BRANDON GREEN RESOLVED to try his hand at real estate after watching a late-night infomercial in 2000. Bored with his job in sales as an IT recruiter in Silver Spring, Green paid $19.95 for Carlton Sheets’s “No Down Payment” video, and applied himself. “My first project was a complete overhaul of a house, 727 11th Street, NE,” he recalls.

He financed his first purchase with a federal renovation loan. He flipped the Capitol Hill house for a tidy profit. He was 22, and he was hooked.

Brandon Green is now the principal broker at Brandon Green & Associates (Brandongreenandassociates.com; 2410 17th St. NW, Suite 200; 202-318-1623), a real estate firm affiliated with Keller Williams Realty in trendy Adams Morgan. Like the rest of the BGA staff, he’s young (31; the median age of real estate agents nationwide is 52) — and he Twitters. He counts his age and his tech saavy as an advantage.

“Many of my competitors are still strugging with e-mail.”

Brandon Green”We’re using Facebook very heavily,” Green says, “[and] LinkedIn. … Statistics show that the consumer expects a response [to an online question] within minutes. Not within hours, but within minutes.”

Clearly, the man is hustling to keep clients’ satisfied despite the recession. People are panicking, throwing property on the market and watching it sit for months. A sale takes 75 days on average, according to an estimate in November 2008, the most recent month for which statistics were available from Metropolitan Regional Information Systems.

But this guy is still selling condos, many in Adams Morgan and Logan Circle.

“We’re actually up about 25 percent from where we were last year,” Green says. Part of his firm’s success comes from the team’s aggressive marketing approach — Green spends up to four hours per day calling prospective buyers and sellers.

Recruiting is only half the battle, however. At the end of the day, to make a buck, he still must actually sell the property.

Green sees his role as a seller’s teacher and advocate, “educating the seller on what is to be done to be successful. A lot of Realtors have not been upfront with people about how the market really is,” he says. “So, they list their house at a very high markup, and it doesn’t sell.”

Luckily, Green says, if your one-bedroom condo’s feeling a little too tight to hold you and Fido, you’re not trapped until 2010 or later — when some say the markets will finally turn around. It’s just going to be a little more challenging to sell.

We asked Green to spill some of the advice he gives to clients eager to help him sell their home.

» You don’t need a huge budget
“The biggest thing we see is people have to do a lot of de-cluttering,” Green says. So, rent a storage unit, beg the in-laws for garage space, or give away whatever you can to make your place look empty. Clearing up need not cost a thing.

“You want to bring your house to the point where buyers walk in [and] they ask themselves, ‘Gosh, does anybody still live here?’” Green says. Cramming stuff into your closet doesn’t count. Besides, Green adds, “Do you want to pay to store and move all this stuff? Maybe now it’s time to get rid of it.”

» Make small, inexpensive fixes
“One of the big rules is three items per surface — at most,” Green says. And look at small details: Make sure light-switch cover plates are consistent throughout; and check for light bulbs that don’t work, leaky faucets, off-kilter drawers and so on.

“De-personalize,” urges Realtor Magazine, the official magazine of the National Association of Realtors. Clear off the fridge, take down personal photos, and think twice about displaying your stamp/action figure/antique gas lamp collection in the open.

» Clean thoroughly — then think about cleaning even more
“Complete that to-do list that’s been sitting on your kitchen counter for the last year and a half,” Green says. Consider new paint, new carpet and new light fixtures. Clean everything. And, Green adds, make sure the unit is easy for buyers to see.

“No appointments necessary — or [be available at] extremely short notice,” Green says. “No babies napping. If you have a pet, it’s best to move the pet out. In many cases, that’s best for the pet, too.”

» Devote time (and maybe money) to the project
How long does all this work take? “A week minimum in most cases, and that’s working pretty aggressively,” says Green.

And — wait, don’t gasp — “It could easily cost $10,000 to bring the property up to sellable condition.” Staging and repairs add up. But if your condo’s going for $400,000, it might be worthwhile to invest 2 percent of the asking price back into the place.

“You used to be able to put a house on the market in any condition, and, gosh, that is not the case now. When there are so many selections,” Green says, “[a buyer] needs to come into a place and think, ‘I could feel good here.’”

Read it at ExpressNightOut.com

Related posts:

1. Savings Splurge: Local Experts on Federal Tax Credits Those aspiring to own real estate who didn't think they'd...
2. Worms’ Paralysis Turned On and Off With Light by Rachel KaufmanPublished in National Geographic News2009-11-20 If Dr. Horrible...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Washington Post Express

February 11, 2009

HEY, DUMMY. Get over here and stop ruining your life.

Larry Winget, the Pitbull of Personal Development and star of A&E’s short-lived reality show, “Big Spender,” says in his new book that you – yes, you – are an idiot. “People Are Idiots And I Can Prove It” is no less abrasive and obnoxious than Winget’s previous books, but he may be the hard dose of reality needed by people who don’t react well to “The Power of Positive Thinking.” Winget spoke to us about personal finance, career development, and why life sucks.

» EXPRESS: So, is everyone an idiot?

» WINGET: Everyone is an idiot. No one is exempt. We all make mistakes. The key is to learn from it and don’t make the same mistake more than once.

The only way you learn from your mistakes is to feel the pain of your mistakes and realize you don’t want to feel [that]. Most people don’t recognize when they’re being an idiot. The last thing anyone wants to do is take responsibility.

I’m a big believer in remorse. That’s a step too many people leave out of the process. I want people to hurt. I want them to tie emotion to their stupidity.

» EXPRESS: Some people would call that negative reinforcement.

» WINGET: I think negativity is the most powerful thing we could use in our society. Instead, we have all those motivational gurus saying we have to think positive. Positive thinking is not a plan for success. You need to get negative about your life. You need to get negative about your situations. You need to say, “I can do better, and I’m sick of living like this.” When you get negative about your situation, you can get positive to change yourself.

» EXPRESS: That’s unconventional.

» WINGET: [Laughs] Well, I’m right; they’re all wrong. As long as you’re happy, you won’t take responsibility for your life. You won’t feel bad about it. You have to say, “I know I can do better.” All of those things are negative. And only then you can start to make a change.

» EXPRESS: OK. Somebody says, “I want a promotion at work,” but doesn’t put in extra hours. Idiot?

» WINGET: Absolute idiot. I would fire that person.

» EXPRESS: And your advice for this person would be what?

» WINGET: Go to work and do everything you were hired to do. Don’t complain because you don’t like the silly hat you were hired to wear. Do the job. Don’t complain, especially in this economic environment. Just do what you are paid to do.

Stop worrying about the economy. The point is, you have an opportunity right now. It’s not the economy that matters, its your economy. It doesn’t matter that someone else is out of a job; it matters that you have a job and you’d better bust your ass to keep it.

» EXPRESS: You’re really into turning to personal development books for advice. How do you tell the good ones from the bad?

» WINGET: My goal is to read for intent. Even the worst books have one good idea. If you get one good idea from a book and you paid $15 to $20 for it, isn’t a great idea worth $20?

» EXPRESS: Can you recommend some good titles?

» WINGET: I think all of [my books] are amazing. And believe it or not, I’m a big reader of Wayne Dyer. There’s a fine line between [expletive] and guru, and he walks it every day.

» EXPRESS: What kind of person trademarks his or her moniker?

» WINGET: A guy who has had their stuff stolen so many times that you learn quickly.

Read it at ExpressNightOut.com

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

BLACKJACK DEALING. Resume writing. Improve your life. Make more money. Become more attractive. Turn that great invention idea into reality. Heck, is that Sudoku puzzle too hard for you? There’s a class for that, too.

Washington’s source for educational seminars both serious and off-the-wall is First Class Inc., that business whose brochures are usually nestled between real estate flyers and job fair leaflets. But unlike buying a home or finding a new job, a class at First Class can change your life for a minimal investment — or, at least, that’s the angle Debra Leopold’s banking on.

Leopold, 52, has helmed First Class Inc., since she founded it in 1984. She’s led her business through its fledgling stages (convincing former Washington Post columnist Bob Levey to hold a seminar) to its glory days (a former CIA agent’s class attracted worldwide press attention) and, most recently, a serious challenge (the Internet and free information). She’s watched her industry evolve and flounder, as independent learning centers across the country have folded and even many of industry giant Learning Annex’s schools have closed. And, the cynic says, why should it be any different? When the Web can teach you how to buy a house, start a business or fold an origami crane, why shell out for a class, even one that costs as little as $25 and two hours of time?

“It’s so hard to replicate the energy that happens in a live seminar,” Leopold says. She wears pink eye shadow and a rhinestone-speckled dress, and is almost unconscionably perky. She bakes chocolate chip cookies for her students to munch on before class. “You can get all the information from the Internet, but [the teacher] motivates you to do it. How would you get that on the Internet?”

It seems that at least some Washingtonians agree that in-person learning is still tops. Take one of First Class’ perennial favorites, the Passion Test. It’s based on a book, but some clearly prefer to listen to a lecture rather than buy (or borrow) the book: The class sells out every time it’s offered.

Other popular courses include anything hands-on: “Massage for Partners” is always popular. And in this economic climate, classes that promise wealth from a new career or side business fill the First Class course catalogs. “For a minimal investment of time and a minimal investment of money, you could really come away with a skill that will change your life,” she says, and then backtracks. “Could you find the skills needed to give you an edge? …I think so. For adults, it [one session] is usually enough. They don’t really need any more.”

» Beginnings
In 1984, Leopold was working for an adult-education center called Open University, doing marketing, HR and design work, and taking their classes — break dancing, bagel-making and so on. The school, like its contemporaries, was informal; a way to socialize rather than pick up a new skill. “It was very grassroots … very few people had an outline.” Classes were held in teachers’ basements. When Learning Annex bought Open U, Leopold realized she didn’t like the new owners, so she founded her own school.

Business grew. Classes as wide-ranging as How to Play 3-D Chess (a flop) and Making $100,000 a Year as a Private Eye (a success) peppered the course catalogs. Competitor the Learning Annex shut down in 1990, made a second attempt at breaking into the D.C. market in 1995, and shut down again in 1997. There was an incident when some of Leopold’s information boxes went missing. The Post reported Leopold said she had seen her boxes in use, with Learning Annex stickers on them, in New York City. The Learning Annex retaliated by claiming Leopold “took a box with her [to New York], took a picture and went home.”

» Entrepreneurial Life
Days begin at 10 a.m. answering e-mails and taking registrations, and end at 9 p.m. when the night’s class ends. Since she’s there to let students in before and lock up afterward, Leopold ends up sitting in on the class, whatever it is. Recently she’s been auditing her more tech-y courses: “Make $100 a Day Using Your Blog and Free Internet Tools” was a recent one. That got her into social networking as a way to advertise her business.

“The challenge to me is marketing. …I don’t know when to stop,” Leopold said. “Every time I think I’ve caught up on every site out there to get the word out, two more crop up. … Maybe I don’t fully understand how the sites work.” It does sound like information overload, especially for a self-described poor delegator: She spends an hour and a half daily updating various sites. She’s registered on LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook and Twitter and blogs on Blogspot. She posts on Craigslist and also uses Kijiji and Plurk, two sites of dubious value as yet. And her strategy of posting personal updates (“Digging Project Runway … was I a fashion designer in another life?”) and only sporadic class announcements is questionable, though for now it seems to be working. “My understanding is you’re not really supposed to market or advertise [on social network sites], but if it happens subliminally it’s OK,” she says. And “all of a sudden, new students were coming in the door. … All my classes last week were sold out, [and] they’re sold out this week.”

» Business Tips
Say what you will about a cookie-baking, Facebook-doting woman; running a company almost single-handedly for a quarter-century requires some business savvy. One tip, free of charge: Master as much as you can, “so you’re not outsourcing all these things that just add to your overhead.” In addition to doing her own Internet marketing, Leopold is her own accountant, Webmaster, brochure designer and tech support line.

And, for now, business is good. Enrollment is bouncing back, Leopold has no local competitors, and her students, it seems, love her. When she e-mailed her student mailing list asking for success stories, responses flooded in. “First Class has changed my life.” “I’m doing exactly what I have always dreamed of.” “I could not be happier.” “First Class rocks!!!” It’s unclear how much of this goodwill was attributed to the $5 coupon code included in the mass mailing — but, then again, isn’t that good business sense, too?

ExpressNightOut.com

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Could there be another wedding at the Bush ranch in Crawford, Tex., this time between two women? During an upcoming episode of her talk show, Ellen DeGeneres asked Jenna Bush Hager and first lady Laura Bush for permission to use the spread for her planned wedding to longtime partner Portia de Rossi.”The ranch was a great place to get married,” DeGeneres said. “It looked like nobody could fly over and get pictures or bother you, really.” When Hager agreed, DeGeneres followed with “So, can we borrow it for our wedding?”

A smiling Hager responded, “Sure,” People.com reports. The White House did not immediately offer further comment yesterday. The episode of the show was taped last week and is expected to air Wednesday.

DeGeneres announced plans to marry de Rossi, her longtime partner, following the California Supreme Court’s reversal this month of a law banning gay marriage. Texas does not sanction same-sex marriage.

Last week, DeGeneres asked John McCain if he would walk her down the aisle; the presidential candidate just laughed.

Read the rest at WashingtonPost.com

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.