Tuesday, April 25, 2017

The Real Estate Broker Conductor Dance

Dancing.

Not a favorite pastime for me.

When I was younger, I danced - well I thought I was dancing.  It might have been a sloppy swaying  or obnoxious gyration of my body.  But, I thought I was dancing.  Even if others didn't see the magic in my artful moves.

Lately, with commercial real estate (CRE) values in Las Vegas returning to their slow progression of increasing in value, I thought that Buyers would suddenly realize that the steals are gone and the Sellers would realize that they are NOT holding gold in their lands.

Oh, well.  I can only hope that the coming of the future tells them the truth -- even if Buyers want to ignore recent sales; and Sellers try to use non-comparable properties to justify an unrealistic value.

But, what hasn't changed in the 20 plus years while working CRE in Las Vegas is the dance.

Yes, the Buyer/Seller dance that starts with either the Seller or the Buyer -- it doesn't matter who starts dancing.  As long as one party or the other finds the property attractive enough that one or the other begins a dialog which might result in a potential sale.  That's what us Real Estate Brokers want to occur.

Usually, the Buyer finds a property of interest to them; then the Seller plays the hard to get game; followed by Buyer changes the viewing/walking the property time; then, the Seller fights back with  'we need to know certain Buyer qualification conditions in order to move forward;' which the Buyer then will flash their qualifications; which the Seller refuses to accept or budge.
You get the picture!

And us frustrated Real Estate Brokers are the ones who end up playing conductor.
We would be in charge of the Buyer/Seller orchestra as it plays.  All we can do is to keep trying our best and to keep up and (pretend maybe) to be fully in charge of this crazy scenario.

Now, you will have to trust me on this.  I am fully capable and experienced in helping anyone acquire a CRE property; or help a Buyer or Seller close a real estate sale -- but it is essential that the Buyer/Seller parties co-operate.

And, that is the key.

As the conductor of this musical chair scenario, it's my job to help the parties find the common ground.  Which is ground we all can stand on with two feet solidly on a firm surface.

But, as this dance is playing out, inside I am thinking: "Holy (insert your favorite word) !!!

My weary feet usually don't find the rest they need until the Escrow is closed and the property officially transfers -- changing ownership via Recording at the County.

So, you ready to dance?

To Contact David Howes try: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR; 7 0 2 5 01 9 3 8 8 AND Please #Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes Have a nice day!

Monday, April 17, 2017

Real Estate Commission: Is it a Representation Fee OR Marketing Fee?

Around the first of the year, I started seeing properties listed For Sale with "Price NOT Disclosed."

Now, it's one thing to try and keep the sale of a Commercial Real Estate property quiet.  It's another to know what a property is actually worth and list it for sale at that price.

First: Keeping the For Sale aspect quiet usually means the Owner/Seller doesn't want to lose Tenants IF the Tenant finds out the Owner no longer wants to own a specific property.

But, to list a property For sale and NOT have a set selling price in mind, to me, means the Owner/Seller doesn't know what his property is truly worth.  And, for that matter, neither does the Listing Broker.

And when a Listing Broker accepts such a listing, they actually are doing a disservice to us fellow Real Estate Brokers.

Second: the Owner/Seller/Broker compounds the selling problem with the little known and rarely seldom used: "Buyer to Pay Procuring Broker's fee."

C'mon, really?



Recently, I discussed this with another Real Estate Broker.  He said that if the Owner/Seller is trying to maximize his selling price/value, he needs to make the Selling Price open for interpretation. Meaning, he wants a bidding war.

The problem with that is that unless you have a well located property and it is in a high demand area, you are NOT going to garner top dollar.

And if you think going the auction route is going to get you top dollar, think again.  Most auction participants are looking for a steal.  And, I mean a real bottom dollar type of steal.

Then, on top of that, the Owner/Seller doesn't think they should pay a fee to a Procuring Broker who is representing a Buyer.

Wait a minute!  Why not?

Yes, it is widely known throughout the real estate industry that representing the Buyer is NOT a legal representation.  So, why would an Owner/Seller refuse to do so -- when it is common practice throughout the world.

Plus, when a Broker is helping a Buyer procure a property, yes they have a fiduciary duty to deal with the Buyer in an honest and forthright manner.  But, there is no legal representation.  Real Estate Agents/Brokers are NOT Attorneys.  They don't specialize in law.

They specialize in marketing.  So, when  Buyer's Broker brings a Buyer to a property, the Owner/Seller is (usually) paying the Brokers Listing and Selling a fee -- which they usually split 50%/50% for marketing the property.

So when recently, I've run into this scenario where the Owner/Seller believes that he is only entitled to paying a Listing Broker, I then know that the Owner/Seller doesn't understand the real estate commission fee situation-standard.

What to do?

I think that more Real Estate Brokers need to understand that fact to and stick to the normal real estate commission fee practice in their area of operation.

Hey, I didn't start the practice of the Owner/Seller paying a real estate commission that's split between two brokerages; I would just like to be compensated for helping an Owner/Seller sell their property through my marketing expertise.

Your Thoughts?

To Contact David Howes try: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR; 7 0 2 5 01 9 3 8 8 AND Please #Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes Have a nice day!

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Las Vegas Raiders! Did anyone ever think the NFL would allow a team to move to Las Vegas?

The NFL has become an 11 month sport.  And with the NFL Draft just around the corner, you can be sure that Football is back in full swing!

With that said, there are fabulous Sports Bar Ownership Opportunities available in Las Vegas for the correct NFL Loving enthusiast.

Now, you don't have to open and run the business yourself.  You could acquire the real estate where the sports bar is located as a Net Leased Investment (NNN).

A NNN is where the tenant pays most (if not all) of the costs on the property to include Real Estate Taxes, Insurance and Common Area Maintenance.

Now, most local Las Vegans didn't or couldn't go to games of their favorite teams, so they just sauntered on down to the NFL Team Bar that are all over the Las Vegas Valley.

There, they could wet their whistles and make friendly talk and even wager on their teams games right inside of the bar!

That's right!  Some Sports Bars have what is known as a wagering kiosk that can accept bets on the NFL games playing that weekend.  And, this allows you to make a wager without having to go to a major resort to place a bet at a sports book!

And, these are located in particular sports bars because of the credibility of the Tenant -- which makes owning the real estate that the bar operator is located a more than solid NNN Investment!

And, one of the benefits of owning and renting a Nevada Property, if you are a Nevada Resident, you don't have business nor personal income tax on the monthly rent you receive.

It's one of the main reasons high profile persons will also own a home and live in Nevada.
That way they only pay income tax on money they earn while working in other states.
Many Celebrities do this.

(Please consult your tax person for details.)

So, if earning a passive income of +/-$10,000 per month sounds interesting to you, you need to contact me quickly.

There are real estate properties available.  But, for further details, you need...

To Contact David Howes: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR; 7 0 2 5 01 9 3 8 8 AND Please #Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes Have a nice day!

Friday, April 7, 2017

'Hypothetical' Market Value!?

In my years as a Licensed Real Estate Broker, I think I can smell a rat when I come upon a rat.

This is just a revelation of a recent event that took place here in Las Vegas, NV.

A fairly new client is searching for a particular property.  He's young yet has some experience.  He has a particular Acquisition Criteria that to me makes sense.

He is searching for this property type in the $10 to $30 Million range; must NOT be older than 1990; and must be fairly well taken care of (preventive maintenance wise).

Okay, not too many properties fit this; but i am willing to "search" for that type of property given the anticipated fee I would receive upon the close of a sale.

Anyway, with that said, I found a property that fit.



The current owner had acquired the property out of foreclosure and had marketed the property to re-sell.

The problem was/is, the current owner thinks his property can be converted to a resort casino.

(Just so every reader knows, just because you own a property in Las Vegas doesn't mean you can have an Unrestricted Gaming License to operate a casino on your land.)

So, I found the property, negotiated a fee and signed the appropriate agreements to proceed with 'selling' this current owners property.

As the information about the property was received in my Inbox, I perused it and was amused at the verbiage while reading the appraisal.

Digging into it further, I re-read the appraisal and was concerned at the verbiage: Hypothetical Market Value.

Now, as everyone who has ever acquired a property -- most of you might have bought a house -- knows, that the appraisal sets a market value for a property -- usually for the lender's purpose of financing the purchase.

So, when I read the words: Hypothetical Market Value in this current owners paperwork I knew that the appraisal wasn't going to be able to be used for any financing.  And, it would never pass a review appraisal process.  I had a good chuckle.

I called my client and asked if he had noticed that.  He did.  But, he wasn't using that as a basis of value.  He was using the current owner's financials for the property and he determined that the property was worth about half what the current owner was asking.

I had to agree.

Well, I emailed the current owner and told him my and the client's concern about the value.

Even though the property was located on Las Vegas Blvd, it was no where even close to being on the "World Famous Las Vegas Strip!"

And even though the zoning was H-1 -- and there was a resort casino nearby -- obtaining an Unrestricted gaming License on this property was going to be difficult at best.

(FYI: Most resort casinos don't share a property line with a SFR residential neighborhood.  Check that out the next time you are in Las Vegas for a visit.)

Bottom-line here is: Just because you own a Las Vegas real estate property, and just because their street address contains Las Vegas Blvd, that doesn't mean the property is valued at or even worth $10 Million an acre.

To Contact David Howes try: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR; 7 0 2 5 01 9 3 8 8 AND Please #Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes Have a nice day!