What does your future vacation home look like? Where is it located? As you hunt down your Vallarta dream home, consult this list to evaluate properties and keep your priorities top of mind.
Your Vallarta Property Wish List part 1
Do You Know a Great Realtor?
Do You Know a Great Realtor?
This article was originally posted by Christopher Moltisanti at www.realestateforum.com on 3/8/2010. I adapted it to reflect what makes a great Puerto Vallarta real estate professional. Let me know if you want to add your comments or have a different opinion.
As a matter of fact, make your own list of what you feel makes a great realtor and send it to me. I would really like to hear from you.
What qualities differentiate an average Realtor from a great Realtor? -Very good question.
-
A “great” Realtor anticipates everything.
-
They bring a flashlight to a showing anticipating the place being winterized.
-
They don’t make comments about what the buyer can or cannot afford.
-
They don’t make stupid faces that the client’s wife can see in the review window.
-
They take phone calls and look up properties after everyone else has gone home or to bed: they work into the night when necessary.
-
They open and close their car doors to allow the clients in and out as well as the doors to the locked showings.
-
They assist in the contracts and lending process and follow through, all the way to the closing table when the keys are handed to them.
-
They record (on paper or otherwise), their conversations with the clients to protect themselves against the inevitable.
-
They exercise patience even when they’re getting rained on, fighting with a lock at dusk while the neighbors scowl and sneer.
-
They answer direct questions with direct answers.
-
They don’t complain that it’s getting dark and their client “wants to see the first one again”.
-
They delicately ask if their client is pre-qualified or have proof of funds, before taking them all over creation.
-
They explain what a fideicomiso (bank trust) is to the new client because they don’t know and it doesn’t matter that it has been explained a hundred thousand times before.
-
They make an extra effort to understand their client’s needs even though there may be a language barrier.
-
They take the time out of running around all day, to read and learn about their client’s culture and buying habits.
-
They listen carefully.
-
They sit down with a listing client to determine their financial situation so to carefully price their property so their seller can get on with their life and the agent will be paid for their services.
-
They don’t pester, and know the signs that a client is just shopping and where to take the conversation if this is the case. Great Realtors keep their chins up when they have to mail or fax listings to their clients because their clients, don’t have a computer.
Prudential Vallarta Agents in the Know
Prudential’s bilingual agents understand the value of staying informed. Whether international or local news, they know it is important for their clients to have the latest information when making their real estate decisions. Prudential Vallarta maintains its lead as top listing agency in the area because they are able to provide the skills and services demanded by today’s savvy clientele.
Are you a Man or a Mouse?
Even Mickey isn’t afraid of Mexico…
I was driving past the Vallarta cruise ship dock yesterday and couldn’t help but notice this gigantic black and white behemoth looming over the street with the name, Disney Wonder, painted on the bow. What a sight. Aha! Mickey isn’t afraid to come to Mexico; why should anyone else?
I just don’t understand why the US and Canada feel so threatened by Mexico, but they obviously do. Let me set the record straight, yes, there are issues in some areas in Mexico and, no, there are not issues in all areas, such as Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit, aka Bahia de Banderas.
Every time I read or hear generalized negative reports about Mexico, I can only think that it is less about the actual issues in Mexico and more about domestic issues in those other countries.
The next time you hear your local newscaster make a general statement about Mexico, or any generalized statement which degrades or demeans another, challenge them by e-mail, on their blogs, facebook, twitter, and ask them to be specific. Even Mickey knows it’s safe to come to Mexico.
Marilyn Newman is a Sales Associate with Prudential California Realty-Vallarta Division. She can be reached by e-mail: marilyn.newman@prurealtypv.com
Appreciation In Puerto Vallarta
Definition: Growth in value – an increase in value, especially over time;
Appreciation is a very subjective word. It is said that what goes up, must come down; but what does that mean in Real Estate? Since the beginning of time we have seen the cyclical movement in Real Estate values. Sometimes it is just a natural self-adjustment of the market and at other times, such as now, there are other factors influencing prices such as economic issues in our core target-market and of course our own domestic issues.
It has been reported that the real estate market for cities in beach locations in Mexico was the one that most felt the effects of the slowdown in 2008. The real estate crisis in the U.S. put a brake on sales in the second home market, while the decline in tourism activity limited the ability for Mexico’s nationals to realize their dream of owning a vacation home as well.
Does that mean the market is dead and will never recover to the point where one can “own a piece of the rock”, as Prudential likes to say, and see their investment not only appreciate, but become one of the best investment returns of a life time?
Supply and demand have always been two of the most dynamic forces in the appreciation of any tangible product. Fortunately, Puerto Vallarta is always in demand for its tropical climate, beautiful topography and friendly people; and there is only so much coast line to develop, which creates a finite supply.
The challenge for 2010-2011 for realtors will be to adapt to an environment of slower growth, considering at all times real demand and attending more precisely to client preferences and needs, and remembering the rule of thumb has always been and still is, buy low, sell high, and there is no better time to buy low than right now to ensure that you will be able to sell high in the future.
Marilyn Newman is a sales associate with Prudential California Realty-Vallarta Division. She can be contacted at marilyn.newman@prurealtypv.com .