I was recently interviewed by WRGB CBS 6 on the topic of foreclosures (Local Albany NY Foreclosures: Advice for Buyers)  and the topic of “flipping” houses: Flipping properties: Easy income?

After watching those, if you are still interested in finding out more about foreclosures in your area, I’d like to introduce you to the Google maps tool that does just that… http://maps.google.com/ once there, click on the “My Maps” tab in the upper left hand corner and select the “real estate” radio button.

Select “foreclosures” from the type of listing and add the location you wish to search. This will result in flags or “map pins” for every foreclosure sale within the area you are searching.

Happy hunting!

A few years ago it took 60-90 days to sell a house. That WAS the norm. Then in the early 2000’s, it got so crazy that having a house on the market for a matter of hours was not uncommon.

We had such a run on real estate in this area that houses were routinely selling for more than the asking price.

I hate to break it to you, but those days are over. And… that’s ok.

We are now back to a traditional real estate model. Those agents who have been in the business for many years, may recognize it. And those companies who can offer the right type of support to their agents, will continue to flourish. The mass-marketing models for selling real estate don’t use a business model that is kind to their agents. Thus, the “big boys” are losing their most valuable assets — excellent agents.

You can’t change during the middle of a crisis… that’s stupid. And this is exactly what they are trying to do. Right now, why make the changes?

Now is the time to hold steady and not only continue to offer the best services to your clients… now is the time to improve your internal offerings to the best agents in the business. And that is what we do here at TechValley homes. It is what we have done. It is what we will continue to do.