Rosen Properties Blog » relocating

25 Most Deadly Building Fires of All Time

Dick Rosen — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:23:33 +0000

No matter which career path you take in your fire science interests, an attempt to understand the causes of fires and how they may take lives remains a concern. Recent wildfires in Texas, while sometimes uncontainable for days, often don’t take as many lives as short-lived blazes within hotels and nursing homes. A cigarette or a match thrown into the woods may take homes, but the same fire source may take as many lives within one nightclub — and it is that loss of lives that makes a fire memorable, especially when people die from suffocation, inhalation of building materials and in the crush of panic to leave a building. The skill lies in learning how to avoid those situations again…although — as you may see in the list below — history often repeats itself. The following 25 fires occurred in the U.S., and they are ranked in order of their deadliness.

Follow this link to continue reading: http://www.firesciencedegree.com/25-most-deadly-building-fires-of-all-time/

It’s About People, then Houses, then Investment

Dick Rosen — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 07:40:12 +0000

Ever wonder why most real estate agents focus on consumer market rather than the investor market?

It’s all about their mistaken belief that the best and surest way to a big payday is by identifying a seller, listing his property and then finding someone to buy that property at a price that will generate the highest commission. Even better if the agent happens to represent both the buyer and seller and won’t have to split that commission with someone else (although such dual representation is not legal in all states).

The quicker the transaction happens the better, so the agent can identify another home for sale with a potential big commission, and the cycle repeats itself. Again and again.

What’s Wrong With This Picture?

First of all, it’s about selling homes first and serving people second, all the while trying to maximize commissions. It totally disregards the potentially bigger commissions that an agent can make by understanding and serving the investor-buyer.

Investors require a different degree and depth of attention from an agent than does an owner-occupier. The investor represents problems for many real estate agents who “don’t do (investor) math”. Many agents also assume that investors want deep discounts and take too much time to make up their minds. This due diligence is often mistaken for indecision, and it is something most real estate agents are not trained to support.

This is not to say, however, that there are no expert real estate professionals who serve investors effectively. They do exist; it is just that they are the exception.

Relationships or Transactions?

So where do the potentially bigger commissions come in? It’s all in the math. Most homebuyers buy or trade up homes once every five to seven years, which makes repeat business distant.

A relationship with a serious investor, on the other hand, can be recurring and generate three to four times the commission revenue that an agent recieves from that one homebuyer transaction over the time that the average owner-occupier holds one house. The active investor does 10 to 15 times the number of transactions in the same period.

Then the relationship gets more interesting because most successful investors are connected to a network of additional prospects and investor-friendly providers. For examples of how the homebuyer and investor markets differ, see the table below.

11 REASONS WHY REAL ESTATE INVESTORS ARE ALWAYS A GREAT HOME SALES MARKET FOR REAL ESTATE AGENTS*

Client Difference	Home Buyer	Investor Buyer
1. Client Universe	Local	National
2. Market Reach	Regional Homebuyer	National Investors
3. Typical Prospect Pool? (Est.)	5% of reg. population	100% of national investors
4. Market Requirement	Neighborhood home	Solid investment returns
5. Decision basis	Home – location	Return on investment – location
6. Due Diligence Process	Personal appeal	Investment/return/cash-on-cash
7. Purchase frequency by satisfied client	1x every 5 to 7 years	1 to 2.3 homes per year
8. Commission per transaction	3% – 6%	2% – 6%
9. Median ’09 price = $175k*	$5,250 x 1 houses/5 yrs	$3,500 @ 1 house/yr x 5 yrs
10. Gross commissions/yr x 5 yrs	$1,050	$3,500 +
11. Total commissions/client	$5,250 over 5 years	$17,500 + over 5 years
*(if you know how to serve them)**

Fundamentals & Technicals

These deals do not come from the traditional “Honey stop the car,” open house, curb-appeal sales pitch. Investors can make decisions far more rapidly than most homeowners, as they are looking at the numbers, the investment and the exit scenario.

Historic home sale trends are pretty clear. According to the National Association of Realtors 2009 Second Home and Investor Study, slightly more than 20 percent of the home sales in the United States are made to investors. Our 2008 The Invaluable Investor Study placed this number at 28 percent. The NAR held at 21 percent for that year by analyzing mortgages.

Total investor sales for 2009 is not record setting, but it is among historic lows. Going forward, sales are expected to be a constant percentage of the market. As the market grows, so will this transaction volume.

Real estate is on sale, and an investor can buy positive cash flow inexpensively. This has not been lost on sophisticated investors or investment managers.

Has Your Real Estate Agent Failed To Deliver?

Dick Rosen — Mon, 24 May 2010 23:14:20 +0000

When you told your real estate agent that you needed to sell your house, you probably heard great stories about how it would sell in no time, at a great price.

But, that’s NOT how it’s worked out. Instead of hearing great stories, now you’re hearing great excuses for why your realtor hasn’t sold your house: “It needs more bedrooms; you need to come down in price; the school district isn’t the best”, etc.

We Can Buy Your Home Fast, Your Realtor Can’t

At this point, what you really need is to sell your house now. That’s where we come in: We aren’t interested in listing your house again; we want to buy it! We are professional real estate investors – not real estate agents. We’ve built our reputation over the years for quick action and fair prices. We can often give you even more than one solution to your problem.

You just want an honest, fair way to sell your house, without realtor excuses. That’s exactly what we’ll provide.

Selling Your House Because Of Fire Damage?

Dick Rosen — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:35:54 +0000

One moment your property is fine, and the next it’s up in flames. Even if everyone got out OK, it’s still a tremendous shock. Your property is ruined, your possessions destroyed.

If that’s not enough, now you have to deal with city officials, insurance adjusters, contractors that never show up.

Help For Your Damaged Home

If you’re seriously considering selling your house, you need someone who can look beyond the fire damage, and see the value that you once had in the property.

We’re professional investors that can do just that. We know how to fix damaged properties for far less money than what contractors will tell you–and we buy houses for more than you thought possible.

Has Your Real Estate Agent Failed To Deliver?

Dick Rosen — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:58:09 +0000

When you told your real estate agent that you needed to sell your house, you probably heard great stories about how it would sell in no time, at a great price.

We Can Buy Your Home Fast, Your Realtor Can’t

You just want an honest, fair way to sell your house, without realtor excuses. That’s exactly what we’ll provide.

Do You Have To Sell Your House Quickly Because Of A Job Transfer Or Relocation?

Dick Rosen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:59:30 +0000

One minute things are settledâ€¦ and the next, your world turns inside out. You have to move, and soon!

Real estate agents can take months to sell a house and you donâ€™t have that kind of time.Â And, you canâ€™t afford to â€˜dumpâ€™ it for a ridiculously low price.Â How can you sell your house quickly, and still get a good price?

Specializing In Job Transfer & Relocation Situations

You’ve come to the right place! We specialize in job transfer and relocation situations to help sell your home.Â We can usually give you not just one, but several options for solving your problem.Â When you meet with us, we’ll listen carefully to your situation, and will quickly formulate choices that no one else probably told you about.Â You have enough on your mind with your relocation or job transfer; let us help you take one worry “off your plate”!