by Shar Rundio on October 30, 2009
If you’ve stopped by this blog recently you may have noticed the new little logo in the upper right corner (thanks, Jay). And, it’s a different color and style than you might expect if you’ve known me during the last eight years…
It is with [pick a word here: abundant, extreme, gigantic, colossal, extravagant, humongo...something that means "a whole lot of"] excitement that I announce to you that last month I switched brokerages and joined the talented group of agents at Thompson’s Realty headed by the infamous Jay Thompson and his behind-the-scenes but equally amazing wife, Francy.
Nothing will really change: my phone number & fax will stay the same. For the time being I’ll still have too many email addresses (side note: they all go to the same place so just pick one). I’ll still live by the rule, “have car, will travel” & no one ever visited me at the office anyway so a change of location isn’t an issue.
My move was not made out of frustration with my previous brokerage or any sort of negative influences. It is purely an opportunity to for me to grow both myself and my business in the high-tech, high-touch niche style of service to my clients that I believe in. Jay is a prolific blogger (you can read Jay’s announcement at his blog “The Phoenix Real Estate Guy“) and social media guy whom I look forward to learning from. Thompson’s Realty’s slogan is “The Power of Technology with a Personal Touch” — that resonates with me! I believe that technology can be used to help serve my clients at a higher level while affording me the opportunity to serve them IRL (in real life), too.
As always, thanks for your support & I look forward to serving your AZ real estate needs!
by Shar Rundio on July 16, 2009
So I’ve been slightly neglectful of my blog lately (OK, OK, I know…REALLY neglectful). Well, no more!
Next month is Inman’s yearly Real Estate Connect San Francisco and I have been trying to swing a way to go. It just so happens that the really cool Brad Inman gave the also really cool guys at The Real Estate Tomato 10 free tickets! (Watch for more from me about them…one of these days they’ll likely be assisting me with my blog design). At any rate, the deal is that the first 5 people to enter automatically win and the next 5 are judged on creativity based on an exactly 50 word submission.
Here’s a little background for you before you get to see my amazing entry. My household has been struck with a couple of NASTY illnesses this week and I for one am quite miserable right now. In fact, it it wasn’t for that I would have entered much earlier and not had to be creative. However, it just so happens that our family enjoys dumb poems as a form of entertainment and creativity. I hope the Real Estate Tomato Staff does too! So, without further ado here’s the best I have:
I didn’t get an easy ticket because I’m sick as a dog,
BUT, I recognize I need help with my blog.
I’ll buy a round at Beer for Bloggers,
As long as there aren’t any hoggers.
I want to meet Alfred from Zappos,
And keep my blog from being crappos.
Thanks for the consideration. I look forward to seeing everyone in a couple of weeks!
by Shar Rundio on May 8, 2009
I did a BPO (broker price opinion) last week for a bank owned property. The house had been listed as a short sale and it didn’t work out. As always, that’s an unfortunate situation. The even more unfortunate part is the way that the owner decided to deal with their anger:
(This was the view from the entryway)
(The “open” hallway)
(Note that you can see the kitchen through the brokenout door and hallway)
(You can also see the next room through the shower enclosure)
(The fact that they left the cabinets intact amazes me!)
(A green pool isn’t all that uncommon these days but it makes for a nasty picture!)
What do you think of this “right” that many seller’s claim as they are evicetd from their houses?
by Shar Rundio on May 5, 2009
I had a new experience while showing houses the other day — DUMPSTER DIVING!
I used to go dumpster diving with my best friend when I was young. Stacy and I found all sorts of treasures: an artificial Christmas tree (that my family used for years), office supplies, a wedding/honeymoon album with mementos from Acapulco (I didn’t realize the implications of finding that in the dumpster until years later). One person’s trash is another’s treasure, right?
Back to current times…we pulled up to look at a bank owned house and low and behold across the street there was another bank owned house (I know crazy, huh?) with a trashout going on. A trashout is when the bank or listing agent hires a company (or their brother) to go in and remove the remaining belongings and debris of a foreclosed house prior to listing it for sale.
There were two guys each with big trucks and a HUGE trailer with tall sides. As I am trying to reach the listing agent on the phone (because the lockbox is a contractor’s lockbox with no code and no indication that I wouldn’t be able to use my normal lockbox key — that’s a rant for a different day) I hear Mrs. Buyer say, “Are they just going to throw that away?!” When I get off the phone I find that Mrs. Buyer has approached the workers and inquired as to what they are doing. She’s learned that they have to keep anything with a value over $50 but the rest is going to in the dumpster.
Here’s where the fun begins. She starts scurrying around grabbing things: an infant car seat, 2 bicycle helmets, a Boppy…I’m trying to find places to put things…my trunk is small (it’s a hybrid) and has a bunch of real estate and personal junk in it. We all start picking through the “junk” cautiously at first and then not so much. The guys are helping by bring out more and listing stuff off for us. Mr. Seller and I wind up IN the trailer. Then comes the bigger stuff…an ice chest, a wagon, a kids basketball stand & hoop, a small Fisher Price play set with slide. (Now what to do with it?) We decide to stuff this behind the gate of the initial house we went to look at and they’ll pick it up later.
Want to see the treasure I ended up with?
Not a big ticket item but who can’t use some extra napkins around the house?
The buyers keep commenting on it throughout the remainder of our time looking at other houses. Why didn’t the homeowners take their hard earned stuff? Why didn’t they sell it? Why didn’t they donate it? Why doesn’t the trashout company sell it, donate it, something other than send it to the dump where good stuff will take up precious space on our limited planet (I added that last bit)? I don’t know the answers to this particular situation but it’s similar to those I see every day. Maybe the time frame they needed to be out within, maybe denial, depression, laziness, apathy.
I still don’t have a great place to put all these napkins, anyone have a spill?
