Keller Williams Family Reunion 2010

9,000 Realtors from Keller Williams attended the KW Conference held in Anaheim, California this year.  I was one of the attendees from Feb 19th to the 23rd.  Yeah, I got back to Austin, TX today.
During the conference, CEO, Mark Willis, announced that we now have 79,350 agents in US and Canada combined and are ranked second largest brokerage.
Here are some other notes I took, please be kind in case they are not accurate as I was scribbling these in the dark.
* Enterpreneuer Magazine ranked Keller Williams #1 Franchise in 2011
* Training Magazine listed Keller Williams #47 out of 125 companies across the industry (for best training of course)
* #13 Best Company to Work for in Texas in 2011.  They are relating to our Keller Williams International Company which is based in Austin, TX
* JD Power and Associates has given Keller Williams higest overall satisfaction for home buyers and rated full service real estate firm in 2008, 2009 and 2010 home buyer study
* NAR reports stated that real estate was down 4% in 2010 nationally BUT Keller Williams sales were up 6% in 2010!!!!

On Sunday, the 24th, 2,300 agents participated in the World's Guiness Book Record to break the most participants doing the Cha Cha Slide. The current record was only 250 people and we totally blew that away and received the plaque that evening from Guiness Book. I was also one of the attendees. Mark Willis, and Diana Kokoszka came to dance with us.  How cool was that?


I hope this tells you why I choose to work at Keller Williams Realty though I have received my Brokers License in 2010 and feel that I am capable of starting my own brokerage.  I work with the best.  Wouldn't you want to work with the best?
 
So if you are thinking of a career in real estate and want to know why Keller Williams is the place to join, please give me a call at (512)786-7355.  In the same token, if you are thinking of buying or selling real estate, please give me a call and I will be glad to share with you what I and Keller Williams can do for you.

2 short sales - happy endings

I wanted to share with you 2 families that I helped with short sales last December.  Both sellers had two different circumstances and I was able to successfully help them get out of foreclosure.  Both homes were scheduled to go to auction in January and I closed both deals in December.

One seller was going thru a divorce.  Yes, divorce is a hardship and having one person staying behind without the substantial income to pay the mortgage and expenses associated with the home is acceptable to the bank.  The other is a homeowner that had a decrease in income.  They did not lose jobs but their hours were lessened, hence, less income.  A decrease in income is a hardship. 

A successful short sale is a win/win for the seller, they are not going to foreclosure; a buyer, who is getting a good deal and is able to help a seller get out of foreclosure; and me, the listing agent who is able to negotiate a short sale with the seller's lender, and the buyers agent who gets a full commission.  Tell me why someone should not consider short sale?

If you are in a situation where you cannot pay your mortgage, please do call me so I can discuss with you your options.  It is a simple 15 minute consultation, that's all.  Please call me at (512)786-7355 today!

PJ's ODD REAL ESTATE JOKE - Short sale negotiators

Ok, I must be in my crazy creative mood because I came up with this one.  Actually, I am going to be attending the Keller Williams' Family Reunion in Anaheim today and was thinking of marketing materials to pass out while networking to other agents in the country.  Only way I could get people to keep and remember me is that if I passed out something out of the norm, besides a regular small business card.  So I came up with the following:  One postcard with each cartoon on each side. 

I would like you to remember this when you are choosing a Realtor to market your home.  Will your Realtor create a creative flier for the outside of your home?  Will your Realtor use a template flier?  How is your Realtor planning on marketing your home?  In today's market, you need a Realtor that will make your home stand out against the competition.  Hmm, maybe it's time we talked.