Redding Ca Real Estate : December 2006

Hello It always amazes me when I come in contact with companies that operate like what I just experienced.....

I have an offer in on a short sale at WAMU ( I represent the buyers). I have had this offer in for 2 months...yes thats TWO months and they have not responded to ANYONE on it. Now I know that it takes a while for the BPO and the appraisal etc but two months just to communicate that you even got it or don't like it or? Really.

So I decided to call them my self to see what is up at Washington Mutual...here is a detailed report on what I experienced 12/28/06.

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First phone call I sat on hold for 35 minutes....That's minutes,not seconds-arm got tired,hung up.

Second phone call to the President of the home loan division at corporate-His secretary decided that I really didn't need to talk with him about ANYTHING and proceeded to transfer me to another number.And here is where the theme park ride started.

I got transferred to one department and then bounced to another...and another and another...are you counting here? I believe they said something like "oh you need ___ dept"

I get a phone number from one rep after the fourth bounce. I called it and it was changed!!! I called the new number and ended up at the first phone number and department that I started at which was 50 minutes later!!!!!!! She was nice but said she couldn't help me because I was not the borrower and didn't have the borrowers SSN and Loan #.

I can appreciate that but once again what I was trying to do is just talk with SOMEONE and find out why my EXCELLENT offer was not responded to in the LAST TWO MONTHS??? You would think with the real estate market flat and in some area's actually going down that a great offer would be welcomed?

I used to be a customer of Washington Mutual in the past.....now I suddenly remembered why I went to another bank....How soon I had forgotten.

LETS TAKE OUR HAT'S OFF FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE out there...

I did get one VERY valuable lesson out of this experience!!! COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CLIENTS....COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CLIENTS.....and COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CLIENTS.

May your experiences with a foreclosure department be different...that's what I wish you all for the new year!

THANK YOU WAMU FOR TEACHING ME THE IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE!

** Disclaimer**

This was my personal experience...your experience may be different and my experience may not be an indication of how your experience with this company may go...past performance is not a guarantee of future customer service. We all have the power to change....And get better...and improve....

David I would love to talk to you about some strategies I use communicating with my clients if you are ever interested? Who knows they might even work at the corporate level? *David is WAMU's president of home loans*. Don't try calling him though because you probably won't get to talk with him. There are plenty of other phone numbers that you can call or get transferred to though....plenty, and the ride is much cheaper than Disneyland....

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Regards,

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Hello here is a great article to share with your clients on the benefits of purchasing NOW!

http://realestate.msn.com/Buying/Article2.aspx?cp-documentid=1461822&GT1=8895

Regards,

Rick Goates

PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR SALE-

The importance of a clean clutter free home can not be over stated.Curb appeal, how clean your home is and price are the main factors to get a home sold. Here are some tips that can help you if you are selling your home.

#1  Depersonalize your home. Take down all those pictures pictures of the baby and aunt betty and uncle Jim etc. Buyers want to visualize their family in the home and having 500 pictures won't help them do that!

#2 Clean the clutter out! Start with the kitchen and work your way to the garage. The kitchen is where many buyers head to first.Clear the counter tops of the 15 appliances that you got from Christmas and make sure you can see all the counter tops not just half!

#3  Next head to the closets and clean them out also. If you have 20 coats crammed into the coat closet you may want to consider donating to a local shelter or the Salvation Army etc. Who needs that many anyway? If you have the coat closet crammed full it may give the buyer the impression that there is not enough storage in your home!

#4  Don't forget the Storage rooms and the garage etc. Many men will want to head straight for the garage. If they see that you can not even walk in the garage they may think that there is simply not enough room for all their treasures or to work on that car etc.

#5  Furniture-take a long hard look at all the furniture in your home. Do you have little walkways here and there or are there many large open spaces in which to walk,move etc? Having Too much furniture can lead the buyers to believe that the home is simply too small for their needs.

#6  Take a good look at all the faucets/fixtures in the home. Do they sparkle? A good polishing will do wonders.Look for any leaks also in the kitchen and bathrooms.Get these fixed immediately. No reason to wait and have just another thing to fix on the buyers request for repair form that you will be getting shortly...yes you will be getting one of these...I guarantee it. Unless of course you are selling "AS-IS".

#7 Look at the carpet and paint in the home. Are there noticeable stains or dirt? Have a good carpet cleaning prior to listing your home. Unless your carpet is older than 7 years a good cleaning is probably all that you will need if the carpet is not heavily soiled.If your carpet is old seriously consider getting new carpet prior to listing it. A good neutral color is a best bet.

#8  Check those ceilings throughout the home for signs of stains etc. Stains indicated a possible leak and need to be addressed immediately.Paint is cheap so evaluate the interior and exterior paint and make sure they are in top shape. The first impression is when the agent and buyers pull up to the front of your home!

#9 Check all the windows and doors in the home. Do they look ok with no cracks or missing weather stripping? Make sure the window ALL open and are not difficult to open up. If there are voided seals in the windows (like many older homes) have them replaced.

#10  Check for odors....Pet owners sometime forget that fee fee is having bladder troubles and many buyers are not pet people! What you consider a normal smell might be VERY offensive to a non pet owner! Use an aromatherapy candle or take a pie tin and put some vanilla in it and place it in the oven on low if you know that your home will be shown.

I hope these tips help you! Happy selling....

Regards,.

Rick Goates

http://www.inforedding.com