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Salida Colorado Real Estate - Better than Leadville, Mas Buena que Buena Vista

My friend Michael Hawley started doing Real Estate in Salida, Colorado a little while ago. If you don't know, Salida is located at the exit (Salida means exit in Spanish) of a high mountain plain in Colorado that includes Buena Vista, Poncha Springs, and several other cities. It's the "banana belt" of Colorado meaning that temperatures in Salida remain pretty moderate all winter long. There's still skiing at Monarch - one of the few low price, low pressure, high quality ski mountains left in Colorado and snow-shoeing and other activities aplenty all winter. But you can also ride your mountain bike on a nice winter day.

Mike is a really great guy and I definitely recommend him for any Salida real estate needs. And really, if you're looking for mountain living in Colorado it's hard to think of a better location than Salida.

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Comments

The pitfalls of referrals in real estate.

The pitfalls of referrals in real estate.
There are many reasons why a person would refer a real estate agent. The reason, he is my "Friend" is not a good enough. Corporations, lawyers and even home builders subject themselves to potential litigation when referring a single source for a real estate professional. As most people who have gone through the process of purchasing a home, what can go wrong -will go wrong! Do you really want a person who can only source friendship as a reason to do business? Area knowledge, experience, and referenced professionalism in all aspect of a real estate transaction will be the ammunition needed from any real estate representative. Please have people who happen to use your site as a potential source of credible information go to local real estate boards and conduct the proper research on a potential Realtor. The local board of Realtors will be more then happy to assist in the process. If things go wrong at that point, then the customer has the local board to fall back on instead of a broker trying to negotiate a close. You would be surprised how things, all-of-a-sudden ‘go right’ when the local board is involved.

referrals

He is my friend and my experience with his work has been consistently high quality. That's the basis of all referrals - a history of high quality interactions. Should I purposefully not refer to someone because they are my friend? Doubtful.

Your point is applicable to all referrals, not just real estate. Referrals make up one part of an overall picture that needs to be researched if you want a good resolution. Your call for me to ask people to do their own research via multiple sources is redundant with the world we live in - if someone takes action based on one random point of view then that's their fault. I'm not going to write a guide to being skeptical just so that I can be balanced in my advice.

Well Said

Well Said. You can not refer real estate agents/brokers just because they are your friends and relatives.

Yes You Can

Actually, you can give a decent referral if it iss simply your "friend" and here's why: becuase you more than likely know your friend better than most people and you trust them and therefore, you can have faith in them to do the right thing - even in a real estate deal.

Salida

I really like climates like Salida. The temperature during the wintertime can really become bothersome when it drops too low! Do they get as much snow as the rest of Colorado?

snow in salida in the winter?

I'm not sure, I think it's a lot less than "normal" for Colorado, though Colorado gets a lot less snow than most people think. So...

Either way, the answer is: not much snow.

Personal Referrals in Real Estate

I just stumbled across this post while looking for information on a real estate agent in your area. I thought the discussion was interesting and I think that both Greggles and all of the Real Estate Agents who posted have good points.

Maybe the best answer is a combination of both ideas. After all, REALTORS® are in the RELATIONSHIP BUSINESS. There needs to be an element of trust as well as technical expertise. Different clients have different needs. Some make decisions based on data alone, some go with their "gut" feelings or instincts, and others do a little of both. It depends on the client and their style. Every client needs to FEEL that their real estate agent is a good person who will treat them with respect and work in their best interest (and not rip them off)! So personal referrals can give you a good feel for a person if you know the person doing the referring. But the other side of the coin has to be examined as well.

As a REALTOR® licensed in Minnesota, I refer potential out-of-state clients to a REALTOR® in their area. Here are some of the questions I ask or might ask if I had no way of checking for myself.

1) How long have you been in the business?
2) How many successful transactions did you close last year? Don't be overly impressed by a total dollar
amount - the number of successful transactions is what is important.
3) Are you a full time or part time real estate agent?
4) Do you work with buyers, sellers, and/or investors?
5) Have you succssfully closed any short sales, foreclosures, or bank owned properties (if applicable)?
6) How do you attract buyers and what EXACTLY do you do to market my home for sale? Make them give you
a list of the steps they are going to take to market your home and attract a buyer (if you are a Seller).
7) Do you provide any service guarantees?
8) Have you ever been fined by your local MLS board? But keep in mind that some fines are for major infractions
and others can be for minor technical infractions of the MLS rules. If the answer is yes, get more details but
don't jump to conclusions. Try to find out what exactly the fines were for and don't be overly concerned about
"rookie mistakes" like taking more than 3 days to post a photo on the MLS in the first year of the agent's career.
As long as the agent agent admits to having made some mistakes in their early career and they have taken
a corrective action; that just tells you they are human.
9) Have you ever been investigated by the State of Minnesota Department of Commerce
(or the appropriate department that regulates and licenses Real Estate Agents in your area) for any reason?
Now this is where you need to be concerned if they have been in trouble with the State, but again if the
answer is yes, get more details. They may have been cleared of any wrong-doing.
10) Have you ever been charged with fraud, theft, or other financial related crime? Again, get details before jumping
to any conclusions.
11) Have you ever filed bankruptcy or gone through a foreclosure personally? This is one they don't have to disclose,
but many will. Keep in mind that there may have been mitigating circumstances. You want to get details if you
can.

Both questions 8 and 11 are meant to be more about finding the right person for you and not so much about whether the agent is a good agent or not.

For example, I am a very detailed oriented and organized person. If I were looking for an agent, I would want one who is a lot like me. I would be less likely to choose someone who was fined by the MLS board for stupid little stuff. Not because that makes an agent bad, but because it doesn't fit with MY personality style. Some people learn from their mistakes. In fact I am convinved that some people actually NEED mistakes to learn from. So just use those kinds of questions to help you determine if you and the potential agent will get along well.

Questions 9 and 10 are more serious, but again make sure you get details. And remember, we are all human. Having an agent who went through hard times in the past (like going through a bankruptcy because of catastrophic medical bills) may actually be a good choice for someone going through hard times now.

If you want something kind of fun to do, take a DISC assessment (you can google and find lots of sites, some have free assessments you can take) and find out what kind of person you are. That might help you find someone you will feel comfortable with.

Of course, this is NOT intended to be legal advice, but more "food for thought" than anything else...

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DISC stands for:
Dominance
Influence
Steadiness (or Submissive)
Conscientious (or Compliant)

Dominance: People who score high in the intensity of the "D" styles factor are very active in dealing with problems and challenges, while low "D" scores are people who want to do more research before committing to a decision. High "D" people are described as demanding, forceful, egocentric, strong willed, driving, determined, ambitious, aggressive, and pioneering. Low D scores describe those who are conservative, low keyed, cooperative, calculating, undemanding, cautious, mild, agreeable, modest and peaceful.

Influence: People with High "I" scores influence others through talking and activity and tend to be emotional. They are described as convincing, magnetic, political, enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, demonstrative, trusting, and optimistic. Those with Low "I" scores influence more by data and facts, and not with feelings. They are described as reflective, factual, calculating, skeptical, logical, suspicious, matter of fact, pessimistic, and critical.

Steadiness (Submission): People with High "S" styles scores want a steady pace, security, and do not like sudden change. High "S" persons are calm, relaxed, patient, possessive, predictable, deliberate, stable, consistent, and tend to be unemotional and poker faced. Low "S" intensity scores are those who like change and variety. People with Low "S" scores are described as restless, demonstrative, impatient, eager, or even impulsive.

Conscientious (Compliance): Persons with High "C" styles adhere to rules, regulations, and structure. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. High "C" people are careful, cautious, exacting, neat, systematic, diplomatic, accurate, and tactful. Those with Low "C" scores challenge the rules and want independence and are described as self-willed, stubborn, opinionated, unsystematic, arbitrary, and careless with details.

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As you can guess... I am a strong "C" with a some "D" mixed in. That makes me a great REALTOR® to work with people who rely primarily on data to make their decisions (like engineers, doctors, technicians, etc), but it makes it harder for me to attract clients who rely primarily on their feelings or how much fun they are having to make their decisions (like clergy, artists, sociologists, child care providers, etc). And although I do try to adapt to each client, sometimes people just don't "clique" with each other.

I hope that helps someone out there....

Patti Ann