Does Experience Count ?

 

It is an interesting question isn’t it ? In fact it is probably a question that we all face every day is some form or other. Like which Doctor should I reach out to or which Attorney should I talk to. Or how about who would be a good person to talk to about Diets or Medications ?

In everyday life there are literally hundreds or questions the we are all faced with. Many of these questions thjat we have just go unanswered or just guessed at hoping that we have made the right decision.

Good News is here ! When it comes to making the correct decision on who to use when making a correct Real Estate decision you can choose Real Estate Herb Hamilton with over 25 years of experience. Yes I have honestly been in Real Estate for more that 25 years and have been helping People of all ages to either Sell or Buy a personal home or the help with an investment decision.

You see when it comes to making the right decision most people are not sure of what questions they should be asking when it comes the right time. Things that seem small or inconsequential in the beginning can become extremely important as time goes by such as :

How to take those eye catching photos

How to describe you home in Advertisements prompting more calls

How to get your homes information in the hands of able an willing eager Buyers

Do you realize that most agents take photos of your most valued possession with their hand held camera phones often cutting much of the home out of the property or only getting the back corner of a Bedroom and then they use those as their marketing photo’s. Or they have a poor web site that is often not their own site that or takes too many clicks to finally get to your home in it can even do that. For answers to these and many other questions give Herb a call or text at 503-515-8889 for sudden service or email at h.hamilton@remax.net

Real Estate Broker Herb Hamilton is licensed in the State of Oregon.

Where Have I Been ?

Well in a nut shell Nowhere! That is I have been right here all along working but not posting? Why, you ask ? Well for the most part I sort of have had writers block for one and I have been busy Selling Real Estate for another.

I do promise however to become a more frequent poster and reader in the future. So stay tuned and drop me a line if you have had that nasty case of writers block your self and your solution if you have one.

You Can’t Handle The Truth !

The hardest thing that I have come to find over the last 28 years that I have been in the Real Estate business is telling people the truth.

Not that I have a hard time speaking the truth it is just hard to get people to realize that you are speaking the truth and not employing a sales technique on them. Let me explain.

This happens all the time. I get an email from a perspective buyer the other day looking to purchase their first home in a close in to downtown Portland Oregon a few days ago. I call them to perform a diagnostic about their needs and desires vs their abilities to purchase. Yes they have been to a lender to get pre-qualified and they are optimistic and motivated to buy. All good signs however their area of choice is in the hottest neighborhood in Portland with very few listings and even quicker closing times. Our MLS reports 27 days average. Which means realistically homes are being sold in the first few days. Now I have all my buyers set up to receive new listings from my web site at http://www.hportlandrealproperty.com my web site covers all of the MLS listings and is updated every hour so you are getting the freshest an up to date information. And for proactive buyers such as this couple I have them set up to recieve listings ASAP so that they will be randomly notified throughout the day as listings matching their search criteria come on the market.

So the other day I check with them and ask them if they have seen any homes that they would like to see inside. Her response was all of the homes that we like are sale pending. How could that be I asked my site only sends you active listings which you will get within the first 30 minutes to one hour after the agent has entered into the MLS.

Her response was that she was searching on Zillow. So once again had to explain that sites like Zillow only are updated once a day and often have out of date information. My site is accurate and has the most up to date information that the consumer could hope to get. She prommissed to begin using the site. Sometimes it is just hard to tell the truth.

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On The Hunt Friday!

It’s Friday? It has been years since that word has meant anything to me other than another work day prior to a heavy work weekend.

In the old days I used to look forward to the weekends as a time to blow off steam. But as an active Real Estate Broker Friday is merely the set up for an active weekend of showing homes and searching for properties for the investors and future home owners to be, my Buyers. Then of course there are the random calls that come in from those potential buyers crusuing my web site for pro-active Buyers WWW.househuntportland.com

Dont get me wrong , I do love it so. But once in a while it is fun to reflect. Well thats enough of that. It is time to get cracking. Valerie, Carl, Don, Teresa, Gary, and Josh are counting on me. How about yoU? Who is out there working for you? No one you say? Well I am applying for the job. Come find out why my clients say ” Call Herb and Start Packing. ”

Herb Hamilton is a licensed Broker with RE/MAX Preferred Inc Realtors.

Cell phone 503-515-8889

You may know more than you think!

It’s true you know. We all know more than we think. Why is that? Often it is because we know things that we think that no one else would be interested in.

It to that end I speak. Perhaps you know os someone who owns a multi family property within the greater Portland Oregon area that they are considering selling. Perhaps they are friends of yours or perhaps it may be you, and you or they are just tired of all the rental complaints and or ill timed calls.

Or maybe its just a friend who is overwhelmed and doesn’t know where to turn. Rest assured I will treat your friend with the utmost respect and will always tell them the truth. You see I am not trying to take advantage of anyone. I am just trying to provide a steady flow of good inventory for my clients. Many who are cash buyers but all who are willing to pay a fair market price.

If you think you can help either pass my name and number or provide me with the contact information of your friend.

A real estate transaction with Herb is one you may benefit from!

Herb Hamilton is a licensed Broker in the state of Oregon.

Herb’s cell 503-515-8889

The Search becomes a Quest!

As many of you may know I have been on the hunt for a good multi-family property now for a few weeks in the greater Portland Oregon area for a few different Real Estate investors. As a licensed Broker in Oregon now for some 28 years I have made working with Real Estate Investors the backbone of my business. I am constantly on the search for all types of investment properties. From the larger multi-family projects to the smaller duplex properties. I also look for fixer uppers vacant lots and or just plain old ordinary single family homes that may work as decent rentals. But my recent focus has been on the multi family properties.

This last weeks mailings netted me another potential prospect. An owner who last year had his 4-plex on the market without success. After a brief consultation over the phone the owner invited me to come take a look.

We set a mutual time and as usual I showed up a few minutes early and did the drive through around the neighborhood. So far so good! I met with the owner as we walked through the units I noticed that 3 have the units had been recently remodeled the 4th not yet as it was a long term tenant. We agreed to a price and a fair compensation for my work as this Owner preferred to represent himself.

I made my calls to my investors and Carl was ready to step up to the plate. Two days later after Carl had done his drive by I was ready to write the offer.

I called the owner. The owner said that after conferring with his property management company he decided not to sell as rental rates were going up and it was too good of money to turn down.

Ah the life of an agent is often filled with disappointment. The Quest continues. Surely there must be one person who is willing to stand by their commitments?

Herb Hamilton is a licensed Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors

Cell phone 503-515-8889

Best web site ever http://www.househuntportland.com

The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat!

A major portion of my prospecting campaign is centered around a mail out campaign. Recently I have been mailing out to Owners of Multi-family properties. The campaign has been going well.

Don ( I will call him Don ) responded to one of my letters via email. AFTER trading emails over the next two weeks I ascertained that Don owned a 9 unit apartment building built in the 70’s and that he wanted to sell as long as the offer was at least $700, 000. Don had also said that he had full authority to sell and we agreed upon a commission amount that he would pay and that he wanted to represent himself in the transaction.

Over the next 10 days I identified the right buyer and prepared an offer including lender letter of approval.

I called Don and set the appointment to meet him at his home at 10 am the next morning.

Presentation day and I am all set with extra copies of the offer and was greeted at the door by Don and ushered into the home and after a few formalities began the presentation. About half way through the presentation I noticed some movement just outside through the sliding glass doors in the back yard and flower garden. A lady appears and enters the home. The lady has a bewildered face on as Don introduces his wife to me. After a brief and cordial introduction and a very short disagreement which I did not quite understand (so many things between husband’s and wives are non-verbal) Dons wife retires to the family room.

The offer I have written is for $775, 000 a fair price for the property and well in excess of what Don had mentioned as his bottom line. Don thanked me for the fine offer and that he wanted to take some time to read through all of the fine print and that he would get back to me the next morning.

I thanked Don and his wife for their hospitality and said that I would await his call. ( The Thrill of Victory)

The next day in mid-morning Don calls. The call is short and to the point. Don thanks me for my fine offer but after speaking with his wife they have decided that they do not need to sell and instead have decided that they will keep the property. ( The Agony of Defeat )

Herb Hamilton is alicensed Real Estate Broker in Oregon with RE/MAX Preferred Inc. Realtors

Herb’s cell 503-515-8889

BPO, s what are they?

A BPO is a Brokers Price Oppinion. An oppinion of value of a real estate asset at time of vIewing and or for a specific time period requested by the requesting party. Most often the requesting party Iis a lender who may have a lean against the property. But it may also be requested by the owner or another interested party such as another lender considering making a loan against the property. Or it might be a request from the mortgage insurance company looking to remove te mortgage insurance premium established when the current loan was taken out.

So what is the value or difference of the BPO compared to an appraisal and or a CMA provided by Real Estate Agents?

An appraisal given by a licensed Appraiser in your state is most often the most consevative view of value for your home. The appraiser is looking to return a value that rmeflects the amount the purchaser is willing to pay with a value that Lender is reasonably safe in lending. It is why you do not see vaues of appraisals often exceeding the agreed upon price. A CMA or competitive Market Anaylisis offered by a Real Estate Agent is the opposite of an appraisal as it is usually the most opptomistic view of the home. The f ocus on the CMA is what is the most I can hope to get for this home and what is the least amount. A good agent would often try to choose a value in the middle but is often persuaded by the owner to choose the higher value.   The BPO is most often some where between the Appraisal and the opptomistic view of the CMA picking a value that is a realistic expectation.

For all your greater Portland Oregon Real Estate needs call Herb and ” start packing ”

Herb Hamilton is a licensed Real Estate Broker in Oregon cell phone is 503-515-8889

I made a Ton of Money Flipping House’s – Oh Yeah?

” Gold I tell you there’s Gold in them thar Hills!” Yes there is excitement in the air and much like the days of the Hollywood westerns a call to action. Gold? Well, maybe and maybe not. Certainly there is a profit to be made for the well prepared Real Estate Fixer Buyer. Is this You? Or will you just be one of the countless stories of failure.

Real estate investments in Fixer’s Flips and Rehabs be it Short Sales and or Foreclosures or in the Derelict/Abandoned homes  market can be very lucrative, If you know what you are doing.

It is that IF that separates the Men from the Boys so to speak. Even with the most experienced of us all there are mistakes made and money lost. But there are many things you can do to help eliminate those losses are at least lessen there effects on your bottom line.

Taking a seminar and listening to the rags to riches stories is one of the sure fire ways to quickly lose your shirt. They may be very motivating and fun to listen to but they are no recipe for success. While education is all good and well you can be over educated as well.

One simple plan that can set you on the right path is to look at investing in Real Estate as a Team Sport. Who would you pick to be on your team, assuming that you have done all of the preliminary work such as financing etc.

The Workers :

1. You ( will or can you do the work)
2. Contractor ( Save your self some headache early on a hire a Licensed Contractor for those jobs that you yourself are not capable of doing )
3. Special Contractors ( Roofer, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC, etc.) You do not have to have these people on the pay roll or at your beck and call but you should at least have done the leg work to check out the quality of work they can do and to compare their prices.
4. Real Estate Agent. ( Did you know that a good real estate agent can make you or break you in the Fixer and Flips market?)

Choosing the right Contractors and Real Estate Agent have many parallels. Your entire team should understand your goals. No member of the team including you should put their needs ahead of the others. A good team understands their place and the places of the other members.

So you have assembled your team and you’re ready to go! What then is a 365 Real Estate Investor? Given that there are only 365 days ( more or less ) in a year a budget needs to be set to meet your goals.

• How much money do you want to make per year after all expenses are paid?
• How much profit is there per project?
• How many projects will it take to reach my goal?

Experience is of course the best teacher. Start small and do not get carried away on that first project. Take on one that even if you fail will not take you down don’t let Greed get in front of the learning curve or your common sense. Build upon your successes for they are the foundation for a bright and profitable future in the world of Fixers and Flips.

Search  Portland Oregon Homes For Sale Right Here

Let Your Next Home find You !   Portland Oregon Info

” A Real Estate Transaction with Herb is one YOU will Profit from “

Search Condos in The Pearl Portland Oregon

Searching for real estate if it’s for a Condo, Townhome, Single Family Home or what have you can be a challenge. So like most of us you reach out to Google hoping to find that prize.

But like most of us you are presented with web site after web site of nothing more than a glorious Ego Boost for the Owner of that Site. Searches are labor intensive and often filled with the most expensive homes in the area.

So what is a Portland Oregon consumer to do? The answer is plain& simple Portland_Real_Property.Com. There are several different ways to search properties for sale and even some ways to Let_Your_Next_Home_Find_You! Lets take a look at one method right now.

You have heard about Portland Oregon and it’s fabulous Condo’s in The Pearl. Located in Downtown Portland Oregon adjacent to Old Town and old warehouse district lies The Pearl. But just how Big is The Pearl District? And what kind of Price Ranges can I find there.

All answered for you right here Search The Pearl District ! Go check it out. I will wait for you.

You Can find the Pearl District centrally located on the map above in City Center and the Map of  The Pearl  below.

The Pearl is located Between The Willamette River on the East and I-405 on the West. Notice as well that other City Center Neighborhoods Downtown, Nob Hill and Goose Hollow are also search-able.

To find more additional neighborhoods in the greater Portland Metro area please check out the links at Portland Real Property Neighborhood Home Search.

Search  Portland Oregon Homes For Sale Right Here

Let Your Next Home find You !   Portland Oregon Info

” A Real Estate Transaction with Herb is one YOU will Profit from “