BlackBerry Storm It Is ...

After obsessive and excessive back and forth, the Realty Buzz has upgraded existing BlackBerries to the BlackBerry Storm. Yes, we did eye the iPhone 3G. In fact, we gave the iPhone a test run. It was nice but, in short, we had concerns with the AT&T network (already being on the Verizon network and having great voice / data service), price points were considerably higher for the iPhone itself while data plans and voice costs were similar between both carriers, and (most importantly) the immediate receipt of emails on the BlackBerry was too much to pass on.

In brief, the screen real estate on the BlackBerry Storm is wonderful. We like "clicking" the keyboard less touch screen (definitely a matter of opinion though as plenty of reviews can't stand this feature). The operating system is considerably buggy (to be expected with a first generation phone). Leaked OS's provide for considerable improvements from what Verizon currently has loaded on their Storms (.75). We are running leaked OS (.113) which is rumored to be the next "official" OS release from Verizon. Not a perfect OS by any stretch but SIGNIFICANTLY better than (.75).

Much more to come in future posts as we begin to discover the limitations and possibilities of this phone ...

Are you a Storm user?

FSBO Struggles

From CNNMoney.com - "Farewell to 'for sale by owner'?":

Not long ago, for sale by owner (FSBO) Web sites were heralded as a fresh entrepreneurial wave that was going to upend the staid real estate industry. In 2006 real estate sales "unassisted" by a broker accounted for 20% of sales made, says Steve Murray, editor and owner of Real Trends, a market research firm in Castle Rock, Colo.

And Now?

Then the bubble burst. During the past four years, David Zwiefelhofer, who designs FSBO Web sites and sells them to real estate entrepreneurs, has sold about 50 regional FSBO sites through his company, FSBOWebsite.com. Only 30 to 35 are still operating.

No surprise, a return to fundamentals.

So were FSBO sites just flashes in the pan? Murray says that with properties harder to sell these days, sellers are returning to brokers for professional marketing help, causing the unassisted slice of the market to slip to around 15%. But he expects the FSBO market to bounce back - eventually.

When times are good, everyone is an expert and knows best when, actually, success oftentimes depends merely on being adequate enough. When times are tough, we seek out the best of the best to help navigate the perils of the time. Yes, real estate does cycle!

As real estate professionals, we need to cycle accordingly with the times. You want to be the expert that people refer to when they seek out professional advice. Changing our businesses and remaining current with the market is never an easy task but continues to get easier with the onset of technology (cell, Internet, etc.). Shame on you if you're not taking advantage of the countless opportunities to learn from and network (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, all social media venues) with the best in your industry. You can easily pick up the phone and call anyone in the world. You can hop on the Internet and learn the ins and outs of real estate and any other thinkable topic known to man. There are no excuses. Endless knowledge can be found at the tap of our fingertips.

You won't become an expert overnight but it will happen, over time, if you're willing to chip away at learning more techniques to become more proficient regardless of market conditions. In doing so, you will have a much better chance at finding opportunities at a time when despair seems to be the rule of the day for most. Your future is up to you and is in your control to ultimately determine. If you don't like your circumstances use all of the tools and resources available to us to start making a change.

RE Professionals - What Phone Are You Using?

Real Estate Professionals, what (cell / smart) phone are you using:

1) RIMM / BlackBerry Product
2) Apple / iPhone Product
3) Google / Android Product
4) Other

Please comment letting us know what type / model you are using and whether you would recommend it to other Real Estate Professionals. If time permits, it would be great to hear how you are using your phone to increase your productivity and efficiency!

Disclosure: I'm using an 8703e BlackBerry, over two years old, on the Verizon network. The phone has been GREAT and solid as a ROCK as has been Verizon's service. I extensively use the email capability as I'm often out of my office. I couldn't operate / manage my real estate investments without it. I also extensively use online access / navigation while on the road. I would recommend the phone, but unfortunately it is now out of date, no camera, video, and limited social networking capabilities. There are now, in my opinion, multiple RIMM / BlackBerry products that incorporate the strengths of my 8703e with the latest and greatest technological features! Needless to say, the same goes for products other than RIMM / BlackBerry and the cell phone providers that carry these products.

Now, your turn!

Mr. Mortgage on Alt-A and Subprime Loans

This video is certainly dated as it goes back towards the Spring of 2008 but the information is definitely worth taking a look at as it indicates what the future should hold for us in the housing market especially in consideration of the Alt-A wave of resets purported to be coming between 2009 and 2012.

Milton Ezrati's Take on the Economy and Housing

Milton Ezrati suggests housing will bottom in June 2009, give or take a month. I'm sure I don't need to remind everyone that housing is LOCAL!

Real Estate by Bike!

From CNNMoney.com - "Tour hot real estate - by bike":

I'm a realtor in Boulder, and a couple of years ago I had a buyer in from out of town. We did the usual thing - drove around, looked at 10 or 12 homes - and made plans to see more the following day. Well, he called the next morning and told me that he had borrowed a cruiser bike from his hotel, ridden through a nearby neighborhood and met a guy who was interested in selling his house.

"Sorry, Matt," he said. "I bought a home last night."

I'm a triathlete, and I like to preview houses for sale by bike. Losing that sale made me wonder whether my customers might also enjoy pedaling to properties. It was an "Aha!" moment. I called a good friend, Chris Sweeney, who was a Realtor with another firm, and said, "Let's start a business." That was in May 2007.

What?

So now Chris and I run our own agency, Pedal to Properties. We're the proud owners of 12 Electra three-speed cruiser bikes, and we just donated 36 more bikes to local hotels. Guests can take them out for free to experience Boulder. And just in case the guest needs a real estate broker, our contact information is prominently displayed on each bike and in every hotel room.

The tour:

We ride at a leisurely pace, and we normally don't cover more than three miles in a trip. We get to know one another, and I can point out neighborhood features such as parks and bike trails.

I do group rides every Wednesday. That's great for sellers because I'm bringing six to 10 clients through their homes in one shot. And surprisingly, there's never been competition among buyers. They're all looking for different things. Some have kids, others don't. Some love ranches while others prefer Victorians.

In the summer, we go to arts and sporting events. We bring our booth, bikes, coffee, treats and a computer so people can look for properties online. It's turned into a tremendous opportunity to market ourselves and stand out, which is an advantage I didn't expect when we started the business.

Hard to argue with these numbers:

Our approach to customer service has really paid off. In 2007 our revenues were a little more than $11 million, double what we did the year before.

The underlying notion (Passion, Passion, Passion!):

Why are we successful? For customers, the big advantage is getting on the bicycle and really seeing the neighborhood, not just the house. And they are laughing because it makes them feel like they're six years old again. The business model works in Boulder, where many people move for the active lifestyle. My goal is to franchise the concept or open individual offices in five to 10 markets. We're starting with a Portland, Ore. office, which should be open by early next year.

I can't wait to get up in the morning and look at properties on bikes - I still get goose bumps talking about it.

Without personally knowing the owners of Pedal to Properties, I must say that I love people like this. Let's face it, the notion, on the surface, immediately hits you as being absurd (at least it did for me) yet obviously financially successful. It's important to leave the comfort of your box for a few minutes and spend necessary and valuable time thinking outside of the box. Times are undeniably tough right now, but too many people are spending too much time concentrating on what they don't have instead of concentrating on the opportunities right in front of them. If you're not taking the time to pay attention, you will never see what's right underneath your nose. Learn your market and take the time to understand your clients as they're always telling you something. It's up to you to determine whether you're going to take the time to listen, actually hearing what they have to say. We should all do a better job of listening. Shouldn't we?

Peter Schiff on the Economy

Peter Schiff gives his two cents on the economy and doesn't have much praise for what's currently being done by our government to remedy our economic woes. He urges us to let the markets function and protect your wealth as tough times remain ahead.