Buy Property

Legal Aspects Of Buying Property Abroad from Channel4.com/4Homes E4 More4 FilmFour FourDocs TV Listings Site A-Z NEWS FILM HOMES LIFE ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY SCIENCE COMMUNITY SHOP SPORT CULTURE CARS MONEY VIDEO LEARNING HEALTH MUSIC GAMES Home Welcome News On TV Grand Designs Grand Designs Abroad Previous Houses Features Information Streets Ahead Property Ladder Location, Location Relocation, Relocation Home from Home City Gardener Selling Houses Room for Improvement Up Your Street Making Space A Place In The Sun The Great Garden Challenge Home or Away A Place in France A Place in Greece A Place in Greece House Auction More Programmes Presenters TV Listings Buying & Selling Where to Buy How to Buy How to Sell Special Cases House Price Index Renting Property Search DIY & Building Guides Building a House Ask the Expert Style Design Guides Features Living Rooms -- Bedrooms -- Kids Rooms -- Storage solutions -- Dining Rooms -- Home Office -- Hall -- Outdoor Living -- Period Styles -- Buying Abroad Country Guides Features Property of the Week Chat, Vote & Win Vote Win Forum -- Newsletter Forum Profit from Property Buy to Let Property Development Money Deals SEARCH All 4Homes: On TV Buying & Selling Renting Property Search DIY & Building Style Buying Abroad Chat, Vote, Win Profit from Property BUYING ABROAD Legal Aspects Of Buying Property Abroad What happens if you are slapped with an eviction order demanding that you leave your Caribbean island retreat, or your dream home in Spain becomes subject to a repossession order? Extreme examples perhaps, but not unknown when it comes to owning property abroad says Saundra Satterlee 1. European Union 2. Worldwide 3. Terms and Checks page1 2 3 European Union No two countries in the world have identical legal systems, nor are the rules and regulations that govern the purchase of property the same. Unfortunately, potential property buyers often assume otherwise, and hence open themselves up to the possibility of getting bitten by the legal intricacies of a foreign property market. European Union Britons buying property in the EU can take some comfort in the knowledge that they are subject to the same rules and regulations as the locals, or any other EU citizens for that matter. But - and this is a big but - not one single EU country has the same buying procedures as another. Individual countries have their own property laws. For example, in Spain any outstanding debts attached to a property become the responsibility of the new owner. Or, if you purchase a farmhouse or villa with agricultural land in Italy, your farming neighbours could exercise the right of pre-emption, that is, buy back the land for less than its purchase price. This is a complicated area of tax and law, warns international estate agents Knight Frank. Not only countries, but regions too may have their own property specific regulations. A national Spanish law on development was revamped and passed by the Valencian legislature in 1994 for instance, which gave local developers in certain circumstances the right to demand payments for infrastructure improvements or to obtain repossession orders. The different systems of property purchase within the EU are echoed further afield. Beyond the EU page1 2 3 UK PROPERTY SEARCH Over 150,000 homes Type a location: Price range: Min Price £0 £50,000 £75,000 £100,000 £125,000 £150,000 £175,000 £200,000 £225,000 £250,000 £275,000 £300,000 £325,000 £350,000 £375,000 £400,000 £425,000 £450,000 £475,000 £500,000 £550,000 £600,000 £650,000 £700,000 £750,000 £800,000 £850,000 £900,000 £950,000 £1,000,000 Max Price £50,000 £75,000 £100,000 £125,000 £150,000 £175,000 £200,000 £225,000 £250,000 £275,000 £300,000 £325,000 £350,000 £375,000 £400,000 £425,000 £450,000 £475,000 £500,000 £550,000 £600,000 £650,000 £700,000 £750,000 £800,000 £850,000 £900,000 £950,000 £1,000,000 £10,000,000 Min bedrooms: Min Beds 1 2 3 4 5 6 New homes only 4HOMES MAIL Enter your email to sign up to the 4Homes newsletter POLL Who is your favourite presenter? FIND OUT MORE Buying Abroad Advice on buying overseas GRAND DESIGNS CD ROM A comprehensive 'info tool' for anyone looking to renovate their dream home CHAT, VOTE , WIN Competitions Your chance to win a holiday and get away this winter CHAT Homes Chatroom Talk about all things Homes in the Channel 4 Chatroom About C4 | Jobs | Text Only | Access Advice | Contact Us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy | Help | Online Ad Sales

Florida Real Estate Commission

Cooke Real Estate School, leader in Florida Real Estate Classes and Online Courses Welcome to the Cooke Real Estate Licensing Course Website for Florida Using Technology is our Business: Cooke Real Estate School brings technology to the fingertips of its students. Cooke uses the most advanced and latest video conferencing hardware to provide this experience. Cooke's entire video conferencing network throughout the entire State of Florida is based solely on the internet. The opportunity of the internet gives the student a lot more flexibility as to where and when they want to attend a course we provide. Video Streaming: Along with the Video Conferencing experience, Cooke provides a live high quality video stream of the sales licensing course using Microsoft's Windows-Media technology. What this product does is makes available for the student, for a small fee, the ability to review the class they just attended at home in the comfort of their home. For the On-line or CD-Rom student, it allows them to be able to review the In-class version of the course they are taking at home. Easy Access to Information: Within the Cooke Real Estate website you will find access to links, downloads, pre-recorded video clips and a lot more. We try to put up as much information as possible so our students have access to the very latest and up to date information in anything regarding the Real Estate Educational market. Course Approval: All of the school and courses are approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation under the Division of Real Estate and the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) . The video conference course is accredited by ARELLO - The Association Real Estate Law Enforcement Officials. The course approval code #2001 . Better Business Bureau: Cooke Real Estate School is a member in good standing with the Better Business Bureau and adheres to the Better Business Bureau's Code of Ethics . On-Line and CD-Rom Licensing Courses : Cooke is an approved provider for Dearborn's-REcampus real estate licensing educational courses. Dearborn is America 's largest provider of online and cd rom based real estate education courses. School Policies: It is a policy of the school's that students of the real estate license course can retake and/or review the real estate license course for up to one year from the date of the students' registration. This policy is good for the in-class video conferencing course. The online or cdrom students can review the course material up to one year. Other Courses: Besides the basic real estate licensing courses, we also provide a lot of other great real estate courses such as the Appraisal License Courses and the Home-Inspection Course. Our Goals: Cooke Real Estate School's goal is to provide the best possible real estate license course for all students wanting to succeed in a career in real estate. We know that we can provide this for each and every student that attends our school. News Flash 12/20/05 - Cooke Real Estate School has now available for all students a recording of all Sales Associate License Course sessions produced on this website for students to review and prepare for the course exam and State Exam. The Cooke Companies have been at the forefront of real estate education Since 1972 (Cooke Real Estate School Headquarter's State of Florida - Department of Business Professional Regulation real estate school license #ZH1000576) Privacy Statement home | about us | site map | Real Estate Licensing online courses Real Estate Licensing in-class courses | Real Estate Licensing cd-rom courses Cooke's Real Estate bookstore | search locations by county | testimonials | contact us

land loan products are

Viewpoint Paid Discussion: Mortgages and Investments Wednesday, August 17, 2005 at 1 p.m. ET I'm interested in hosting a Viewpoint paid discussion Viewpoint discussion archive Welcome to Viewpoint, a live discussion forum on washingtonpost.com. This forum offers washingtonpost.com sponsors a platform to discuss issues, new products, company information and other topics. Mortgage Loans and Investment Properties Interested in a mortgage, home equity or refinance loan? Want to learn more about investment properties? Lonnie Cooper, top producer at Absolute Mortgage Co., was online Wednesday, August 17 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss mortgages, the recent interest-only craze or the ins and outs of investment properties. Lonnie Cooper is a senior loan officer at Absolute Mortgage Incorporated in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Lonnie closes approximately $7 million per month in mortgage volume over the past four years. Before coming to Absolute Mortgage, he worked as a loan officer at Independence Mortgage Group and was made partner. Lonnie also owns several rental properties and can provide suggestions and solutions for being a landlord. Lonnie is a graduate of Penn State University. The transcript follows. _______________________ washingtonpost.com: Welcome to Viewpoint. Our guest today is Lonnie Cooper with Absolute Mortgage Co. to answer your questions about loans, mortgages and investment properties. Let's get started! Lonnie Cooper: Lets do it. _______________________ Oaks, Pa.: How do you close so many loans each month? Lonnie Cooper: Hello Oaks, I close approximately 35-40 mortgages each month. _______________________ Washington, D.C.: Hi Lonnie, Thanks for taking my question. My husband and I have been in our house for about a year. We recently received a notice from our mortgage company that basically said our escrow amounts hadn't actually covered everything that the escrow pays for (taxes and insurance). So, we had a shortfall, and we should send in a large chunk of money so our mortgage wouldn't increase by $150 a month beginning in October. Okay. So, even if we do send in the large amount, our mortgage is still going to increase by about $70 because of our increased county taxes. Now, I'm a newbie at this, but is this normal? Does this happen to other people, etc.? Does everyone's mortgage increase when their county taxes increase? We have a 30-year fixed mortgage by the way. I'm sure I sound like a complete idiot, but any insight you could share would be great, since in the past we have had ZERO response from our mortgage company when we've had questions. Lonnie Cooper: I'm sorry to hear that you are getting zero response from them. Taxes often go up and unfortunately the lender has to re-structure your escrow account accordingly. You certainly don't sound like an idiot. _______________________ Washington, D.C.: I keep on hearing that interest only loans are a bad choice and that people are using them to afford homes they could not with a traditional 30. What do you think? Lonnie Cooper: Interest only loans are very popular right now. Unfortunately, many people are taking them for the wrong reason. If used properly by the right person, an interest only loan can make sense. In the current housing market, homes are becoming less and less affordable and an interest only loan is the only way that many people can qualify for the loan. My personal opinion is that if you can't make at least the amortizing arm payment (meaning principal and interest) then you probably are looking at too much home. _______________________ Edgewater, Md.: I am in the process of buying a house that I think we will have for a long time, but I am thinking about starting out with an interest only loan with a 7 year arm and refinancing at some point to a 30 year mortgage. Do you think this is the wrong approach? Lonnie Cooper: I do think it is the wrong approach. Rates are at an historical low. 7 years from now you very well may be looking at not only a large rate spike but also a much bigger payment when the principal is also involved. _______________________ Fairfax, Va.: I have a home equity loan and I am maxed out at $100k. I want to extend that to upgrade my house. Do I have to totally apply for a new loan or can I just ask the bank to extend the line of credit? Lonnie Cooper: Hello Fairfax, Often the lender that you have with the existing home equity loan will allow you to extend it. _______________________ Arlington, Va.: What is the best loan product for new construction that will not deliver until mid-spring 2006? We would like to lock in our rate asap but do not know what is the best. Thank you. Lonnie Cooper: Hello Arlington, Many builders have special deals with local banks and their own mortgage companies. They offer long term locks for your situation with a variety of options. Regarding the product, my answer would be the same for you even if you were closing in 30 days- Take an arm if you know that this isn't your 'long-term' home or go with a fixed if it is. _______________________ Camarillo, Calif.: What is your opinion on mortgages for retired people? Your opinion on paying cash for property or financing it? Thank you. Lonnie Cooper: Hello Camarillo, I often get asked by people in the 70's and 80's whether or not they can apply for a 30 yr mortgage. Even though lenders can discriminate for income, credit, employment etc, they can't discriminate for age. So, that being said, if you need the money take it. Mortgage money is the cheapest out there. There are reverse mortgages out there as well for retirees. They often make sense as well. "Cash is king" as they say- but if you have it and it helps you sleep at night paying for your home outright is a wonderful feeling. (Or so I've heard) _______________________ Rockville, Md.: Hi Lonnie, I am a consultant and have a 2-3 year assignment that will keep me in Baltimore during the work week. I currently own a home in Rockville and have a roommate. Recently, I have been thinking about buying a place in Baltimore and also getting a roommate there to help pay for the mortgage. What are the implications of borrowing equity from my current home to buy the new home? What are the tax implications of actually residing in both homes? -Sandra Lonnie Cooper: Hello Sandra, I try not to give out too much info on tax advice as it often varies from state to state. I believe that the other home needs to be 50 miles from your primary residence to qualify as a 2nd home. If its not, it would be viewed as a rental property- ie higher rate etc. There are definitely deductions available for rental properties - consult your CPA. _______________________ Fairfax, Va.: My primary loan is for $300,000 and is a 30-year. I am looking at getting a vacation property. What can I do to get the best rate on my second property? Lonnie Cooper: Hello Fairfax, If its a true second home aka vacation property, the rate will be identical. If there is plenty of equity in your current home you can take out a line of credit, but they are variable and prime seems to be going no where but up. Our rates are available at www.absolutemortgageco.com and my extension is 104 if you'd like to talk later. _______________________ Goshen, Ind.: Could you please elaborate on what the pros and cons of interest only loans and what is negative amortization? Thank you. Lonnie Cooper: Hello Goshen, I was cut short on my response previously. I'd like to apologize to the submitter of that question. Some quick pros are: 1- They create a significant amount of cash flow 2- They enable you to qualify for more 'house' Cash flow enables the owner to take that difference and invest it into the stock market or pay down other non deductable debts. Cash flow for a real estate investor allows for immediate positive income. Qualifying for more house enables for example a young Doctor get into a larger home knowing that his income will be going up in the near future. _______________________ Washington, D.C.: Is this a good time to look for investment property, even though the market is about to bust? Lonnie Cooper: Investment properties are always available, but because of the national real estate buying craze the 'deals' are much harder to find. Like anything else in life, its a matter of hard work and who you know- meaning get a great realtor and an even better mortgage guy. (Okay so I'm a little biased on this one) Regarding the market bursting- many top analysts feel its going to slow down but not necessarily bust. If your question is would you be buying at the top of the market right now, I'd have to say probably. _______________________ San Diego, Calif.: What is a free float down? Lonnie Cooper: Hello San Diego, A free float down is a product that Absolute Mortgage (the company that I work for) offers along with a few others. Basically its a s simple as "if the rates go lower while you are locked in, you get the lower rate" Its a product that brings a lot of people to us and when the rates go down, people love benefitting from it. It basically makes locking in a win-win _______________________ Falls Church, Va.: Does Absolute Mortgage offer long-term interest only loans and are these available on investment properties? Thank you. Lonnie Cooper: Yes, we offers long term interest only loans. These come in quite a variety. They can be fixed/adjustables that are fixed for the first 10 years or 30 years fixed that are interest only for the first 20 years. There are some that are interest only for all 30 as well. The rates obviously vary on all of these. Yes, we have I/O loans for invest. properties as well. _______________________ Bethesda, Md.: I was looking to buy a plot of land for a second home sometime down the road. What type of land loan products are available and do you offer such a mortgage? Lonnie Cooper: Hello Bethesda, There are many land loan products out there. The majority of them are not 30 year fixed loans, but realistically if you are building on the land in the future you wouldn't want one anyway. Local banks are often the best for this. We don't offer them. _______________________ Reston, VA: Is there a hard-fast rule about refinancing? I thought there used to be a rule that if rates .5 point below your rate you would refinance. Is that still a good rule? Lonnie Cooper: Hello Reston, Thats a great question. The old 'rule of thumb' was that the rate had to be 2% lower. That is certainly no longer the case. We offer what is called a 'True No Cost" mortgage where you can refinance with no costs at all. The costs are not rolled into your principal balance- we pay them. As an example- if you have a 30 yr fixed today at 6.0% and you owe 200k then at todays rate of 5.5% it probably wouldn't make sense to refinance with a traditional closing cost loan. However with a 'True No Cost' loan at say 5.875% you'll save thousands over the life of the loan for simply signing your name. _______________________ Yardley, Pa.: Hello Lonnie, I recently purchased a new home and would like to refinance the 2nd loan for Home Improvements. How long would I have to wait in order to accomplish this? The home was purchased for $279k, but with the right repairs and can be valued at $350k. Christian Lonnie Cooper: Hello Christian, Most 2nd mortgage lenders have at least a 6 month "seasoning" rule for 2nd mortgages in that they won't let you take out a new 2nd based on your new/higher value. We have some products with no seasoning that would allow you to accomplish what you are looking for. Yardley is fairly close to West Chester, Pa. feel free to stop in. _______________________ Front Royal, Va: I have a rather high fixed rate mortgage currently and I am looking to refinance. I have one negative on my credit report which is probably a few months away from coming off which would greatly increase my credit scores. Would you recommend waiting until my credit is clean or refinancing now to take advantage of these great rates. My average score is 674 but should be in the mid 700's. Thanks. Lonnie Cooper: Hello Front Royal, Great question. You guys are full of the. With a 674, I'd recommend giving the refinance a shot now. With the right amount of equity in the property and assets in reserve you very may still be approved. _______________________ Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.: Does Absolute Mortgage offer loans in other states and what is involved to apply as far as upfront fees (does this vary state to state or based on the loan amount or credit scores)? Thanks Lonnie. Lonnie Cooper: Hello Ponte Vedra, (That is a beautiful part of Fla if I may say so myself) We are licensed in a number of states that are listed at www.absolutemortgageco.com. The owner doesn't believe in charging up front fees- its a much cleaner way of doing business. _______________________ Wilmington, Del.: I currently have quite a bit of equity in my home (primary residence) and was looking to do quite a bit of renovations to the property - which would increase the value. Would you recommend to refinance my existing mortgage for cash out or get a Home Equity Loan or Line. I currently have a 30-year Fixed at around 6% and plan on living in the home for quite some time. Thank you very much. Lonnie Cooper: Hello Wilmington, See my response above for a "True No Cost" loan. It would work great for you. The home equity lines are very popular, but most are variable and again- prime seems to be consistently going up. _______________________ Cherry Hill, N.J.: What is involved with a No Doc or stated income loan? Lonnie Cooper: Hello Cherry HIll, The question is what is not involved- We have a "True No Doc" loan in which we don't even ask if you are employed. We don't need any bank statements etc. Its just a credit score and a pulse. _______________________ Newark, Del.: Is there any tried and true rule to figure out if a home improvement project is worth doing in order to add value to your home (adding garage or addition, finishing a basement., etc.? Lonnie Cooper: Hello Newark, I don't know if there is such a rule. If you ask a contractor you may get a different answer though. In speaking with property appraisers over the years, a sure fire return is adding square footage. (As long as you don't over-improve for you neighborhood) Kitchens and bathrooms also provide the highest return for improvement projects. _______________________ Clinton, Md: If you sell a home (designated investment prop) less than 2 years after settlement, do you have to put the proceed into another investment property otherwise pay the taxes? Lonnie Cooper: Hello Clinton, This one is probably best answered by a cpa. My unoffical opinion is as follows: A 1031 tax deferred exchange can be done regardless of how long you've owned the home. If you keep the property for at least 12 months then you'll pay long term capital gains vs. short term. _______________________ washingtonpost.com: Our hour is up. Thank you for taking all of our questions, Lonnie. Lonnie Cooper: You are very welcome. Its been a pleasure. I hope to hear from you all again. Lonnie _______________________ RELATED LINKS absolutemortgageco.com Mortgage Rates Mortgage Calculator Affordability Qualification Payment Tables --

Real Estate Agent: It's

Amazon.com: Millionaire Real Estate Agent: It's Not About the Money: Books Your Store Books See All 32 Product Categories Your Account | Cart | Wish List | Help | Advanced Search | Browse Subjects | Bestsellers | The New York Times® Best Sellers | Magazines | Corporate Accounts | Amazon Shorts | Bargain Books | Used Books | Textbooks Search Amazon.com Books Web Search Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in . or Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering. A9.com users save 1.57% on Amazon. Learn how . More Buying Choices 20 used & new from $9.15 Have one to sell? Share your own customer images Look inside this book Millionaire Real Estate Agent: It's Not About the Money (Paperback) by Gary Keller , Dave Jenks , Jay Papasan (57 customer reviews) List Price: $20.00 Price: $20.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. See details Availability: This title usually ships within 4 to 6 weeks. Please note that special order titles occasionally go out of print, or publishers run out of stock. These hard-to-find titles are not discounted and are subject to an additional charge of $1.99 per book due to the extra cost of ordering them. We will notify you within 2-3 weeks if we have trouble obtaining this title. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. 20 used & new available from $9.15 Other Editions: List Price: Our Price: Other Offers: Paperback (1) $21.95 $14.93 65 used & new from $11.00 Audio CD $75.00 $75.00 2 used & new from $75.00 Better Together Buy this book with 21 Things I Wish My Broker Had Told Me... byFrank Cook today! Buy Together Today: $37.29 Customers who bought this book also bought 21 Things I Wish My Broker Had Told Me : Practical Advice for New Real Estate Professionals. by Frank Cook The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller How To Become a Power Agent in Real Estate : A Top Industry Trainer Explains How to Double Your Income in 12 Months by Darryl Davis Your First Year in Real Estate: Making the Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional by Dirk Zeller How to Develop a Six Figure Income in Real Estate: Superstar Selling the Mike Ferry Way by Mike Ferry Explore Similar Items : in Books , in Magazine Subscriptions , and in Tools & Hardware Editorial Reviews Chris Leporni, Realtor Magazine "Keller presents the million-dollar benchmark as a symbol of excellence, rather than a monument to materialism." Mark Victor Hansen, Co-creator #1 New York Times best-selling series Chicken Soup for the Soul(R) and Co-author, The One Minute Millionaire "The Millionaire Real Estate Agent is the step-by-step handbook for seeking excellence in your profession and your life." See all Editorial Reviews Product Details Paperback: 368 pages Publisher: Rellek Publishing Partners (February 15, 2003) Language: English ISBN: 0970294107 Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies Average Customer Review: based on 57 reviews. ( Write a review. ) Amazon.com Sales Rank: Today: #97,259 in Books Yesterday: #44,792 in Books (Publishers and authors: improve your sales ) In-Print Editions: Paperback (1) | Audio CD | All Editions Look Inside This Book Browse Sample Pages: Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover Customers who viewed this book also viewed Real Estate Agent's Business Planning Guide by Carla Cross Real Estate Rainmaker: Guide to Online Marketing by Dan Gooder Richard Complete Idiot's Guide to Success as a Real Estate Agent (The Complete Idiot's Guide) by Marilyn Sullivan Mastering the Art of Selling Real Estate by Tom Hopkins Your Successful Real Estate Career by Kenneth W. Edwards Explore Similar Items : in Books , in Magazine Subscriptions , and in Apparel Spotlight Reviews Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 183 of 190 people found the following review helpful: Made My First Year In Real Estate a Huge Success! , July 15, 2004 Reviewer: Cheryl Sellers Johnson "www.SellersTeam.com" (Rockville, MD United States) - See all my reviews I found this book on Amazon when I was just starting out in Real Estate. I read many of the how-to books because I wanted and needed to hit the ground running in my new career. This book, by far, was the most information-packed and practical guide to starting a real estate business. (By the way, another excellent book is "How to Become a Power Agent in Real Estate" by Darryl Davis). I am an attorney and before starting my real estate career, I had my own law practice; and before that, I had my own computer consulting company-both successful ventures. I approached real estate from a businessperson's perspective and this book difinitely speaks to the serious businessperson. There are so many books and articles telling new agents where to spend their time and money that by the time the agent figures out what works and what doesn't, they have spent their entire budget and an entire year, and have not made enough money to move on. That's why 70% of new agents drop out of the field by the end of their second year. This book helps agents, new and seasoned, stay focused on the bottom line. Moreover, it answered the most important question for me--If I need to generate $80,000 in income per year (salary, not gross commissions), what activities do I need to do and how much will it cost me? So many of the other books and articles claimed to have the winning formula by telling you that you must knock on 50 doors per week and make 50 cold calls per week to generate business. Their theory is that it must be painful if you are to be successful. This book, however, gives you lists of ideas and says if you do "x" number of activities from this list, you can expect to receive "x" number of transactions per year. YOU get to pick which activities you perform (if you don't like knocking on doors, pick another activity--it does not have to be painful for you to be successful). The other books tell you that you must know a lot of people--friends and family--and that you MUST call and hound them in order to get business. This book, alternatively, says that if you do not know a lot of people (if you are new to an area) or if you don't want to call your friends and family and beg for business, you don't have to. It gives you the formulas so that you can determine how much marketing you have to do with the "people I haven't met yet" group to generate the same results as you would have with your "friends and family" group. Using this book as a business modeling guide, I closed just under $3 million in volume in my first year; and just over $7 million my second year. I already broke through the $6 million volume cap that many seasoned agents hit as a glass ceiling and cannot move beyond. My broker with my first real estate company (Long & Foster) was hostile to my business model because she didn't understand it and because I was taking control of my own career. She wanted me to follow her formula and she wanted me completely dependent on her for my success (even though she never provided me with leads). Then Keller Williams came to Maryland! (Gary Keller, the author, founded Keller Williams to empower real estate agents to run their own successful businesses). I joined Keller Williams and now I am surrounded by agents and brokers who realize that the business is mine and that the broker's role is to support my success. They do not believe, like so many other companies, that the agent's role is to make the broker rich. This is obvious by the fact that they offer one of the highest commission splits in the industry, without charging a monthly "desk fee," and they share the profits with their agents! And their entire culture is based on the "Millionaire Real Estate Agent" business models. If you are serious about approaching real estate as a business, you must read this book. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 95 of 104 people found the following review helpful: The Real Deal, Can't Recommend Highly Enough , July 16, 2003 Reviewer: Jeff Hansen (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews After reading this book three times through I'm struck with one overriding sense, "OK, this guy gets it". Can one book successfully sum up what's needed for a successful real estate career.....yes. I've been a real estate broker for 11 years and I've been to and heard just about every major "real estate trainer" out there: Wickman, Buffini, Stumpf, Kennedy, Ferry, Knox, Droz, DeLuca, etc. What they all offer are specifics of how they were successful realtors in their time. Which is really helpful, but what sets this book apart is that Keller looks at the challenge of treating your real estate sales career like a business. There is real wisdom here, not just about having a "successful" real estate career, but life balance, and personal fulfillment through our real estate business. I know a number of other agents who have read this book and one thing I've heard a few times is "I wish something like this was around when I got into the business", which are exactly my thoughts. Keller has kind of a tough love approach to spelling out exactly what is involved in true mastery as a realtor producing at a very high level. Another thing I find interesting is that this book could be about any industry, any career. The disciplines and business concepts he describes are universal. Keller starts with the open questions of essentially "what would it take for an agent to succeed at a really high level, and let's use a million dollars as a kind of random goal." He then builds with 1) finding the motivation within to climb this mountain, 2) How to earn a million, 3) how to net a million, 4) how to receive a million in passive income (a true business owner), and finally 5) how to put it all together with the key of focus driving your business. Keller has a direct common sense outlook and writing style which I found refreshing. This book applies to the new agent as well as a realtor who is already producing at a high level. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) Customer Reviews Average Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful: This is the worst and most boring book I ever read in my life! , December 14, 2005 Reviewer: Willie Shi "bill stone" (bay area) - See all my reviews what this book all about? sell himself and his company! there are total 5 chapter. want to know what chapter 1 tell you? do it! do it!!! you could do it!!! chapter 2 think big! the more money you could imagine, the more money you will be received. chapter 3. earn it as long as you do it, you will earn it. there is no HOW you will be able to find in this book??? chapter 4. net it or deposit it to the bank. even fools know how to walk to the bank. chapter 5. receive it and spend it. absolutably nonsenses!!! bottom line don't waste your money and time. It's worthless! Why did i buy this book? I was cheated! I doubt that all the positive review are from the insiders. Don't fall on a trick! don't take my word for it, walk to the Barnes & Noble and find out yourself! Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: The best book on how to succeed in real estate , November 29, 2005 Reviewer: R. J Sharpe "Texkabob" (The Republic of Texas) - See all my reviews This book is an excellent tool for a beginning agent or an experienced agent who wants to take his or her business to the next level. It is especially valuable in the following areas: 1. Lead Generation - the book is crystal clear about the fact that real estate is a lead generation business. The authors provide quantifiable models to generate leads that work, provided that the agent is disciplined enough to follow and stick with the program. 2. Budgeting and Marketing - Too many agents make the mistake of spending money they don't have. The authors stress the need to spend out of profits (red light, green light) and stick to your budget. The top line is important if you want to feed your ego and be agent of the month. The bottom line is important if you want to live a really good life. 3. If you list, you last - The authors stress that agents should prospect for listings. This is extremely important. Listings are inventory, and as with any business, the person who controls the inventory is the person who will profit the most. The beauty of inventory in real estate is that you don't own it, so you don't pay the carrying costs, run the risk of loss or theft etc as you would in most other businesses that carry inventory. Without a listing inventory, you are vulnerable to the market. With a listing inventory, you are the market. One area where caution is warranted is in the hiring of staff. The authors are decidedly pro-team, and that's fine, but too many agents add staff too quickly and kill their bottom line as a result. It's helpful to look at the profiles in the back of the book and determine how many transactions per year per person these top teams do. Unless you leverage your staff to do more transactions per person than you can do alone, you might be better off growing staff more slowly than quickly. That's a minor gripe, though, and the authors do an adequate job of explaining the risk. Overall, this book is the best source of knowledge on how to structure a winning residential agency business that I've come across, and it is well worth the price of admission. Bob Sharpe www.canyonlakemls.com Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: Developing a Real Estate Business: This is the Best! , November 12, 2005 Reviewer: Ernest Buckley (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews I have to laugh at the people who complain about this book, they are not reading the same book I am. I turn to Kellers book almost weekly. I went from no sales and no listings to 3 listings in 3 weeks since reading his book. Just his 8x8 touch technique alone was worth the price. This book is not for everyone. If you are satisfied with your career as is then you will not go the extra effort Keller suggests. For the serious Realtor looking to go out on their own, this book is the roadmap on how to do it. My ten year plan is to develop the skills and relationships needed to go out on my own. This book will take me there with some hard and smart work. Just the fact that Keller has such details in one book is amazing. Everyone from Michael Gerbers to Tony Robbins systems are in this book. What makes it a classic is the fact that the book can combine such a wide range of information in a clear and simple format. Thanks to Keller for writing such an inspiring book. Much Success! Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) 1 of 4 people found the following review helpful: Must read! , October 26, 2005 Reviewer: Laura - See all my reviews For everyone who's new, newer or older in the real estate arena, this book will change your way of doing business. Was this review helpful to you? ( Report this ) See all 57 customer reviews... Listmania! Real Estate Career : A list by Barry Bullard Be a Realtor : A list by Orange Peel List for Real Estate Agents : A list by "boevans2" Create a Listmania! list So You'd Like to... Work Less and Earn More : A guide by carlamarie , Business Guru Be a Sales Champ? : A guide by Steve Green , Sales Enthusiast take another look-see IV : A guide by Melody Davis , mostly do-it-yourself style books Create a So You'd Like to... guide Look for similar items by category Subjects > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Real Estate > General Subjects > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Real Estate > Sales Subjects > Business & Investing > Marketing & Sales > Sales & Selling > General Look for similar items by subject Business & Economics / Real Estate Business & Economics / Sales & Selling Business / Economics / Finance Finance, Personal Personal Finance Real Estate - Sales Real estate agents Real estate business Business & Economics Career development Guidebooks Real Estate Sales & Selling Success in business Vocational guidance i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ... 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