The recession may not be over, but there are definitely more buyers out there in the west valley communities of Saratoga, Monte Sereno and Los Gatos.  Inventory is also very low, so it is a good time to be a home seller.

Rick Bonetti | Alain Pinel Realtors | 408-857-8800

Alain Pinel has been adding new offices during these difficult times, because now more than ever, consumers realize they need the most professional, competent and experienced Realtor they can find. Real estate transactions today are not easy and there are legal land-mines to be avoided, whether you are a home buyer or a home seller. This is not just the situation caused by short sales or foreclosures, but also for normal sales, because the financing landscape is constantly changing.

In recent years, prior to the economic downturn, many inexperienced people got a real estate license, although most completed only a few transactions each year. Like many fields 10-20% of real estate agents account for 80-90% of the business. Everyone knows a real estate agent, and many are either friends or family. The temptation to use a part time agent with the expectation of receiving a rebate of a portion of their commission has often backfired when the inexperienced agent is unsuccessfully in securing the property or closing the transaction.

Larger real estate companies have a brand to maintain and are seen by the unscrupulous as having deeper pockets, so training of their agents and setting high standards of best practice are of utmost importance. Alain Pinel Realtors has a reputation of being a boutique brokerage, often dealing will more expensive properties. We have weekly sales meeting to review legal matters, financing, changing technology, etc. to keep us top in our field. Setting standards and levels of expected performance are key.

A couple of times very recently I have retold this story of my experience when I decided to join Alain Pinel Realtors 10 years ago: After an enjoyable interview with the President of APR and the mutual decision that it would be a good fit for us to join forces, I was asked by the President if there were anything they could do for me. I responded that I was going on a listing presentation that evening and needing a package of forms that APR used. Upon going to the cupboard where the listing packages were normally stored and finding none there, the President said “we will get one for you right away.” We shook hands and 10 minutes later I received a call on my cell phone with the President saying “Mr. Bonetti, where may I have that listing package delivered to you?” The bar was set as to what my expected level of service was to be; I have never forgotten that eloquent lesson!

Don’t get me wrong. I do think the individual agent is very important to the consumer too. This is why I blog – primarily for the benefit of those who have been referred to me so they will know me even better and feel comfortable that they have made the right choice of whom to represent their interests in a real estate transaction. Having to regularly express my views in this very public way makes me careful to think things through and to be as accurate and fair as I can be.

Occasionally I come into contact with a really exceptional agent not affiliated with a top brokerage and occasionally I see agents within our own brokerage who do not make me proud to be associated with them, but in my experience both are exceptions rather than the rule. Incidentally, my definition of top brokerage is more akin to their reputation for having professional, competent agents and the productivity per agent rather than size of the brokerage in terms of number of agents. We agents know when we are working with pros or not; when we are not, we end up doing their job as well as ours to get it done right.

This topic of whether the agent or the brokerage is more important to the consumer has recently been debated in the March 24, 2010 blog post of Phoenix, Arizona Realtor friend Jay Thompson, who has so far received 244 comments on his post! My conclusion out of all that was written is that unfortunately many brokerages throughout the country are not great brands deserving of good reputations, but those that are will attract the best agents – for those brokerages who pursue excellence, both the company brand and the agent matter to the consumer.

Rick Bonetti | Alain Pinel Realtors | 408-857-8800 | DRE #01237009

As adult childern of aging parents, we often don’t know where to turn for advice to answer questions about what senior housing options are available?  As a Senior Real Estate Specialist, I have information on local caregiver support resources and retirement communities.  I am here to help, so please call me; this is part of my free SRES service. Lots of what SRES real estate agents do is not compensated directly unless a home is actually sold.

Selling your home may be the least of your concerns, but when you finally do need to sell your home, call me first and I help you with that too and be compensated by a referral to the best agent (not me, because January 2011 I retired from direct sales).

Finding the right place for your Mom or Dad may be the first part of the process. I am familiar with a variety of local resources to help your parents make the right move.  I can even point you to service providers that may allow your parents to stay in their home safely if that is appropriate.

There are a variety of published seniors housing directories available. More helpful, there are some excellent local “endercare scouts” such as Monica Farrier, MA who provide free, personal assistance in choosing a retirment or residential care community; she can be reached at 408-338-5447.  Particularly if you are looking outside the local area you can also utilize larger, national referral companies such as A Place For Mom, who have a national elder care referral network of elder housing facilities.  Their database is free to users; referral fees a paid by the participating agencies or facilities.

Just so you understand the process, most larger CCRC retirement communities such as The Forum, Saratoga Retirement Community, The Terraces do not pay referral fees as they have their own marketing staff.  Smaller retirement facilities rely on referrals from eldercare scouts.  Again, Realtors are compensated only if we make a house sale.

For elders with even more complex medical concerns (beyond just housing alternatives), there are outstanding geriatric specialists such as Elizabeth A. Landsverk, MD, founder of ElderConsult, who conduct a comprehensive, expert medical care plan for older individuals.  An initial consultation generally takes 1 1/2 – 2 hours and is usually done with the entire family and not just the aging parent.  ElderConsult is a unique specialty medical practice focusing on patients suffering from complex medical, mood or cognitive problems.  I highly recommend Elizabeth and she makes house calls!

Additional links from this blog: http://saratogavoice.com/wordpress/2009/03/04/trends-in-50-housing/

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Rick Bonetti | Alain Pinel Realtors | Saratoga, CA | 408-857-8800

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Yesterday I attended REBarCampSiliconValley in San Jose, CA at the AXIS high-rise.  There were about 150 real estate bloggers  (like myself) who also use social media to connect with other Realtors to “stay ahead of the curve” and in the process provide better service to their clients.

While there were some outside professional consultants to the industry, almost everyone was quite knowledgeable and they contributed to the discussion rather than just sat back to be passive sponges taking in everything new.  It was what I call “open source” real estate.  We all learned from each other sharing our knowledge and experience openly without fear of having our secrets stolen by a competitor.  And as a result, we all benefited.  It was a free event and although there were generous sponsors who underwrote the event, few were blatantly pitching their services or product.

Today is Tech Tuesday at California Association of Realtors convention in San Jose, CA which will probably have a more traditional formal format of speakers and audience.  The convention floor will have vendors pitching their wares and a very different feel.

With the rise of the Internet, Realtors are no longer the guardians of private information about listings, but they are even more important to a transaction because of their knowledge and experience in contract matters, negotiating tactics, market trends, true market valuation, marketing, networking and customer service.  In the same way that today consumers are more proactive in their own health management, we still need doctors, lawyers, accountants and other professionals for their skills, detailed knowledge and experience.

Part of how I try to practice real estate  is to give a little more than is expected in this open source world. In Louisiana they call it “Lagniappe” (lan-yap) – It’s the unexpected treat at a nice restaurant; the extra roll in a bakers dozen; the free samples at Costco; even the penny jar at the local retailer.  This “open source real estate” in Saratoga, I call it the “Art and Heart of Real Estate.”

I am inspired by the saying of Jesus “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38