Relocate to Wisconsin

  The City of New Berlin, WI....the place we call home....is celebrating the contribution of the city's veteran's at Veteran's Park next month.  Here's your invitation...circle the date on your calendar ...attend this first celebration that will be an annual event.

  The city Says;

   We wish to invite veterans and family member of veterans, to help us honor the sacrifice made by those who stayed behind. It does not matter if you were a father, mother, sister, or cousin, there are no rules for who can attend or for which war. This is about the over 200 years of family sacrifice. Here’s what we have planned:

➢ Mayor Chiovatero will proclaim first Saturday in October
     as New Berlin Veteran’s Family day
➢ Representatives of the Army, Navy, Marines & Air Force
with some of their equipment such as a Humvee and
a helicopter
➢ FUN for kids... the Army climbing wall, football
and basketball skill games, face painting (flags) by
Eisenhower students.
Event takes place at
The New Berlin
Veterans Memorial –
Casper Dr. & National Ave.

➢ Pledge of Allegiance by Students
➢ FOOD served by New Berlin Police Department...
bring a photo of your vet and get a discount coupon
➢ Meet other families from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert
Storm and other military theatres. We will give everyone
a lapel ribbon to identify the period their vet served.
➢ Hear about families of veterans now serving in the
Middle East and how they are coping
➢ Music by Eisenhower students and the Community Band
➢ See the VFW honor guard
➢ Unveiling of the major donor monument at the site
➢ Community service award presented to the
Al Stigler family

                   We do short sales...we get sooo much satisfaction from closing them...giving people their lives back.  We have a team of five people or we would not be able to do the work necessary to give our distressed sellers the service they deserve and continue our practice. We all have different roles and each does what we feel we do best and can contribute the most to getting the transaction closed successfully.

    We have learned that loss mitigators sometimes tell different team members different stories....fortunately we all know each other well enough to know that it is not one of us...more likely the LM who is spinning tales.  Today
"Beulah" said that she must talk to the sellers and that another team member had agreed....and had all the information she needed...just lacked this "seller conversation."  We told her that we were hired by the sellers to represent them....we were authorized, as she well knew, to handle the negotations....hmmmm.....not what she wanted ot hear....We know that when it comes to negotiating....the LM is hoping to find "the weakest link" and prey upon the sellers who are already distraught...who has had their strength zapped by their current hardship situation. If you do Short sales...you'll hear all kinds of reasons why they "have to  talk with the sellers"...they do not. If you are a short sale listing agent...you are the designated negotiator....you should have the training...you do have the authority...When an LM tells you they have to talk with your sellers....

             Just Say No....and do the job you were hired to do.  Save someone from foreclosure.

  Oh hurray...the buyers are out...the buyers are out....summer vacation is over and in this part of the country, it always seems that the "seasonal buying" period begins a couple weeks after school starts.  It never fails...you can hear it in the halls of every broker in town....the buyer the agent thought was "hers or his" just went to...an open house...made an appointment from a sign....knew the neighbor next door to the house they just saw...." and the stories continue.  How could they ?  They were going to....sign a buyer agency contract...maybe they did...they really, really liked you...you thought...They were bright people...you have worked with them for months, known them for years....and now...Poof !  The other agent has procuring cause...and there you are...or are not....

Real Estate 101  Have a friendly, open and honest discussion with buyers at the initial meeting with them to determine their goals for home purchase.  There are agents who require a buyer agency....we have learned of some recently who CHARGE a fee for buyer agency (wow...that really makes them loyal !) Then there are the agents who explain that if after getting to know you...they want to work with you and have you represent them in the sale, a buyer agency contract is a service offered at no charge that enables you to represent them.

AGENTS - Have this informative discussion with buyers at your first meeting. Never ever "assume" loyalty or understanding...it has nothing to do with how bright the buyers are or are not...how experienced they are or how loyal they have professed to be....they need an explanation or you won't be the one at the closing table.

BUYERS - If you are working with an agent you trust...that is not just "nice" but also is knowledgable, has a great sales track record...can furnish you with recommendations...reward and honor that relationship with loyalty. Do not call about a property...not even the "magic numbers" on the sign...your call is likely captured and some hungry agent will claim you as their own buyer. Do not go to an open house and then tell your agent after the fact. Your loyalty to an agent will be reciprocated with award winning service..the kind you deserve.

    We hear it in the marketplace, we see it on blogs...it appears in the internet...it's an attitude  that breeds defeat.  It is the lowering of a voice as if it matches the lowering of the price...."Oh...it's a short sale," comments the selling agent...as if somehow that makes it less worthy of an open house, a blog, an e-mail campaign....

   We know that Wendy Rulnick knows better...

     Pacita Dimacli opens the doors to outstanding open houses

   Elizabeth Weintraub is happy to give us a tour

   Know that if you have been entrusted with the listing of a short sale....you have an awesome responsibility to the sellers, the market...to the profession and your reputation....if you don't put your heart in it, have a marketing plan to meet the demands of the market....aren't honored to be chosen to list it....refer it to someone who knows how very special it is to list a short sale.  If you are a seller and all the listing agent has done is put a sign in the yard and a listing on MLS with no marketing plan or promotion to the area...demand action....it's your responsibiity to choose an agent with successful experience.

We got a call from a potential short sale seller....Her lawyer told her...

   - She will never owe the bank anything in a short sale

   - The house is pricced high enough to avoid any shortage to the bank

   - The house is priced over 30% above the current assessment in a market where no house has sold for the

      assessed value.

   - This divorcing couple has not paid the mortgage for months

    - The lawyer said, that's OK...the bank will take whatever they get

     The realtor says...the lawyer shouldn't practice real estate.

  Yesterday morning we had a power point presentation fom a our operating principal...Darren Kittleson who comes from Madison to Milwaukee to help us in our recruitment efforts to launch a new Keller Williams office in the greater Milwaukeee/Waukesha area.  If you google him...you will get pages full of where he is....everywhere...he is twitting and facing and linking, posting, teaching and oh yes...selling real estate !

        Darren is our warm robe and fuzzy slippers...he knows how to make agents feel at home with Keller Williams...in this market...a new name...a new business model...a new way of thinking about real estate. He is quick to help and oh sooo knowledgable...the people we are recruiting are sure by the time they leave the presentation, that they have really come to the right place.  The people who attend our sessions are agents who may be in all different places in their careers...and as Darren is quick to tell you , the place is not as important as being open to a new opportunity. The Keller Williams business model...and in fact, the name, Keller Williams is new to the greater Milwaukee/Waukesha area and agents and consumers alike are hearing what this "new to them" brokerage has to offer.

     We have been the resident cheerleaders since we joined Keller just last month...and will continue to be....we talk, we write, we e-mail, we blog...and attract agents who are interested in finding out if there is a different way to approach a real estate career that may be a fit for them.

   Darren ably explains the technology, (even his cell phone knows my name when it answers for him) the education....he is also a trainer...and oh that hot cocoa, refreshing lemonade...warm robe and fuzzy slippers approach will make you melt, applaud...think and raise your pen to sign your license transfer and begin the best ride your career could ever have the good fortune to take. It can never be about just one thing when you consider moving to another broker....Look at the whole picture.

• Do you think the resources of a national center who devotes hundreds of thousands of dollars to education  might give you a "leg up" in the marketplace ?
• Do you believe that technology is where the future of real estate lies and want to be on the cutting edge that no local franchise can begin to touch with their limited local resources ?
• Are you curious as to what "agent driven" really means ....and want to contribute to how your office is run, expenses are controlled and Profit distributed ?
• Do you want to know what Passive Income is and how you can benefit from it ? Isn't more than one source of income a better approach in ANY market ?
• Are you open to hearing about a business model unlike any other you may know currently ?

   Darren knows....we're learning...learning every day through all the tools, classes, people..team resources...how we can better serve our clients and customers. 

                 Isn't being the best you can be what you always wanted to be ?

   Give us a call....we'll do the cheerleading...and we'll give you some valuable information...and then...be ready to be impressed...be comfortable...enjoy...have confidence that being a Keller Williams agent is the  very best thing you could ever do for you, your career, your family, your life. And....maybe you'll want to come to our next meeting where Darren will wrap you in the comfort of being a Keller agent.

  We have been overwhelmed by the response to our invitation to learn more about what Keller Williams has to offer an agent...to some agents...the education foundation of the company was enough by itself to peak their interest....to others it was the technology....there is a commission structure unlike any other in the market...there is the agent driven philosophy.....and oh yes...the profit sharing....a good part but not necessarily at the top of every list...it IS the frosting !

    The response has been sooo great and everyone goes in different directions at different times so know that we will have more of these informative meetings...soo much to tell....soooo much to learn.....If you are one of the agents who just wants to know what you don't know....and is eager to learn....we're happy to let you know when our next meeting will be scheduled and can arrange an individual meeting at your convenience.

     Gotta go brew the coffee...arrange the fruit....and get ready for an outstanding morning...You'll want to know...we want to tell....real estate and Keller Williams in the greater Milwaukee/Waukesha area.

Short sales, financing challenges...lots of things are not like whatever we choose to remember as "the good old days".  You learn to work smarter...new skills, new technology....new relationships with challenged homeowners who may be upside down....referrals for the mother, daughter. friend who may be a short sale candidate in another part of the country. 

 Figuring out what can turn out to complex even ...or maybe especially for first timers with smaller down payments, FHA requirements...etc., etc., etc.

   What we know is this....when you can close the office door or put your head on the pillow and know that someone has a  home because you spent the time to figure out the financing...Someone was saved from foreclosure because the skills you have closed a short sale...a first timer will get the $8000 tax credit that will make their day...month...year....and the happy tears fall...it is because you are proud and honored to be a part of an industry that we know is the best on earth...helping people achieve their dreams...go on with their lives...build or start their futures...is the best feeling on earth.  For us, it comes with tears of gratitude and joy,,,and so it is.

  Right this moment my blogging brain is broken. ..but I just glanced at my points...

    Just in case...it's not that I am superstitious...

             But Just In Case.....Here's One More so the Gods can smile and roll over a new number and the plaques that may otherwise befall our practice are hereby warded off !

            Make it a great day...whew !

  A family court judge in the badger state recently ruled that a condo owned by the couple....in Florida must be listed for sale for a set price.  The condo is a short sale....in talking with realtors in the area...the price is nearly double the market price in that area.

  Hmmm...how about realtors don't practice law and judges don't practice real estate ?  Such a ruling if followed to the "letter of the law" will make the next letter, one of foreclosure...

     Golly gee whiz and neither attorney objected to what must have sounded reasonable to them...WOW !

          If anyone other than a practiced, successful real estate agent in the same market as the property...or one who has gotten consultation from such a person...attempts to price, suggest how to sell...market...a property that they have no first hand knowledge of....be afraid...be very afraid...

           Find an experienced professional...a successful professional that can show y.ou a proven track record in the market where the property is located.  If you don't know how to find one...call us...we will locate one for you anywhere in the country...be secure in knowing the needs of the seller are being met by an experienced professional.   Would the judge want a Florida judge deciding a Wisconsin divorce...?  Probably not.

    A number of AR folks sent e-mails to tell me that we had shifted or blog to one side....and I  have deleted and shrunk pictures and put them back in...no luck...

         I can only explain it as a part of the wild enthusiasm we have for our new association with

    If you want an earful...to get ahead full speed....or you are just open to learning the alternatives of different business models...you may be one of the people who will want to join us Saturday, August 22nd 10-12 noon.

            To reserve your place...CALL: 262-692-0001

  If you prefer, you may e-mail:

info@kwwisc.com

     Thank you for your time ....it will be the best you can spend on your career !

  Take advantage of an outstanding price on this 3 bedroom short sale condo...WOW ....pool and clubhouse too !

  Bring your Checkbook !

Sally K. Hanson | Keller Williams | 414-525-0563/877-525-0563 9363 Cobblestone Way, Franklin, WI Great 3 bedroom upper condo - gas fireplace, in-unit laundy...Short Sale Priced to Sell ! enjoy the pool, entertain in the clubhouse...love it..live 3BR/1BA Condo   offered at $138,888 !!! Year Built 2002 Sq Footage 1,223 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 1 full, 0 partial Floors 1 Parking Unspecified Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $150 per month DESCRIPTION 3 bed, 2 bath upper in a great location...walk in closet, gas fireplace...lots of room over 1200 square feet,short sale priced to sell now !   see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Central A/C - Central heat - Fireplace - High/Vaulted ceiling - Walk-in closet - Dishwasher - Refrigerator - Stove/Oven - Microwave - Washer - Dryer - Laundry area - inside - Balcony, Deck, or Patio - Swimming pool   COMMUNITY FEATURES - Garage parking - Clubhouse     ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Great Room with GFP Dinette Kitchen w/Appliances Great Curb Appeal Spacious Bedroom   Contact info: Sally K. Hanson Keller Williams 414-525-0563/877-525-0563 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Aug 14, 2009, 7:55am PDT

  Impeccably maintained...over an acre...3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths...natural fireplace..deck with a hot tub, rec room....attached garage...first floor laundry...kitchen with appliances...WOW !  Gotta love it...outstanding location and great price....

                                          Open Saturday, August 15th 2:30 - 4 pm

                                       
                                                   OR   call 414-525-0563 for your Private Showing

Sally K. Hanson | Keller Williams | 414-525-0563/877-525-0563 S77W23625 Southwoods Lane, Vernon, WI A little bit country and a lot of quality in the 3 bed, 2.5 bath colonial...well maintained - newer roof, some fresh paint, finished LL; great deck w 3BR/2.5BA Single Family House offered at $269,986 Year Built Unspecified Sq Footage Unspecified Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size 1 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Lovingly maintained 3 bed, 2.5 bath 2 story; spacious deck with hot tub, finished lower level rec room, mster suite with walk in closet. Sellers relocating...sad to leave...yours to enjoy. Bring your checkbook and pre-approval to the first showing and open Sun. July 12th at noon....You'll want to call Southwoods Lane your home ! see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Central A/C - Central heat - Fireplace - Walk-in closet - Living room - Bonus/Rec room - Dining room - Breakfast nook - Dishwasher - Refrigerator - Stove/Oven - Microwave - Basement - Laundry area - inside - Balcony, Deck, or Patio OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES - Hot tub on the deck, Formal Dining Room, Rec Room, Room to Roam on 1+ acre ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Great Curb Appeal Great Room w NFP Formal Dining Room Cheery Kitchen Master Bedroom Spacious Deck Contact info: Sally K. Hanson Keller Williams 414-525-0563/877-525-0563 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Jul 9, 2009, 6:46pm PDT

Badger State Buyers...snap up those bargains...we're here to help you...and maximize the benefits by buying this year....!

  Oh Wow !  This barely lived in Mukwonago split ranch has a master suite with double vanity, separate shower and whirlpool tub....Great room with deck backing to a conservancy....Open Concept...Priced to sell now....Entertainment friendly design with welcoming gourmet kitchen...first floor laundry and attached garage...it doesn't get better....Gotta Love it.....Better Hurry...Call us for the open house schedule OR to arrange a private showing: 414-525-0563 or toll free: 877-525-0563  It's a short sale...worth the wait and we'll try to make that very Short !

Sally K. Hanson | Keller Williams | 414-525-0563/877-525-0563 535 Minors Drive, Mukwonago, WI Almost new split ranch Short sale - priced to sell, open concept, backs to conservancy, master suite..gorgeous kitchen -open Sat. Aug. 8th 12- 1:30 3BR/2.5BA Single Family House offered at $247,777 Year Built 2004 Sq Footage Unspecified Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors 1 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size .455 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION Outstanding short sale ranch - 3 beds, 2.5 baths priced to sell...your patience is rewarded with this outstanding price ! see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Central A/C - Central heat - Fireplace - High/Vaulted ceiling - Walk-in closet - Dishwasher - Refrigerator - Stove/Oven - Basement - Laundry area - inside - Balcony, Deck, or Patio - Yard OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES - Eat in Kitchen, Gas Fireplace in Great Room, Egress windows on lower level, FF Laundry ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Great Room Kitchen Master Bedroom Contact info: Sally K. Hanson Keller Williams 414-525-0563/877-525-0563 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Aug 8, 2009, 7:26am PDT