Donald Mituzas

I'm pleasantly surprised to see how many good answers there are here. I'll add my 2 cents in.

First, finding a broker that is successful and growing is a good place to start. I wouldn't start in a tiny office, but if it's a super large office you are less likely to have the time you need with the office manager. Some companies just look at how many agents they can attract and really don't offer much more.

Make sure they have live training either through the company or in a coaching enviroment with the office manager or a top producer. This could also be a mentor. Training should NOT be online training. It's virtually worthless to a new agent and not nearly as valuable to a new or experienced agent as live training.

DON'T sign up with ANY broker that has a desk fee or monthly expenses. Make sure they don't charge you for advertising, copies, faxes, a phone line or anything like that. That would eliminate REMAX and Keller Williams. REMAX can be a great way for an agent to go, but the expenses can eat you alive if you're not producing. I'm not a big fan of Keller Williams business model. It also seems they lost about 4,000 agents so far this year. I wonder why.

Check out a nearby Prudential affiliate or Coldwell Banker office. They are both national brands with good reputations that people recognize. Prudential just won the JD Power & Associates award for customer satisfaction among sellers and got top ratings in overall satisfaction, satisfaction with the agent/salesperson, company marketing and company office. The only catagory they didn't rate at the top was variety of additional services. Keller Williams and C21 ranked at the bottom of the survey.

Make sure you have a comfort level in the office you choose. Some offices are more welcoming of new agents then others. Some offices have agents and a manager that is encouraging and some just can't be bothered with a new agent.

Real estate is a wonderful career and can be both personally and financially rewarding. To be successful does require dedication and determination. Always respond to customer calls and emails immediately. Always follow up on the details. Step out of the box and be different then the rest of the herd. Do a great job and your clients will be your best source of business.

Good luck!

Don - Sat Nov 1 2008, 06:15

As others have posted, for a single person there is a $250k, but I believe the law is that you must live in the home for 2 of the last 5 years, not the last 3 as someone else has posted.

According to the IRS

Test 1. You owned and used the home as your main home for 2 years or more during the 5-year period ending on the date you sold or exchanged your home.

Test 2. You have not excluded gain on the sale or exchange of another main home during the 2-year period ending on the date of the sale or exchange of your home.

Even if you do not meet one or both of the above two tests, you still can claim an exclusion if you sold or exchanged the home because of a change in place of employment, health, or certain unforeseen circumstances. In this case, the maximum amount of gain you can exclude is reduced.

Hope this helps. Go to the IRS web site for more info.

If you would like to search for homes in the Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess area, visit my web site and go the the Search MLS web page.

http://www.nyhomeseller.com

Don Mituzas
Licensed Associate Broker
Prudential Serls Prime Properties
Office: 845-279-2922
Cell: 845-222-0114 - Thu Oct 30 2008, 11:38

I would buy a Nikon D40. It's less expensive the the D40x and unless you're making posters you don't need 10 megapixels. It's a workhorse that has almost no wait time from picture to picture. Waiting for the battery to charge up between shots is a pain. It's a optical SLR and comes with a 1 gig card. Pictures are great and it's easy to use. I've had one for a year and love it. In addition to great real estate pictures I can get great action shots of my 8 and 9 year old girls swimming, skating and playing softball. Has a good flash for interior shots also. I'd buy another without hesitation. Drawback, it's a real camera and won't fit in your pocket.

Don - Wed Oct 8 2008, 04:37

1. Lower the price.
2. Make the price more attractive.
3. Have a price improvement.

You can stage the house, have open houses with gourmet food, have clowns, balloons and dancing girls, but if the price is wrong it will not sell.

Once you get the price right, a house MUST be clean, should be free of clutter and personal objects and should have fresh paint. Having a stager come in is a good idea in my opinion and is usually worth the cost as it results in a higher sales price in a shorter period of time.

Last but not least, raise the commission. Brokers are no different than anyone else. If you have the opportunity to make more money for doing the same job you would be stupid not to take advantage of it. I have a closing scheduled for this coming Tuesday. The commission rate was higher then most in the area. We had 3 offers and the property is selling close to asking price. As prices continue to drift down in most areas of the country the longer it takes to sell means it's going to sell for less. Paying a higher commission could easily result in not only a faster sale but more money in the seller's pocket.

Bottom line. Price it right. Clean it up. Increase the commission.

Don - Wed Oct 8 2008, 04:27

Debra,
A lis pendens appears to have been filed on this house. This is one of the steps of the foreclosure process. Although this home may be for sale, it might not be. The homeowner can make up overdue payments and reinstate the loan.
Don - Fri Sep 26 2008, 13:49