Interview Questions for a Prospective Short Sale Agent

   If, for reasons of hardship…unemployment, under employment,  illness,  divorce, etc. or some combination thereof….you are unable to pay your  mortgage and are looking to have a real estate agent do a short sale…you , the homeowner(s),  need to interview the agent and make sure that you feel confident  with their experience...their Successful experience…to save you from the ravages of foreclosure.  Here is an interview guide you may find helpful in the screening process.

1) What formal training has the agent had ?  CDPE or other…Ask to see the certificate. If the agent has received the training, they won’t be offended and you will be assured that they  formal instruction by a recognized authority in the industry.

2) How many short sales has the agent done ?  Find out not only how many but when…recently…5 years ago.

3) What is the success rate for closing short sales ?  It isn’t just the quantity…it has to be the quality to avoid foreclosure.

4) Ask for references from recent closings. If the agent is successful, providing a handful of references should not be an issue.

5) Has the agent explained the process to you…discussed what options are available and what the long term effects can be for each option.

6) Has the agent given you references for a real estate attorney, accountant and credit repair expert ?

7)  Ask the agent to show you closed sales figures from MLS for the past 24 months.  Short sales take longer, require more effort and as a result more financial stability by the agent. You don’t want to sign a listing contract with someone who may not be able to sustain their earnings in the business.

8)  How does the agent take your very valuable from listing to closing ?  Ask for a written marketing plan, find out who does the follow up with the lender after an offer is received.  What is the agent’s philosophy on submitting an offer or many offers and why  ? And the all important question…WHO does the negotiation of the short sale with the lender ?   Does the agent you hired do it…do they have a VA..Virtual Assistant do it for them ?  Do they have a 3rd party company do the negotiation ?  The answer to this question with the success rate may be key to difference between an agent listing a short sale and closing one…

   Don't Be A Real Estate Experiment.....

   Be A Successful Short Sale Seller...the Credit/Future You Save IS your own !

   This is not the most thought provoking headline...it is descriptive and I am hoping that this blog will be read because of the signficance of the information.  Yesterday. our next door neighbor who is an officer of our Homeowners Association, came to the door asking if we knew a family.  He had been contacted by the local police department because they needed to get in touch with them immediately and they were out of town.   The family lived several blocks away....we found the address in MLS and we didn't know them but knew people who did.  To make a long story longer...often we all have what we call "waving neighbors"....you may know their first names..their dog's name...their kids go to school with yours...but you don't really know them very well. That's fine..your neighbors aren't always your best friends.  It did make us think...what if, by choice, just for reasons of emergency...each member of your neighborhood...whether you have an actual formal "association" or not, registers a cell phone...an emergency contact number or person with an officer of the association or someone in your neighborhood.

   It brought to mind a number of years ago...friends of the family decided to go on what we call the "flip a coin vacation" with no particular destination in mind...they just drove and went wherever they decided sounded good at the time.  During this time, there was a fire in their home...their son was found in bed ...the smoke detector fallen on this chest and he had died of smoke inhalation. After contacting the state patrols in several neighboring states..they finally found the couple. 

   OPERATION PHONE REGISTER....do it now...be pro-active....save someone the anguish or tragedy of not being able to be reached for an emergency...make it about THEM. Let there be action now...let it begin with Active Rain !

  Hey Rain Gods...

Flag this for a feature...I'll donate the points...this is a NO COST PUBLIC SERVICE...DO IT NOW !

The passing of Farah Fawcett and Ryan's plan to "marry her when she felt up to it " really brings home all the cliches we have heard, used, said..."Later,..." "  Sometimes...too often, later never comes...Whether it is a major event like getting married...a personal "to do list"....the apology you didn't make, the will you have not written...the littler things...the closet you didn't clean...the desk that needs organizing...there is always time to delay things..until this happens...after this takes place...never more than now are we reminded that NOW is when you should do it, can do it...and you will not have any regrets later....doing it now means you will never have to say you're sorry.

Easy to lose your thoughts in Wisconsin festival season...Hey First Timers...you have to harness some of that energy to looking for a house now...happy to help...you will be the winners !

It's ok when you are choosing candy to snack on....go ahead...play that jingle in your head..."Sometime you feel like a nut...Sometimes you don't..."  This candy comes in plain and peanut...choose whatever you feel you are in the mood to eat....However....when you are buying a house...there are rules...not the listing agent's, not your buyer's agent...not the sellers' and not the buyers...they are rules that the state in which you live has made to protect all parties....the contract has rules about times you can and cannot cancel, object, ammend...the rules are there for a reason...they are legal rules.  Your agent is the messenger...listen to him/her and understand what your rights and obligations are and are not...and what the consequences are for not performing according to the contract.

 In Wisconsin...there is a time for earnest money, inspection, loan committment....and of course, closing...know the times...if you are the least little bit unsure of what you can/cannot do...ask your agent...not your friend, your relative, your neighbor...ask the person who does it every day and does it successfully. Do not decide that because this is how YOU want it and your agent cannot facilitate that that she/he is not working for you...she/he is the messenger and must abide by the rules....and you have to do the same. Some day you will be a seller and you would not appreciate the "I want it/I don't" happening to you....Use common sense...ask your agent...and know you are getting the advice the law has provided.

  It only matters what/who you REALLY are….Don’t be fooled…whether you are a consumer, a member of the real estate community, a person in an allied profession…..understand that the blogosphere can be a real trip to fantasy land…both for the authors of blogs and unfortunately, for the people who read them a s well…..we know, we have been there and done that…unfortunately with members of Active Rain as well as others who have promised and not delivered the website…the sales history, the knowledge, the staff, the expertise, the benefits…..you feel like you have been to a slicer/dicer demonstration at the fair…while you are there (Or reading the imagined expertise/benefits)  you believe that you can make radish roses, carrot flowers….and beautiful cauliflower and broccoli bouquets with a slip of the magic dicer/slicer.  And so the real estate wanna-bes  or Has Beens...who may be agents, web “masters” , google juice garglers,coaches....Know that your days are numbered...your allies are few...and you won't pass the "Survival of the Fittest" test.....Smoke and Mirrors doesn't Get it Anymore... The truth will be revealed to people who seek it.  Sooooo our sage advice to consumers, realtors, lenders, allied professionals is before you hire anyone for anything...ask for references...several...for the lead generation, listing, buyers agents, real estate lawyer...if they're good...they will have them..both recent and of long standing and if not...just say NEXT !

   When we were married, what seems like another lifetime ago...the minister knew us both and the ceremony was very personal and very special. One of the things I remember clearly was he said that being married is an exciting adventure..you wake up to "a different person every day."  Some days you wake up ready to face the world and have a bundle of energy just waiting to be unleashed. Other days, the flu, the full moon, the weather, your job may influence your otherwise sunny personality and you may be "a different person" sharing that marital space. Anyone who has been married more than a week...gets that. You write your own vows or you take them from a book or the church....you promise regardless of the health, wealth or lack thereof, you will be there for each other. You sign the marriage certificate, the vows are sealed with a kiss....and off you go...to a lifetime together to enjoy and endure all that awaits you as a couple.

   An offer to purchase....you have the brief courtship prior to the inspection...that day you may "wake up crabby" to find that the dream house may have a flaw here or there requiring a licensed contractor or at the very least, a handyman to tighten this, replace that and you can then advance to the dreams of decorating and landscaping...the wall you want to remove, the pink tile...the wrong carpet color...making it "your own."  Grown up buyers understand that the world...and no house...even new construction is perfect and there will be adjustments...sometimes in "fixes" and sometimes in prices.  Like a marriage, the offer and the purchase are about compromise.  There is give and take on both parts...the buyer and seller, the husband and wife.   In a marriage of course, time is not always of the essence...you can and do have cooling off periods...you can choose to sleep separately, live separately and seek professional help in working toward a more solid union or the dissolution of the marriage.

     When you buy a house...there are timelines and rules....laws that govern by when this has to be done, by whom and how.  The contract that is signed dictates the rules...the state you live in writes the rules and the realtor can't bend them to accomodate cold feet....the agreement you had to do this, increase the price, close then...it doesn't matter if your agent is an "agent of the Buyer" or the seller...there are rules to follow and ethics to abide by..."A promise is a promise and it must be kept"...your mother said. So if after you have agreed, after the time has expired....after you have signed...your mother, brother, father, friend, neighbor...tells you that you "don't have to if you don't want to".....listen to the person who is working for you,. You may not agree with them...you should listen...the rules are for everyone's protection and a change of mind usually made from an emotional rather than logical state of mind, has consequences.   Know what you don't know...Listen...learn...and respect you don't know the rules and how they apply to every situation. Respect that your Realtor knows or will find out the best way to work within the rules.

   In the olden days, before we were married....there used to be three things that people would site as reasons for divorce...differences in religion, financial problems and infidelity.  The economy has dealt many couples and families some financial challenges...and those things, it seems either strengthen a relationship or lead to it being broken beyond repair. In Wisconsin, you no longer site a specific reason...there is no finger pointing about who cheated...who didn't communicate...who failed to "love and honor"....it's a no fault state.  The cause of divorce isn't blame...it takes two to make it and two to break it....so the cause is labeled "irreconcilable differences." It seems a more charitable label....and doesn't lay blame on either party. The economic fiber of the once family unit is also torn....and that  means that the house...whether it was the first one or the "dream house" may not be affordable for just one member of the couple.

   Because we have seen what some people might term more than a "market correction" in home prices...the "profit from the sale of the home" is now non-existent.  The prices have taken a slide and with the slide...the equity that may have been divided is no longer a part of the financial picture.  We have seen it over and over again....one member of the couple hires a friend...a friend of a friend...they KNOW they will be able to get $X for the home...and that will enable them to pay off the mortgage and give both members of the couple money to "start their lives over."   That  would continue the fairy tale of "happily ever after....and a new beginning" but the economy has dealt different cards and in many cases, what would have been equity and start over money...is not...It is a debt...it is one mortgage and a Home equity loan that neither member of the former or about to be former couple can shoulder alone financially.

     Both parties hang on....mortgage payments are sometimes missed...the debt increases...the income does not cover maintaining separate residences, child support...the expenses mount and the income(s) do not.  Sometimes, there is the dreaded day when the NOD is given (Notice of Default) which is sometimes a wake up call that something has to be done or thhe ravages of foreclosure will make the divorce more of a "happily NEVER after" than is necessary...both members risk the garmishment of wages, the trashing of credit...all of which may not have had to happen if they had listed their home as a short sale and not tried to hang on to a price for which the property, in a declining market would never appraise...no one could finance...and the foreclosure clock keeps ticking while hopes are dashed.

   If you are part of divorced or divorcing couple and find that mortgage payments cannot be made or have been missed...IF you are a family law/divorce attorney and have clients who are in this situation...if you are a neighbor, a relative or a friend of someone in this situation....don't let this happen to someone you care about...no one deserves a life sentence of credit problems and further economic disaster.  Call us, no matter where you are in the country...we will direct you to someone who can help you. Someone who has had successful short sale experience...not just any realtor. Someone who will tell you the truth about what the home is worth and guide you through the short sale process. Call us: 414-525-0563 or TOLL FREE 877-525-0563...a short sale can be the best thing you never paid for...find out how it may be a part of the solution to your new beginning for a "happily ever after" life.

 A part of our real estate practice is devoted to short sales.  We have studied through two different schools, are CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Experts) and have a great team that enables us to work on other listings and with buyers as well.

   As the result of our specialization, we develop buyer lists for buyers looking for homes in specific communities that are short sales. I ran thru the searches that were targeted to specific buyers and up pops a "Short Sale" in an area where several of our buyers are looking for homes....before I pick up the phone I do a quick CMA so I can better tout the real value of the listing to our potential buyers anxious for a short sale.

     Say it isn't so......the agent BOUGHT THE LISTING !!!! Talk about distressed....I know this agent has taken people into foreclosure before.....and despite that experience...and despite what is claimed to be education....the listing is priced ABOVE THE MARKET !

    It looks like a nice house...and I hope for the sake of the distressed sellers that it sells...the way to list a SHORT SALE is not to buy it from the already distressed sellers...but to price it correctly...market it fiercely and champion the negotiations and allow the seller to get on with their/his/her life...by successfully freeing them from the burden of the mortgage and escaping the horrors of foreclosure.

   If you are in distress and can't make your mortgage payment....asking for education credentials is not enough...you want to know what is the record of the agent who is a short sale expert...How many homeowners have they saved from foreclosure ?  Did they offer you references ....could you talk to the actual people ?  You can't be too careful when it comes to the rest of your credit life....being able to start over....sleep nights and live happily ever after.

The first contact that a client, appraiser, co-broke, prospect has with you is often voice mail. Or maybe you are reached at your desk or on your cell phone...what do you do to make that very valuable first impression...lasting, positive, memorable and impressive ?

    There are many ways you can be assured that people will not call you back...and here are a few of them:

• Don't try to leave your whole life story...you are a buyer's agent, a this specialist....a that expert....they will learn that later.
• Your whole business for the day, the week, the month isn't necessary....they want to know when they CAN reach you...not why they can't.
• This is not a referral opportunity...the caller doesn't care what YOU want to know...it is about what THEY want to know....3 minutes of "Be sure to tell me who referred you so I can properly bla, bla, bla....." save it..you will find that out later.
• Subscribe to my blog, read my newsletter, go to my website...noi they called your phone...for the purpose of talking to you...

• Be Pleasant, Keep your Message Short and Business Like...no children, television, animals, spouses, radio in the background as a distraction.

MOST Important....when you get a message...return it promptly and professionally....let your personality sparkle..make your voice the one they want to do business with !

The first of Milwaukee's ethnic lakefront festivals starts this weekend....it's Polish Fest...billed as the largest polish festival in the country...maybe even on earth...Come on down to the lakefront and join in the fun, drink in the culture...enjoy the dancing...have a polish sausage...wash it down with a "brew-ski"....

   There are magic shows for the kids....Polka music everywhere....listen or put on your dancing shoes..1,2,3,...1,2,3....

   Mmmmmm....Cooking demonstrations you won't want to miss to see how you can have that taste of polish fest at home all year round:

 Demonstrations start at 1 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Friday, June 19th:
1:00 - Three Delicious Polish Salads
3:00 - Pierogi

Saturday, June 20th:
1:00 - Bigos
3:00 - Pierogi

Sunday, June 21st:
1:00 - Naleśniki
3:00 - Three Delicious Polish Salads

Hmmm...Have at the Vodka Tastings...

. Tastings will be held on each day of the Festival as follows: one on Friday at 8 p.m.; three on Saturday, at 2, 5 and 8 p.m. and on Sunday, there will be two tastings, at 2 and 5 p.m. For just $12, you can learn about the differences in the vodkas and meads and also receive a tasting of each.

   Try it ...taste it...drink it...eat it...experience it....Milwaukee is the city of Festivals..ENJOY !

   I have seen it on Active Rain...read it on  Trulia...heard it apologized for in offices...."Oh well...I tried, but the sellers went into foreclosure."  Oh golly gee whiz.....Is this the same agent who....

• Didn't do a net proceeds and ooops "forgot" to find out if the listing was upside down when he/she took it ?
• "Bought" the listing at the price the sellers want and not what the comps say...
• Is this a Limited Service agent and has no training/experience in short sales ?
• "Learned" short sales from the internet, the video, the sales meeting but never did one ?
• Months later is waiting for the lender to "return the call" while the foreclosure clock ticks...

Sellers...If you know that you owe money on both a mortgage and a second mortgage...a  home equity line...the car loan that you don't look at as a lien but is secured by your home...If you have your home listed and no one is looking...no one is kicking the sidewalk....your neighbors are selling their homes and yours is not....

    You have some hardship...the divorce that makes the payments unaffordable...the job loss that leaves no budget for payments...the illness that left you unable to work...Call an agent who has had short sale experience...

Agents - Every week we get calls from agents...co-brokes and from our own company about "how to do" a short sale...If you really, really want to know....take the classes...become a CDPE...get the education that will enable you to list and more importantly CLOSE A SHORT SALE...what is your liability as an agent when you are experimenting with other people's credit, their lives,their homes....Know what you don't know....or pay a much higher price.

    Decision making can be a painful process. Sometimes it feels that the biggest and hardest decisions must be  made at a time when we have the least amount of strength to make them.   When we are emotionally involved with an individual and have their health care power of attorney….it sometimes feel like no matter what the decision, the question is who are we deciding for….for our comfort or the comfort of the person who may be suffering and will never recover to regain the quality of life that they had enjoyed before the threatening health care situation. To say it is difficult...unless you have "been there/done that" it is something beyond comprehension.

   For short sale sellers, there can be agonizing decisions complicated by each unique seller(s)’ situation…the health, the unemployment, the death or divorce.  The hardship that has put them in the situation makes the decision to do a short sale less than automatic….less than simple and always complex.  Foreclosure is never the best choice....

  What we are learning is that the rules are always changing. Lenders are sometimes not forgiving all of a HELOC and requiring sellers to work with them for a portion of it to be re-paid.  The pain of disappointment is evident when a short sale looked as though it was a complete and total forgiveness of all house related indebtedness,….a chance to start over. 

From our perspective, you STILL have that chance….if the alternatives are bankruptcy or foreclosure, examine them carefully.   We know that there are less than objective sources who will immediately encourage bankruptcy….never mind how many  years it will be before the sellers can buy another home..that getting a car loan will be  challenge…that charging holiday presents on non-existent credit cards will make the holidays a lot less cheerful for years to come.  The short term fix may not be the very best answer….soothing the momentary pain may just be a tourniquet that will continue to bleed financially for years to come.  Consult legal counsel, a qualified short sale realtor, and take the time to make the decision that is best one for the long term…for the better life you deserve.

  You can go into many real estate offices...or websites and hear the "woe is me" tales...call an agent for a showing and hear how sad it is that they can't remember their last closing....Or sometimes you  can read Active Rain blogs and profiles....the millions sold...this done and that negotiated....staff and assistants...and you know the market..you know who is selling what...then the story is..everything they sold was not in MLS....they have fabricated success....transactions...and need a dose of reality to either survive or find as some folks would say a "real job"....We know a number of short sale sellers....who had commission jobs that aren't paying well at this point...and refuse to give up their careers...change direction...so they hang on...some past the point of no eturn...they won't do a short sale. They choose to lose...to short themselves by going into foreclosure...by not paying child support...not finding health insurance...not admitting, adapting, changing...and those changes are NOT for everyone....Open your mind, your heart....your imagination...if you aren't surviving...doing more than surviving....it may not be just you that you are hurting...your family...Take a look...a long hard,   honest look...ask a friend to help you look...it's hard to objective about your own situation.

   We recently had a seller who had one of his children confront him with the economic burden that he felt the family was enduring. The child had taken over the cooking duties as the former full time Mom was now working...he felt at 13, he cooked healthier meals than all the fast food the family had consumed on the run to this practice and that game...so wise...and so street smart at this age.  Another family, shattered by divorce...lack of income meant no child support on a regular basis....and a refusal from the not-now commissioned breadwinner to change direction.

   Sometimes it takes someone else that you trust to give you an  HONEST perspective...The dog didn't eat your Home Work.  Now is not the time for you to be experimenting with survival...it wounds children, families, relationships, health for a lifetime...Don't blame the dog....that isn't what isn't working.

  Today I started the morning with 3 showings...one of ours and 2 others....the first house was nice but had a zoo full of assorted dogs that jumped all over the buyers and me...other caged things...just not their house...On to house number 2....columns surround the front door...and the yard is beautiful with blooms of purple, pink and yellow...and I twirl the lockbox and open the front door to a wide welcoming foyer...and POOF.....the pungent smell of gas smacked all of our nostrils.....as we went into the family room...the smell got stronger. It appeared to be coming from the fireplace but there was no key or switch we could find to turn the gas off...I quickly called the Listing Agent's office...and told the receptionist to page her and give her the message that there may be a gas leak of some kind and to notify the seller(s) at once.

   A few moments later I got a voice mail from the agent...for some reason in this area, cell phones seldom ring, the calls just go into voice mail. She was very defensive...the house is only a couple years old...there can't be a problem...after all, her seller would know...bla, bla, bla.  I had to call back and almost beg her to call the seller immediately and report what I believed to be a problem.

    The agent called the seller and relayed our conversation...we were on to the next house...a while later I got another phone call....the seller did return, her sensory adaptation had disappeared and she too had the same experience when she entered the home...and called the gas company immediately.......there was a leak in the gas fireplace and the repair crew was being dispatched asap !

   The agent apologized profusely when she called me back....you could

"see"  that her cheeks were flushed when she sheepishly admitted that in fact there was a problem....I had never intimated that it was a housekeeping issue...I had always identified it as a gas smell.

...Keep your head up....your nose unplugged, eyes open...and if you go to a showing and notice something is wrong...report it immediately.  You would want someone to do it if it were your listing....Gas smells...a window ajar that looks out of place...whatever you see that your little voice, nose, etc. says is out of the ordinary.....

    Be professional....be courteous....just do it !

First I want to thank you sooo much for thinking of us...

Know that there is no business like more business and we love what we do...

   We knew when we left the house...they were hoping against hope that we were underestimating the value of their home.  From the "tell it like it is" school which you know from other referrals you have so generously given us...we believe that the home is very, very dated and will not sell for the price they imagine will pay their indebtedness to the lenders and give them "start over" money. Truly the only option they have given her unemployment and his underemployment, is a short sale.  As you know, we don't buy listings ...they have already received their NOD (Notice of Default) months ago and are on their way to foreclosure.

They are listing with their former agent who could have helped them sell if she had been honest the first time when they first divorced, about what it was worth....I will bet all my money, my license etc. they will go into foreclosure because they want to believe what she is telling them about the price....In the zillion years I have been licensed...I have been wrong once...and this was not it. The house is not worth close to the asking...and they will ride the foreclosure bus but some folks have to learn that the hard way.

Thanks Again...happy to help people who will help themselves...sorry they were not it !

Sally K. & David L. Hanson, ABR, CDPE, CSS, e-Pro

Short Sale Specialists

Anyone who knows us at all knows that entertainment is the theme of how we designed our house...that we visualize, plan and imagine "the party"  for every listing when the offer is accepted...for every buyer who finds the right house they can call home...it's all about the party.  And perhaps.....that is why sub-consciously maybe we chose New Berlin as a place to build...live and PARTY !   The volunteers work sooo hard planning the very best celebration for everyone and every year it just gets better...put New Berlin on your calendar for where you choose to celebrate this great summer holiday...here...courtesey of the City of New Berlin...is the schedule of events...see you there !

41^st  ANNUAL  4^th  OF  JULY  FAMILY  FESTIVAL  SCHEDULE

“CELEBRATING NEW BERLIN’S 50^TH ANNIVERSARY”

Malone Park

Thursday, July 2:       5:00pm – Grounds Open

                                    5-11pm – Spectrum Carnival games & rides

                                            (6-10pm – Wristband Special – Unlimited Rides $20 at gate)

                                    5-10pm – High School Battle of the Bands hosted by

                                                    New Berlin Youth Advisory Board (west tent)

                                    7-11pm – The Piles of Rhythm (east tent)

Eisenhower High School Auditorium

                                    6:30-9:30pm – WI Singers hosted by BuySeasons and

                                                              New Berlin Public School District

Malone Park

Friday, July 3:                         5:00pm – Grounds Open

                                    5-11pm - Spectrum Carnival games & rides

                                            (6-10pm – Wristband Special – Unlimited Rides $20 at gate)

                                    5:30pm – Pie Bake-Off check-in at Schoeneck Containers Family Tent

                                    6:00pm – 6^th Annual Pie Bake-Off judging

                                                   at Schoeneck Containers Family Tent

                                    6-8pm – Family Games and Make/Take Activities for all ages

                                                   sponsored by North Shore Bank

                                    7-11pm – Caught in the Act (CIA) (west tent)

                                    7-11pm – Eddie Butts (east tent)

                                    9:30pm – NBFD Flashlight Candy Hunt (11yrs & under)

                                                    (softball diamonds / bring a bag and flashlight)

Saturday, July 4:        9:00am – mini parade lineup (west parking lot by soccer fields)

                                                    (enter at Al Stigler Parkway and National Avenue)

                                    9:30am – Mini Parade hosted by New Berlin Junior Woman’s Club

                                    10:30am – Pre-race staging hosted by New Berlin Junior Woman’s Club    

                                                     at Schoeneck Containers Family Tent

                                    12 noon – 3^rd Annual National Dash 2M Run/Walk or 5K Run

                                                     hosted by New Berlin Junior Woman’s Club

                                    12 noon – Grounds Open

                                    12-11pm – Spectrum Carnival games & rides

                                    1:00PM – MAIN PARADE

                                    3-8pm – Jo Don Farms Petting Zoo sponsored by North Shore Bank

                                    4:00pm – New Berlin Lions Free Ice Cream Handout (11yrs & under)

                                    4:00pm – German Shepherd Dog Club of WI Demo (center of grounds)

                                    4:15pm – Anita’s Dance Companies (east tent)

                                    4:30pm – WMAA Martial Arts Demo (west tent)

                                    5-7pm – Discovery World at Schoeneck Containers Family Tent

                                    5:30-7:30pm – Magic Morgan at Schoeneck Containers Family Tent

                                    6-10pm – Love Monkeys (west tent)

                                    6-10pm – Booze Brothers (east tent)

                                    10PM – FIREWORKS presented by SCHOENECK CONTAINERS

Sunday, July 5:           12noon – 8pm – Spectrum Carnival games & rides

(Grounds Closed)

No Food or Beverage Carry-Ins Allowed on Festival Grounds.

All Carry-Ins Subject to Search per New Berlin Police Dept.

  First time buyers are out peaking around the bushes to wisely take advantage of the $8,000 first timer tax credit. We have had several this week...who have chosen homes that are priced very modestly....and there is a reason for that.  To their minds, as first timers, the reason is because as they believe, we all know...(oh not) everything is "on sale" and homes are selling for 75% off the "original retail price."  Wellllll...the Price may be right...but it is right because...

• the roof needs replacing
• the basement needs bracing
• the electrical needs updating
• the hot water leaks...just a little
• the furnace is 50% efficient
• No garage...but someday....

  The price MAY be right given the lengthy list of repairs which is which is far different that the proverbial...Honey Do list of let's put a tile backsplash in the kitchen...

Agents....BEFORE you even take a first timer on a parade of homes that includes "fixer uppers"....know what you don't know and find out what the lender has to say about mega repairs on home for your Buyers.

Buyers....We know that "sweat equity" sounds like a good thing...and it IS...no matter what house you make your home, you will do things that truly make it "your own."  But....the things you cannot do "as you can afford to...or a little at a time" are structural issues..Not likely just part of a roof can be replaced...half of a furnace...a little bit of a foundation.   The lender is out to protect their interest in the home...they will own more of it than you do...AND yours as well...a home that needs serious repair and has deferred maintenance...is a lot of out of pocket "do it now" kind of money you may not be prepared to spend...While it may sound like a disappointment, in the end, it is a safeguard for your financial and "residential future."

  This morning I called a store who had sent the new dishes I ordered...Yes more purple to replace the other purple that with their pottery nature had gone the way of all pottery and chipped so that we no longer had enough place settings for anyone but Cosmo and Magic (our cats who don't seem to mind if the plates don't match...but what do they know about table settings...better not catch them on one !)  The box rattled despite all the packing materials surrounding them.

   My husband will tell you that I spend more time dressing a table than I do myself...place cards, individual salt and pepper shakers, wine and water glasses to match, to contrast...linens and napkin rings...It's the "Martha" in me...'can't help it, don't want to...But I digress.

  I called customer service and of course got voice mail with the usual list of press this, press that prompts none of which were...."Press if your purple dishes arrived broken"...oh surprise. 

  The real surprise was....I should either "enter my account number"...(not relavant, I did not charge them on that account) OR I should just enter my social security number and they would be right with me...

Be Anti Social...DON'T give any voice mail your social security number...and leave the message loudly and clearly to the retailer, wholesaler, mail order vendor...this is soooo NOT a good policy !

Here it is Southeastern Wisconsin first timers...yours for the taking, spending and saving...have at it !