posted by: Dale Marciniak on 6/17/2008 9:40:20 AM
The media is taking notice to agents who are marketing with video. This story is from Trans World News and is titled "Hungry Real Estate Agents Turn to Video Pros to Market." The one thing the story does not talk about is the agents who have in-house production like ourselves. Kevin Marciniak works on the DVD Home Tours on his Mac Book Pro. He is the video producer and starts each individual home to taping to having it linked to 7 different video sites. Attached is the artical, Enjoy
The Dale Marciniak Team
http://www.transworldnews.com/newsstory.aspx?id=50357&cat=1
Hungry Real Estate Agents Turn to Video Pros to Market Property Online
Video of properties from Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin reveal the most effective way to market a property online
Boulder, CO 6/12/2008 03:47 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Aggressive real estate agents and brokers are teaming up with video producers on WellcomeMat.com to demonstrate the most compelling means for showcasing a property online. Whereas slideshows and photos are limited in their ability to capture the emotions of buyers and renters, web video enables viewers to get a much more comprehensive and inviting peek into a potential home. WellcomeMat.com highlights the top five new videos of the week to support the many agents, brokers and video producers helping to re-define the real estate buying and selling experience.
The Top 5 Videos of the Week
The presenter does a great job of describing this Portland, Oregon home’s stunning intricacies in this video offered by real estate agent, Matt Kurtz. The video combines still shots with steady shots to offer effective views of the home, yard and the neighborhood.
A luxury home at it’s finest. This video offered by Dirk Knudsen gives a distinguished feeling as it surveys the beautiful rustic design and amenities that this Beaverton, Oregon home has to offer. The viewer is taken on a seamless tour as the text overlay describes the important aspects that should not be missed.
In this beautiful tour of a Renton, Washington home, video producer Layne Freedle uses balanced shots and flawless transitions to create a high-quality, nearly perfect video experience.
The slow paced shots in this video offered by real estate agent Paul Mackey, gives viewers the time needed to see the many details and amenities that make up this gorgeous custom home in Kent, WA.
This superb video from real estate agent Dale Marciniak perfectly captures this Muskego, Wisconsin home’s open floor plan and yard with the use of natural lighting and professional camera shots. The video gives the sense of touring the home in person.
About WellcomeMat.com
WellcomeMat.com is the creative center of hyper-local, commercially applicable video, and is best known as the video site that is making the real estate marketplace more efficient. WellcomeMat provides homeowners, business owners, real estate professionals, brokerages and local personalities with all the resources, technology and professional help they need to win listings, gain leads, and stand out against the competition. The result is stand-out video marketing in the place where outstanding marketing is most needed: the web.
posted by: Dale Marciniak on 6/3/2008 10:02:08 AM
The artical below was put out by RISMEDIA. Many homeowners in Milwaukee, WI and surrounding counties will be fighting the cities assessment on their own homes to lower property taxes paid to the city. Here is an artical on how this can be done.
The Marciniak Team
By Marshall Loeb
RISMEDIA, June 3, 2008-(MCT)-While the downturn in the real estate market has likely taken its toll on your home’s value, it is unlikely that your tax assessment has gone down. During the boom, as your home gained in value, it made sense that your assessment would increase. Now that it doesn’t make sense anymore, what is a homeowner do to?
The good news is that getting your tax assessment lowered is possible. Consider these tips from Jessica Anderson, a staff writer at Kiplinger.com, for how to lower your assessment:
1. Review your home assessment for errors. Find out how your district levies property taxes–on 100% of the market value or some fraction of it–by calling the assessor’s office. Fractional assessments are less common than they used to be, but plenty of localities still use them. Especially at 70% or 80% of value, owners may not realize their property tax assessments are out of line. Next, go to the assessor’s office or website to see the property card that lists the details of your home. Check each item for mistakes, from the number of bathrooms to the number of square feet. Valuing properties is “a very inexact science” to begin with, says Richard Roll, president of the American Homeowners Association. But when paper records were transferred to computers, many errors were made–or retained. If there’s a mechanical error, the assessor may offer a property tax reassessment on the spot.
2. Compare property tax assessments for similar homes. Pull the property cards for neighbors who have similar homes in terms of age, style and features. If the assessments on similar properties are significantly lower–10% or more–you have a good case based on uniformity. Use Zillow.com or RealEstate.com to compare estimated home valuations.
3. Build a case for reassessment. The rules for property tax appeals vary from place to place, but no matter where you are you’ll need evidence. Property cards and Web-page printouts are helpful, and photos can be especially useful if you’re comparing the condition of your home with others. Consider getting an independent appraisal as well, but check the rules in your jurisdiction before laying out a couple hundred dollars or more to pay for one. Some localities require appraisals; others don’t allow them.
© 2008, MarketWatch.com Inc.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
posted by: Dale Marciniak on 3/5/2008 2:18:22 PM
RISMEDIA, March 6, 2008-At the annual RE/MAX International Convention, Co-Founder and Chairman Dave Liniger announced some good news to over 6,000 enthusiastic real estate professionals from 56 countries. During the very challenging year of 2007, RE/MAX increased its net office count and also increased franchise sales at a rate 12.3% higher than the average increases since 2000.
Liniger told the gathering, “Given the conditions in the housing market, and mixed signals in the economy, our growth in 2007 was remarkable. The tremendous power of the RE/MAX brand shouldn’t be underestimated.”
In a year when most real estate franchises experienced serious consolidation, the RE/MAX organization sold 940 franchises and increased its net office count by 4% to 7,016. In the U.S., Texas, the Carolinas, and Florida experienced the highest franchise growth, while Italy, Portugal and the Czech Republic led franchise sales overseas.
Turning from the success of last year to the preparation for the future, Linger said the key to continued success is in quality customer service and being prepared for market realities. “This market is demanding that we be intelligent, informed and innovative, Liniger said. “If we do our job smarter, the consumer will prefer to work with RE/MAX sales associates.”
Liniger then announced the newly developed initiative, “RE/MAX 365: Connecting to Clients Day to Day.” Created in conjunction with respected industry trainers Buffini and Company, “RE/MAX 365″ is a multifaceted program designed to increase agent productivity.
“The full resources of the RE/MAX organization will be put into place to help our Sales Associates rise to a new level of success,” Liniger said. Electronic “town-hall” meetings will be broadcast over the RE/MAX Satellite Network to agent homes and offices, addressing the needs of specific geographic regions. “RE/MAX 365″ will also include a sophisticated agent training program, “RE/MAX Ultimate Agent,” to present the most up-to-date methods and practices in the industry.
An additional component of “RE/MAX 365″ is an insider blog, written by Liniger and other RE/MAX executives who will share tips and interact with brokers and associates to address their specific business concerns. The new blog will be featured on the company’s Intranet site, RE/MAX Mainstreet.
At this year’s Las Vegas convention, RE/MAX marked its 35th anniversary. RE/MAX was founded by Dave and Gail Liniger in 1973. From a single office in Denver, Colorado, the real estate franchisor has grown to be a global network with over 7,000 offices in more than 65 countries.
During his presentation, Liniger reflected on the past 35 years, “We had a lot of skeptics, who said it just couldn’t be done, but we also had a great group of supporters, who helped us make it all come true. We are grateful to everyone who has had a hand in this unbelievable American dream.”
For more information, visit www.remax.com