Category Archives: Chappaqua

Chappaqua Real Estate | Buyer’s Guide to Understanding Today’s Seller

Leave a reply

Is the person selling the home you want a Music Facer, a Dream Chaser, or a
Long-Distance Racer?

As with any high-stakes negotiation, it helps to know the type of seller with whom
you’re dealing. It can make the difference between getting the home you love
for a reasonable price or spending several frustrating weeks, if not more, on
something that never pans out.

Even if you think you know the seller’s mentality, think again. The real estate
market has changed dramatically in the past five years. Gone are the days when
many sellers received multiple offers and made a 10-15 percent profit in a short amount of time; when buyers got the home of their dreams (with little, if any money down); when realtors collected a commission check without much headache.

Here are the three main types of sellers that are frequently encountered today. This list does not
include those who sell foreclosed or short-sale properties; they’re a bit less
predictable. Also, be aware the seller types can vary a bit by market.

The Music Facer

Having bought at the market’s peak (around 2006, depending on the market), Music Facers are now experiencing a significant life-changing event — a job transfer, a divorce, a third child — that’s forcing them to sell.

Given how much the market has declined since its peak, Music Facers accept that they will probably have to take a financial hit to move on with their lives. They’re likely to ask for the highest possible price in the beginning, because every penny counts. But they realize their home’s value is at or below the price they paid and are ultimately willing to let the market determine the value of their home. In fairly short order, then, they’ll accept a reasonable offer, knowing that they may lose part of their down payment or even have to write a check to the bank at close.

Advice to buyers: Be patient. If a Music Facer is asking too much at first, make
a reasonable counter offer and see what happens. If he’s not being reasonable, he may in fact be a Dream Chaser.

The Dream Chaser

Dream Chasers, like Music Facers, bought at the market’s peak. They may also be selling now because of a life event or simply the desire to move.

But unlike Music Facers, Dream Chasers are in denial. They believe their
property is unique. And despite comparable sales figures showing lower prices in
their neighborhood and advice from multiple realtors, they’re convinced someone will pay top dollar for their home.

Before it’s all over, Dream Chasers may fire two or three real estate agents. Their home is likely to sit on the market for a year or longer before they finally accept that it’s worth less than what they paid. This may ultimately cause Dream Chasers not to sell, if they have that option. They will have wasted a lot of peoples’ time and energy in the meantime.

Advice to buyers: Move on. You could waste months waiting for a Dream Chaser to transform into a Music Facer. In the meantime, you may miss out on a better opportunity. Your agent should be able to spot a Dream Chaser before you get too emotionally invested in the property.

The Long-Distance Racer

These are sellers who bought well before the market downturn. They understand that even though market values have declined since 2006, their home has enough equity to pay off their loan and sales costs at the closing and still make them some money. They may be disappointed knowing their property was worth a lot more at one point. But, like the Music Facer, they’re ready to move on.

Long-Distance Racers aren’t usually panicked or pressed to sell, and they’re not unrealistic about their home’s value. Typically, they price the property appropriately from the beginning.

Advice to buyers: Run, don’t walk. If a Long-Distance Racer is selling the home of your dreams, make a serious offer ASAP.

How Can You Tell?

Still not sure which type of buyer you’re dealing with?

You can get an idea by searching tax records and price history charts on Zillow. Or ask your real estate agent or the listing agent probing questions: Why is the owner selling? How long has it been on the market? What did they pay for the property and when? I’ve even seen buyers ask the listing agent if the seller is prepared to take a loss if they can’t get their asking price.

Bottom line: Buying a home is a huge investment, so get all the relevant information about your desired property as early you can. Otherwise, in a few years, you may end up becoming a Dream Chaser yourself.

Brendon DeSimone is a Realtor and real estate expert based in San Francisco and New York. He is a contributor to Zillow Blog, has collaborated on multiple real estate books and is often quoted by major media outlets.

via zillow.com

Chappaqua NY Real Estate | Reader’s Digest Seeks to Sell Itself – Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch

Leave a reply

Media company Reader’s Digest is reportedly seeking to be bought out with the hope of getting a $1 billion sale price, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The paper reports that it has hired financial advisers to help find a buyer, although the company could be sold off in pieces, the paper stated.

Reader’s Digest was once a major employer in northern Westchester, with seven decades spent at its campus in Chappaqua, until it vacated its property last December. The move resulted from the company breaking its lease with developer Summit/Greenfield, due to its 2009 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, moving to New York City and White Plains. Summit/Greenfield, which renamed the site Chappaqua Crossing, purchased the property from Reader’s Digest in 2004 and leased it back, and is now involved in a contentious set of federal and state lawsuits over its efforts to build a residential/commercial mixed development.

For more information on the reported actions, click here for the Journal’s story.

via bedford.patch.com

Chappaqua NY Homes | Cuomo Approves Extension of Local Sales Tax Increases – Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch

Leave a reply

New York is notorious for its high taxes, and Governor Andrew Cuomo has made the issue one of his top priorities in his first year in office. That has included passing a cap on annual property tax increases and a state budget that closed a $10 billion deficit without raising taxes. He also fought to allow a tax surcharge on wealthy New Yorkers to expire.

But when it comes to sales taxes, Cuomo has allowed county and local governments some latitude. Last week, the governor signed into law a series of bills that will extend until 2014 long-standing sales tax increases in Rockland, Putnam and New Rochelle. Another bill will allow Westchester to continue to distribute sales tax revenue to municipalities and school districts.

State law allows counties to charge up to 3 percent in sales tax, but in the early 1990s lawmakers gave counties the authority to charge 4 percent. Those provisions have been continually extended every two years since. Local officials say the tax is vital to providing services to residences without raising property taxes.

“With budget cuts, all we have left are essential services and losing the sales tax would be devastating,” said New Rochelle City Manager Charles Strome.

In New Rochelle, the extra one-percent sales tax is expected to bring in around $9 million in revenue this year, according to a bill memo. Strome said the city expects total sales tax revenue to surpass $23 million this year.

Rockland County is home to the Palisades Mall, which draws in shoppers from across the region. The county expects to reap about $175 million in sales tax receipts in the current fiscal year, thanks in part to the extension of the one-percent increase.

County Board of Legislators Chair Harriet Cornell said most, if not all, of the county’s property tax revenue goes to pay for state-mandated programs, particularly Medicaid.

“For many years we have shared sales tax revenue with towns and villages, enabling them to keep their property taxes down,” Cornell said.

Westchester also doles out revenue to local governments and school districts, and Cuomo has signed a bill that will continue to allow them to do so. County spokeswoman Donna Greene said in the fourth quarter of 2010 alone, the county collected $112 million in sales tax receipts and distributed $24 million to local governments.

The distribution is all the more important as municipal and school officials brace for the implementation of a measure that will cap annual property tax increases at the lesser of 2 percent or the rate of inflation. Cuomo has said the cap is necessary to rein in skyrocketing property taxes and impose fiscal discipline.

Officials in Putnam did not return calls seeking comment, but in a statement last year former County Executive Robert Bondi said the sales tax extension will bring in $11 million for the county and stave off “double digit property tax increases, significant loss of services, or a combination of both.”

via bedford.patch.com

Chappaqua NY Homes | How to Interview your Future Employer for the Corporate Social Strategist Position | Chappaqua NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

Corporate Social Media jobs are Surprisingly Frustrating
If you’re a corporate social strategist today, or aspiring to be on in the future, chances are you’ve read our report on the Career Path of the Corporate Social Strategist. While many are infatuated in this seemingly glorified and fun role, outsiders rarely know the internal challenges these Open Leaders struggle with on a daily basis. Recently, I was coaching another hopeful for a corporate social strategist position and gave her some key question that she must answer before she accepts the position.

Candidates Must Interview Their Future Employer –and Set Expectations Both Ways
In fact, having interviewed and interacted with many in the Corporate Social Strategistrole, I see a pattern of internal issues that stump growth, innovation and cause frustration. There’s nothing worse than starting a job, then realizing just months later that you’re frustrated and you have very little bandwidth to fulfill your vision. As a result, I’d like to provide 5 simple questions to ask in your interview of your future employer to gauge if this is a challenge that you’re willing to get into –and if they really know what they are buying by hiring you.

Interview Your Employer In a Savvy and Tactful Way
As a candidate, you should always be interviewing your future employer to ensure that you’ll be successful there –not just try to woo them with your greatness. In fact, a future employer may be impressed with your prowess to ask these mature questions, and that you’ve through through the ramifications of the program. In all cases, approach this with class and tact, and explain by having this sometimes tough conversations up front will help everyone to set expectations and increase chances of success.

I recommend you have this conversation with the hiring manager, and often their boss, as it’s unlikely the recruiter will know, or give you the straight answer as they are often on a closing commission. Timing wise, it’s appropriate to have this conversation mid discussions –not on the first date, but after they’ve gotten a chance to know you, don’t come in blazing with these abrasive conversations on first contact.

How to Interview your Future Employer for the Corporate Social Strategist Position:

1) What level of executive support do we have?
Often, I hear of proposals that are stonewalled as it hits barriers in the C-suite. Ensure you know how far up the chain you’re getting a support, CMO, CEO, COO, and executives in Legal, HR, are key. In our research, we’ve found that most strategists report to Marketing or Corp Comm, it’s key that you have their buyin. If you’re not reporting to Corp Comm, but don’t have their support, there’s a great chance your projects will be squashed. Often, Corp Comm’s that don’t embrace this program, don’t realize the opportunities, and will either try to squash the program or acquire it.

  • Score 1 point if the company’s executives are on board
  • Score 1 point if the company’s corp comm team is on board

2) Is the company ready to span social beyond one department?
Often companies may be on product launch cycles, and push communications pre-product launch. You need to carefully understand the business model to understand if you’re expected to quickly shuffle together some Facebook sites and Twitter accounts before each launch for pre-buzz-marketing, or this is a mature ‘social business’ programs that spans multiple departments. Remember, like the internet, these are just tools, that should span the entire customer lifecycle beyond point of sale to: implementation, support, loyalty, and advocacy. Probe to find out.

  • Score 1 point of the company is ready to take on social beyond one department

3) Is the company ready to engage in negative conversations in public?
This is a critical question to pose, and you must gauge the culture’s willingness to listen, respond, and then finally (most importantly) do something with the feedback that you’ll be receiving from customers. If the culture is not ready, you will quickly find that you’re wanting to make promises to prove the customer experience, but have no backing to actually make the changes –making you look gumpish to the market. Of course, here’s where you will savvilly point out how one of your first tasks is to establish a triage process to manage the ‘good bad and ugly’ with appropriate and clear responses and expectations set up in advance. While your job is ‘risk mitigation’ you need to first check and ensure the company is willing to take a risk.

  • Score 1 point of the company is ready to take on negative conversations in public

4) What is your future vision of success look like?
This is a trick question really. The goal is to find out if there is a vision or if they are only playing catchup or are seeking a feather in the cap for ‘technology du jour’. Your goal is to find out what a 3 year vision is, and what expectations are of this program. The best way to phrase this is to ask “In your vision, in three years when we look back, you will say we were successful because we did X”. Can you help me define what X means? You want to listen for answers about how far the program will extend in the company (through how many business units) and if it’s a cultural chance –or just about generating leads (which is fine, but you need to understand expectations). Secondly, you want to carefully listen if the program is successful you may work yourself out of a job. In our research, we found that state of ‘working yourself out a job’ can be a sign of success. If they ask you, you should of course share your vision. I recommend you start with customers, discuss how the relationship with them has changed, and avoid talking about specific technologies.

  • Score 1 point of the company has a clear 3 year vision on what success looks like.

5) What resources will I be provided?
This question deliberately follows the fourth question above. After they’ve defined what they see success is, you must conduct an on-the-spot Gap analysis to figure out the orginization is going to put their money where their mouth is. Ask them about headcount: be specific in dedicated resources to dotted line, as well as agency resources. Ask about budget for software, and future agency services. Ask about resources for training, program management, and executive championing. If you haven’t done so already, you must read our report on How to Budget for Social Business where we list out how the top corporations are spending (Altimeter clients can request data cuts for specific verticals or company sizes).

  • Score 1 point of the company is promising appropriate headcount
  • Score 1 point of the company is promising a dedicated budget for agency, vendors, and software
  • Score 1 point of the company is promising internal education resources and change management support

Next: Tally up your responses here ___. There’s a total of 8 possible points.

Scorecard Results: What to Expect
Score your future employer here to set expectations for yourself and the employer

  • 8: What are you waiting for? Get in that desk!
  • 6-7: You are well situated for a program of success, and less chance of frustration. Yet be sure to request a promise to get the items that are deficient solved, based on your proposals for action
  • 4-5: While you likely have a solid foundations to stand on -expect significant challenges, which is why the organization needs you. Get a promise from executives that your proposals to solve each issue will be taken seriously, and you’ll receive your direct management support to solve them. Also set expectations that you cannot solve all these issues quickly, and without the culture moving forward.
  • 2-3: You are setup for a long road of challenges and incredible frustrations. Many of these challenges will take months to quarters to solve, expect an incredible amount of evangelism, only approach if you have nerves of steel, patiences, and have a great way of wooing others in power based on sound business proposals.
  • 1: You are set up for potential failure, I’d advise walking away from this opportunity unless you love immense challenges.

To learn most about this role the Corporate Social Strategist, be sure to read the report (also mentioned above) and see this list of these professionals, and read the On The Move of who was hired in this space. Update: I just learned Alan Belniak has previously published a similar post, nicely done.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 1st, 2011 at 7:51 am and is filed under Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

via web-strategist.com

Chappaqua NY Real Estate | Making Smart Purchases – Due Diligence for Buying Residential Real Estate

Leave a reply

You are ready to make the largest financial decision of your life by buying a home or rental property. But, you are concerned because of all the issues that people who bought in recent years have encountered. Perhaps properties are underwater, or the rental income doesn’t cover all the expenses, or mortgage payments have become unaffordable.

You are not alone if you have some of these reservations about buying a home. While those issues are just a few of the inherent risks that are present when buying real estate, there are many more. Although these issues have been around forever, only recently have typical buyers been getting better about doing their due diligence and taking the time, energy and effort to work hard to significantly lower their risk on real estate.

The process is not overly complicated, but, it is time-consuming. We’ve put together a list of categories that should be on your due diligence list. You should learn these items, tasks, procedures and how to analyze property so you can make great choices.

Here’s how to lessen the chances of something going wrong with your purchase:

1. Understand the Purchasing Process

Buyers should have a full understanding of the purchasing process from the start. Early on review the contract you will be signing, understand how to shop for the right property and know about making an offer, contingencies, appraisals, mortgage financing, and when your earnest money deposit becomes “at risk.”

2. Does This Make Financial Sense?

• Buying Investment Property – Start by penciling out the deal. You should determine the total cash you will invest and what “cash on cash” rate of return you project to earn. Bank CDs pay 1.0 percent, Bonds 5.0 percent, but real estate is riskier – so what should you earn? Five percent is suggested. Value appreciation may come down the road and certainly will help, but let’s count our cash first!

• Personal Residence Rent vs. Own – There are some simple guidelines to follow here. If you plan to own for less than five years, you should remain a renter. You are not throwing away money renting and you avoid a lot of stress. Buying for the long term is your best move. And, don’t buy just to buy something – buy the property you “love” and that will make you happy.

3. Shop Smart

Hoping to snag a once-in-a-lifetime deal on a foreclosure or short sale? If you’re trying to chase some “great” deal like at the courthouse auction, or through a distress sale, it only wastes your time and energy with little chance at success. Be prepared. These options are complex and can often fall through the cracks.  Skip the get-rich-quick schemes. A more conservative approach is to shop for a traditional sale on listing websites.

4. Real Estate and Income Taxes

Buying to save money on your taxes? Most couples buying residences under $300,000 get little in net tax savings. People with higher incomes and more expensive homes get the biggest tax benefit. Surprised? Meet with your CPA to determine what, if any, tax benefits you will earn.

5. Mortgage Financing – Getting a Fair Deal

If you can get financing, it has become easier to get a “fair deal” because of new federal regulations. Regardless, you should understand your Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and how to dissect it to make sure you get that fair deal. Mortgages are for the long term, so take some time to interview a couple of lenders and understand your mortgage so you can make a good decision.

6. Homeowners Association (HOA) Condition

This is one of those items that most buyers do not even know to review. The finances and operations of an HOA are becoming a huge risk issue nowadays. If you do not understand and review them, you may get a surprise in the form of sharply higher fees or special assessments in the years to come. Meet with a knowledgeable person to help you decipher them. The goal is to avoid a community where the association is in really bad shape.

7. Home Inspection/Fix Up Costs

Having a home inspection is one of the most important things you can do as a buyer. During the inspection you should be putting together a list of what needs to be repaired and replaced. Then you can take your list to a home improvement store to get a feel for the total costs to bring the property up to the standards you desire. This should help you negotiate any seller’s credits and/or terminate the deal if the costs are too much.

8. Property and Liability Insurance

Insurance policies cover certain risks and have a maximum payout on any loss related to those risks. It is up to you to determine the maximum policy amount you want based on construction quality, cost to rebuild and your risk tolerance. The top issue – failing to increase coverage amounts over time as the cost of rebuilding increases. It is not difficult to understand and have the right coverage – we suggest getting with your agent and have a once a year checkup!

9. Title Insurance, Title Issues, and Lot Lines

This is another purchasing task that few people review. And while the risk of an issue is very low, the potential losses are huge. Taking fifteen minutes to review your title abstract/history and the plat or a survey of the parcel, then walk the property. It could save you endless headaches and financial stress down the road.

10. Other Investments

Fixer uppers, flipping, vacation rentals, second homes, apartment buildings, condohotels, land or building a home also have significant risk issues that should be evaluated carefully, before you make the decision to take on one of these investments.

Buyer Beware!

By taking the time to learn the risk issues and do the proper due diligence before you buy, you can significantly reduce your risk of something going wrong. And while it’s hard work, it is much easier than straightening out a “predicament” after you close escrow.

Leonard Baron, MBA, CPA, is a San Diego State University Lecturer, a guest blogger on Zillow, the author of “Real Estate Ownership, Investment and Due Diligence 101 – A Smarter Way to Buy Real Estate”, and loves kicking the tires of a good piece of dirt! See more at ProfessorBaron.com.

via zillow.com

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Play Key Roles in Energy Solutions – Bedford-Katonah, NY Patch for Chappaqua NY Real Estate

Leave a reply

In response to a recent New York Times story on Mayor Bloomberg’s report about the impacts of closing Indian Point’s nuclear power reactors, we applaud this kind of independent study. 

But media reporting on such efforts is incomplete without including the positive impact of making buildings more energy efficient.
 
Real energy efficiency can reduce electric consumption.  If 5,000 businesses upgrade 1,000 light fixtures each, the electric reduction would be 500 gigawatt hours annually.  Pump and air conditioning upgrades would yield even more savings at these same businesses. If 30 percent of housing units in the New York metropolitan area undergo Home Performance with Energy Star efficiency upgrades and other cost effective measures, another 3,450 gigawatt hours can be saved.  These measures are equal to 25 percent of the current output of Indian Point!
 
According to an exhaustive McKinsey survey, these initiatives would be cost-effective (cash flow positive) for the homes and businesses that choose to finance them.  Looking at peak demand impact, energy efficiency will replace even more of Indian Point’s output: assuming that two-thirds of the efficiency achieved would be on a hot summer afternoon when efficiency and peak load management is most valuable.  More efficient cooling, electronics equipment, better pumps and building lighting could replace more than 40 percent of Indian Point’s capacity during peak demand times.
 
Our challenge is to achieve cost-effective energy efficiency upgrades in one-third of our metropolitan area buildings.  We can meet that challenge. Whether by introducing private sector efficiency portfolio standards or community choice aggregation options, other states and nations have led the way towards lower consumption at reduced cost to consumers. 

New York State has the opportunity to implement these initiatives.  We’re making it happen locally right now, through Energize Northern Westchester programs that are achieving significant energy efficiencies, despite the barriers we face.  We also have begun to look at the benefits that emerge as consumers manage their consumption intelligently on an hourly basis. This “demand response “ resource is already a reliable half of Indian Point’s output in New York State and could easily be doubled with the right policy structure.
 
New York State Energy Research Development Authority and the US Department of Energy have provided seed funds for several energy efficiency programs. One in particular, the Northern Westchester Energy Action Consortium (NWEAC), a compact among 14 municipalities comprising 230,000 people and 55,000 households, has launched a ground-breaking residential energy efficiency program.  The early results of the Energize Northern Westchester program are promising, with hundreds of homeowners participating in comprehensive home energy assessments and upgrades since the pilot launched in January.
 
It may be that the Westchester residents in Indian Point’s backyard are way ahead of the New York media on how to help replace the power generated by Indian Point should it shut for any reason. We can’t ignore energy efficiency as a key piece of our energy solution and have the opportunity to make it happen today with a few simple energy policy reforms and targeted initiatives.
 
Leo Wiegman, Mayor, Village of Croton-on-Hudson
Lee Roberts, Supervisor, Town of Bedford
Mary Foster, Mayor, City of Peekskill
David Gabrielson, Councilman, Town of Bedford
Tom Bregman, Director, Energize Northern Westchester
Mark Thielking, Director of Energy Resources, Town of Bedford
Mike Gordon, Executive Committee, Joule Assets
Herb Oringel, Chair, Somers Energy and Environment Committee
Mary Beth Kass, Co-President, Bedford 2020 Coalition
Olivia Farr, Senior VP & Treasurer, Bedford 2020 Coalition
Ellen Conrad, Co-President, Bedford 2020 Coalition

via bedford.patch.com

Chappaqua NY Real Estate | Agents find gold in property tax appeals | Inman News for Chappaqua NY Homes

Leave a reply

Agents find gold in property tax appeals

3 ways this service can help boost reputation, referrals

 

Dealing with the property-taxing authorities can be daunting. In fact, it’s so daunting many owners simply cave in and pay the increased property taxes. If you want to create great buzz about your business and help your clients as well, helping them with an appeal on their taxes is one of the best ways to do this.

We received our property tax bill in January and it showed an increased assessment on our home of 4.3 percent. Because we’re in the most expensive school district in the state, this translated into almost $2,300 more in taxes than the comparable sales suggested our evaluation should be.

Our formal hearing was a real eye-opener on how the taxing authorities work, as well as what you can do as a customer service-savvy agent to help your clients.

The guidelines from our local appraisal district said that the district would use the median sales prices. I had our Realtor pull the comparable sales and there were four excellent comparable sales with the same lot size, similar age, as well as within 10 percent of the square footage on our house. The guidelines also said that the sales date should be as close to Jan. 1, 2011, as possible.

I also came armed with information showing that prices in Austin had declined 7 to 10 percent overall. My comparable sales information supported this as well.

The last two times we appealed, we went through the informal hearing process and had our assessed valuation reduced. The appraisal district made its decision based upon the closed sales. Because we were out of town, we had to attend the formal hearing.

What was odd about the whole hearing process was that the district officials did look at the comparable sales, but they had another set of data called “comp equity.” I simply wasn’t prepared to deal with this second set of data that was based upon the values the appraisal district had determined for each property that did not sell.

After the hearing, I dug deeper into the comp equity numbers and saw a number of additional comparables, and the process for “equalizing the prices” appeared questionable to me. It seemed that most of the recent sales were for new construction, which could skew the valuation if you live in an older home.

Furthermore, the builder had just completed a number of much smaller homes on smaller lots. The challenge with using those comparables is that the smaller size can translate into a higher price per square foot than for larger homes.

We were successful in keeping our assessment at a level comparable to last year, but the people hearing the case refused to lower the assessment beyond that point.

The opportunity

One of the best ways to create a positive buzz in your market area about your real estate services is to help people obtain a reduction in their property taxes. There are three ways you can do this.

1. Provide the homeowner with the comparable sales data, as well as the forms necessary to schedule a hearing
The best time to do this is when your taxing authority sends out the property tax assessments each year.

2. Attend the property tax hearing with your client or on his/her behalf
If you are going to represent your client, you may run the risk of coming back with a higher assessment. This can be a serious problem. It’s important that you attend two or three hearings so that you understand the process before representing someone else.

3. Partner with a professional
What was apparent when I was waiting for our hearing: if you’re not familiar with the appraisal board process, working a professional who does this on a regular basis could serve you well. In most cases, the people engaging in this work take a percentage of the savings they obtain for the homeowner.

The people waiting were not just representing homeowners; they were representing large commercial properties owned by major corporations. In most cases, it’s smart to defer to an expert — especially someone who has a proven track record.

Regardless of which strategy you select, being the agent who helps people obtain a property tax reduction creates positive buzz about you and your services. Just make sure that you are thoroughly prepared with the knowledge of the processes and then the data that best supports your client’s claim.

Bernice Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, trainer and author of the National Association of Realtors’ No. 1 best-seller, “Real Estate Dough: Your Recipe for Real Estate Success.” Hear Bernice’s five-minute daily real estate show, just named “new and notable” by iTunes, at www.RealEstateCoachRadio.com. You can contact her at Bernice@RealEstateCoach.com or @BRoss on Twitter.


   
via inman.com