ActiveRain Success Stories

Tony Brown, Tony Brown (Nextage Diamond Realty): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Philadelphia, PA Tony Brown, Tony Brown (Nextage Diamond Realty) said about 11 years ago,
"Tony began his professional career at the Philadelphia Housing Authority where he served as a Director until his retirement in 2001. Tony knew there was still a lot of work to be done in the area of community development and chose to move his professional career to the private sector. Tony formed LAB III and Associates Inc to provide professional property management services to owners of residential properties.

In 2004, Tony became a Realtor® and has contributed to the growth and prosperity of such notable real estate firms as Starkman Realtors, Keller Williams Philadelphia Realty and Howard Hanna Philadelphia Realty. Tony believes he is responsible for more than just the purchase, sale, management or investment in real property. He believes that all Realtors® have a responsibility to the communities where they do business by looking beyond the transaction and participating in the maintenance of viable, as well as, the transformation of distressed neighborhoods.

In 2009, Tony became a partner at BSA Management Corporation LLC responsible for planning the management of commercial and residential real estate properties for clients. Tony heads the negotiations with client terms and conditions for providing management services, and writes agreement stipulating extent and scope of management responsibilities, services to be performed, and costs for services. He coordinates the preparation of lease or rental agreements for lessees and collects specified rents. Tony also directs the arrangements for alterations to, or maintenance, upkeep, or reconditioning of property as specified in management services or lessee's agreement.

Tony has dedicated his life to establishing trusting and respectful partnerships and client-loyal relationships through superior customer focus and professionalism.

Tony is a member of the Board of Directors for the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors (GPAR), served as its past Chairperson for the Cultural Diversity Committee and serves on the Executive Committee as its 2013 President-Elect. He is also a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors (PAR) and serves as a Director and past Chairperson of the Equal Opportunity/Cultural Diversity Committee. Tony is the recipient of a “2007 Community Service Award” from GPAR and a graduate of PAR’s Leadership Class of 2007."
Melanie Hedrick, 972-816-7205 (Elite Texas Properties, the best homes from McKinney to Dallas!): Real Estate Agent in McKinney, TX Melanie Hedrick, 972-816-7205 (Elite Texas Properties, the best homes from McKinney to Dallas!) said about 11 years ago,
"After exactly three weeks on Active Rain (and 4 timid posts) I received a phone call about a community event I had written about. The caller asked for information on the event, and "by the way, was I a licensed Realtor?" She asked if I'd take a look at her rental property she wanted to sell -- two days later we had a listing agreement and her rent house was on the market. I was just floored. I mean, sure, that's what is supposed to happen, but ... it really actually worked! I'm still amazed at the lightening quick result. I can't wait to keep posting and improving and seeing what's in store for the future!"
Roger Howell, We do business the Fair way! (Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation NMLS #2289): Mortgage and Lending in Boise, ID Roger Howell, We do business the Fair way! (Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation NMLS #2289) said about 11 years ago,
"I would say that my biggest Active Rain success story is the knowledge and understanding I have gained from my fellow Active Rainers. I may not post the most, or reply as often as others, but I feel like I know many of you by your posts. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences. It has made me a better member of the Real Estate and Mortgage Industries."
Steven Schafer, CDPE, SFR, ABR, SRES (Exp Realty - Atlantic County): Real Estate Agent in Egg Harbor Township, NJ Steven Schafer, CDPE, SFR, ABR, SRES (Exp Realty - Atlantic County) said about 11 years ago,
"I've been an Active Rain member and blogger for sometime. I often do a lot of training videos and it has benefited me through agent referrals, as they can see me in action and feel comfortable with my skill sets."
Vic Steele, Broker/Consultant (Vic Steele, Broker CA DRE 01349863): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Anaheim Hills, CA Vic Steele, Broker/Consultant (Vic Steele, Broker CA DRE 01349863) said about 11 years ago,
"I got this email today from an appraiser. He is thanking me for my post about Tidewater Appraisals: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2340808/what-is-a-tidewater-appraisal-

What a great feeling to get an email like this!!! AR helped another real estate professional.

Vic,

Thank you for your article. I am an appraiser and have been appraising for VA for almost 30 years, mostly in Ventura, Santa Barbara and parts of LA Counties, with a brief several-year stint in Kern Co. I had heard of the "Tidewater Comment", but did not pay attention and had never been "accosted" with it until yesterday. Not wanting to sound too ignorant, I started searching (bing, google) with no luck with "Tidewater Comment", but with the term, "Appraisal Tidewater Comment" I got your article as the first option.

Although I did not contact the "point of contact" (due to the fact I was ignorant of the term and the procedure!), the appraisal, which came in low by about $12,000 from a $220,000 contract price was not rebutted. The RE agent were unable to bring better comps to the table.

Any way, I appreciate your article, which gave me access to the VA letter Release No. 26-04-01 which clarifies the procedures and expectations.

Regards,

Lee"
Benjamin Randall, On Time Every Time (Envoy Mortgage NMLS# 6666): Mortgage and Lending in Houston, TX Benjamin Randall, On Time Every Time (Envoy Mortgage NMLS# 6666) said about 11 years ago,
"Active Rain has tremendously increased my local networking and exposure!"
Bruce Bachtel, Greenville SC Real Estate (Bachtel Realty Group): Real Estate Agent in Greenville, SC Bruce Bachtel, Greenville SC Real Estate (Bachtel Realty Group) said about 11 years ago,
"I recently had a client who I had lost touch with, find me through Active Rain. Thank you Active Rain for the new (old) client!"
Diane Daley (Caron's Gateway Real Estate): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Northumberland, NH Diane Daley (Caron's Gateway Real Estate) said about 11 years ago,
"Thanks active rain members for your referals to my office. We have had 3 referals since December with two successful closings. We are still working with the third party and well hopefully bring them to a close as well. I really enjoy the connections I have made."
Paddy Deighan MBA JD PhD, Paddy Deighan J.D. Ph.D (http://www.medicalandspaconsulting.com): Real Estate Attorney in Vail, CO Paddy Deighan MBA JD PhD, Paddy Deighan J.D. Ph.D (http://www.medicalandspaconsulting.com) said about 11 years ago,
"Active Rain is a powerful SEO tool....I was watching TV on New Year's evening and I was following the tax relief bill as it was being voted on by the House of Representatives. As soon as it passed the House, I blogged about the extension of the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007. Within two hours, I was informed that my AR blog was the first story about this on Google and I was contacted by someone who was waiting to hear this news!!!"
Marjorie Taylor, New Homes in St. Augustine Florida (Florida Homes Realty and Mortgage): Real Estate Agent in Saint Augustine, FL Marjorie Taylor, New Homes in St. Augustine Florida (Florida Homes Realty and Mortgage) said about 11 years ago,
"One weekend last Spring (2009) I was introduced to my first short sale opportunity. I had not any training so I was not sure where to begin, what docs the seller needed to gather, I was basically clueless. I searched the words Short Sale in the Active Rain search bar and VOILA, there were a plethora of information to help me get started. Since then I've received my CDPE designation and found a lot of what I learned on Active Rain was just what they were recommending.

Active Rain members are an excellent source of timely information, and I'm proud to be an active member."
Ken Baris, Jordan Baris, Inc. Realtors (Jordan Baris, Inc.): Real Estate Broker/Owner in West Orange, NJ Ken Baris, Jordan Baris, Inc. Realtors (Jordan Baris, Inc.) said about 11 years ago,
"I have found that using Active Rain you can find the answers and resources to speak to when you have questions about real estate."
rcompute .com, Applied Digital Technology For Sales, Marketing (rcompute.com): Real Estate Technology in Hercules, CA rcompute .com, Applied Digital Technology For Sales, Marketing (rcompute.com) said about 11 years ago,
"Sharing low-cost, productive tools and advice to the ActiveRain community."
Annie Holdreith (Daniel Gale Sotheby's International/Manhasset, New York): Real Estate Agent in Manhasset, NY Annie Holdreith (Daniel Gale Sotheby's International/Manhasset, New York) said about 11 years ago,
"A wonderful young couple found me on Active Rain after googling around. They contacted me directly through Active Rain. I took them out and showed them homes and educated them on my market from a data perspective and on what the community offered. I am THRILLED to report that we have fully executed contracts on a house they love. I attended RAINCAMP in NYC in January and it was my goal to have a tangible sale from my blogging efforts by the end of 2010....and here it is!

I am sold on Active Rain, blogging and love being the neighborhood expert in my neck of the woods!"
Lillian Nolloth (Howard Hanna Real Estate Services): Real Estate Agent in Adrian, MI Lillian Nolloth (Howard Hanna Real Estate Services) said about 11 years ago,
"I always read the blogs and postings posted on Active rain. Unbiased information is out there for the public to view. A majority of the time a consumer will start there search on the internet . Here they can check out who is active in networking which is the wave of the future. I had a realtor from California who had a brother living here call. She had scoured the net and was not impressed with what she was viewing. She landing on my active rain page and called to chat. I picked up a listing from that interview and conversation. This has been effective numerous times. As a Realtor I am on the road alot so I try to check into active rain as much as I can. I want people to get to know me and be able to call me anytime !"
Rhonda Hollifield, REALTOR®, Broker REALTOR CRS, GRI, ABR (Keller Williams Realty Mountain Partners): Real Estate Agent in Hendersonville, NC Rhonda Hollifield, REALTOR®, Broker REALTOR CRS, GRI, ABR (Keller Williams Realty Mountain Partners) said about 11 years ago,
"There's always a success in learning from your peers and others in the industry. I enjoy reading and writing blogs and seeing great listings!"
Gil Rodriguez, With Us It is All About You! (SharpStone Realty): Real Estate Broker/Owner in Whittier, CA Gil Rodriguez, With Us It is All About You! (SharpStone Realty) said about 11 years ago,
"On or about April 2010, I was representing a buyer, after searching for the right home for several months, finally it happen, we submitted a full offer with 10% Down conventional financing, and asking $10,000.00 for buyers closing costs, 30 day escrow, the offer was accepted and we open escrow, the lender couldn’t find mortgage insurance for the type of loan, so we end up changing to FHA financing and the seller agreed. The purchase price was $449000 and the appraised value came in at $425000, and things got out of control, the seller was very upset and angry, wanted to cancel escrow and was treating to suing everyone. The listing agent disappear and was nowhere to be found, he did not respond to emails, texts, or phone calls. The seller decided to contact me an demanded answers, options and solutions, I told the seller to contact their agent and deal directly with their agent. Seller pleaded for me to help because the other agent basically quitted and was nowhere to be found. I decided to send a message by voice-mail, email and text to the listing agent asking permission to negotiate with the seller and try to close escrow, the listing agent never replied, so when ahead and started the negotiating with the seller and was able to convince them into moving forward with the appraised value, they agreed, but did not agreed to credit the $10,000 to the buyers, I than convinced the buyers to accept only $5000.00 and when back to the seller to agree in paying $5000.00 for the buyers to move forward.
After going back and for with both buyers and sellers for two weeks; I ended up closing the escrow, and now both parties are my clients for life. I love challenges and I look forward to continue negotiating and closing difficult transaction, because the growth from every transaction is huge."
Patrick Realty Group, The Key to All of Your Real Estate Solutions (Keller WIlliams Realty Atlanta Partners): Real Estate Agent in McDonough, GA Patrick Realty Group, The Key to All of Your Real Estate Solutions (Keller WIlliams Realty Atlanta Partners) said about 11 years ago,
"Wow !! We have been on Active Rain for only 2 weeks and have received 3 agent referrals from Active Rain Members..!!! This is awesome"
Gary White~Grand Rapids Home Selling Pro Call: 616-821-9375, Real Estate Services You can Trust! (Flexit Realty "Flexible Home Selling Solutions"): Managing Real Estate Broker in Grand Rapids, MI Gary White~Grand Rapids Home Selling Pro Call: 616-821-9375, Real Estate Services You can Trust! (Flexit Realty "Flexible Home Selling Solutions") said about 11 years ago,
"ActiveRain has helped hundreds of people find and contact me just like you. People call the Flexit Realty office with buying and selling questions all the time. Most sellers and buyers have questions, but are afraid to ask. I have helped first time buyers because of active rain, as well. This is a great forum to read and communicate real estate issues. If you have any questions call or email me direct. Thanks for your loyal following. Let it rain happiness on your real estate transaction."
Kate Elim, Realtor   540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a (Dockside Realty): Real Estate Agent in Spotsylvania, VA Kate Elim, Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a (Dockside Realty) said about 11 years ago,
"Success comes in big ways and small ways. They are all important and meaningful in their own way. One example of how I measure the success of my blogging on Active Rain is by the phone calls and emails that I receive from people asking for additional information about Lake Anna. It may have something to do with buying or selling property here or it may be about local events. All of it is important to me. With the Fourth of July in just a couple of days, I have had a number of inquiries about local events. I've been asked about the boat parade and about the fireworks display. I appreciate it when folks have come to think of me as their local expert and believe I may have the answers to their questions. I'm always willing to find the answer if I don't know it. This is certainly one of the reasons many of us have found such success on Active Rain. We are not only the local REALTOR we are neighbors here to help."
Julea Joseph, Julea Joseph House Stager - Reinventing Space (Reinventing Space): Home Stager in Chicago, IL Julea Joseph, Julea Joseph House Stager - Reinventing Space (Reinventing Space) said about 11 years ago,
"After filming Chicago segment episodes for HGTV's "My First Place," I happily recommend fellow professional Home Stager and Active Rain associate, Maureen Bray to be their designer for their Portland, OR season. Maureen was hired and you too can watch Maureen work her talents on HGTV!"