The Benefits of Our Client Appreciation Program

 We’ve had great success with our client appreciation program. If you aren’t a part of it already, here are a few of the benefits you’ll see from joining.

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Most of you who are reading this are already a part of our client appreciation program. However, for those of you who aren’t, we wanted to explain what this program is and the benefits you’ll see from joining if you haven’t yet.

First, we send a piece of mail each month about a real estate-related topic, which also includes information about houses we’ve listed or an event we have coming up. Then, we send out a video email in the middle of the month that is related to that same general topic.

In addition, we also send out blog articles like this one that cover questions that we get from people most frequently. If you have friends, family members, or co-workers who you think might be interested in receiving some of this information we are providing, we’d be happy to add them to our client appreciation program.

Another huge benefit of joining our program is that you can reach out to us for almost anything. We work in property management as well, so we know roofers, plumbers, electricians, and any other kind of service provider you might need in your home. We can also give recommendations for things that don’t even have to do with real estate. We know the best restaurants, dentists, babysitters, and more in Reno. I’ve lived here for 29 years now and know the area very well.

This program benefits us because it allows us to stay in touch with you regularly and help you with any problems you have in your home.

If you or someone you know might be interested in joining our client appreciation program, all we need is a phone number, an email address, and a home address. We will take it from there.

If you have any real estate-related questions in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

What Could You Stand to Gain by Owning Real Estate? Pt. 6

In today’s final installment on the benefits of owning real estate, 
I’ll discuss the tax benefits associated with homeownership

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Today’s discussion is the final installment in our six-part series about the advantages of owning real estate. If you’d like to brush up on our previous videos, visit our blog to watch parts one through five.

On top of all the other benefits discussed, owning real estate affords you a range of tax-related benefits. Many people are concerned with how the new laws regarding tax benefits on the interest paid on one’s house will affect their investments, but those legal changes shouldn’t affect you in Reno.

The interest you pay is deductible on your taxes—for more thorough detail on how that works, consult your CPA. You'll receive a statement from your lender, after which, all you have to do is use that statement to write off your interest on your tax return.

Further still, everyone needs to live somewhere. As long as you’re making monthly payments to live somewhere, why not pay your own mortgage down, rather than a landlord’s?

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On top of all the other benefits discussed, owning real estate affords you a range of tax-related benefits.

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Ideally, you’ll live in a house for at least five to seven years, during which time you can pay a good portion of your loan down—or more, if you pay extra each month. If you look at your 30-year amortization schedule, you’ll be amazed at how much money you save in interest payments by making an extra payment every year during the life of your loan. Also during that time, your home will appreciate in value, leaving you with a big chunk of money.

There are more benefits to being a homeowner, and if you’d like more specifics or have any questions, reach out to us. We’d be happy to sit down and talk about how you can benefit from owning real estate. We hope to speak with you soon.

What’s Your Home Really Worth?

There are several ways you can get an estimate of your home’s worth, but the best way is to give us a call.

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If you want to know what your home is worth, how can you find out? There are a few different methods.

The best way is to reach out to us so we can give you a full comparative market analysis. Depending on your needs, it’s typically best for me to take a look at your home in person and give it a walk-through. Two homes can look exactly the same from the outside, but one could be worth $50,000 more for a variety of reasons. Obviously, our valuation process is a little different if we’re getting your home ready for sale.

Other ways you can get a valuation of your home include: getting an appraisal, getting a BPO (broker price opinion), or using Zillow. 

Don’t rely on Zillow for an accurate valuation of your home.

To me, using one of Zillow’s Zestimates is a terrible way to estimate your home’s value. Zillow doesn’t actually look inside or around your home to calculate its value, and its features, upgrades, landscaping, etc., can all play a role in its value.

So again, if you want the most accurate valuation of your home you can possibly get, give us a call and we’d be happy to give you the information you need.

As always, if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Power of Positive Leadership

 

If you’re in any type of leadership position, it’s important to be positive. If you’re in a leadership position and you’re struggling with it, I have some great books that can help you.

 

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If you’re in a position of leadership, no matter what type of position that is, I believe it’s important that you be a positive person.

Anyone who spends time with me either at home or at work knows that I’m an upbeat, positive person most of the time. Why do I think this is so important? Let me give you an example.

If you’re in a position of leadership, it’s important to be a positive person.

My son just finished his third year of playing college basketball, but he decided to give up his scholarship and his basketball career because the environment around that career was very negative and the leadership aspect at the head it of wasn’t fantastic.

If you’re in any type of leadership position and you’re struggling with how to handle it, I recommend you read “The Energy Bus” and “The Power of Positive Leadership” by Jon Gordon. These two books are great resources for the topic of leadership and I believe they can help you a lot.

If you’d like a copy of one of these books, give me a call and I’d be glad to send you one and talk to you about leadership. If you have any other questions about this topic or you have any real estate needs I can assist you with, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.

Let Us Be a Resource for You

 

Whatever your needs are, our team is here to help. That goes for more than just real estate, as well.

 

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There are many ways you can use my team and I as a resource. It seems like recently, we’ve been helping a lot more people make their move here from another state. 

I wanted to let all of you know that you can call us for things other than real estate.

Over the years, people have called us for a number of things, even where to find a babysitter, where to find a dentist, and where to go for a great meal out.

We want to be a resource for you in terms of your real estate needs and also in your daily life.

Whatever you need to know about our Northern Nevada area, reach out and we would be happy to help. One more thing I want to make you all aware of is that we’ll be giving away some things this month.

Ultimately, the bottom line is this: We want to be a resource you in terms of your real estate needs but also in your daily life.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

An Invitation and an Update From the Lessinger Team

 

Today I’m bringing you a couple of updates from all of us here at the Lessinger Team.

 

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Today, I just wanted to bring you an update on some of the new things going on here with the Lessinger Team.

As many of you may already have seen, both Re/MAX and the Lessinger Team have updated their logos. We’re bringing a new look and some new people to our team this year.

For those of you in our database who get items of value in the mail each month, keep an eye out for your invitation to our annual client appreciation event. This year, it will be a baseball game again and we’re so excited to have a great time with all of you.

The game will be on Friday, May 4 at 6:35 p.m., so save the date now. We will give you more details in the future, but we hope you’ll come out for some food and fun. Food will be provided starting an hour before the game, so come out early if you’d like.

We’d love to see you, join us for the fun.

Our goal this year is to get at least 100 people out there, and we’d love to see you join us for the fun.

There will be more events coming up in the summer months so be on the lookout for those as well.

If you have any other questions, would like more information, or don’t already receive our monthly mail-outs and would like to, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

More of Your Real Estate Questions Answered

 

Today I’ll be answering a few more questions that I’ve heard about the market.

 

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Today, I’d like to continue answering some questions about our market that I’ve been hearing.

Recently, I attended the Builder’s Association forecast for 2018. Based on what was said there, I can say that the outlook for the coming year is good.

People are concerned that the prices in the area have gone up the past few years, and we’re getting close to the peak of the market like we saw around 10 or 12 years ago. However, this is a completely different market than it was then. We have people moving to the area for good economic reasons, like the new companies and new jobs developing here which draw people in. Because of that, inventory has been really tight.

This is especially true for low-end price points. For example, there are only currently 58 homes available that are under the $300,000 price point and only five homes under $200,000. What’s more, only 11 of those 58 homes were built more recently than 1990, so if you’re looking for a newer home, they’re getting harder and harder to find, and almost impossible if you’re looking under $300,000.

Rent rates have gone up in this area over the past two years more than anywhere else in the United States

Despite this, it’s only January, so by February, we should start to see more homes coming on the market. If you’re a buyer, though, you’ve got to be ready ahead of time. Get pre-approved now so that you’ll be able to react more quickly when a home does appear. It’s still a seller’s market, so there isn’t a whole lot of room for negotiation due to the lack of inventory.

There are a lot of people who are being forced to buy a house and find roommates to help pay for the expenses or go back to renting a home or apartment. Rent rates have gone up in this area over the past two years more than anywhere else in the United States. In response, more and more apartment complexes are being built, which gives people a place to live, but if you’re looking to building long-term wealth, renting is not the way to go.

If you want to know more specific details about the state of our market and what we can expect from the year ahead, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to sit down with you and talk about your situation.

Why Work With the Lessinger Team?

 

Do you plan on buying or selling a home in 2018? If so, the Lessinger Team is here to help you reach your real estate goals.

 

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If you are thinking of buying or selling a home in 2018, it’s important that you work with an experienced real estate team. 

We work with a lot of people who were referred to a different Realtor or worked with an agent that was a friend or family member. Whatever the case may be, in today’s market, you need an agent or team that has experience. 

In addition to helping people buy and sell real estate, our team also handles property management. Between everyone on our team, we have 70 years of combined experience in real estate.

Why is experience so important? There are a number of different steps and factors in any real estate transaction. We can help you price your home to sell, figure out how much to offer on a home, and guide you through negotiations and repairs. There are a number of details to keep track of, not to mention mountains of paperwork. Thanks to our experience, we know exactly what needs to be done. 

We have 70 years of experience in real estate.

We also understand our local market conditions. We can help you through a buyer’s market or a seller’s market. Reno has had a lot of growth over the last five years, and we get a lot of questions from people who are concerned that prices are too high. 

We can sit down with you and help you decide if now is a good time to buy or sell, or if you would be better doing so later on. 

Our goal is to give you the information you need to make a good decision, whether you buy or sell in 2018 or down the road. We want to do what’s best for you. 

If you have any questions or would like to sit down and talk with us about your real estate goals, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. If you know anyone who is thinking about buying or selling a home in 2018, we would love to meet them and give them the information they need to make the right decisions. 

Just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

2017 Was a Great Year Thanks to You

 

The Lessinger Team had an amazing year and it’s all thanks to you.

 

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2017 was an amazing year for us here at the Lessinger Team. Today, my team and I want to thank you for that.

I was lucky enough to meet many of you in person this year at our various client appreciation events, which was truly a great experience.

Thank you so much for your support.

As the year draws to a close, I want to remind you all that I’m always here for you.

I can’t wait to continue bringing you updates and valuable information in the new year. And, again, thank you so much for your support. I hope you all have a happy holiday season.

If you have any real estate questions, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

2 Services We Provide: Property Management and Referrals

 

I want to discuss two topics today: property management and referrals.

 

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Today’s topic is actually about two separate things: property management and referrals. I wanted to educate you a little bit about some things we do in our property management business that you might not be aware of, as well as about how referrals work since our business is based on them.

Property Management:

For those of you who don’t know, The Lessinger Team does do property management. We manage mostly single-family homes, but for local owners and those who are more experienced in property management, we also do what’s called a tenant finder. This means we find you the tenant for the property and you manage the property on your own.

Referrals:

We let all of our clients know that any referrals needed don’t necessarily have to be related to the house; we can get you a referral to a dentist or even something like a babysitter. Feel free to give us a call if you need anything, especially if you’re new to the area.

We can refer you to dentists, babysitters, contractors, and more.

On the other side of the referral coin, our business is based on referrals. Most of our clients are referred to us. The best way for you to refer us would be to call or email us directly with the contact information of the person that might be looking to buy or sell a home. That way, we can reach out to them.

Whether it’s property management or buying or selling a home, we want to be here to help you get all the information you need. If you do have any questions or need information, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

 

Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving

 

We wanted to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there who has supported our business. We are very thankful for your patronage.

 

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Instead of talking about real estate, I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and for all the business and referrals you have sent our way.

For those of you who have called and requested a pie, today is pie day! We will see you this afternoon between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Come down to the office and get your pie!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

If you have any questions in the meantime, don’t hesitate to give us a call. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

2 Helpful Books to Jump-Start Your Financial Success

 

Today I want to go over a few things I think could be helpful to you and your business. These are the same resources I’ve utilized myself and I want to share them with you.

 

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Today’s topic is going to be a little different. I’d like to take some time to talk about coaching, mentoring, and also some books I think could be helpful to you.

Here at the Lessinger Team, we work closely with the Buffini Company. Through them, I have my own real estate coach. Most of the systems I use come from them.

These same systems and tools would likely be beneficial to you, whether your business is real estate or something else. 

You can find information about these systems in Brian Buffini’s book, “The Emigrant Edge.” This book has been a valuable resource to me and my business, and I want to share it with you. I’ve got 20 free copies that I’m giving away. To secure your copy, give me a call or send me an email.

This book has been a valuable resource to me and my business, and I want to share it with you.

You can also find and buy this book, which is now a bestseller, on Amazon.

I also have another book recommendation for a different topic I often get questions about. If you need financial planning advice, you may want to take a look at “The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach.

This book is a great wealth of information for those who don’t know much about finances right now. If you are a little more advanced in your knowledge, I’d be happy to recommend some other books to you as well.

Just like “The Emigrant Edge,” I also have copies of “The Automatic Millionaire” that I would be more than happy to give you.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Things to Understand About Home Appraisals

 

There’s been some confusion lately about what appraisals are and who they’re for. Today I’d like to clear that up.

 

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I’ve seen many people confused about what appraisals are and what they’re meant to do. Generally, an appraisal is seen as the final word on a property’s value.

Sometimes you don’t even need an appraisal. This is especially true for buyers who are paying in cash. The appraisal is needed so that the lender in that potential transaction can see the value of the home. This way, they can be sure they don’t feel like they are lending too much money to the buyer for the purchase.

The reason that appraisals and the values they give really matter is this: When someone gets qualified for a home loan, the lender will only loan them a percentage of the purchase price based on the appraised value of the home.

Sometimes you don’t even need an appraisal in a home sale.

So what happens if the appraisal comes in below the agreed upon purchase price? In this case, it becomes a negotiable thing between the buyer and the seller. The buyer doesn’t have to proceed with buying, and the seller doesn’t have to agree to sell at the appraisal instead of the higher purchase price. Sometimes the price gets lower, and sometimes the buyer makes up the difference.

As prices have increased in our area over the last couple of years, appraisals are not always coming in at value. That doesn’t mean that the house isn’t worth it, it just means that we have to figure out a way to make up that difference if there’s a problem.

If this happens to you, we’ll walk you through it and figure out the best solution for you. If you have any additional questions or you’re looking to buy or sell a home, give me a call. I’d be happy to help.

How You Can Find the Best Agent Possible

 

If you’re looking for the right real estate agent to represent you, work with someone who’s been referred to you.

 

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If you’re looking for the right real estate agent to represent you, the best way is work with someone who has been referred to you. 

This is the way we recommend because this is how we get most of our clients. It doesn’t matter if you live in another city. I live in Reno and I work with families across the country to put them in contact with Realtors in my network. Those Realtors can give you advice and information to the best of their abilities. 

As many of you know, we’re in an intense seller’s market that’s been very busy lately. What does that mean?

Work with an agent who’s been referred to you.

I sit down with every client I have and let them know that I’ll give them advice and treat them as if they were part of my own family. Whatever you’re looking to do in the real estate world, we want to help you to the best of our ability. Whether you live in Reno or not, reach out to us so we can put you in contact with a great agent. They will treat you the same way that we would as far as doing what’s in your best interest. 

Do not use online resources or go to someone who’s trying to generate a thousand leads only to get a few clients. You want a direct referral for a good, reputable agent. 

If you or anyone you know is thinking about buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We’d be happy to help. 

How Can Our Property Management Service Help You?

 

You might not be aware that we offer complete property management services. Here’s how we can assist you.

 

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Today I want to talk to you about property management. It’s a service our team provides that you may not be aware of.

We have two people who manage property full-time for us. So, if you’re an investor client who is looking to buy or sell a home, or if you’re a resident who needs to move out of the area for a job, we can do a good job of not only letting you know what we think we could sell your home for, but also let you know what we think we could rent your home for.

That being said, if you’re looking for full-blown property management services, we provide those. We would be happy to take your referrals or work with you directly for those needs.

We take care of everything for you.

We take care of everything. The tenants should never have to talk to you or meet with you. If you want to manage the property, we can also help you find tenants.

We have been providing property management services for about five or six years and manage around 100 properties right now. The only property type we don’t offer our property management services for is commercial property, but we can refer you to someone who can take care of that as well.

If you have any questions, please give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Why Fall Is a Great Time for Real Estate

We feel that fall and winter are actually great times to buy or sell a home for a few different reasons. The biggest reason is that you have more serious buyers.

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As a team, we feel that the fall is actually a great time to sell a home.

A lot of people just assume that since the weather gets colder this time of year, things will slow down and people won't be out looking to buy or sell a home. I've always felt that some years, the fourth and first quarters tend to be great times of the year for people to buy or sell. You don't have all the looky-loos, which are the people out kicking tires who aren't very serious about buying.

During this time, there typically aren't as many homes listed for sale so the competition for sellers isn't as high. If you're a buyer out in November or December, you'll probably be looking at listings from very motivated sellers who really want to get their home sold. For that reason, you might be able to get a really good deal.

Both buyers and sellers are more serious in the fourth quarter.

That's why I think it's a win-win for both sides. You're dealing with people who really need to move.

If you're curious about buying or selling a house in the fall or winter months or you have any questions about the Nevada real estate market, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to help!