General Archives - Blog of Champions

16Jun 2016 by Karla Lárraga

Pinterest Inspiration Station: Staging Ideas

In a seller's market, staging can sell a house on the first day it's listed. In a buyer's market, it can sell a house in a matter of days - not months. Needless to say, knowing how to properly stage a home is important. How important? So important that at Champions School of Real Estate, we offer the Certified Home Marketing Specialist (CHMS) course on staging. Learn more about this course, here: http://bit.ly/1thX2tX That said, we know that new ideas often spark creative approaches to decorating, so we rounded up 5 useful guides (thank you, Pinterest!) to help you make the most of what you have on hand to make a spectacular presentation. Enjoy! 1. 6 Ways to Master Yout Bookcase Decoration; Elle Decor 2. How to Accessorize an End Table or Nightstand;…

18Aug 2015 by Karla Lárraga

Tools for Real Estate Pros: “Know Before You Owe” Campaign

Freebies, General, Real Estate News

Know Before You Owe Mortgage Initiative Real estate professionals are trusted resources for people choosing to buy a home. New rules taking effect will change your clients’ home buying experience. Since clients turn to you for help, we’re providing you with this guide to explain the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Know Before You Owe mortgage initiative. The Know Before You Owe mortgage initiative is designed to empower consumers with the information they need to make informed mortgage choices. It includes the implementation of the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule, which is often referred to as “TRID.” We prefer Know Before You Owe (and since getting past jargon is a first step, we think you might prefer it too). The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) launched a new online toolkit…

29Jun 2015 by Karla Lárraga

A Brief Note on Safety for National Safety Month!

General, Real Estate

June is National Safety Month Did you know that there is a such a thing as National Safety Month? It's true! Observed annually in June, National Safety Month focuses on reducing leading causes of injury at work, on the road and in our homes and communities. There are several resources available for the real estate community, with one good resource being the National Association of Realtor's Realtor® Safety page. Amongst their articles and ideas, you have the option to download a toolkit and Safety Checklist for Showings - check out their page, here. The San Antonio police department also gave us this handy list of Realtor Safety Tips for your consideration: Realtor Safety Tips From the San Antonio Police Department 1. OFFENDING SOMEONE BY USE OF THESE…

16Feb 2015 by Karla Lárraga

Real Estate News Roundup: February 16 Edition

General, Real Estate

Happy Monday! This week's round up features an interesting array of news articles from Inman News, CultureMap Houston, SixFiveNation, the National Association of Realtors, the World Economic Forum and The Motley Fool. Whether you're invested in real estate agent reviews on Zillow, staging or information to share with your buyers on the volatility of housing markets, there's something for everyone to read, so make sure and share what articles resonated the most with you over on our Facebook or Twitter pages. Remember, feedback and ideas are always welcome - e-mail Karla@ChampionsSchool.com to reach out! - KL <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Quick Links - Zillow Real estate agent reviews: http://bit.ly/17boYUC - Houston Housing Defies Oil Bust Visions: http://bit.ly/1EE2sP6 - 7 Mistakes in Buying a House: http://bit.ly/1FTbRDM - 5 Do's & Don't of Staging:…

27Dec 2013 by Byron Underwood

Evernote: A Tool for Mobile Agents

Business, General, Real Estate, Technology

Remember the good ol' days? The ones before cell phones and even way back... before computers? I remember as a kid going for the first time to Walt Disney World in Florida. I couldn't wait to ride Space Mountain. Wow! I believe we made a bee-line to it from the front gate. Even though we endured an hour-plus long wait to get on this futuristic space journey, it was all it was advertised. I loved Space Mountain! What has stuck with me all these years were some of the predictions, or what I thought really... promises, about the coming computer age. "Computers," the voice said as we clicked towards the top of the ride, "will make all of our lives easier." Remember? Oh boy! Remember the prediction of the four…