All Forum Posts by: Brad Braun

We use CINC which is amazing.  It does everything I need it to do.  Here's their link: CINC

Im not too familiar with the Varnville area, but I have heard of a GC out that way by the name of J.R. Wilson.  My uncle used to be a contractor for that area but recently passed away.  If you google JR Wilson Construction you'll be able to get a phone number.  

Personally, when working with buyers, I ignore these pleas by the listing agent and advise my clients to offer what they think is fair.  On the listing side, I would never lie about having multiple offers on a home.  But, I will play the market to my favor for my clients.  Example.  

I had a listing recently in the middle of nowhere that we were expecting to have sit on the market for 3 to 9 months based on market conditions in rural SC. We were priced to sell and the day the listing went live I had 7 showings lined up for that weekend.  Being proactive I called all 7 of those agents and told them there were 7 showings setup and that if their buyers were interested to get those offers in first.  

We only got 1 offer on the property, but it came in at asking price cash offer and within 2 hours of them viewing the property.  If I hadn't called that agent before hand, I doubt I would have gotten a full price offer that soon.  We closed 25 days later and for all the money.

I feel that if you tell the truth, you'll be known for telling the truth, if you lie to gain full price offers, no one will work with you because of your reputation....

To me it's a personal decision. I have some folks who never want to sign anything, and that's fine, they are more than welcome to find deals on their own and handle their own transactions. Some seasoned folks out there who've been through the ringer a few times and are educated will not mind doing this. Others require more personal service and will be good candidates to use a Realtor. I never ask a potential client to sign an agency agreement until we've met in person at least once. I am interviewing you and vice versa. I certainly don't want to work with folks who are going to be a waste of time, too difficult, or have unreasonable expectations (like offering a dollar on every property on the MLS). If you're not a good client, I'm honest and open and will let you know I don't think it's a good fit.

Don't look at it as a confrontation, we are not here to pigeon hole you into a contract so that you're stuck with us and you are limited with options.  There are agents who still use those tactics in my market, but most agents will let you walk away scott free if it's not a good fit, if they try to have you penalized in some way by leaving them, then it's probably not going to be a good fit for you anyways.

Ask your potential Realtor what they policy to walk away from agency is.  Some like me will say, put it in an email (writing) and nothing else needed, and some will say if you buy a home within six months that they're entitlied to the commission.  Make sure you get this explained before signing.

As far as the value of a Realtor, find one that's a market expert on the type homes you're personally interested in researching. If your looking for REI homes, make sure you don't find a newbie without any REI experience.

We have made a good living buying and renting turnkey properties in our company. Some of our mobile homes date back to the late 1980s and are becomming maintenance nightmares, but we've we'll exceeded our costs on those properties. If I were in your shoes, my advice is to start on a turnkey, get your feet wet, turnkeys will require maintenance and rehab as long as you continue to own them too. So, keep a good fund in an emergency operating account set aside for rehab-rainy days. If youre in good with a Gen Contractor or have a good construction knowledge, go for a rehab. But if your new, Id play it safer if it were me.  You will have many learning experiences as you own that will teach you how to operate your business as you grow. You migjt find you actually enjoy flipping, or being a landlord, or like me, doing a little of everything which I equate to helping families.

In my opinion, as long as you're paying your mortgage on time, the bank is not going to care who's living in your home. 

As a property manager of STR's and some LTR's I am facing this challenge on a weekly basis. We have a zero pets policy on our STR's and still we get asked all the time to bring therapy animals into the home. We inform them of our zero policy and to think about if the people that rent behind them might have a pet allergy, but that's all you can really do by law. You can't demand proof it's a therapy animal and there's zero governance in favor of the property owner on this.

We too went through the change-over with VRBO and were a bit surprised by their fee changes. I have tried other avenues including our own website and on some of our properties sharing the PM duties with larger companies (like Wyndham Resorts) to get exposure on their websites. What I have found personally is that VRBO is still the best. They have the best customer service (still is horrible but best out there) and when you have cases of fraud, they are willing to help out. If someone bombs you on a feedback, you can even dispute it to have it removed if needed. I almost exclusively book with VRBO now, to me it's the best system available. We manage 15 beach front STR's and another 12 long-term coastal homes.

In my opinion, paint is typically not something that I negotiate for.  Most seller's are not going to give allowances for cosmetic items.  If you folks really love that home, then offer that they pay a little and the seller pays a little to meet in the middle of the shortfall.  Try to put on the seller's shoes for a moment, ask yourself how frustrating would it be to have to re-list your home 4 times and keep dropping the price?

Also, call the listing agent and straight-up ask them what's it going to take to make a deal happen?  Have them discuss it with their seller and have the seller involved with helping you get the home sold.

If they don't agree or combat you on this, move on.  There's plenty of homes out there and I'm sure you'd be able to find another one your buyer's would be happy with.

Personally, I don't believe in the "hope system" as my old mentor used to call it.  Hoping to get rich quick is exactly that, hope.  I don't mind buying a ticket or two every once in a while just for the kicks of it, but I never put any actual emphasis on winning one of those jackpots.