KW Crossroads - Career Development

Over 9 Transactions in 8 Weeks…

Darren Kittleson — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:34:43 +0000

What would that do for your business? What would your business look like, what would your self confidence in this business feel like…what would this mean for your family?

That’s exactly what happens to the “average” agent who chooses to participate in the MAPS BOLD course!

BOLD-Business Objective a Life by Design was developed to help both new and experienced real estate agents take their businesses to the next level, relaunch your business if it’s stagnated in this new market and overall get more enjoyment out of life!

And best yet….BOLD is coming to Madison!

To find out more…use this link.

KW Websites Have New Foreclosure Search

Darren Kittleson — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:19:19 +0000

Just released this week is the ability to search and save your search for any and all Madison area foreclosure/bank owned properties and short sales. This is just another great tool for homebuyers and investors to use on our Keller Williams Realty website.

To search and save your search regarding these 2 new search types, do the following:

Go to http://www.kittlesonteam.com
On the left side menu bar, choose Property Search
From the center section options choose
At the top of the next screen choose the radio button

It’s as simple as that!

DocuSign – Your Newest Tool!

Andy Kahn — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:36:47 +0000

Your tech package has expanded…and your tech fee remains the same. That’s right…more services at no additional cost! At our recent company-wide meeting Darren Kittleson announced that we will now provide DocuSign to all KW agents.

DocuSign is a program that allows you to utilize electronic signatures. Forget documents you can’t read anymore because they have been faxed 4 times. Forget running around town to get a signature. This software will help you run a more professional, 21^st century business.

Check out these benefits from using this software:

Dramatically reduce costs – Cut costs related to sending, storing, and managing paper contracts and agreements by up to 80%.
Fast – Get contracts and agreements back in minutes rather than weeks, with the ease of sending, signing, and managing electronically. No more waiting for faxes, mail, or overnight packages.
Improve customer satisfaction – Allow signers the convenience of the familiar yellow signing tab process brought online, so they can sign anytime, from anywhere they have online access.
Real time tracking – See exactly when a contract or agreement is viewed, signed, or rerouted. And by using DocuSign’s automated signer reminders, you can be certain your documents get signed.
Secure and legally binding – DocuSign’s Electronic Signature and the Electronic Contract Execution process is completely secure and eSign law compliant with over 22 million signature events completed.

Guy Lofts has seen the power of DocuSign and has been using it for a while. He will share his expertise and teach you how to use this amazing new tool. Please join him for this exciting class next week and begin to take advantage of your new tool!

What: DocuSign Training

Where: KW Madison Crossroads Training Room

When: Monday, January 25th from 2:00 to 3:00

Please RSVP for this training on our new calendar by clicking the link at the top of the page for KW Crossroads Training or go directly to www.schedule.kwmadisoncrossroads.com.

Start 2010 Off Right-Company Wide Meeting Jan. 5th

Darren Kittleson — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:16:56 +0000

Join us for the Company Wide Meeting Tuesday, January 5, 2010

City Center West Conference Center

525 Junction Road, Madison

9:00-11:30 a.m.

“Man, the holidays will just be over and the management team here at Keller Williams Madison wants me to show up for a 2 ½ hour training meeting? ” Might be what you’re thinking. And that is correct.

Why? First, there are many changes to RESPA that take effect on January 1, 2010 that can and will DELAY CLOSINGS in the beginning of the year. You need to know how these delays may be caused and how you might avoid these for your clients and customers. We don’t believe any of our competitors are training their associates on these issues. Therefore, don’t assume the co-broke agent on the other side of your deal will be in the loop. It’s imperative that we are the most educated on these issues to be able to deliver the best services to our buyers and sellers. We’ll hear from our Corporate Attorney, Peter Zarov on how these changes might impact your transactions and what you can do to avoid any unnecessary closings delays. In addition, Dave Grauwels from Waterstone Mortgage will share what Waterstone has done in training their team to avoid these RESPA changes from causing issues with buyers who obtain their financing through Waterstone. We’ll also share ideas on how you can work to avoid these as well.

Second, the WB-11 Residential Offer to Purchase has changed and the mandatory use date for the new document will be March 1, 2010. Darren Kittleson served on the advisory committee for the WRA on the recreation of this form and he’ll spend some time updated everyone on the changes so you can be ahead of the game when it comes to this form.

Third, the holidays are over and it’s time to get your business kick started for 2010! Remember many real estate agents check out for months this time of year. In doing so they completely loose the 1^st quarter of the year for production—we don’t want this to be you!

Will it be worth my time? We’ve been planning this meeting for nearly a month as to ensure we can deliver to you the most useful information for your business as possible. All we ask in return is 2 ½ hours of your time on Tuesday.

Here’s our agenda:

Registration/Refreshments	8:30-9:00 a.m.
Welcome	9:00 a.m.
Training on RESPA Changes by Atty. Peter Zarov, Clear Title Madison	9:05-10:00 a.m.
Impact on Lending by Dave Grauwels, Waterstone Mortgage	10:00-10:15 a.m.
Changes to the new WB-11 by Darren Kittleson	10:15-11:00 a.m.
Announcements, Excitement, New Features for KW in 2010	11:00-11:30 a.m.
Adjourn	11:30

I look forward to seeing you Tuesday!

Darren Kittleson, CRB, CDPE

Operating Principal Madison West/Madison Crossroads

Keller Williams Realty

608.662.9501 Direct Line

866.405.0825 Direct Fax

darren.kittleson SKYPE

Your Spiritual Bank Account

Darren Kittleson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:34:39 +0000

This is AWESOME….something we should all remember.

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

“I love it,” he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” he replied…

“Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged…it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it ‘It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do” he stated.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the
happy memories I’ve stored away. Just for this time in my life.

Growing old is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you’ve put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing. Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

Read a Great Book-Move Forward in Life!

Darren Kittleson — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:08:59 +0000

By Darren Kittleson
November 28th, 2009

The Shark and the Goldfish-Positive Ways to Thrive During Waves of Change
By: Jon Gordon

It’s interesting how sometimes fate steps up for us when we least expect it. What I mean by this is a few weeks ago I had about 30 minutes free during my day. I was out and about in Madison and decided to run into Barnes and Noble and see what new Business/Life books were hot.

In my usual fashion, I walk in and head to the “Business/Management” section of the store. They always have at least 1 section dedicated to the hottest new books in that topic. This book jumped out at my for 2 reasons: 1) The subtitle certainly describes most of our lives this past 18 months and 2) the number of pages in the book- 77.

It’s a business parable and tells a great story. It’s a fast read but not one to be overlooked for it’s message. Definitely worth spending 45 minutes with between now and the end of 2009.

In addition it’s full of great 1 line “wisdom” quotes. These alone could make a great set of affirmations for each of us on a daily basis.

Oh yeah, back to the fate thing….after grabbing this book I turned to the shelf behind me and grabbed 3 more books. Mostly based on their titles…”The Energy Bus“, “Training Camp” and “Have a Little Faith“. It wasn’t until I was home that I realized the first 2 books-”The Energy Bus” and “Training Camp” were written by Shark author Jon Gordon. Guess it was time for me to discover this create writer.

Click any of the links to go to my amazon store and buy these books at great discounts.

Kittleson Named to National Board

Darren Kittleson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:54:19 +0000

DARREN KITTLESON, CRB ELECTED TO 2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OF THE COUNCIL OF REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE MANAGERS

CHICAGO, November 23, 2009 – Darren Kittleson has been elected to the 2010 national board of directors of the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers. The Council, which has more than 6,000 members worldwide, confers the Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB) designation and is the governing body of the most prestigious real estate network for brokers, owners and managers in the nation.

Kittleson was installed to the board during the Council’s recent business meetings in San Diego during the REALTORS^® Conference & Expo. His official term is through October 31, 2011. He holds the professional designation of Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB).

Kittleson, is a 20year veteran of the real estate industry.

He serves as Operating Principal and Broker of 2 Keller Williams Realty offices in Madison, WI. He’s grown his company to over 200 agents in the past 6 years. In 2008, Kittleson’s Keller Williams Realty offices closed 1098 transactions for a volume of $228 million and gross commission revenues of $6.3 million.

Kittleson is a Keller Williams University Regional Trainer and a transformation coach with Frame of Mind Coaching based out of Toronto, Canada.

Industry-wide Kittleson has served as President and Treasurer of the REALTOR Association of South Central Wisconsin (RASCW). Was named REALTOR of Distinction by RASCW in 2000 and served as a director of the South Central Wisconsin Multiple Listing Service. Within the Wisconsin REALTOR Association (WRA) Kittleson has held the position of State Director, Executive Committee Vice President, Public Policy Committee chairperson and served on the Political Strategy Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee.

In addition, Kittleson has served on the Dane County Citizen’s Land Use Commission and the Dane County Community Development Block Grant Commission.

Recently, Kittleson was recognized by the Greater Madison In Business Magazine as one of Dane County’s “40 Under 40″.

###

About the Council

The Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers (CRB) is a not-for-profit affiliate of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS^® with more than 6,000 members worldwide. It is
the source for education, professional resources and leadership solutions for brokers, owners and managers. Headquartered in Chicago, the Council awards the CRB designation (Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager) to experienced REALTORS^® who have completed advanced professional training. For additional information, please visit the CRB Web site at www.CRB.com or call us at 800-621-8738.

Tax Credit in Plain English

Darren Kittleson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:09:40 +0000

TAX CREDIT 2.0

Understanding the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit

As part of its plan to stimulate the U.S. housing market and address the economic challenges facing our nation, Congress has passed new legislation that:

Extends the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010.
Expands the credit to grant up to $6,500 credit to current home owners purchasing a new or existing home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010.

Who Qualifies for the Extended Credit?

First-time home buyers who purchase homes between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010.
Current home owners purchasing a home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010, who have used the home being sold or vacated as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight.
To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase.

Which Properties Are Eligible?

The Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit may be applied to primary residences, including: single-family homes, condos, townhomes, and co-ops.

How Much Is Available?

The maximum allowable credit for first-time home buyers is $8,000. The maximum allowable credit for current homeowners is $6,500.

How is a Buyer’s Credit Amount Determined?

Each home buyer’s tax credit is determined by two additional factors:

The price of the home.
- Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, credit may only be awarded on homes purchased for $800,000 or less.
The buyer’s income.
- Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, which is effective on November 7, 2009, single buyers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples with incomes up to $225,000—may receive the maximum tax credit.

If the Buyer(s)’ Income Exceeds These Limits, Can He/She Still Get a Credit?

Yes, some buyers may still be eligible for the credit. The credit decreases for buyers who earn between $125,000 and $145,000 for single buyers and between $225,000 and $245,000 for home buyers filing jointly. The amount of the tax credit decreases as his/her income approaches the maximum limit. Home buyers earning more than the maximum qualifying income—over $145,000 for singles and over $245,000 for couples are not eligible for the credit.

Can a Buyer Still Qualify If He/She Closes After April 30, 2010?

Under the Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit, as long as a written binding contract to purchase is in effect on April 30, 2010, the purchaser will have until July 1, 2010 to close.

Will the Tax Credit Need to Be Repaid?

No. The buyer does not need to repay the tax credit, if he/she occupies the home for three years or more. However, if the property is sold during this three-year period, the full amount credit will be recouped on the sale.

ARE YOU A GOOD “MOVE UP BUYER” CANDIDATE?

Madison’s “Move Up Buyers” benefit in several ways.

The $6,500 tax credit may be the difference maker for you to take advantage of a move up. To better understand how this tax credit works, CLICK HERE for information provided by the IRS.
Interest rates are very low. I would be happy to connect you with a reliable lender offering the best rates and mortgage options.
Although a seller may take a loss on the home they sell, the gain received is likely to be much greater. The illustration above is a great example.
Many of the “Move Up Buyers” need to sell a home that is priced in the hottest price ranges for Dane County real estate sales. In fact, properly priced homes in good condition continue to sell quickly. The initial $8,000 tax credit created lots of activity and sales for homes priced under $300,000.
On the flip side, the home purchase is in the price range that is currently suffering the most. In Dane County the following are the hardest hit price points are $400,000+. In September, the following stagnant sales occurred:

In fact, Dane County currently has over 65 months of “inventory” for homes in the luxury home price range. In the past year, only 13 homes have sold over $800,000. What a great time to buy your dream house at the bottom, before the market rebounds.

So, are you a good candidate to take advantage of the tax credit?

Visit our website www.kwmadison.com to:

Calculate and research what your home would sell for in today’s real estate market. You will receive two instant estimates once you enter your homes information.

To start dream shopping for your “Move Up” dream home. Once you log in you can save all of your favorite properties and get acquainted with the market from the convenience and privacy of your computer without having multiple Realtors contacting you. This is a service I provide to all of my friends and clients. Feel free to pass this on to anyone you know that would appreciate it.

First Time and Existing Buyer Tax Credit Explained

Darren Kittleson — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:40:30 +0000

President Obama just signed in to law an extension to the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit and an additional Home Owner “Extended” Tax Credit of up to $6500 for an existing homeowner. A great resource for explaining the opportunities under this credit can be found by clicking this link.

Bottom line, there will be opportunity for tax credits on a home purchase from now until April 30, 2010. This would be a great time to get out and start looking as well as getting your current home on the market!

Short Sale Pitfalls

Darren Kittleson — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:56:06 +0000

This past week a guy walked in to our office with a “deal we couldn’t resist”. He was very professional looking. He was claiming to be a buyer working with a group of investors holding a $50M line of credit to purchase short sales. He wanted one of my agents to help him find short sale properties, negotiate a really low purchase price with the bank, close on that and immediately have a Buyer secured for a back to back closing where he can make money on the purchase price difference. He claimed that he’ll list exclusively with our associate, pay a reasonable commission and an additional 20% of their proceeds from the net of the transaction. In essence, shorting a distressed seller even more of a deficiency that they would have been had they sold it to the second buyer to begin with.

It’s amazing to me that these type of business dealings are allowed to happen. You see, if the “option” holder, in this case this company, isn’t able to secure a buyer with a high enough offer to close (covering what they are paying vs. what a new buyer will pay) they will tie up the seller and take them into foreclosure anyway.

I called this gentleman and had an interesting conversation with him. He worked very hard to try and convince me he was doing the homeowner and my agent a favor in this deal. I asked where the “win win” fell for the homeowner. He stated they were negotiating the short sale for them. I asked, if they had over $50M in a line of credit why they wouldn’t simply close on the property and then remarket it. This would, in my mind, create a win win for the seller and this buyer if they were able to acquire the property at a reasonably reduced rate. Why would he do that? Was his question back to me. You see in their current business model there is very little risk to them and all of the risk falls on the homeowner and the real estate agent.

I thanked him for explaining his model to me and shared with him that I would suggest that none of my associates will get involved in a transaction like this. I just can’t see the upside for a distressed homeowner.

If you are a distressed homeowner, don’t get taken by these types of businesses. They may promise you salvation and yet you may find you’re dealing with the devil.

For more information on distressed property options, visit our website by clicking this link.