From Arizona to Florida, Three Leading Real Estate Firms are the Latest to Join Real Living Real Estate’s National Network

Real Living Real Estate, LLC, is proud to announce today that three more companies have converted to the Real Living brand in their local markets.

The three latest companies to convert are:
• Real Living Premier Partners in Arizona (formerly Sonoran Properties GMAC Real Estate)
• Real Living at 1st Knight Realty in Florida (formerly 1st Knight Realty GMAC Real Estate)
• Real Living Home to Home in Minnesota (formerly Home to Home GMAC Real Estate)

Each of the new Real Living brokers had their own reasons for seeking out the award-winning Real Living brand, which is uniquely positioned within the real estate industry, and has earned a reputation for an unsurpassed level of personalized customer service.

• “Real Living is a national real estate company known for being innovative and forward thinking,” said Pam Rankin, broker/owner of Arizona-based Real Living Premier Partners. “The industry is looking for a company to step up, be unique and be a leader. That’s exactly the kind of company we were looking and hoping to join, and we’re extremely happy to be a part of Real Living’s national growth.”
• “It is important to be associated with a franchise that is determined to keep you at the top and is constantly looking for new ways to differentiate you from the competition,” said Vonda Herding, broker/owner of Real Living Home to Home in Minnesota. “Real Living will do that and also ensure we are staying ahead of what consumers need from their real estate professionals.”
• “With the Real Living brand, there were a number of things that appealed to us,” said Andy Linihan, broker/owner of Real Living at 1st Knight Realty in Florida. “Our office is very technology oriented and we think Real Living has a great technology platform and offers the complete package.”

More to come. Look for new news and more information on these conversions on the RealLiving.com site.

Interviews with Real Living's Newest Brokerage, Real Living First Service Realty in Miami, Florida

Real Living earlier this week was proud to announce the first GMAC franchise broker to re-brand and convert to Real Living! The president and CEO of this former GMAC franchise (now Real Living First Service Realty) is Eddie San Roman who is passionate and thrilled to be the first GMAC conversion and the newest member of of the Real Living family of brokerages.

Just prior to Eddie making the announcement to his team of 725+ agents and the Miami real estate community, we captured these two interviews on camera to share.

The first interview features both Eddie and Harley Rouda Jr. president of Real Living Real Estate.

This second interview features Eddie alone sharing his passion for the brand, tools and expanded services his firm will receive as part of his affiliation with Real Living.

If you are interested in learning more about Real Living's franchise network and becoming a part of our growth, click here.

The First GMAC Brokerage Converts to Real Living

Real Living Real Estate is pround to announce that GMAC First Service Realty is now Real Living First Service Realty!

The first of the GMAC offices are beginning to convert and re-brand to Real Living!

Real Living First Service Realty is a mega brokerage with 11 offices and 725 agents in the greater Miami area. The company has plans to add up to 15 additional offices over the next five years via Real Living’s agent tools and support, a consumer-focused brand and aggressive leadership.

Last night the company held an announcement sales rally attended by Harley Rouda, Jr., president of Real Living Real Estate. Harley spoke about promises the brand delivers to agents and consumers, and Eddie San Roman, president and CEO of Real Living First Service Realty brought excitement to agents with the announcement of the re-branding.


The atmosphere of the entire night can only be described as electric as agents and managers alike began to fully embrace Real Living and looked forward to the exciting growth to come! On Saturday, hundreds of Real Living yard signs will infiltrate the Miami market and as Eddie told his agents last night, "we are now red, round and REAL."

More news and new conversion announcements will be coming soon. View the news release.
And listen to an interview/podcast with Eddie San Roman.

Trim Your Trees Regularly

Many people put off the hassles of tree trimming because it’s either too expensive, inconvenient or because it may slip their mind. Trimming your trees is a necessity because it helps promote tree growth and it diminishes potential safety hazards. Many advise hiring a professional arborist to shape your tree and cut problematic limbs. If you prefer doing it yourself, make sure you take caution around power lines and large branches. Cutting branches is a three step process that involves:

1. Undercutting the branch about 6 inches away from where the branch joins the tree. The cut should only be about ¼ the diameter of the branch.
2. Making a second cut all the way through the branch about 3 inches even farther away from the trunk. This will ensure a clean break for the branch.
3. Lastly, cut all the way through the remaining branch stub about ½ an inch away from where the branch joins the tree.

For more fall maintenance tips, check out Real Living's Home Maintenance portal.

Choose a Mortgage Lender that Meets Your Needs

If you’re looking to secure a loan that will help you purchase the home of your dreams, it’s important to have an ethical, qualified and dependable mortgage lender on your side—protecting your best interests and helping you get the loan that's right for you. Your lender should be a trusted partner who understands the array of loans offered, and can match them to your needs, wants and desires.

So how do you go about selecting a mortgage lender? You can always start with costs. Look for lenders who offer the best interest rates, and ask to see a list of applicable fees and closing costs upfront to compare prices. If a prospective lender refuses to quote interest rates or service costs, move to a different lender. It’s important to find a lender that gives you direct answers. If a lender quotes numbers that seem way too good to be true, then make sure you investigate his or her services. There may be hidden fees and some unethical practice taking place.

You should also look for lenders who are accredited to show that they are properly trained in the field. Search for a broker who’s certified by the National Association of Mortgage Brokers. Always ask for references and call those references to find out how satisfied they were with the service and ultimately their loan. Agents typically have good referrals for mortgage lenders, so don’t forget to consult your real estate agent.

Also, check to see if the real estate company you are using to buy or sell your home offers mortgage services. A one-stop-shop will make the home-buying and selling process less stressful.

Don’t know too much about the loan process? No problem. A good mortgage lender will help you learn the ins and outs of a mortgage, no matter how long it takes. They’ll explain all the terms and jargon and will calculate the numbers for you as many times as you need to understand them. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t understand.” You can use this process as a learning experience.

A good lender should always be available. Applying for a loan can be a complicated process, so you want someone who is around when you need help. In addition, mortgage lenders should not leave you guessing. They should give you a good faith estimate early in the process, so you aren’t surprised when it comes time to close.

Finally, your personalities must mesh. If they don’t, it will be very difficult to work together. Mortgage lenders are assisting you with a very important financial decision, so you need someone you can trust, who fits with your personality and with whom you have a good rapport. Knowing you’re in trusting hands will allow you to relax during the process – not agonize over it.

For more information that can assist you with finding the perfect mortgage lender, contact your local Real Living agent today.

What’s Your Home Worth?

Determining your home’s worth is one of the most important decisions you will encounter when putting your home on the market. For some, it can also be one of the toughest to face because when it comes time to sell, homeowners sometimes have a tendency to reminisce about all the fond memories made in the home over the years. These memories may be priceless to the home seller, but to a prospective homebuyer, they’re a non-factor in determining a property’s worth. Market value, and not sentimental value, is the key factor when figuring your home’s worth.

Market value is the amount prospective buyers are willing to pay at the time homeowners are ready to sell. Now you may ask – how do I find out the market value of my home? Well, the best way to ensure that you get the best price is to obtain a Comparable Market Analysis (CMA). You can get a CMA from your qualified, professional real estate agent.

The market analysis will include homes in your area that are currently on the market, expired from the market, pending a sale, expired and already sold within the last three to six months. Of course, the best indicator of your home’s value is the price for similar homes in your area that have already been sold. The comparison is based on the proximity to your home and the similarity of characteristics such as lot size, square footage, number of bedrooms and baths, other home amenities, etc.

It’s a good idea to sit down with your agent to discuss how each factor of the market analysis affects your home’s value. You can consider current listings to identify the competition, recently sold homes to indicate what buyers are willing to pay, homes with a sale pending to show the current demand and expired homes to suggest what buyers are unwilling to pay. Quality real estate Web sites may offer tools that help you determine how some of these factors affect your home’s value, but an agent is always the most reliable source. Some Web sites will simply interpret data from places like a county auditor site, but not take other important aspects into consideration. To ensure accuracy, work with an agent.

Suggestions for what to do are always accompanied with what not to do – and there are a few “don’ts” when deciding the value of your home. Avoid the urge to price your home based on factors that don’t affect the market value. Those factors include how much money you need to buy your next home, how much you paid for your current home, how much you paid for home improvements, the value of similar homes in different communities, area appreciation statistics, the cost to build the same home today and personal attachment.

Discovering how much your home is worth is the first step to ensure that your home is priced correctly. So, take the time, do the research and talk with your real estate agent. Together you can decide what the best price is in today’s market.

Should the 2009 First-Time Homebuyers 8K Tax Credit be extended?

You be the judge! Cast your vote.



For more information on the 8K Tax Credit, check out RealLiving.com