So You Don't Do Dual Agency I will just speak for the State of Maryland. Real Estate Agents are not, are never, dual agents. If a situation of dual agency exists, it is the Real Estate Broker who is the dual agent. In order to have dual agency, there must be three individuals, which are the Broker and two Real Estate Agents, who are affiliated with such Broker. One Real Estate Agent would represent the Buyer and would be called an Intra-Company Agent. The other Real Estate Agent would represent the Seller and would, also, be referred to as an Intra-Company Agent. Although, the Broker is the only one who acts as a dual agent, the Broker has very little to do with the advice which is given to either of the Clients, Buyer or Seller, since this is handled by the Intra-Company Agents. If a B... 10/06/2012

What am I, a circus monkey for your entertainment? A previous client referred a seller to me who wanted to list his house. On the phone, the seller told me that the house was in very poor condition. When I met with him at the house and saw the actual house, I thought that using a description such as "poor condition" was a statement of puffing for this dump. Nevertheless, I gave him my opinion as to what a fair market value would be for this property.  I looked at it in two ways, one was as a house needing to be rehabbed, and two was as a potential lot for a new home, which, of course, would require the knocking down of this beauty. My estimate was that it was worth about $75,000 for either of the options.  He could start with a slightly higher price, because it still would have easily h... 09/29/2012

You Were Preselected That's right; you were preselected to receive this email because you are: a real estate agent; a real estate broker; a member of a multiple list service; a member of an association of realtors; a member of the real estate community; a person who previously looked at our web site; a person who happens to have an email, which we got our hands on; and on and on and on. When it comes to the internet and email, it seems that there is no such thing as targeted marketing. I have several email addresses so that I can try to force these emails to be targeted. Some of my emails are for business, some are for personal purposes, and some are for exploratory purposes whereby I fully expect to get follow up spam. I opened an email with Yahoo and immediately started getting spam, ... 09/28/2012

Today The Super Big Gulp: Tomorrow The Super Big House Mayor Bloomberg of New York City wants to ban fountain soda drinks which are over 16 ounces. This would apply to drinks sold at the stadiums and arenas for sporting events, at movie theaters, at local convenience stores such as 7 Eleven, with its Super Big Gulp, WaWa, with its super swawa, and so on. The rationale for such a ban is to curb Americans' appetite for sugary foods which partially lead to the obesity problem which the nation faces. Some people wonder how he could push for such a ban on soda, while seemingly being okay with people smoking joints on the street. Others think that it is simply related to an inferiority complex that he has about his being only 5 feet tall and weighing about 75 pounds. Most people do not questi... 09/14/2012

The Age Of Communication? Yes, indeed, it is the age of communication. You can email, call, text, and even twitter and tweeter to your hearts delight and reach almost anyone in the world at almost anytime. In the case of real estate agents, whose business requires that they be reasonably available, it is almost a prerequisite for being in the business to allow for people to contact them through as many means as possible. Contact information for most agents can usually easily be found with a quick internet search. The agents are on Active Rain, Trulia, Zillow, Facebook, and all sorts of other places. In fact, I find that people will frequently call me and ask about particular listings that I have. We will talk a bit and exchange some information and then set up appointments to see the li... 09/13/2012

I Make My Bed In Less Than 60 Seconds Yes, It's true.  I make my bed in less than 60 seconds every day. Not only that, but dirty clothes disappear in moments.  At least, they disappear into a hamper. My morning bathroom ritual has me using several items, including a tooth brush, a shaving razor, tooth paste, shaving cream, shampoo, a comb, at least for a few more years, and other items yet when I am finished there is no sign of these items, unless you open the cabinet door. Once I eat my breakfast, as well as any other meal, the dishes are not only washed, but dried, and put away. No I do not have a servant taking care of these things for me and no it does not take much time for me to do these things. In other words, my house is in market showing condition at almost any time of the day.... 09/12/2012

  ANOTHER SHORT SALE COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY AND A FORECLOSURE AVOIDED! SOLD ON 8/21/12 46 SURREY LANE #125 (RED FOX FARMS COMMUNITY) NOTTINGHAM, MD 21236 SOLD BY MIKE KLIJANOWICZ WITH REMAX AMERICAN DREAM IN PERRY HALL, MARYLAND! FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: WWW.ISELLMDHOMES.COM or CONTACT MIKE DIRECT 410-236-3331 (CALL or TEXT)         SEARCH FOR NEW HOMES ON MIKE'S INTERACTIVE HOME SEARCH MAP JUST CLICK THE MAP BELOW! CLICK HERE OR ON THE MAP ABOVE TO USE MY STATE OF THE ART MAP BASED HOME SEARCH SYSTEM! Search for ALL of the Baltimore, Maryland area homes that are currently for sale, Search for ALL of the recently sold homes in your Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood including those listed in the MLS system and those that were never listed by real estate agents (for sale by owners, new ... 09/03/2012

  SOLD ON 8/15/12 46 SURREY LANE #125 NOTTINGHAM, MD 21236 SOLD BY MIKE KLIJANOWICZ (BUYERS AGENT) WITH REMAX AMERICAN DREAM IN PERRY HALL, MARYLAND! FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: WWW.ISELLMDHOMES.COM or CONTACT MIKE DIRECT 410-236-3331 (CALL or TEXT)         SEARCH FOR NEW HOMES ON MIKE'S INTERACTIVE HOME SEARCH MAP JUST CLICK THE MAP BELOW! CLICK HERE OR ON THE MAP ABOVE TO USE MY STATE OF THE ART MAP BASED HOME SEARCH SYSTEM! Search for ALL of the Baltimore, Maryland area homes that are currently for sale, Search for ALL of the recently sold homes in your Baltimore, Maryland neighborhood including those listed in the MLS system and those that were never listed by real estate agents (for sale by owners, new construction, etc), Search by whatever terms you want: Baltimore, Maryland zip c... 08/19/2012

My Client Is In Her New Home; Meanwhile You Are Still Laughing My client was a serious buyer.  She was preapproved, was going to use a conventional loan with a decent downpayment, was not going to have any home selling contingencies, and, basically, was ready to make a reasonable and uncomplicated offer to purchase a home. We looked at several homes as she did not want to buy just for the sake of buying, but wanted to get a home which met most of her desires for a home.  Finally we found a home which met her tastes. The home was within her price range, but it was more than she wanted to pay for the particular house.  In my opinion, she was right.  When reasonable comparable properties were examined in relation to the subject property, we consistently determined that the price was too hi... 08/01/2012

  SOUTHFIELD CONDO SOLD IN 1 WEEK TO 1ST BUYER IN PERRY HALL, MARYLAND LISTED EXCLUSIVELY BY: MIKE KLIJANOWICZ - REMAX AMERICAN DREAM(CLOSED 5/31/12)   85 WILLOW PATH COURT NOTTINGHAM, MD 21236 FOR MORE INFORMATION, PHOTOS, & VIRTUAL TOURS VISIT: HTTP://WWW.ISELLMDHOMES.COM           SEARCH FOR NEW HOMES ON MY INTERACTIVE HOME SEARCH MAP JUST CLICK THE MAP BELOW! CLICK HERE OR ON THE MAP ABOVE TO USE MY STATE OF THE ART MAP BASED HOME SEARCH SYSTEM! Search for ALL of the homes that are currently for sale, Search for ALL of the recently sold homes in your neighborhood including those listed in the MLS system and those that were never listed by real estate agents (for sale by owners, new construction, etc), Search by whatever terms you want: zip codes, school boundaries, and even neighbor... 06/16/2012

  NEW HOME LISITNG FOR SALE IN NOTTINGHAM, MARYLAND LISTED EXCLUSIVELY BY: MIKE KLIJANOWICZ - REMAX AMERICAN DREAM   8901 PARLO ROAD NOTTINGHAM, MD 21236 FOR MORE INFORMATION, PHOTOS, & VIRTUAL TOURS VISIT: HTTP://8901ParloRoad.isellmdhomes.com       CLICK HERE OR ON THE MAP ABOVE TO USE MY STATE OF THE ART MAP BASED HOME SEARCH SYSTEM! Search for ALL of the homes that are currently for sale, Search for ALL of the recently sold homes in your neighborhood including those listed in the MLS system and those that were never listed by real estate agents (for sale by owners, new construction, etc), Search by whatever terms you want: zip codes, school boundaries, and even neighborhoods. Find out information on local schools, neighborhood demographics, and even find the closest Starbucks or fav... 06/12/2012

Can An Agent Represent Himself? I would think that an individual could represent himself or herself. However, an agent, by definition, is one who represents someone else. So, in a real estate transaction, where an agent wants to sell his or her own house or wants to buy a house for himself or herself, can that person perform that transaction as an agent? This has been done by some agents and it has been supported by their brokers. Would it be more appropriate to have another agent, whether from the same brokerage or not, act as the agent for this particular type of seller or buyer? To complicate the matter, let's assume that a buyer, who is a licensed real estate agent, contracts to purchase a house and that this buyer acts like an agent by using the brokers name and forms. Since this a... 06/11/2012

HUD Pays Very Little For Vandalism My client has a HUD owned house under contract. Of course, the house is being sold as is. It is almost in livable condition, but it does not impact the purchase because he is paying cash. But then, along come the copper thieves.  Apparently the price of copper is relatively high, which encourages useless animals to make a living by stealing copper from houses which are not their own and then selling it. However the issue is with HUD. The HUD contracts are written such that the buyer will take the house in its as is condition even if something happens to the house after the contract is ratified.  It even seems that the buyer could lose the earnest money deposit if they were to back out of the contract because of vandalism. HUD is not all bad though, the... 05/03/2012

I Work In Maryland; Someone In California Can Help Me As a general statement, it is certainly true that someone in California can help someone in Maryland. This is the beauty of a site like Active Rain.  Real estate agents from around the country, from around the world, can share their knowledge and experience, hence improving the profession as a whole. However, I received an email from a firm based in California.  They are inviting me to possibly work leads which they are generating in my area. I have not heard of the firm but based on experience with similar concepts, I would guess that they are not real estate agents, not real estate brokers, but rather that they are professional internet marketers. Yes, they are professional internet marketers who advertise a product or a service wh... 05/02/2012

My Bank Would Only Give Me $50,000 I went to my bank and requested $100,000.  No, this was not a request for a loan.  I was asking for money from my own account. They would only agree to give me $50,000 from my own account! What do you mean $50,000?  I asked for $100,000, not $50,000. We understand, but we can only give you $50,000. Apparently, you don't understand.  I asked for $100,000; I need $100,000. We can only give you $50,000, because that is all that is in the account. Now I was getting angry.  What in the hell does what is in my account have to do with how much I want and need.  If I can't get $100,000, then I am not going to take any of it out. Okay, that is fine with us. Oh great!  That is some attitude from my own bank.   Does this sound vaguely familiar to you? Maybe not w... 04/11/2012

Which Incentive Is Better: $10K to the Agent or $10K to the Buyer? Let's assume for the sake of discussion that there is a house listed for $200,000 and that the offered commission to cooperating brokers is 3% of the purchase price. Other incentives for selling the house aside, such as lowering the price, improving the property, staging the home, and so on, let's focus on two particular incentives. The first incentive is to offer, beyond the 3% commission, a bonus to the selling agent of $10,000 for a settled transaction. The alternative incentive is to offer $10,000 in closing assistance for the buyer of the property. Which one is more likely to lead to a faster sale of the property? There are agents who look for bonuses and there are agents who try not to show properties if the commis... 03/13/2012

  There Goes My Mobile Office   Distracted driving has been a major issue lately.   Consideration has been given to the idea of passing legislation which would ban the use of manual transmissions.   If such legislation were passed, then you can rest assured that it would not stop there. Next hands free transmissions would be banned.   It would go even further than that as eventually devices would be installed which would prevent the use of either of these transmissions.   Contact your legislators and tell them that this obsession with ridiculous laws must stop.   02/23/2012

BALTIMORE COUNTY SHORT SALES - PERRY HALL CONDOS FOR SALE NEW PROPERTY LISTING BY MIKE KLIJANOWICZ - REMAX SHORT SALE SPECIALIST INTRODUCING 102 SURREY LANE NOTTINGHAM, MD 21236   PRIVATE SETTING FOR THIS IMMACULATE END BUILDING UNIT ADJACENT TO GUNPOWDER STATE PARK! NEW WOOD LAMINATE FLOORING,FRESH NEUTRAL PAINT,VERY NEAT & CLEAN,ALL APPLIANCES CONVEY,LOTS OF XTRA CLOSET/STORAGE SPACE,ENJOY THE VIEWS OFF YOUR BALCONY,CLOSE TO SHOPS,RESTAURANTS,& MAJOR HIGHWAYS! THIS IS A SHORT SALE SUBJECT TO 3RD PARTY APPROVAL! 2 SHORT SALE AGENTS + PROF. NEGOTIATING FIRM = FAST APPROVAL!       CLICK ON THE ABOVE PICTURE FOR THE VIDEO TOUR ON YOUTUBE!        CLICK HERE OR ON THE MAP ABOVE TO USE MY STATE OF THE ART MAP BASED HOME SEARCH SYSTEM!  Search for ALL of the homes that are currently for sale,... 02/19/2012

In My Room Do we exist as individuals or do we exist as individuals which are part of a larger entity which is our society? Perhaps in answering the question we do not have to choose one or the other of these choices, but rather we might say that we actually exist as both. As examples of how we are both, we only need to look as far as the sports which we play.  For instance, with sports such as baseball, football, or basketball certainly there are individual efforts and individual accomplisments, but the ultimate goal of winning is not achieved unless all of the individuals work together as a team. A quarterback throws a pass, but he throws it to a receiver and he only is allowed to throw it if his blockers give him enough time.  So the individual efforts are important for each other in... 01/19/2012

How Did We Miss This? You went to look at a few houses with the possibility of making an offer to purchase one of them. One of the houses seemed to meet your needs, so you thought that it would be worthwhile to bring the rest of the family to see it. When we pulled up to the house with the other members of the family, you were embarrassed.  You were thinking that this house looks terrible.  How did we miss all of these problems? But remember how you were in a hurry to get inside.  If the inside did not meet your needs, then you did not want to waste time looking at the outside.  This house seemed to meet your needs and desires, but then you were anxious to get to the next house so you did not take the time to look at the outside.  So, into the car and away we went. Now excited to show t... 01/13/2012