THE KENOSHA KOЯNER

I am normally not a fan of over-reaching governments and increased bureaucratic power. That being said the unchecked expansion of rentals, and especially subsidized rentals is showing to be an increasing problem in Kenosha.

Yesterday's post outlines a plan by the owners of BEAR REALTY of Kenosha to put WHEDA subsidized housing in what is currently an upscale neighborhood on Kenosha's northside. Here is the link to the information: http://activerain.com/blogsview/1598295/wheda-subsidized-housing-on-kenosha-s-north-side

Additionally the Kenosha News has an Article today outlining a housing project plan on the BRASS SITE

I believe in FREE markets solving their own problems, however when capitalists USE tax money to make a profit by getting WHEDA credits to build subsidized housing, it is no longer a market driven solution.It becomes a government driven solution with a few special interests at the top taking advantage of the fact that the FEDERAL and STATE governments have provided a way to use our own tax dollars against us. Our Tax dollars that we pay in are being used to ruin our neighborhoods and lower our property values, while enriching the few who have the means to game the system.  Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. LOCAL government and LOCAL controls have to step up and claim our city for us.  Below is a proposal that would help do just that.  If you are normally against increasing the power of government over people, this is a tough pill to swallow. But this isn't the case here.  This is little government, the government closest to the people, and the government OF the community fighting back against BIG GOVERNMENT and Special Interests money having a pervasive impact on our community.

READ THIS PROPOSAL, Get behind it!! and EMAIL your ALDERMAN a copy.  Call you alderman and ask that they get behind this or a VERY similar proposal. We need to stop the expansion of low income government subsidized housing, high crime and low property values in Kenosha. 

TO: KENOSHA RESIDENTS

SUBJECT: RESIDENTIAL RENTAL PERMIT REQUIREMENT

DRAFT DATE: APRIL 14, 2010

Residential Rental Permit Proposal

Any property located within the City of Kenosha shall be required to obtain and maintain a residential rental occupancy permit if the property is to be tenant occupied.

Permits will be issued by the City and shall be good for XX years from the date of issue. Single family owner occupied homes are exempt from this requirement if the property owner has lived in the property for more than 12 months. Below are the requirements for EXISTING rental properties: (Current rental properties are automatically eligible for the permit without inspections if applied for within XX days of the passage of this ordinance)

Fire and Safety inspection

Exterior Maintenance Inspection

Proof of DILHR compliance Lead Based Paint compliance

Landlord Emergency Contact info provided for Police/Fire calls

Additionally the FOLLOWING requirements must be met for all properties that are currently vacant and requiring a new occupancy permit and proposed NEW CONSTRUCTION of rental properties of ONE or more residential rental per building.

Approval by City Planning Commission and/or Approval by Common Council with the following considerations being met:

Local Neighborhood/Community Impact Economic Impact

Advisory from Kenosha Unified Schools regarding impact on elementary, middle and high school affected by property.

Residents of the community are allowed to speak and give comments before any such approval or vote is made just as they do with any other Common Council votes.

Any properties that are built as owner occupied single family residences are exempt from the above requirements provided that they are not tenant occupied for a minimum of 5 years from the date of issue of the initial occupancy permit.

Properties that are single family and owner occupied, but where the owner legally rents out rooms (with or without board) are exempt from all requirements.

Properties that are 2-4 unit residential where the owner is occupying one of the units are exempt from this requirement as long as the owner continues to live in the property.

College housing is exempt from these requirements.

Fees: Fees for permit issue shall be nominal and designed to only cover the costs of the required inspections and issue of the permits. Such fees shall not exceed $XX.00 per structure for any 2 year period and permits shall be automatically renewed for a fee not to exceed $15.00 per structure with no inspections or approval provided the renewal has been completed within 90 days of expiration.

Permits are specific to the property and are transferable if the property is sold to a new owner.

ATTENTION AGENTS WITH SHORT SALE CLIENTS and SELLERS facing FORECLOSURE!

I have a client that buys SHORT SALES from your client, AND successfully negotiates with the lender to ensure the homeowner gets approved and out of debt. My client is a CORPORATE BUYER that makes purchases in ALL 50 states.  If you want to know more, read on.

Let me give you some background information on my experience with short sales first...

I am a Broker/Owner and have been a short sale/REO expert in the Kenosha Wisconsin area for the past 5 years.

I am very experienced at closing short sale transactions, and if you are like me, you have noticed that these transactions have gotten increasingly hard to close because of two reasons:

1.  Lenders are taking longer to approve short sales than before.  Two years ago I was closing 70% of my short sale requests and averaging 5 closed short sales per month out of 7-8 under contract.

The following year was closer to 60% and I was only closing 4 per month. Even though I was still putting 6-7 under contract per month.

In 2009 that number dropped to 3 per month and closing ratio was closer to 42%.  I was still listing short sales, and getting offers. I was still submitting them the same way, but the lenders added more levels of bureaucracy making it more difficult to speak with a negotiator (They are calling them "underwriters" these days to lend more credibility to the fact that they are inaccessible and ineffective. Weren't "underwriters" the ones who approved these non-performing assets in the first place?)

This process frustrated me, as well as my seller clients, buyers who wanted to buy short sales, and the agent writing offers on them.  Thankfully I hade been transitioning to REO sales which kept us very busy

2.  Because of #1, buyers and their agents are more reluctant than ever to write on a short sale, regardless of how good the deal looks.  This makes the marketability of a short sale even lower and in most cases investors are the most likely buyer. Investors usually make lower offers resulting in a lower approval ratio further creating a vicious circle.

Recently I started representing a corporate buyer who is with a company that buys short sales NATION WIDE. Additionally my buyer NEGOTIATES the short sale, taking all of the work with little home of results away.

Our client is often able to get short sales done that I wouldn't have been able to get approved, and succeeds where most agents fail. This is for several reasons.

• Our Client buys in BULK.  They purchase homes as short sales, purchase notes and negotiate bulk sale REO deals. Because of this they have a fully staffed SHORT SALE department with a rolodex that includes contacts often higher on the food chain than we are able to get contact with.  They also know how to handle the BPO order so that it does not "blow the sale" as many agents do not.

• WE can even get your seller "CASH FOR KEYS" where most short sales cannot accomplish that. This is fully disclosed to the sellers lender and is usually approved because it does not come out of the funds of the transaction, but paid as a service to the sellers for delivering the property in "BROOM CLEAN" condition as lenders allow for in REO situations.

We also have a program for homeowners who really want to save their home. This program can keep a seller in their home long term, and still get you paid as their agent.  This is their "Foreclosure Savings Plan".

In order to qualify a seller must:

#1 Be 90 days or more past due

#2 Have an IRA, 401(k) from a previous employer, or ROTH IRA.  We have a qualification sheet that is quick and easy to fill out and send to our client for review.

If you are a homeowner facing foreclosure, or if you are an agent with a client looking to short sell or facing foreclosure, please let us know and we will spend a few minutes on the phone qualifying your deal.

If you have a listing you would like reviewed and qualified, please fill out and submit the documents below. We will review and get back to you with an offer price within 2 business days.

Property Profile Sheet

30 Day AS IS BPO

Kenosha, WI  - Sunday November 1, 2009

In a packed Mahone Middle School stadium, the Boys and Girls Club/CYC sports hosted it's 2009 Championship Games.

In the Pee Wee Division the Blue Division Champion STEELERS sponsored by Weichert, Realtors Precision extended their undefeated regular and post season record to 7-0 as they ran past the undefeated Red Division Dolphins with a 33-12 Victory for the 2009 PEE WEE Championship.

Leading the Team in scoring were running backs Tristan Jass with 3 rushing touchdowns and Frank Garcia with 2 rushing touchdowns. Garcia also threw for almost 30 yards.

Quarterbacks Reese Dutton and Logan Ramos executed the plays given by the coaching staff headed up by John Lynn.

Also of considerable mention this game were the tackles/assists/returns and rushed executed by Steven Felber, Taquillan Washington and Jimmy Collins.

Congratulations to all the players, parents and coaches for a hard working season.

As we approach the end of 2009, now is a good time to re-evaluate your career as a real estate professional. One of the most important things you can do is have a business planning and goal setting workshop with yourself and/or your spouse.

What types of things should you be evaluating. One of them should be your broker and/or your company. Many brokers in this day and age are nothing more than landlords for sales agents.  Are you part of a functioning team, or a mere tenant in your brokers office doing business your own way. What tools does your brokerage provide to help you do business. What safeguards are in place to ensure your co-workers are not doing a substandard job and bringing down that brand in your office. What training, marketing and lead generating strategies does your broker implement. Does your broker take a personal interest in ALL the clients of his/her firm? Are you competing with your broker and/or manager for business?

How can you regain your momentum after being beat down over the past 18 months in the Kenosha Real Estate Market.   Weichert, Realtors - Precision may have the answers your are looking for.

All of the hopes for Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics came to a crashing halt yesterday then the Windy City was eliminated in the FIRST round of IOC voting.  The question is why?

Many were hopeful, as a decision like this would have spurted an economic boom for the entire midwest. Being in Wisconsin, but close to the border, I truly believe that the Kenosha housing market would have seen a huge boost.

For starters, the United States has hosted many Olympic games in the past. Lake Placid, NY was the site of the 1980 winter games. Los Angeles was the site of the 1984 Summer games. Most recently Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 winter games. Canada and Mexico have also hosted games.

South America on the other hand as a continent has never hosted an Olympic event. The economy of Brazil is growing and is perhaps the newest emerging market that investors are paying attention to. This will be the case NOW more than ever.

But why the first round???    After all, we elected the candidate for president that the world asked us to... and even Oprah graced Europe with her presence.  We were sold this bill of goods that we needed a president that the rest of the world would like.  The truth is, the rest of the world is still jealous of America. Jealous of our economic power and both jealous and fearful of our military power, even though we have used that military might throughout modern history to save many a people and nation from aggression and oppression.  Of all the military superpowers in the history of the world, only the United States of America has consistently exercised restraint from using that power to conquer other nations. And yet... were are still ONLY loved when we are needed for our money or our might.

We need to stop believing this lie that we need a leader more respectable to the world at large and remember, the world at large does not have the best interests of the USA in mind. The world at large generally feels better about itself when America appears weak, therefore they will always meddle in our affairs in favor of a weaker leader over a stronger one. Whether it be something as large as supporting us in our quest for world security by standing united against Iran, or as small as showcasing one of our greatest cities, the world will most often disappoint the United States of America. And to think... they don't even have to blame this one on George W. Bush RIO!

CHICAGO 2016 DECISION TO BE MADE TODAY

Todays IOC decision about whether or not to hold the 2016 Olympics in Chicago will have a major impact on the Chicago Real Estate Market, but it doesn't stop there.  The impact on Chicago 2016 will affect all the surrounding Chicago markets as well, and it's impact will reach the entire tri-state area including Indiana and Wisconsin.

As an expert in the KENOSHA REAL ESTATE market I am especially excited and anxious to hear about this decision. The lastest real estate recession seems to be coming to an end in the coastal regions of the country, but we are still waiting for some signs of real recovery.

The Olympic Games would directly create some 300,000 jobs in Chicago and generate $22 Billion immediately.   Additionally, ancillary providers and businesses would be coming to the area far in advance of the olympics.

If the State Governments of Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana play this smart they could use the positive attention with some attractive tax incentive programs to attract much needed industry and businesses to the area.  When it comes down to it, ita all about jobs. 

Looking to Kenosha where half of Kenosha's residents commute to work, this would be an economic boom to the Kenosha Housing Market as well as to commercial real estate in Kenosha.  I am expecting with the lower cost of living and better schools, for many people with these newly created jobs, do decide to search for a home in Kenosha rather than Illinois.

So regardless of your political leanings, lets all hope that President Obama (and his de facto Olympic Czar: Oprah Winfrey) is successful in this bid.

I wanted to share what was a great day for my team and my office today in KENOSHA, WI.  For one thing, we held our regular i-CALL session on Monday morning.  We are just implementing this strategy at our office, but it is used in Weichert offices all over the country on a day to day basis.

An i-CALL session is where all of our agents get together and call our customers and our prospective customers together.  As the BROKER/OWNER, I supply the donuts, the coffee, the scripts and some leads.  The agents are responsible for creating their own call lists from their spheres of influence, past customers and referrals.

We-CALL every monday morning from 9:00-11:30 and every tuesday evening from 5:00-7:00 as a team. From there each agent is responsible for prospecting on their own throughout the rest of the week. The idea is to get some success and momentum early in the week to set the tone for a overall successful week in the real estate business.

I find it shocking that while most agents complain about the market, few are really willing to work hard. If you put the time into the activities that MUST BE DONE on a daily basis, you will be successful in ANY MARKET.

This is actually a great time to be in this business. It is MUCH HARDER for a home owner to sell their home BY OWNER in a down market. Buyers are harder to find, and financing is more difficult to come by. A qualified competent real estate agent that can give professional advice on pricing, provide superior service in marketing and assist buyers with finding financing is an invaluable asset to a homeowner who NEEDS TO SELL.

Tonight, I will be holding one of my regular CAREER NITE sessions at our office at 7:00 PM.   I spend an hour going over:

1. WHY THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST TIMES TO BE IN REAL ESTATE 
2. WHY WEICHERT REALTORS IS WHERE A NEW AGENT WOULD WANT TO WORK
3. HOW TO GET STARTED IN REAL ESTATE
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO BE SUCCESSFUL

Many people have questions, and I spend time answering those questions as well.  If you are interested in learning more about a career in real estate, this is a great place to get the answers. 

To reserve a spot, call our office  (262) 997-0668   or just walk in to our office

WEICHERT, REALTORS - PRECISION

4235 Green Bay Rd., SUITE 202

Kenosha, WI 53144

Links:

Wisconsin Real Estate Classes, Kenosha Real Estate, Kenosha Homes For Sale, Weichert, Realtors Wisconsin