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Realtor Spotlight: Nick Ratliff Of Lexington, Kentucky

January 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Realtor Nick RatliffI had the pleasure of meeting Nick at the Inman Real Estate Connect Conference in San Francisco in 2012. Nick impressed me with both his great Kentucky smile and his vast real estate knowledge. Since then I’ve followed his always entertaining Twitter presence: @nickratliff.

Nick Ratliff is the Principal Broker of Cypress Residential Group located in Lexington, KY.  He founded the firm in the summer of 2010.  Being a lifetime resident of Kentucky and loving everything the Bluegrass region has to offer, the mission was to maintain a small boutique feel that emphasized technology without losing that personal service.

Having graduated from the University of Kentucky with both his Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and Masters in Business Administration, Nick is a huge Kentucky Wildcats fan.  He contributes his most valuable education to a 6 week study-abroad in Italy where he focused on business.

Nick takes great pride in being the first Realtor in the area to truly embrace social networking.  Due to that, he has built a strong following on both Facebook and Twitter.  He was interviewed for an article on RealtorMagazine.com in reference to learning from mistakes made on Facebook.

Nick has always been proud of his Kentucky heritage but loves to travel and experience the world.  His newlywed wife would be the first to tell you, he loves to meet new people and will talk with anyone.

1) Lexington, Kentucky is known for being horse country, what else does the region have to offer home buyers?

Lexington is the 2nd largest city in Kentucky and it seems like every year the city continues to be ranked in someone’s Top List.  A few of these include #25 of America’s 50 Best Cities by BusinessWeek, #9 Best Place for Retirement by Forbes, #1 of Top 10 Mid-SIzed Counties in Fourth Economy, #6 Best Value City by Kiplinger, or possibly the most importantly #1 in The Best Cities for Finding a Job in Forbes.  I could go on and on, but basically Lexington is at it’s heart a small town that has just continues to grow into a small city.  As a resident, you still feel like part of the community yet there is a lot of opportunities to grow.

2) How have you seen the market in your area change in the past year?

As a real estate agent, I feel overly blessed to have been living and working in Lexington.  Through all of the housing crisis, our market has been fairly steady.  Even with the stability overall, we’ve seen 19% increase in sales in 2012 over 2011.  Every month has consistently grown over the previous year in both Existing Home Sales and New Construction sales.

3) You have a large Twitter following, do you find that Twitter helps your business or is it just for fun?

I was an early adopter to Twitter, especially for my area.  Just like Facebook, I started out thinking all about generating leads and trying to find new clients.  Just as the platforms have grown, so has my approach to them.  Instead of simply viewing them as lead opportunities, I see them as a great way to connect with my clients, both new and previous.  I find that it’s a great way to have real conversations with people without them feeling forced.  Commenting on past client’s photos and tweets allows me to know how they are without intruding on their daily lives.  I think the two biggest advantages that I’ve gotten from Twitter, is allow my clients to learn who I really am as a person outside of work and then to allow me to connect with some of the industry leaders in the same fashion, on a personal level.

4) What do you think will be the biggest shift in real estate in 2013?

I think in Lexington, we are going to see real estate in 2013 be the year of the listing.  With interest rates where they are and most people have had a couple years of positive news, I think a lot of people will finally make the move to their next home.  I’ve talked to a lot of clients and friends who are amazed at how much more house they can afford right now due to the interest rates.  Locally, buyers have picked through the best deals and best qualify homes that were on the market.  I know because I’ve had many buyers end up in multiple offers this year, something we didn’t see the previous years.  Listings will become a premium and qualify homes that are staged properly will bring sale quickly.

5) It’s clear from your Twitter stream that you are a big UK Wildcats fan, what other hobbies do you enjoy when you aren’t selling real estate?

Having graduated from the University of Kentucky at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, my childhood fandom has grown into a supporting alumni.  I am a season ticket holder in both UK football and basketball.  Outside of those activities, I take pride in being a techie.  I love new technology.  So I spend a lot of my time researching or playing with new technology, especially if I can use it in real estate.  Other than that, I just try to have fun with my three nephews and then traveling with my wife.

The post Realtor Spotlight: Nick Ratliff Of Lexington, Kentucky appeared first on REALTOR.com® Blog.

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Realtor Spotlight: Luke Constantino of Brooklyn, New York

December 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

For the latest spotlight of the amazing Realtors who answer questions on Realtor.com Q&A we head to New York City where Luke Constantino of Douglas Elliman lives and works.

Luke is a native New Yorker who loves his city with a passion. With over 15 years in the real estate field, he brings a level of skill and professionalism found only through experience. He has proven to be a tremendous asset to his clients when it comes to analyzing and understanding the market, accessing information quickly, and bringing closure to a transaction. Every deal is a new experience and every client a lasting relationship.

Prior to entering real estate, Luke enjoyed a successful career as a stock broker for a major brokerage firm. He has also held the position of Social Media and marketing Chairman for The Brooklyn Board of Realtors. On his time off, he takes pleasure in going to the theater, fitness and dining at the many exquisite gourmet restaurants New York City has to offer.

1)  You transitioned from life as a stockbroker to a career as a Realtor. What was that like and who has it tougher in a down market, realtors or brokers?
Being a stock broker is very much like being a Realtor. The more educated the buyer/seller, the smoother the transaction. I have to admit, as a stock broker, my clients were more stressed in a down market than in real estate. Even though the money, clientele and products were different, closing a deal was all the same to me. I always try to put myself in the buyers/seller’s shoes to make sure the deal is a correct fit.

As a Realtor, you cannot do any better than working for Douglas Elliman: I work in the greatest city in the world for the best real estate firm here. I literally negotiate deals with the most affluent people buying and selling the finest luxury coops, condos and townhouses New York City has to offer. Being employed by Douglas Elliman also lets me deal exclusively with a small beachfront area you might have heard of… The Hamptons.

 

2)  New York City can be a very complicated market, how do you walk first time buyers through the differences between condos and co-ops and how do you prepare people for dealing with co-op boards?
As we all know, condos are fee simple, meaning you own the unit outright, as for coops, you own shares of the co-op corporation that owns your building. Each serves a purpose for the diverse variety of people who live here. We also have something called a “Condop” in NYC which is a condo owned by the cooperative-ownership structure (It can be somewhat confusing). NYC was built on coops… We deal with quite a lot of them here.

How-to prepare for a co-op board… that can be a seminar in itself! I usually tell people to be prepared to show almost all financial records, which no one wants to do. A buyer once told me: “It’s like being stripped down naked and thrown to the lions”. Make sure all letters of reference start with “Dear Members of the Board” not “To whom it May concern”. Always dress appropriately and look presentable. You never know what might be a reason for rejection. So put your best foot forward and keep things simple and light! I also have a guide I give potential buyers to help them complete a board package, it makes things less painful.

3)  What’s your favorite neighborhood in Brooklyn and why?
That’s impossible to answer! Brooklyn is so diverse and eclectic… There is something beautiful about every part. We have everything here: Fine restaurants, historic architecture, entertainment and all kinds of shopping and stores!
I think New York Magazine said it best: “Brooklyn is the new Manhattan”.

4)  If you could sell a unit in any building in NYC, what listing would it be? Is there any building that you have always wanted to represent?
145 Hudson Street #PH: Asking 48,000,000

A TriBeCa Duplex Penthouse Masterpiece: sheathed in museum quality, high-performance, insulated glass set atop an historic Art Deco loft building at 145 Hudson Street. The glass envelope of its 7500 interior square feet was designed to provide the utmost quiet indoor environment, with the maximum exposure to the 4500 square feet of private, wrap around terrace and the 360-degree panoramic views of Manhattan and the Hudson River are spectacular!

5)  New York City is the city that never sleeps and always eats, what’s your favorite restaurant in your neighborhood (or beyond)?
Let’s face it: I’m a guy, and I love steak… What guy doesn’t?

Peter Luger Steakhouse has been rated the number one steakhouse in the country for over 24 years. The décor leaves much to be desired: Old wooden tables and chairs are complimented by these old world type chandeliers and saw dust on the floor. But trust me… Once you bite into one of their steaks, you will know why this is a World renowned steak house. On any given night, it’s not uncommon to be enjoying dinner with some of The Yankees or Mets sitting across from you. Make sure you call first. Sometimes it takes 3 months to get a dinner reservation. Here’s a secret tip from a Native New Yorker: Go at 11AM… Sometimes you don’t need a reservation for lunch.

The post Realtor Spotlight: Luke Constantino of Brooklyn, New York appeared first on REALTOR.com® Blog.

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In Case You Missed It: Sunday Roundup May 27

May 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Hopefully you are enjoying the festivities on this long weekend. In case you missed any of the great content featured this week on the REALTOR.com blogs, here’s a round-up our most popular posts from the last seven days. Check ‘em out:

George Washington Red Brick House Old Town Alexandria VA

1. Rumored Party Place Of George Washington For Sale In Virginia

Oprah Winfrey House Chicago IL

2. No Tenants for Oprah: Winfrey Lists East Lake Shore Co-Op

Map Wall Paper Art Decor

3. Think Outside The Box: Fresh Ideas For Wall Art

Matt Laricy Ask A Realtor Spotlight

4. Ask A Realtor Spotlight: Matt Laricy

Chris Brown Penthouse West Hollywood Los Angeles CA

5. Chris Brown Is Selling In West Hollywood, And The Neighbors Are Rejoicing

 

See more at the REALTOR.com blogs

Browse more real estate at REALTOR.com

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Local Hero: Heather Elias of LoCoMusings

March 14, 2011 by Leave a Comment

0307heatherelias Local Hero: Heather Elias of LoCoMusings

How Did You Get Started in Real Estate?

I got started in real estate in 2004, which coincided with when I had my fourth child. Actually she was about six weeks old when I went to my first principles and practices licensing class. But my older two were probably about seven when I got my real estate license. I used to put them in the car to drive around with them when we moved to where we live now. I got a feel for the area by driving them around so they would fall asleep and take their nap. And that was my way of learning Loudoun County. I kind of became enamored with the neighborhoods and the houses and it was sort of a sport for me to see which ones were coming on the market. There was a tremendous amount of new construction going on at the time because Loudoun’s been one of the top three or four fastest growing counties in the nation for probably the last ten years or so. It became a very logical thing for me to be part of what was happening. I guess it started with a love of houses and then moved into me having my license.

What has been the Biggest Challenge in Your Local Market?

In our area, we started seeing a change in the market from the very, very busy times to when the prices started to drop off, that happened here in like ’06, ’07. The most important thing is the communication with your clients and being honest with them and truthful in your expectations and keeping them as part of the process, whether it’s a buyer or a seller. If they have a handle on what’s happening, it’s much easier for them to make educated decisions about their side of the transaction. That’s true all of the time you’re working with clients. It’s especially true when you’re in the middle of a challenging market and as an agent, you’re working very hard to keep up with all the changes in the market and everything that’s happening very quickly.

How Do You Reach Out to Buyers and Sellers?

I write a blog called LocoMusings. Loco is short for Loudoun County and I’ve sort of taken on that moniker as my own in terms of branding so my Twitter handle is LocoHeather and I have the blog, so I market that. I have a large local readership, so much so that one of the local publications here started doing an update on something as the Loco News Update. I think it’s great to see anyone in the area using that as a shortened moniker for Loudoun County.

What’s Your Favorite Non Work-Related Hobby?

I don’t know that I have any non-work related hobbies! I work an awful lot. I would just say spending time with my kids, being part of what my kids are doing. Right now, at this point in my life, I help coach my daughter’s travel 14 and under softball team and that’s a fantastic way to spend my time. I have a blast. It’s like having thirteen 13 year old daughters. I also enjoy watching my son play football and my other two daughters play little girl softball as well.

Leesdburg, Loudon County Virginia

Who is Your Hero?

My husband. I’ve known him since we were thirteen years old. We’ve been friends since we were in junior high. He’s a golf professional and a member of the PGA. He’s the general manager at a golf course in Leesburg. And he’s been there since 1999 and he’s been in the golf business since we were 18. Now, my mom was a teacher and my dad was a mailman. So I was not raised in an entrepreneurial background at all and my husband is the one who encouraged me to start my own business, to do this real estate thing. He’s the general manager at this club and he runs his own business within that and is just an inspiration.

What’s the Biggest Challenge Facing the Real Estate Industry Today?

That one’s actually a pretty easy one to answer. I think it has to do with the public perception of the real estate professional on a whole. It’s definitely a wall that we’re pushing up against with changing the public’s perception of the value that we provide, the skill set that we bring to the table and what a true real estate professional has to offer the consumer.

How Would You Fix This Problem?

If every agent got up in the morning and held their clients’ interests first above their own, without wavering on every single aspect of everything that they did, then I think that would turn the tide. That’s how I try to conduct my business and I think the agents that I work with in the office that I’m at do their business that way as well. I think that’s what we all have to shoot for.

Tell us About Some Interesting Opportunities in Loudoun County

Loudoun County is a blast because we’re in the DC suburbs, so we have a very strong employment base here and that’s kept our market pretty solid. The eastern part of Loudoun County is much more urban and in the far western side of the county you’ve got farm country, you’ve got equestrian properties, you’ve got massive farms and estate homes. So we really have everything in between. I never really know coming into a week what that’s going to entail for me, whether I’m going to be showing four story townhomes in a gated golf community or I’m going to be trudging across ten acres of buildable land on the back side of the county. There’s always something new and different. I think that’s part of why I enjoy what I do so much.

Tell Us Something We Don’t Already Know About You

I played Division I Softball at the University of Maryland. I was an athlete at one point in time in my universe. So as a Terp, I was a Division I athlete for a little while, playing left field and first base.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Read Heather’s blog at LocoMusings.com,find her on Facebook, and check out her Realtor.com profile.

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Realtor Spotlight: Ines Hegedus-Garcia

January 5, 2011 by Leave a Comment

0105Ines2 Realtor Spotlight: Ines Hegedus Garcia

Ines Hegedus-Garcia is an expert REALTOR® in South Florida, focusing on both commercial and residential real estate. Her Miamism.com Web site is a well-known hub for real estate information for many neighborhoods including Miami Beach, Fisher Island, Surfside and Miami Shores.

In addition to her real estate expertise, Ines has crafted a personal brand online as “the” expert on… mojitos! Miamism.com brings readers the latest news, reviews, videos and more relating to the minty drink. The “mojito” concept is used by Ines as none other than an ice-breaker and conversation starter. Check out the Mojito 411 section of her site for everything mojito. 

Ines was a guest speaker last summer for Realtor.com’s National Blogger Conference call, which focused on the concept of creating a personal brand for yourself online. Check out her presentation. She is also an expert participant in our Ask a REALTOR® Q&A feature, frequently submitting video answers to interesting questions submitted by home buyers and sellers.

Since 1994, she and her partner, husband Enrique Garcia, have been focused on buying, selling, leasing, relocating, and other support services with Majestic Properties. Follow her on Twitter @Ines.

Below, Ines answers some questions about what being a Realtor means to her:

Why did you choose to become a Realtor?

As an architect, I found myself working endless hours with very little flexibility and free time.  Real estate would give me the flexibility I needed for my family and personal growth, plus I would create and brand my own business instead of someone else’s.  My husband and I first got involved in commercial property management and saw an opportunity in the sales aspect of the industry, we both got our licenses and never looked back to the corporate world.

What part of being a Realtor do you take home with you?

Unfortunately, being a Realtor is a 24-7 job, and that’s the part I would have never guessed in a million years.  Even when we set parameters with our clients, I find myself never disconnecting, not even when we go on vacation.  

On a psychological level, seeing clients in distress or losing money on real estate transactions is always difficult to digest.  But the opposite can also be said when you help someone achieve their home buying dreams.  The business can be draining and at the same time very fulfilling.

There will always be challenges no matter the industry, and attitude is always important to overcome adversity.  Challenges include an unexpected and volatile real estate market, very difficult transactions because of changing industry policies, unrealistic client expectations and the very popular “unscrupulous” behavior by others in the industry.

What ways do you brand/market yourself online/offline?

Miamism as our brand has made our marketing a lot of fun and considered by many as innovative.  We don’t follow regular or standard marketing parameters taught at real estate courses.  We market Miami as “the” place to live and go out of our way to document why, via videos, photos, blog posts, interviews and our popular “mojito reviews.”   The idea of our marketing, both online and off is that it’s not about us but about the lifestyle we can offer.

What are the particular challenges in your local market right now?

There will always be challenges no matter the industry, and attitude is always important to overcome adversity. Challenges include an unexpected and volatile real estate market, very difficult transactions because of changing industry policies, unrealistic client expectations and the very popular “unscrupulous” behavior by others in the industry.

How do you stay positive and self-motivated in a down market?

My “out” has always been creativity.  Finding new ways of reaching our audience is what keeps me going and actually reaching like-minded clients makes the job extremely rewarding.  The goal is working with people we have something in common with in order to enjoy what we do.

What advice do you have for buyers today?

Buyers need to set clear goals before they even start looking at properties.  They need to prioritize on their needs and refine parameters in order to define what kind of buyers they will be and how to approach the buying process. Questions should involve a realistic assessment of the real estate market and objective perspective of the same at the very local level.  Personally, I think this can only be achieved with a real estate professional immersed in the industry full-time, one that will be able to foresee responses and will be able to guide them objectively.

What’s Ines up to these days?

It’s not too difficult to find me at any given point because, as some may attest and protest, I AM EVERYWHERE!!  At the onset of a down real estate market, I found myself looking for more efficient ways to reach clients and started blogging; that was just the beginning of my team’s on-line presence.  Now you can find me in any and all of the social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr. I’m consequently happy to announce that my involvement in those is not just to the extent of a profile, I have managed to create a community from my social media involvement, a community that offers reciprocal gratitude.  

I’m also always looking for different ways to promote Miami and our clients’ properties, and mass media often reaches out because of Miamism’s earned public credibility.  From my weekly newspaper column, “Miami through my iPhone” in the Miami Sunpost to HGTV’s current casting for their show, “My First Sale,” where HGTV has reached out to us to help them find first time home sellers who have just started the process, or are ready to list soon.  These buyers and their homes would be featured in a nationally recognized TV show along with me as their Realtor!

Contact Ines if you’re looking to buy or sell in the Miami area, and check in with Realtor.com Blogs for more Realtor spotlights.

Click here to read posts by Ines Hegedus-Garica.

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