Why Can’t a Woman Get Good Customer Service?

 

I went to buy a new Toyota this week.  What an ordeal…

I have already gone to the credit union and have my loan in place.

I’ve researched the prices, accessories and was ready, willing and able to purchase a vehicle now.

1. Went to dealer ship and walked the entire lot.

2 I opened doors and was sitting in several auto’s.

3. Looked at the Prius and the Camry Hybrid.

4. Waited and waited and waited for someone to come and offer to help me purchase an auto.

5. I finally walked into the showroom. Two guys laid back sitting at the desk shooting the breeze, “Can I help you?”  “Well, yes. I’m here to buy a car.”  “Oh, I’ll find someone to help you.”

6. Told him which one I wanted and the only extra I wanted was the Bluetooth capability.

7. He brings me over the full price invoice for me to sign….. “Woo, we haven’t talked price yet” I said. Shocked, he tells me that with the government rebate Cash for Clunkers, the dealers no longer have to make deals!

8. Well, I’ve researched the price on the internet and I’m willing to pay $24,000.

9. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. (I had already told him, I wasn’t going to play that game.)  We finally came to an agreement and shook hands on it.

10. Gathering all the booklets and keys to give to me. He comes back with, Oh, Barbara, that rebate is for the 2009 not the 2010. Let me see if I have a 2009. 

11.  He had a black one. I don’t want a black car!

12. I left the dealer ship and told him I might be back when they are willing to deal. 

 

Where has customer service gone? I can't believe that a company would let a buyer who was perfectly ready and willing to buy walk out without a contract.

This same kind of thing happens to me when I go alone to electronic, computer, appliance stores & restaurants. When I take a male with me it is always different story. 

I would think that a store that caters to women would  be very welcome and would be a gold mine. I know I’m not alone in my frustration!!

 

Barbara Whisenant

Your Friend in the Business

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/barbarawhis

Be my Friend on Facebook: Barbara Whisenant http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1343841132&ref=ts

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawhisenant

Read my Blog: www.barbarawhis.com

Visit my website: www.Homes4SaleSanDiego.com

P.S. It's my intention to build lifelong relationships one client at a time. If you know of a friend, co-worker or family member who has a real estate need, please contact me. Your personal referrals are the greatest compliment I can receive!

A Division of Richard Realty Groups, Inc 5411 Avenida Encinas, Suite 110, Carlsbad, CA. 92008 Cell: (760) 583-2107    eFax: (760) 496-1649   DRE# 01357594

Team Women Breakfast Mixer! August 10th 9am

It’s a Team Women Breakfast Mixer! Hey Ladies!! Team Women Carlsbad is having a Breakfast Mixer and we would love for you to join us! Our chapter meets every other Monday morning at 9am for networking, referral sharing, a few laughs, and lot's of wonderful support. We have a great group of smart, hard working, engaging ladies and we would love for you to come check out our group and join in the fun. Please RSVP on our Team Women Carlsbad event site (you’ll find the Mixer under events along with our bi-weekly meeting schedule) as soon as you can, We need to give the great people at The Q Restaurant a head count. See you: Monday August 10th! 9 am - 10:30 am The Q Restaurant 2725 Vista Way Oceanside, CA 92054 (760) 757-7070 Bridget Ayers , Coordinator Team Women Carlsbad Visit your Network's Official Website. Please contact me if I may be of further assistance. Barbara Whisenant Your Friend in the Business Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/barbarawhis Be my Friend on Facebook: Barbara Whisenant http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1343841132&ref=ts Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawhisenant Read my Blog: www.barbarawhis.com Visit my website: www.Homes4SaleSanDiego.com A Division of Richard Realty Groups, Inc 6986 El Camino Real, Ste. H, Carlsbad, CA. 92009 Cell: (760) 583-2107 eFax: (760) 496-1649 DRE# 01357594 Check out the list below for the core professions that Team Women are looking for! A Accountant, Accounting Software, Acupuncture, Advertising - Print, Advertising Specialties (Promotional Products), Air conditioning/Heating, Appraiser, Architect, Artist, Assisted Living Home Manager, Attorney – Business, Attorney - Copyright/Trademark, Attorney - Family Law, Attorney - International, Attorney - Real Estate, Attorney - Tax, Attorney - Transactional,Attorney – Trust & Probate, Audits - Reviews & Financial Consulting, Auto Detailer, Auto Rentals, Auto Sales, Automotive Fleet Buying, Auto Repair B Bakery, Bankcard/Merchant Services, Banker, Barber, Bartender, Beauty Supplies, Bookkeeper, Building Contractor, Business Equipment C Candle Sales, Carpet cleaning, Carpet Installation, Catering, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Rolfer, Chef, Child & School Advocate, Childcare/Babysitter, Chiropractor, Closet Designer, Clothing, Coach - Executive, Coach - Life, Coach - Marketing, Coach - Speech, Coach - Weight Loss, Coffee Services, College Consultant, Commercial Banking, Commercial Printing, Computer Consultant/Software Developer, Copy Center, Corporate Gifts/Gift Baskets, Corporate Trainer, Cosmetics & Make Up D Dental Hygienist, Dentist, Direct Mail Marketing, Disc Jockey, Dog Trainer, Dog Walker, Driver, Dry Cleaners E Electrician, Entertainment, Escrow Officer, Esthetician, Event Planner, Event Speaker, Executive Recruiter F Feng Shui Consultant, Floor & Window Covering, Foreign Language Teacher, Furniture Rental, Furniture Upholsterer G Gardner, Gift Baskets, Grant Writer, Graphic Artist, Gymnastics Instructor H Hair stylist, Handyperson, Hard Disk Crash Recovery, Headhunter, Health Care Organization, Healthy Food Delivery, Home Inspector, Home Remodeling, Home Staging Professional, Housekeeper, Housepainter, House sitter I Image/Color Consultant, In-Home Care Nurse, Innkeeper, Insurance - Home/Auto, Insurance - Property/Casualty, International Conference Coordinator, Internet Marketing Expert, Interior design J Jewelry - Fine K Fine Kitchen Tools Consultant L Landscaper M Makeup Artist, Management Consulting & Strategic Business Planning, Manicurist/Pedicurist, Marketing & Graphic Design, Marketing - workshops and seminars, Marriage Counselor, Massage Therapist, Meal Assembly, Midwife, Minister/Clergy, Money Manager, Mortgage Lender, Mortician, Mover, Music Teacher N Notary/fingerprinting, Nutritional Supplements, Nutritionist O Obstetrician, Online Party Expert, Optometrist P Painter, Payroll Company, Permanent Make-Up, Personal Assistant, Personal Chef, Personal Fitness Training, Personal Shopper, Pest & Termite Control, Pet Sitter, Personal Concierge/Errands, Personal Shopper, Physical Therapist, Photographer - Commercial, Photographer - Portrait, Physician, Piano Teacher, Plant Service, Plastic Surgeon, Plumber, Pool contractor, Prepaid Legal Services, Primary Care Physician, Printer, Printer Cartridges & Repair, Private Detective, Professional Gift Service, Professional Organizer, Professional Writer, Promotional Products/Clothing, Property Manager, Psychic, Psychologist, Psychiatrist Q Quilter R Real Estate Appraiser, Realtor - commercial, , Reiki Master, Roofing S Seamstress/Tailor, Shoe Repair, Sign Language Interpreter, Speech Therapist, Spiritual Advisor/Clergy, Staffing Specialist, Stockbroker, Supplemental Insurance T Tarot Reader, Teambuilding, Time Management Consultant, Title Insurance, Training / Developmental, Training – Management, Training – Technical, Translator, Travel Agent, Tutor V Veterinarian, Video Production, Violin Teacher, Virtual Assistant, Voice Teacher, Vintner W Weaver, Wedding Cakes, Wedding Consultant, Web Design & Hosting, Wedding Consultant, Web Designer, Window Treatments, Y Yodeler, Yoga Instructor Z Zen Teacher

CA State Real Estate Market Data

Below, please find the latest market data for CA State.

Median Price May '09: $267,570

Median Price April '09: $256,700

Median Price May '08: $384,540

Change in Price vs. Prior Month: $10,870,4.2%

Change in Price vs. May '08: $-116,970,-30.4%

Change in Sales Prior Month: 2.9%

Change in Sales Prior Year: 35.2%



Please contact me if I may be of further assistance.

Barbara Whisenant

Your Friend in the Business

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/barbarawhis

Be my Friend on Facebook: Barbara Whisenant http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1343841132&ref=ts

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawhisenant

Read my Blog: www.barbarawhis.com

Visit my website: www.Homes4SaleSanDiego.com

A Division of Richard Realty Groups, Inc 6986 El Camino Real, Ste. H, Carlsbad, CA. 92009 Cell: (760) 583-2107 eFax: (760) 496-1649

The "Real" Credit Score

Did you know that Equifax is the only credit bureau that gives you your real credit score?

Experian & Transunion just give you a score that they make up and is not the FICO score used by credit lenders to give you a loan.


If you're going to pay money to get your credit score, make sure you go to Myfico.com or Equifax.com to get the real FICO score.

Quizzle.com will give you a free one that is estimated. I just did it and it was easy.

Barbara Whisenant

Your Friend in the Business

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/barbarawhis

Be my Friend on Facebook: Barbara Whisenant http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1343841132&ref=ts

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawhisenant

Read my Blog: www.barbarawhis.com

Visit my website: www.Homes4SaleSanDiego.com

A Division of Richard Realty Groups, Inc 6986 El Camino Real, Ste. H, Carlsbad, CA. 92009 Cell: (760) 583-2107 eFax: (760) 496-1649

Countrywide California Foreclosures

Countrywide posted the following charts that reflect the current trend in California Foreclosures with their institution.
(As of June 9, 2009)

Remember when looking at these charts that the government imposed a moratorium on foreclosures during the holiday season 2008, and it wasn't officially lifted until March 31, 2009.

The foreclosure process on many loans would not even begin until after the March 31 date. Please see http://www.Homes4SaleSanDiego.com for foreclosure time lines in California.






































These charts show what we in the real estate industry already know. The lenders are holding off on foreclosing on properties to try a protect the economy from completely going down the tubes.

Barbara Whisenant

Your Friend in the Business

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/barbarawhis

Be my Friend on Facebook: Barbara Whisenant http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1343841132&ref=ts

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawhisenant

Read my Blog: www.barbarawhis.com

Visit my website: www.Homes4SaleSanDiego.com

A Division of Richard Realty Groups, Inc 6986 El Camino Real, Ste. H, Carlsbad, CA. 92009 Cell: (760) 583-2107 eFax: (760) 496-1649

The Short Sale Boomerang Bomb

All translations are provided for your convenience by the Google Translate Tool. The publishers, authors, and digital providers of this publication are not responsible for any errors that may occur during the translation process. If you intend on relying upon the translation for any purpose other than your own casual enjoyment, you should have this publication professionally translated at your own expense.

The Short Sale Boomerang Bomb
Doreen Roberts

Q. What is worse than waiting for months to close
a short sale and having it fall through?

A. Closing a short sale that comes back like a boomerang two or three years later to explode your world.

Risk management experts are telling REALTORS® that the short sale lender-prepared documents that are required to close a short sale often include a requirement for the seller to agree to be responsible for the deficient balance - even on loans that would normally not be recourse obligations.

How does this affect you as a REALTOR®? If you encourage a seller to sign the Short Sale Lender Approval Agreement to get the transaction closed more quickly, it could be considered “practicing law without a license”- a violation of Article 13 of the NAR Code of Ethics. Beyond the ethical ramifications, if the seller later learns that they signed an agreement which commits them to a debt that they might not have had to pay if they had not closed the short sale and just went into foreclosure, their attorney could come after you for damages.

It’s not a great situation to wait months and then find out the short sale lender is requiring the seller to agree to terms that may be quite disagreeable. The smart agent will refer the seller to a local attorney with a lot of experience in these matters who may be able to negotiate the term off the agreement or perhaps advise the seller not to go through with the short sale.

Gov Hutchinson, C.A.R.’s Assistant General Counsel, advises that some short sale lenders who do not require the deficiency clause in their agreement might still be able to come back against the seller for recourse obligations. A specific waiver of deficiency responsibility would have to be negotiated with the lender.

Risk management experts recommend that a seller should consult with an attorney prior to listing a short sale property to review their loan documents, financial situation and the possibility of a deficiency balance responsibility before deciding whether a short sale or foreclosure would be best.

Be smart. Don’t take risks today for something that could boomerang back tomorrow. Make sure your short sale seller clients are getting expert advice before they sign Short Sale Lender Approval Agreements.

Barbara Whisenant

Your Friend in the Business

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/barbarawhis

Be my Friend on Facebook: Barbara Whisenant http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1343841132&ref=ts

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawhisenant

Read my Blog: www.barbarawhis.com

Visit my website: www.Homes4SaleSanDiego.com

A Division of Richard Realty Groups, Inc 6986 El Camino Real, Ste. H, Carlsbad, CA. 92009 Cell: (760) 583-2107 eFax: (760) 496-1649

Strange Times in North San Diego Real Estate..

How can buyers and sellers make sense of it?

Bidding wars. Moratoriums. Foreclosures. Short sales. Rising and falling median home prices. Over-reported home sales in May.

How are San Diego buyers and sellers supposed to interpret it all?

This much is certain. Something very strange is happening in the San Diego home market as a result of natural market dynamics and artificial government regulation.

On one hand, we hear about the diminishing number of foreclosures because of the government imposed moratorium on lending institutions. The government is saying to banks, “Since we've saved you with public money, we are going to make it harder for you to foreclose on peoples’ homes.”

We also hear about the difficulty of successfully navigating short sales. These deals seem to frustrate nearly all involved as they wait for lenders to agree to reasonable terms.

Meanwhile the banks have investors demanding that something be done with the non-producing home loan assets. The foreclosure inventory diminishes and bidding wars ensue on the relatively few available properties while pressure builds within the banks to get rid of the many (and growing) delinquent loans.

This conflict of market economics and government regulation has created some truly strange symptoms.

A case study of the confusion

This week I heard about a foreclosure (REO) “sale” to an enthusiastic buyer who needed FHA financing and who had excellent credit. The only problem for everyone involved in the deal was that the accepted offer was 20% higher than the appraisal. (Had the bidding war had gone amok?)

The reactions of various parties to the transaction became sort of a case study of frustration and of how bizarre the current real estate market is in San Diego.

After receiving the lower appraisal, the bank’s REO asset manager indirectly told the buyer to just “cancel” the purchase. The appraisal was simply “unacceptable” (even though a larger comparable had sold in the neighborhood for less).

Yet this is where things get really interesting.

The REO bank and the buyer’s lending bank were the exact same institution. In other words, the REO asset manager couldn’t possibly hope for a more balanced appraisal (Furthermore, FHA rules require that the appraisal stick with the property for six months after the appraisal so there was no way for the asset manager to "escape" the appraisal.)

The reaction of the buyer’s agent was quite peculiar (and a quite frankly embarrassing). The agent plead with the mortgage broker of the bank for a higher appraisal.

This is disturbing on at least two levels. First, the agent should have seen this as an opportunity to be the hero and negotiate a better deal for the buyer. Second, the agent clearly didn’t understand the futility of the request for a better appraisal. Who could possibly be more impartial than an appraiser representing both sides of the deal (i.e. the REO asset manager of the bank and the lending side of the same bank)? Also, FHA lending rules simply do not allow you to "shop" for an appraisal.

So what are we to learn from experiences like this?

Time will tell but in a market of increasing loan delinquencies and high unemployment, the reactions of some real estate players seem to be quite confused and contradictory at times. Patience and professionalism is needed on both the buying and selling side of any home sale in San Diego.

Meanwhile, the pressure of investors on their banks’ boards of directors increases daily to take decisive action on their non-producing loan assets.

Author: Brian Flock

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/barbarawhis

Be my Friend on Facebook: Barbara Whisenant http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1343841132&ref=ts

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarawhisenant

Read my Blog: www.barbarawhis.com

Visit my website: www.Homes4SaleSanDiego.com

A Division of Richard Realty Groups, Inc 6986 El Camino Real, Ste. H, Carlsbad, CA. 92009 Cell: (760) 583-2107 eFax: (760) 496-1649