Real Estate stories from Central Valley area Merced and Atwater

One challenge in today's Merced/Atwater real estate market is to find a home that you love, that is priced well and hopefully with no surprises which can cause frustration and sometimes anger.

You're The Focus real estate service is all about setting expectations for my clients. Lately I've heard stories from clients that are coming to me after experiencing less than stellar service. They say that that if they only knew X, Y or Z beforehand or if certain things were explained to them in advance that things would have run smoother. They would have been happier if their agent set and managed their expectations. Luckily that is the case with my services.

Reviewing, setting and running through the various scenarios is just one part to the services provided. Sure there's bound to be firsts in real estate, issues that are not accounted for initially and cause delays or even a home to fall out of escrow. However, if you know what you might encounter along each step of the process it provides you with preparation and the emotional armor as we move to handle the issues that do come up.

In interviewing agents make sure they know the following:

1. The local market and the conditions impacting the market
2. Understanding the types of listings out there from standard owner sales, to investor flip properties, short sales and foreclosures
3. How to write offers, counter offers, contingencies in the contracts
4. Asking the right questions on the properties so that you're not wasting your time in making offers that won't work
5. Turnaround times: the what to expect especially with short sales, the how it will work, the deadlines involved and what may happen if you or they miss a deadline
6. Property history and comparables
7. Your goals as the client
8. Issues related to title, escrow, inspections, appraisals

There's way more to working with clients than just finding them a great home or selling their current home. Knowledge is key and understanding how to set expectations while providing you with excellent service is everything!

Thinking of buying or selling talk with me and watch me go to work for you. See the You're The Focus pledge here.

Take control of the Merced/Atwater home inventory today. Map out, print, email, save the homes you want to see. View homes the same day they are listed here.

What an awesome year it’s been! Positive you bet. You see I’ve been blessed to make it through like so many the challenges that life throws our way. Each year around December 15^th or so I start to think let’s put this year behind us and move on to the next. Let’s work on X, Y and Z as ways to improve our lives. I start to think what I can do to improve. How can I be a better father to my 2 little ones? What things can I work on to live a better life? Can I help more of my friends and my family next year? What vices do I attempt to give up? Luckily I don’t smoke nor do I drink often so it’s not in that realm but sure I have my vices too. How can I be a better person?

In the past I missed the answer which was always staring me right in the face. You see I focused on trying to change myself too much which really didn’t lead to the results I wanted to see. I missed the big picture! I focused on my own plans instead of the plans that God has in my life. My plan will always be small while his plan will be HUGE. Now to some I know this will be a turn off. To some this blog entry may make you turn your head or back away from whom I am and what I offer my clients. Let me just say the intent is not to hit people over the head with a message. The intent is to share what I’ve realized is leading to true happiness. The intent is to express love for one another and show you what type of agent I am in the way I handle my business, which is the same way I handle my life.

How I operate my business has stayed true to the person I’ve always been. The only change has come in how I respond daily to the challenges faced. I believe in loving on people with compassion, integrity, honesty, kindness, patience and to provide the level of real estate support throughout the home sale or purchase and beyond. With the Lord at the center of my life all things are possible.

I wish you and your family a very happy and healthy 2012. Know that I’m here for you always and hope to help you in the coming years.

To believe or not to believe – this is the question!

I’ve given a lot of thought on the topic of faith. Faith means different things to different people. We meet many people facing difficult challenges in their life and sometimes it’s by faith only that they overcome these challenges. One definition of faith is “confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another’s ability.” Using faith in this way it could be confidence in friends and family to pull you through those tough situations. Or perhaps it’s faith in god that he will bring the right person or people into your life to help you make it through.

One example of faith is a current clean out situation we are completing through our partnership with First Choice Estate Sales and Cleanouts. An elderly gentleman lost his significant other several years ago. This loss triggered depression and hopelessness. He began to litter throughout his home up until this current day where his home has several feet of garbage throughout the entire place. He is a very friendly man and has expressed thanks for the new opportunity to live clutter free. For the first time in years he can see his floor again. How did he find out about our services? A counselor who had one of our business cards contacted us to meet them at his place. After connecting with him and showing that we would handle the situation with professionalism, respect and care, they selected us to complete this job. Faith as he reached his most desperate time enabled him to restore a clean, good living situation.

One more definition of faith is a belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion. We know not everyone has a belief in God and for some this is a taboo subject. However it’s our faith in God that has carried us through the most difficult times. In fact it’s the combination faith in God and of people that has helped both Doug and I through recently difficult times. Reflecting back on a very difficult 2011 I have personally faced divorce, a career adjustment, relocation and some financial challenges. It would have been very easy for me to turn away from faith. However my strong belief in God, friends, family and my children all steered me in the right direction.

Yet another definition of faith is a belief in anything as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc. Not all companies provide this or instill this in their client relationships. For us this is a must! Our business model is founded on following high standards of merit and implicit in this is honoring the Realtor code of ethics. We encounter people from all backgrounds. Some face a possible foreclosure. Others have experienced a death in the family triggering the need for a clean out, estate sale and the successful marketing of their home. We are blessed to be able to provide a one stop service for all of these situations. The feedback that we received from our clientele has been very rewarding for Doug and me both personally and professionally. We love what we do and hope to service those facing these same challenges during these difficult times.

From our families to yours we wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season.

I was thinking of Halloween with my 2 little ones ages 6 and 3. This year I won’t be with them trick or treating as they will be with their mother. I guess you could call it a trick and not one I enjoy but just knowing they are going to have a great time as a Monarch Butterfly and a Fireman makes me smile and brings joy to my heart a real treat!

This year has been a challenging one for so many people. Yet many people have found affordable homes with the lowest interest rates seen in our lives. Some people including myself have been forced to sell their homes or have lost their homes due to the economy, personal issues, adjustable mortgage rates or another thing simply beyond their control. Each time this happens many people feel it’s been a cruel trick. However often a negative situation is really a blessing in disguise and thanks to the short sale process often sellers are given a new opportunity to move on. Sometimes banks provide incentives such as cash to move on to a new temporary rent situation and in return they make sure the seller has not destroyed the home that will be sold to the new buyers.

I’ve been privileged to work with people who just 2 years post short sale of their current home are purchasing a new one. Wonderful treats! Doug and I are currently helping several clients short sale their home and in one case the bank is providing $20,000 in incentives to make sure the home is kept in great condition for the new buyers. Another wonderful treat!

In reviewing the past few months we were able to close on one of the best deals for a UC Merced student who purchased a home for $53,000 and with around $30,000 in repairs restored the home that will more than likely sell a few years from now for $120,000 if not more. That’s one great treat for their family! Another family purchased their first home a 2200 square foot new home with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, granite and stainless steel appliances for $145,000. It’s a treat that can’t be beat in the Central Valley area.

A great starter home that was in move-in condition in Concord was purchased thanks to excellent negotiating skills from my partner Doug Van Riper. The family is pleased and can’t believe the price and the location of the home. We were treated to an excellent bbq there at their home a few months ago.

This real estate market is challenging and full of trick or treats. Providing you with guidance and solutions to avoid the tricks and experience the treats is what we do best.

Our team wishes you and your family a very Happy Halloween. We are here for you providing real estate services from a market analysis to short sale information or from the purchase of an investment home in Merced or Stanislaus Counties to a foreclosure, short sale or home purchase in Contra Costa, Alameda or the Merced/Stanislaus Counties. You’re the focus and our YTF home team would be honored to represent your best interests!

Into October we go one of my favorite months in part due to the change to cooler weather and also due to Halloween. With the change of seasons also comes a flood of memories. Perhaps you’ve experienced the same thing. Places and faces come flooding back during certain times of the year. Not sure why for me it’s October but it’s a great month.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the passion we have in working with people. With each conversation whether it be with our clients, their mortgage lenders, title companies, inspectors, repair companies even those sometimes troubling short sale negotiators it’s about establishing great relationships and getting along for the benefit, the good of our clients.

It doesn’t matter if we are representing the seller in listing their home or the buyer in purchasing a home it’s important on each side to reach out and understand where the other party is coming from in the transaction. Motivation helps determine path to take to a dispute resolution or to reach a win-win for both parties. Sometimes we reach a mutual agreement. Other times even if things seem bleak we create a beneficial situation for our clients. There’s nothing sweeter than overcoming odds to help our clients reach their goals.

Recently one short sale after taking just a few weeks to receive a yes answer from the bank accepting the loss with certain conditions in place was about to turn ugly. An appraisal on the home missed the purchase price agreement by 17 thousand dollars. We quickly wrote up an addendum to request the new purchase price. We were racing against the clock as the home my buyer was currently residing in had sold and she had only weeks to move out. The loss mitigation specialist delayed in getting us a response. What I hoped would take 3-5 days was running toward 2 weeks. Daily I checked in with the listing agent. As time was running too close for comfort I ran out to preview homes, reached out to other listing agents and thanks in due part to the relationships I formed with those agents found 2 possible replacement homes. We wrote a new offer that was countered just with minor points that would have worked. All along I kept communicating with the short sale agent letting them know of the plan so that they could attempt to put more pressure on the lender. The lender though often doesn’t make the final decision for it’s the investor behind the lender that has the stake and decision in the loss.

In the end the investor said yes and my client was happy. From the time we issued the addendum we could have walked away from the short sale home as no answer was provided on this new price. We remained patient yet worked with all parties and had the backup just about ready to go. All parties knew the expectations and were kept informed. This communication is what we do best. Working with people can be challenging but it’s what we love to do!

Contact us any time for help, guidance and solutions. Remember we provide You’re The Focus real estate services for clients throughout the East Bay area (Contra Costa, Alameda counties) and throughout the Central Valley area (Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties).

Hope you have a great October,

Scott Messing