e-PRO for REALTORS--Hip or Hype?

I just came back from a 90 minute presentation that was suppose to be all about e-PRO, a certification endorsed by the National Association of REALTORS. I actually went to an e-PRO course when it first came about about 5 or 6 years ago at our National Convention.

First understand that I am all about technology and want to absorb everything web 2.0 that is out there. When I first went to the presentation 5 years ago, I was not impressed. They could not explain what it was or what you would really learn for that matter. What I was told was, it will give you more certifications behind your name and that will impress people with your knowledge. I could not believe my ears.

Today however, I was going to give it another chance. I am an education junkie who can't get enough about this real estate business. But what I got was about 10 minutes explanation of e-PRO which still did not explain anything other than it does not to appear to have been updated in the last 5 Years and once you are certified you are certified for life! Please! That means those who have an email account are on top of technology? If this is the image we are giving to our customers, I think I will pass. For almost $400, I would expect the latest information out there, not how to do social networking....oops! Social networking is not covered in e-PRO; but may be one day in e-PRO 2 according to today's presenter.

One very telling thing about this program is that for a intense online course, no one can seem to explain how it will benefit me and make me more productive as a REALTOR. I would think that for such an "intense" course, one could easily talk about the benefits for 90 minutes or longer. Instead, I heard about things that are not even offered in the course (which was good information, just not relevant).

I would love to tell you that e-PRO would be great for beginner's and expert users alike as was stated, but since I am still unsure of what the darn thing is I think I will use the $400 to buy more great books on CS3, fill my SUV full of gas, and continue learning about web 2.0 & 3.0 via the old fashioned way....

Treaspassers Will Be Violated

As I approached the front door I knew something was not quite right. I could just sense it. I knocked. Not a sound could be heard. I made the decision to enter the home since the tenant had not paid rent and it would appear that he had moved. No big deal I have done this many times before. It was then I noticed the hand written sign beside the door, "Trespassers will be Violated." I laughed. Did he mean to say it that way?

I put the key in the deadbolt lock, gently turned the key and began to open the door. BOOM! The entire steel door fell backwards flat on the floor. Now ordinarily, these kinds of things don't bother me much. But I was so caught off guard by this that I screamed like a little girl. Then I laughed. Laughed a lot. Ok, it's just a door. But as always, I was in a hurry and now I have to deal with this broken door not to mention the mess inside. The tenant busted out the entire door jam and left. Looks like another $300 because someone just didn't care.

Although I can never explain why some people live the way they do, like in this case, but I suppose it does give guys like me employment. Another day, another mess to clean up.

Tenants Getting Screwed

Hard to believe that I, as a landlord, think that tenants are getting screwed. Usually a landlord gets a bad rap as the "slumlord" for not taking care of a property when in fact the tenants have destroyed the home. Like the lady who was complaining of mold in her home when in fact she never reported the toilet leaking and also never and I mean never, cleaned the bathroom in over a year. What does one expect?

But this time, in this one event, tenants are getting the shaft. Investors that thought real estate was the best get quick scheme out there, many flocked to the market buying homes and then renting the properties to make huge profits. Then the unthinkable has happened. The market went down.

So many so called "investors" got stuck with poor investments from their own bad choices and thus here comes the bad guys taking the homes back; those nasty lenders. Since the would-be-investors couldn't make the payments, the tenants get screwed finding out they have to move out with virtually no notice. Shame on them.

It is one thing when notice is given to a tenant to move, but when a foreclosure happens the tenants could be out on the street even though they had paid their payments on time. In this ever changing environment, it is becoming possible for tenants wanting information about the landlord/owner and their financial position. It has always been assumed that the landlord owned the home and as long as the tenants took care of the property and paid the rent on time all was fine. But with this new breed of investors out there, tenants need to be cautious who they rent from or they possibly could be out on the street with no fault of their own.

I'm tired of Ice!

I love those hot summer days when I am sitting outside enjoying the warm air, the smell of the steak sizzling on the grill and that cold drink with lots of ice in my right hand; lots of ice please! But too much of a good thing can be a catastrophe.

As you have probably seen by now in our video podcast, we are in an ice storm. Everywhere you look there is ice. It is actually pretty to see it as the shrubs and trees take new shapes and the ice shimmers with many colors kind of like a prism. But that is only if you look closely, because if you look at what it has done to our area, it is devastating. It looks like a bomb has gone off right in the heart of the city.

When the storm hit, ice blanketed everything. It was interesting to watch at first, then as it started to accumulate the damage started to begin. The ice stuck to every kind of plant, shrub, and tree; oh the trees! Those beautiful wonderful trees just could not handle all of the weight and branches began to drop, one, two, then thousands upon thousands came crashing down. The sky continued to have blue flashes everywhere as the power transformers began to explode. All of the sudden, it was dark.

Thousands of people, around 70,000 in Springfield alone were without power. No power, no heat. It will back come on I know it will, it always does! But this time, 8 days later and still thousands upon thousands are still sitting in the dark, cold, wary, and very irritable.

We are coming, I keep telling everyone; and we are as fast as my body will allow. I will not give up, I will not quit, and I will continue to take care of my owners and tenants alike. However, the tenant with the bedroom door that won't close just right is going to have to wait. Somehow I just don't think it is that big of a priority.

Investor or Idiot?

Real Estate Investors amaze me. First I suppose we need to define what an "investor" is. Most people consider themselves one if they plop down a few thousand and buy a home. Congratulations, you own a home therefore you are an investor. Please. You own money pit that will drain you dry.

At best you are just ignorant or you are an idiot. In the last year or so I have seen more people come up with the oddest strategy to determining if a property is a good value. They will do everything to make a home work, except doing the math. One buyer recently said, "This home is so pretty, everyone would want to live here so this has to be a good buy." She will probably be in the middle of a foreclosure in about 12 months.

An investor is one who has studied the market, the home to be purchased, understand what rate of return is and how to figure it. They are making, that's right, making their money work for them. This is not guess work, it is having an understanding of the environment around you. All aspects, from the job economy, industry statistics, the mechanics of the homes, and the true cash on cash value.

I have seen more people get into the real estate investing game in the last few years than ever before. I have also seen more people loose their shirt because of having insomnia and getting sucked into late night TV. There is nothing easy about real estate investing. The pros at it make it look easy. That's why they are pros. They understand how the market reacts, what the public wants, and they do their homework.

Real Estate can be the best investment one can make. It can also be the worst. I just met with a couple who lost, yes lost, over $50,000 when they had to sell a duplex. They didn't know what they were doing when they bought it, and it wiped them out. "Real Estate always goes up in value," they said. "That was an expensive lesson," I responded.

You can do this real estate investing venture. Just learn. Find someone who is not just a real estate agent, but one who knows investing. Most real estate agents are not investment strategist! I can help. If you decide that investing is for you, call me or email me and I can send you some names of people that can assist in your area.

A New Day

It's 5 a.m., the start of a new day. I am here in Overland Park Kansas(just over the border from Kansas City), waiting for the next cup of brew to be ready. Today is one for me that I am not sure how to approach. Normally, I want to learn, find something new,see something I have never seen however small or insignificant it might be to others. It has to do with that longing to be creative. Finding that treasure that others might overlook as they whiz down the highway trying to get to their destination as fast as humanly possible.

Yesterday, as I was driving up here from Springfield, there was a horrific wreck where a semi-truck and a car had collided and overturned. There were no less than 10 emergency vehicles attending to the scene, and I could not help by think how that could have been me. Or you. Although I don't know the circumstances, it was quite apparent that someone was in too big of a hurry, not paying attention, or maybe leaned over to pick up the fallen item on the floorboard. Tragic.

I can't help but reflect that in our daily lives we just don't stop enough to be thankful for what we have, who we love, and where we are. It appears that one is constantly trying to push harder in life and business to succeed. Succeed? Succeed how?

Success means different things to different people. Most people I have met look at it as wealth, and ignore the very best things they could ever have which are right in front of them and taken for granted. Love, friendship, and health. Yes, I know, so obvious, yet often overlooked. We worry way to much about building wealth and therefore our focus is swayed. A very smart man once told me that if you focus your business on the people and their needs, go way out of your way to serve them, the money will come. Never, ever put the money decisions before the peoples needs. Easy to say, but harder to do. Funny thing is, our lives are not that much different. If we focus on the ones we love, the love will come right back to us.

A new day. Yes, the day is in front of me, I do not want to look back tomorrow and regret today. I want to live today and enjoy every breath that I have. My son and I will be together all day. We will play, shop, swim, and even go to a ballroom dance competition to see "mom" compete. She is a great dancer by the way. We will look for new things and meet new people that will enhance our lives. We will smile at everyone we meet, hoping that little gesture will make them smile too, as if to say, it's all going to be fine.

Tomorrow will be a long day. Up at 3:30, off to airport for an early flight to New Orleans for the Real Estate convention. I can't wait to learn more, and enjoy every moment along the way. If I happen to run into you, make sure you smile and say Hi, because even this optimistic guy gets worn out too.

Sea of Red

It was like nothing I have ever experienced. As far as one could see was this huge sea of moving red. Red was everywhere, even the water was dyed red. Tuesday, October 24 was truly a memorable experience.

It all started the Tuesday before when the phone rang at 10:47 p.m. and my good friend said, "want to go to the World Series?" The St. Louis Cardnials had just won the penant and now off to the world series. "Me?" I responded. "World Series?" You have got to be kidding! But it was true, and one of my lifelong dreams was about to come true. I could mark this one off my list.

It was all I expected to be. The hype, emotion, screaming fans, and of course, the sea of red. Red was everywhere. They were even selling small patches of cloth for $2 that one would stick on their chin to have a red gotee. It was mayhem. It was awesome.

Thanks to my great friend, we were off last night to St. Louis and then the bigger surprise came when he informed me that our seats were in row 4, field level behind 3rd base. Incredible.
Took many photos, even did live video which I will be posting on my website soon; www.getpaul.com You have got to check it out, it was the experience of a lifetime.

It was a late night, long drive home, just the road, a good friend, XM radio re-capping the game, and great 5-0 victory. 2:00 am Wednesday morning, tired and yet wide awake from all the coffee, blood shot eyes and back to work in less than 4 hours; wow was it worth it.

Thank again to a great friend Jose' for making this dream come true. GO CARDS!
Paul