John Beckett's Real Estate Blog

Here are the companies hiring in September:

Aflac
Industry: Sales
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Sales associates
Location: Nationwide

Allied Cash Advance
Industry: Credit union, finance, banking
Number of openings: 78
Sample job titles: Brand manager, district manager, customer service representative, branch team members, branch assistant manager
Location: California, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Virginia, Florida

City National Bank
Industry: Banking, financial services
Number of openings: 141
Sample job titles: Financial sales advisors, relationship managers, residential lending officers, senior mortgage loan underwriters, operations supervisors, policy and procedures supervisors
Location: California, New York

Davaco Inc.
Industry: Retail, restaurant contract services
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Finish-out installers and lead installers, product merchandisers
Locations: Nationwide

Dollar Tree, Inc.
Industry: Retail
Number of openings: 1300
Sample job titles: Assistant store managers, store managers, distribution center associates
Locations: National

Edward Jones
Industry: Financial investments
Number of openings: 400
Sample job titles: Financial advisors, branch office administrators
Location: Nationwide

Oldcastle
Industry: Sales, construction, manufacturing
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Outside sales, plant engineer, skilled labor
Location: Nationwide

Orkin Pest Control
Industry: Pest Control
Number of openings: 138
Sample job titles: Pest control specialist, national accounts sales director, security analyst, network engineer, branch manager trainee, administrative assistant, outbound sales specialist
Location: Nationwide

Securitas Security Services USA Inc.
Industry: Security guard
Number of openings: 300
Sample job titles: Security officer, supervisor, EMT
Location: Nationwide

UPS
Industry: Sales, warehouse and transportation
Number of openings: 500
Sample job titles: Package handler, driver, accounting, inside sales, mechanic, outside sales
Location: 50

Waggoner’s Trucking
Industry: Transportation
Number of openings: 100
Sample job title: Truck driver
Location: Nationwide

More at: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/

The proliferation of services that help homebuyers and sellers complete their own real-estate transactions is relatively recent, and it may have you wondering whether using a real-estate agent is becoming a relic of a bygone era. While doing the work yourself can save you the significant commissions that many real-estate agents command, for many, flying solo may not be the way to go — and could end up being more costly than a commission in the long run. Buying or selling a home is a major financial and emotional undertaking. Find out why you shouldn’t discard the notion of hiring an agent just yet.

1. Better access/more convenience

A real-estate agent’s full-time job is to act as a liaison between buyers and sellers. This means that he or she will have easy access to all other properties listed by other agents and will know what needs to be done to get a deal together. For example, if you are looking to buy a home, a real-estate agent will track down homes that meet your criteria, get in touch with sellers’ agents and make appointments for you to view the homes. If you are buying on your own, you will have to play this telephone tag yourself. This may be especially difficult if you’re shopping for homes that are for sale by owner. Similarly, if you are looking to sell your home yourself, you will have to solicit calls from interested parties, answer questions and make appointments. Keep in mind that potential buyers are likely to move on if you tend to be busy or don’t respond quickly enough. Alternatively, you may find yourself making an appointment and rushing home, only to find that no one shows up.

2. Negotiating is tricky business

Many people don’t like the idea of doing a real-estate deal through an agent and think that direct negotiation between buyers and sellers is more transparent and allows the parties to look after their own interests better. This is probably true — assuming that both the buyer and seller are reasonable people who are able to get along. Unfortunately, this isn’t always an easy relationship. What if you, as a buyer, like a home but despise its wood-paneled walls, shag carpet and lurid orange kitchen? If you are working with an agent, you can express your contempt for the current owner’s decorating skills and rant about how much it’ll cost you to upgrade the home without insulting the owner. For all you know, the owner’s late mother may have lovingly chosen the décor. Your real-estate agent can convey your concerns to the seller’s agent. Acting as a messenger, the agent may be in a better position to negotiate a discount without ruffling the homeowner’s feathers. A real-estate agent can also play the “bad guy” in a transaction, preventing the bad blood between a buyer and seller that can kill a deal. Keep in mind that sellers can reject a potential buyer’s offer for any reason — including just because they hate his or her guts. An agent can help by speaking for you in tough transactions and smoothing things over to keep them from getting too personal. This can put you in a better position to get the house you want. The same is true for the seller, who can benefit from a hard-nosed real-estate agent who will represent his or her interests without turning off potential buyers who want to niggle about the price.

3. Contracts can be hard to handle

If you decide to buy or sell a home, the offer-to-purchase contract is there to protect you and ensure that you are able to back out of the deal if certain conditions aren’t met. For example, if you plan to buy a home with a mortgage but you fail to make financing one of the conditions of the sale — and you aren’t approved for the mortgage — you can lose your deposit on the home and could even be sued by the seller for failing to fulfill your end of the contract. (Keep in mind that the details of any contract may vary based on state law.) An experienced real-estate agent deals with the same contracts and conditions on a regular basis and is familiar with which conditions should be used, when they can be removed safely and how to use the contract to protect you, whether you’re buying or selling your home.

4. Real-estate agents can’t lie

Well, OK, actually they can. But because they are licensed professionals, there are more repercussions if they do than for a private buyer or seller. If you are working with a licensed real-estate agent under an agency agreement, such as a conventional, full-service commission agreement in which the agent agrees to represent you, your agent will be bound by law to a fiduciary relationship. In other words, the agent is bound by law to act in his clients’ best interest, not his own. In addition, most real-estate agents rely on referrals and repeat business to build the kind of client base they’ll need to survive in the business. This means that doing what’s best for their clients should be as important to them as any individual sale. Finally, if you do find that your agent has gotten away with lying to you, you will have more avenues for recourse, such as through your agent’s broker or professional association or possibly even in court if you can prove that your agent has failed to uphold his fiduciary duties. When a buyer and seller work together directly, they can — and should — seek legal counsel, but because each is expected to act in his or her best interest, there isn’t much you can do if you find out later that you’ve been duped about multiple offers or the home’s condition. And having a lawyer on retainer any time you want to talk about potentially buying or selling a house could cost far more than an agent’s commissions by the time the transaction is complete.

5.  Not everyone can save money

Many people eschew using a real-estate agent in order to save money, but keep in mind that it is unlikely that both the buyer and seller will reap the benefits of not having to pay commissions. For example, if you are selling your home on your own, you will price it based on the sale prices of other comparable properties in your area. Many of these properties will be sold with the help of an agent. This means that the seller gets to keep the percentage of the home’s sale price that might otherwise be paid to the real-estate agent. However, buyers who are looking to purchase a home sold by owners may also believe they can save some money on the home by not having an agent involved. They might even expect it and make an offer accordingly. However, unless buyer and seller agree to split the savings, they can’t both save the commission.

The bottom line
While there are certainly people who are qualified to sell their own homes, taking a quick look at the long list of frequently asked questions on most “for sale by owner” websites suggests the process isn’t as simple as many people assume. And when you get into a difficult situation, it can really pay to have a professional on your side.

Read at: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=25368603

You’re finally wrapping up your home purchase. Congratulations. Before it’s officially yours, though, you have one last hurdle: the mysterious process known as “closing” or “settlement.” Open your wallet and hold onto your hat. “Closing costs” — the catch-all term for a host of fees, taxes and charges — can total 2% to 6% or more of your purchase price — $4,000 to $12,000 on a $200,000 mortgage. That means you’ll need to budget a chunk of money besides your down payment. Costs vary by region and by what you negotiate. Buyers usually pay most fees, but sellers may pay some, too. Buyers often get lenders to contribute, too. Be aware, however, that lenders offering a “zero-closing-cost” loan. Closing starts when you sign a purchase contract. It ends about four to eight weeks later, at a closing meeting (or conference) where you sign papers on your loan; pay fees, taxes and services to finalize the sale; and receive the keys and deed to your new home.

Who’s in charge?

A professional settlement agent orchestrates a closing. The agent files documents, pays taxes on your behalf, ensures every task is done and recorded in the time specified by law, and also may hire an appraiser, pest inspector and other professional services. The agent represents the buyer, the seller and the lender equally. In some states, the agent must be an attorney. In others, it’s an independent settlement or escrow company. (An escrow company is one licensed by the state to hold money and documents.) In many states, title companies — whose primary jobs are to make sure there are no claims on the property and to sell insurance guaranteeing that the title is clear — may be the settlement agent.

States’ requirements vary:

• In New York, only an attorney — usually a specialized “closing attorney” — oversees a closing.
• In Nevada, as in most states, title companies act as the settlement agent.
• In California and Wyoming, escrow companies are used.

The federal forms and rules used to disclose your loan costs and closing fees, however, are identical in every state:

• Your lender must give you a binding good-faith estimate, or GFE, within three business days after you apply for a loan. It shows loan costs and estimates your other closing costs. Your final origination charges and transfer taxes can’t vary from this estimate. Quotes for other services may vary by up to 10%. Bigger variations are a “tolerance violation” and the lender must credit you the difference within 30 days of your closing, says Cathy Blaszyk, vice president for lender services at Closing.com.
• At your closing, the settlement agent will give you a HUD-1 form showing your final costs.

How to shop

Closing costs vary greatly. In its 2009 survey of average total closing costs in 52 cities and states,  Bankrate.com found a $1,579 difference between the highest-cost state, Texas, at $3,855, and Nevada, with the lowest average cost, $2,276. Most of these fees are negotiable, and you can shop separately for many of them. The consumer has to open their eyes, because they can save a lot of money. People spend more time shopping for a big-screen TV. Closing.com’s closing costs calculator lets you plug in home-purchase information to get numerous estimates and quotes on closing services from providers near you. By shopping aggressively, you might:

• Qualify for a better interest rate than you’d expected.
• Find that a loan offer with a higher interest rate is really the best deal when all closing costs are considered.
• Spot “junk” fees.
• Find lower rates on services such as title insurance, settlement services or inspections.
• Use these lower bids to negotiate better prices with your lender.

Start shopping for settlement services and for additional loan offers once you’ve made one mortgage-loan application. A lender must stick to its good-faith estimate for 10 days. The bank or broker can’t go back and make changes, which gives the borrower a chance to make comparisons. Don’t worry about hurting your credit score by making numerous loan applications. In “4 credit-scoring myths,” personal finance guru and MSN Money contributor Liz Pulliam Weston says that your FICO score will register multiple inquiries in a 45-day period as just one inquiry. Applying is free, except maybe for the cost of pulling your credit report — about $15, tops. Lenders can’t collect application or appraisal fees while you’re comparison shopping. Although recent changes in federal law make it harder for lenders to pad fees, you should still get expert help in reviewing offers and closing documents. The key is getting somebody who is trained and who can comprehensively look at it for you.

In advance, line up either of these:

• A real-estate attorney through the American Bar Association lawyer locator  or find referrals from a state or local bar association.
• A free, housing counselor certified by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (call 800-569-4287.

Read more at: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=25322086&page=2

1. Is your house in a high-traffic area? While many are advertised in the newspaper, on the Internet and in fliers, it’s still drive-by and foot traffic that brings most open-house visitors. Amanda Staines, a sales director from Atlanta and a former agent, says she plans to hold an open house every weekend until her newly renovated two-bedroom townhome sells. The reason? “Location, location, location. My house is off a major road, so the signage can really pull” people in, she says.

2. Does it have special features or was it recently renovated? An especially beautiful house can make buyers out of the most casual visitors.

3. What’s your home’s sale price? Many real estate agents say they no longer hold open houses for high-end homes, because they consider them a draw for thieves and gawkers. They prefer to schedule private tours.

4. How much time and money am I willing to invest in an open house? In some markets, much of the competition is using stagers and investing in costly upgrades such as painting and landscaping. If you aren’t wiling to spruce things up, an open house might not be worth it.

5. Is my real estate agent behind the idea? If they don’t think it’s a good idea for your home, or are unenthusiastic about it, it might not do much for you.

Read at: http://realestate.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=13108453

It’s Monday morning, it’s time for work, and you’re finding it hard to get moving. In fact, building up enough motivation to head to the office is a constant challenge. Although you don’t hate your job, you don’t love it either — a far cry from when you started the position and looked forward to all the opportunities and challenges ahead of you. It can be easy to fall into a career rut, sometimes, you may not even notice until you’ve been in one for a while and getting out is often difficult. The Following are three common career ruts and strategies for overcoming them:

1. You’re burned out

The recent recession put many workers to the test. “Doing more with less” was the theme at your company, and you were asked to work longer hours and take on additional job responsibilities. Even if you found the challenge rewarding at first, the extra work took its toll eventually. Now, you’re burned out and tired of the constant grind. Rather than trying to grin and bear it, talk to your boss. Your manager may be just as busy as you are and not even be aware that you’re running on empty. By talking to your supervisor about your workload and solutions for reducing it, you may find that some of your work gets reassigned or postponed and that you leave with advice that helps ease your stress.

2. Your job seems to be going nowhere

You’ve been working in your position for a while but just can’t seem to move up the corporate ladder. You think you’ve distinguished yourself, but your colleagues are the only ones given high-profile projects and promotions. In this type of situation, it’s wise to perform a self-assessment to better understand potential roadblocks that may be preventing you from advancing professionally. For example, do you possess the right skills to assume more responsibility, or could you stand to improve certain key abilities? Do you have a positive reputation at the firm, or have there been instances when you failed to meet expectations or clashed with colleagues? Has your manager alerted you to weaknesses in your skill set, and have you taken steps to overcome them? The answers to these questions can help you figure out the next step. You may also want to meet with your boss to express your interest in advancing and seek tips on what you need to do so.

3. Your line of work doesn’t inspire you anymore

You work as an executive assistant and used to love the varied assignments and fast pace. But now the idea of coding another invoice, distributing even one more memo or taking what seems like the millionth message has you rolling your eyes. When it’s the work itself you no longer enjoy, it can be difficult to know what to do next. A good place to start is to make a list of the aspects of your job that give you the greatest satisfaction. For instance, if you who love planning events, consider whether there are other opportunities to apply those skills within the company. Getting involved in the organization of the firm’s annual employee picnic, for instance, might boost your spirits and renew your enthusiasm for your career. Also consider volunteer work outside of your employer that taps into your expertise. Applying your talents in new and interesting ways may help you return to the office with a fresh perspective. Above all, remember that a career rut may not be entirely negative. In fact, reaching a professional plateau can often serve as catalyst for positive change, bringing about greater job satisfaction. By considering your interests and taking action to find more fulfillment in your work, you may even start looking forward to Mondays.

Read at: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2331-Career-Growth-and-Change-3-Common-Career-Ruts-and-How-to-Get-Out-of-Them/?sc_extcmp=JS_2331_home1&SiteId=cbmsnhp42331&ArticleID=2331&gt1=35000&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=0288ca924175426ea5b320e858ffdd75-334431207-R6-4