“Honey. What’s up? How did your day go?” I was excited about his first time out showing homes, as well as interested in why he was so bewildered.

“Well, it went ok. But I need to narrow down her search to homes on streets with no mature trees and a lot of street lamps.”

“Huh?” I now joined him in his bewilderment. There are not search-able fields for either of those requests. How were we going to search for homes in Colorado Springs with those guidelines?

This was going to be interesting.

We decided to pull up all homes that fit her previous requests and then we spent the better part of 2 days driving around each street in each neighborhood making notes about the trees, foliage and street lamp placement. We found some great, well-lit homes. Man! Ms. P was going to be proud when they met up the next weekend!

Well, the next weekend arrived, and after several hours of showing homes, Derek came home quite irritated. What was wrong? How could she NOT like any of the homes that Derek picked out! They were perfect! Derek then called his managing broker. Maybe he could help him figure this out.

After a few seconds on the phone, Derek’s face fell. He got off the phone and let me know what the “problem” was.

Let’s just say that we learned the hard way what “I don’t want to live in a dark neighborhood” means. Yeah, Ms. P didn’t care about trees and street lamps.

Derek got on the phone immediately and called her. First, he let her know that he had no idea that her requests were discriminatory in nature. He told her that it made no sense and that he did not understand why she would think in those terms.

Second, he educated her on how there is NO WAY that he can or would ever narrow down a home search based on discrimination. Finally, he said that she can either a.) Find a new agent to represent her, or b.) Narrow down the search herself. He would have no part in a discrimination-based home search.

After a brief silence and a short good-bye, Derek hung up the phone.

We waited a couple days, not knowing what Ms. P was going to decide on. Those were a tough couple of days, as Ms. P was Derek’s first client … ever. And, we never thought that we would actually have to deal with the discrimination that we learned about in real estate school. Well, she called back, and for reasons that we will never really know she decided to buy one of the homes that Derek had shown her originally.

We do not make decisions based on discrimination and I guess it never occurred to us that others still do. It is a sad thing. Our ignorance of the presence of existing discrimination clashed with her ignorance of the absence of discrimination.

… At least we now know where all the well-lit streets in Colorado Springs are.

*Originally Posted By Mariana Wagner on Active Rain on 1/24/07  Two Sides of Ignorance *

We here at the Colorado Springs Real Estate Connection take fair housing laws VERY seriously and refuse to work with anyone who practices ANY level of discrimination – to include home sellers, lenders, landlords, other real estate agents, etc.

It is illegal to discriminate in housing on basis of race, color,
national origin, religion, sex, family status or disability.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Per the HUD website:

“Housing discrimination based on your race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status, or disability is illegal by federal law. If you have been trying to buy or rent a home or apartment and you believe your rights have been violated, you can file a fair housing complaint.”

If you feel as though you were a victim of discrimination when trying to rent or buy a home, you can file a complaint with the Housing and Urban Development Housing Discrimination Department.

Read More About Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

Read Also:

• Two Sides of Ignorance in the Colorado Springs Real Estate Market
• Understanding the Realtor® Code of Ethics: Article 10 – Don’t Be An Ignorant Fool (Discrimination)

*Thanks to New Hampshire Association of Realtors® – Monika McGillicuddy and Matthew Rathbun for sharing the video.*

Posted By: Mariana Wagner | 719.434.7525
Colorado Springs Real Estate Connection

Zillow Blog Headlines

• Real Estate Purchases Driven by Dopamine
• Martha’s Vineyard Homes For Sale Near the Vacationing President Obama
• For Sale: New York’s Skinniest House
• Help! What Should My Father Do About a Loan Modification?

Trulia Blog Headlines

• Trulia’s August Price Reduction Report – Home Sellers Cut $27.8 Billion off Asking Price
  The Colorado Springs real estate market ranked #22 for price reductions, with an average price reduction of 7%)
• Real Housewife Lisa Wu Hartwell facing foreclosure

Agent Genius Real Estate Opinion Magazine

• Harbingers of Spring? Is the Market Changing? – Bill Lublin
• Accidental Eviction - Ines Hegedus-Garcia
• A Day of In the Life of a Hollywood Real Estate Agent ( If you need a good laugh … this is a MUST READ from Hollywood real estate agent/author/actress Gwen Banta)

Did I miss a great news story? Let me know in the comments below!

Posted By – Mariana Wagner – Colorado Springs Real Estate Connection – 719.434.7525

This week we are discussing Short Sales.

The two main categories when talking about short sales are: Advice and Frustration

Advice

“My thought is that the person responsible for calling them ’short’ should be called to task for setting a false level of expectation…”  – Leigh Brown – Real Estate Diva – Charlotte Real Estate Voice (Leigh is also a Certified Distressed Property Expert … so she KNOWS short sales!)

Read: New Way to Be Competent in Today’s Real Estate Market

“Sellers should be prepared to possibly be on the hook for the shortfall or pay taxes on it as ‘income’. There are lots of little details with big consequences so having attorney representation is a great idea.” – Lisa Sanderson – Poconos Real Estate Agent

“I will come out and say it. Real estate is not for day traders.  ”Investors” looking for “get rich quick” schemes should realize that the same schemes can turn out to be “get poor quick” schemes just as easily.” – Geordie Romer – a Leavenworth WA and Lake Wenatchee WA vacation home market real estate agent

“[As an agent] Call. Every. Day.   It’s annoying, for sure, but the squeaky wheel definitely gets the oil in Short Sales. I keep the info that I need with me and call when I am in the car (hands-free of course) – I don’t mind being the annoying Realtor that calls every day as long as the deal gets done faster – whether I am on the buy side or the sell side. I have done whole shopping trips through Costco while on hold with Wells Fargo lately – their hold music sucks. I also know a bunch of asset managers by name which seems to help – if you can get an extension number or email address, guard it with your life and use it often. I might be annoying and call every day, but I do try to be nice about it – that anonymous voice on the other end of the call is the one who can push a deal through or kill it! Also, if there is any way to pay one mortgage off in full and only short the second – do it. It is WAY easier and faster to negotiate only one short even if there is two mortgages.” – Stacie Straub – Denver Real Estate Agent

“Put in your offer and keep looking for an alternate house seems to be the best plan of action in our area.  We were supposed to close today on one, but at the last minute the 2nd mtg that was supposedly resolved’ is now an issue.  Another has been without an answer since December, thanks to Countrywide’s kindness. We are beginning a new search in earnest and leaving the offer there in case they take it.” – Dawn Maloney – Hudson OH Real Estate Agent

Frustration

“Ughh…take(s) too much time, processors don’t care, agents don’t communicate, banks would rather loose money than sell short.” – Missy Caulk – Ann Arbor Real Estate Agent

“[Short Sales are] Frustrating, long, No clear guidelines, rules change all the time, banks seem 2 wrk against themselves, many inexperienced parties.” - Jeff Bogert – NYC Suburban Real Estate

“The word “Short” in short sale is an oxymoron… It takes too long to complete & they are NOT the cure all! … as well, too many agents are ignorant on how to complete them and whats involved.”  – Rocky Van Brimmer – former Sr. Foreclosure Analyst & Central Ohio Real Estate Agent

“The same people that gave out silly loans are not processing short sales, can’t imagine why they are so screwed up.” – Rob Aubrey – Salt Lake City Real Estate Agent

“A short sale is a last ditch dismal effort of 1 who had boardwalk fries taste and a potato chip budget (ruffles, not kettle brand)” – Matt Rathbun – Real Estate Agent Trainer

“Short sales are like beer goggles for home buyers – looks attractive – not so much when you sober up!” -  Joshua Hanoud – Springs Hill FL Real Estate Agent

Short Sales CAN be frustrating!!! Read: Buying a Colorado Springs Foreclosure or Bank Owned Home

And Now a SPECIAL TREAT – A “Thoughts on Short Sales” video response from Jason Farris – Fresno CA Real Estate Agent:

Thank you everyone who offered their “Thoughts on Short Sales” to us here at the Colorado Springs Real Estate Connection!

Read Also: Why a Colorado Springs Short Sale is a Great Alternative to Foreclosure

*Thoughts expressed in these “thoughts” posts do not necessarily represent the views of the Colorado Springs Real Estate Connection nor the Wagner iTeam. It is just nice to hear what other professionals are thinking, right?

Investors flock to Detroit’s housing market - The Detroit real estate market has homes for sale for less than $20,000 … some going for mere hundreds of dollars. Investors are “heading north” and buying up a bunch of homes in hopes of turning them into rentals … and selling them for a profit when the market shifts again.

Mortgage rates drop to record low – 30 Year mortgages are at 4.85% FIXED RATE. If you need a better rate on your current mortgage – REFINANCE NOW. If you were ever considering buying a home for sale in Colorado Springs – BUY NOW! Home prices are WAY more affordable and you CANNOT BEAT the current interest rates!

Lenders that the Wagner iTeam work with, that can help you:

• Trace Lee – Pam Childs Team – CB&T Mortgage: 719.785.7105  or  719.785.7115
• Marcy Langlois – Colorado Capital Bank: 719.482.7070

Mortgage fraud reports up 26 percent - Lying on mortgage applications and people scamming distressed homeowners into signing over their deed to “avoid” foreclosure are just 2 instances of mortgage fraud running rampant in the real estate industry right now. Participate in mortgage fraud – go to jail.

Bail Yourself Out ? Here’s How – Several GREAT tips and tricks on how to save money in ALL areas of your life right now.

Smart Money Saving Tips You Need Now – Tips on saving on food, education, utilities, transportation,entertainment and health care. AWESOME!

Where does your state rank? -Americans everywhere are feeling the recession’s pain – some more than others. Colorado is actually looking quite well … comparatively:

Enjoy these news stories and let us know what other national real estate news stories you find!