. Ultimately it is better for you, better for the earth, and better for your wallet."

Congratulations to the guys at Axiom Luxury Homes. Great job building a beautiful home!

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver, Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in West Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground. We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service.

Hello All, This post was written by a friend of mine over in Oregon. I am re-blogging it because I think that Todd does and excellent job in pointing out exactly why it is so important to be represented by a real estate agent in all of your transactions.

If you are in need of representation or just have questions, we are here to help!

I just read a post by Tina Allen out of Florida where she was talking about touring homes with a client and her 4 year old son. That got me to thinking about my very first set of clients as a real estate agent here in Vancouver, Washington, the "Buyers." (Names have been changed to protect the realtor!)

They were a very young couple at the time with a 2 year old, a four year old, and one due in about 3 months. They qualified for a USDA loan and in our neck of Clark County Washington that means a lot of driving and long distances between showings. On the positive side for me (but not so good for them.) was that there weren't very many homes in the area that would qualify for their special financing program.

We met at our office, signed a buyers' contract, looked through the mls for homes that would qualify, and we hit the road. The Buyers in their car with the kids and Janice and I were in our car. First stop, Yacolt. Only 35 miles away.

Our first showing was their dream home. How do I know? Because they found it on the internet and instantly knew that it was their dream home. The only reason we were going out there was to see it and to write an offer. Real estate is so easy! Naturally it wasn't a good fit for them and they had to dream about another house.

After 20 more minutes of driving we reached the next stop on the tour. A 1200 square foot ranch that met all of their needs and was in a nice part of town. As I opened the door the little four year old (I'll call him "Flash") darted in and went straight to a toy box that the seller had in the living room. Before you could say "contingent offer" Flash had flipped the box over and spilled toys all over the living room floor. Including a bag of marbles! I spent the rest of that visit singing Barney's Clean Up song to the kids and picking up marbles! "Clean up, Clean up, everybody cleeeeean up..." Life as a Vancouver Washington Real Estate agent isn't as easy as I thought.

Luckily the next stop was just around the corner so the time lost while picking up toys was quickly recouped in transit. With the children strongly secured by mom, I cautiously opened the door and let them through the door. It was a very well kept 50's bungalow. The hallway was covered with family photos and as Mrs. Buyer looked at them she exclaimed, "Oh my my gawd! This is Robby's house!" The next line blind sided me; "He's my cousin!" But it was the last line that really knocked me out, "He's a real estate agent too!" What the heck do I do now?

They quickly explained that they hadn't seen their cousin in a few years and that they fully planned on using us for their purchase. So I had that going for me.

I see that I am running on here so let me wrap it up like this: The kids were thirsty so we stopped a convenience store around the corner only to run into Robby the real estate agent. Turns out he was a really nice guy and said that he would want to handle both ends of a deal with family.

To top it off, on the second to last visit they recognized that the house belonged to friends of theirs. They even identified a stain on the carpet near the kitchen where "Flash" had spilled some red punch!

We wrote an offer by the end of the day and I have let them know that we will gladly help them move up to their next house when the littlest one turns ten!

When you choose us to handle your Vancouver, Washington real estate needs, you choose a team of realtors® who care about you and your family. Buying or selling a home is always more enjoyable when you work with professionals who will listen to your needs and who will work together with you to achieve your objective. We are very familiar with all types a real estate in Clark County and we specialize in West Vancouver, Ridgefield and Battle Ground. We are also very experienced with new home and custom home construction having assisted several local builders in selling new neighborhoods in the Vancouver Washington area.  Additionally, we have helped numerous families build their own dream homes. We are dedicated to helping you make intelligent, informed decisions and to providing you with exceptional service.