Monday, April 27, 2009

Connecting People—Beyond Sorority and University

Connecting People—Beyond Sorority and University
by Michelle C. Carr-Crowe

If I’m honest with myself, when I first considered matriculating at San Jose State University, it was only because it was convenient, affordable—and had a kick-butt dance team. I didn’t think of it as a college filled with an illustrious history or famous figures. With the exception of the Tower, most buildings were 1950’s semiconductor chic—about as appealing as the ones I’d just left behind at Willow Glen High School.

When I pledged Delta Zeta Sorority, it was due to my fellow dancers on the SJSU Spartan Spectrums Dance Team—those who were already members, along with my new buddies. I chose Delta Zeta because the ladies were different – enthusiastic, go-getters who’d networked together and sacrificed time, energy and sleep to build a new chapter from the ground up in one semester. (I seem to recall they had to get phenomenal numbers to even qualify – 50 founding chapter members and there were about 30 of us in the Alpha pledge class.)

I just thought they were the most interesting, cool and fun group of people I’d ever met. Again, I didn’t choose them because of their social status, (we were actually “low man” on the Greek totem pole being the new sorority on campus), connections, or future career help.

Yet in the past week, almost every day, I’ve been made aware that through my relationships at SJSU, I’m connected to some fabulous, and even famous people.

Take Earth Day, for example. Earth Day’s founder, Gaylord Nelson (what a name, you can’t ever forget it) graduated from San Jose State. (Thanks to the SJSU group on LinkedIn for alerting me.)

As I began doing some spring cleaning, I finally stopped to read my sorority’s magazine, The Lamp of Delta Zeta. In it I learned DZ’s 2008 Woman of the Year was Hala Gaines Moddelmog, who’s president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. As my mother passed away of breast cancer in 2005, my heart warmed to know that one of my sorority sisters (although she graduated at Southern Georgia University) is leading the way to increase breast cancer research as well as connect various cancer organizations. Especially as one of my DZ sisters is persevering through the cancer journey right now – Go Carol Kreig Walter!

Tracy Langley, another Delta Zeta sister from a different college, and a teacher here in San Jose, has written the first in a new series of children’s learning and adventure books entitled Dimitri Discovers England. Maggie Rose Bartz Crane published Amazing Grays-A Woman’s Guide to Making the Next 50 the BEST 50 (Regardless of your hair color!).

The Soloist, a new movie out this week, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx,
also has an SJSU alumni connection. Journalist Steve Lopez cut his teeth at the Spartan Daily News while a student there, later working at the San Jose Mercury News before moving on to the Los Angeles Times. The story of the L.A. Times columnist and street musician Nathaniel Ayers is a powerful one—again, echoing with the same theme of connection.

I truly believe nothing happens by chance. With some luck, prayers and good choices at San Jose State University and Delta Zeta Sorority, this week I’m privileged to re-discover I’m connected to some amazing people—energetic, go-getters putting their education and efforts into make the world a better, more connected place for all of us.

Michelle C. Carr-Crowe leads the Get RE$ult$ Team of real estate consultants at Altas Realy. A licensee for over 20 years, she is a Multi-Million Dollar Producer, as well as an internationally-published freelance writer with over 1,100 articles to date in publications such as the San Jose Mercury News, the San Jose Business Journal, San Jose Magazine, Cupertino Courier, the San Mateo Weekly Times and Inman Real Estate News Service. She has just completed testing as a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE)*, to help clients dealing with foreclosures and pre-foreclosures, short sales, bank-owned homes and loan modifications. Visit her online at www.michellejudycarr.com. She attended San Jose State University and belongs to the Gamma Lambda chapter of Delta Zeta Sorority.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Is the Lynbrook High Homes, Cupertino High Homes & Monta Vista High Homes Market Heating Up?

By Michelle C. Carr-Crowe, ABR, ALHS, ASP, CDPE*, PME, RECS, SRES

Everyone, or at least most potential buyers, want to know when the market will “hit bottom” so they can snap up a bargain before prices go back up. In examining pending sales activity in the Cupertino Schools of Lynbrook High, Cupertino High and Monta Vista High throughout Saratoga 95070, San Jose 95129, Cupertino 95014 and Santa Clara 95051, we’ve recently seen an accelerated rate of pending sales since 4/15/09 (the last six days) as compared to the previous 15 days of 4/1/09-4/15/09.

Specifically, 29 new pending sales in the past 6 days as compared to 32 pending sales in the prior 15 days. Most tellingly, the overwhelming majority of sales are of homes that have been continuously on the market for considerably longer than 30 days-in fact, several have been on the market over 100 days .

The clearing out of older inventory – especially thru pending sales rather than withdrawns or expired--That’s an important signal for buyers to pay attention to when deciding whether to wait or act now.

Especially when you realize the 100+ days on market is commanding an increasingly larger market share now. For example, 31 percent (9 properties of 29) that were 100+ DOM went pending in the past six days as compared to 6 of 32, or 19 percent, were 100+ DOM in the prior 15 day period.

In the newest pending sales, average continuous days on market (DOM) is 73 days, vs. 83 days for the prior time period. That indicates more of the older DOM properties are starting to move. Also, although the part of the market moving fastest is the lower-priced homes (under $1 million and especially under $900K), 6 of the 61 recent sales (~10 percent) are homes OVER $1.5M, 5 (~8 percent) between $1.250 & $1.499M, and 10 between $1M and $1.249M (~16 percent).

I am personally seeing more “churning in the water” in the market – buyers who are asking more questions, reading and reviewing disclosure packages, requesting packages sent to them and/or downloading from the Internet, as well as agents asking for packages and both asking about specific items – which means buyers are investing time to learn more about properties so they can make a good choice.

I’m curious – what’s your opinion? What are YOU seeing happening right now in the market? Just Call … (408) 252-8900 or send me an email at info@michellejudycarr.com. And thanks for reading.

P.S. To receive the data charts in excel, just send me an email request to hot@michellejudycarr.com.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Experienced Bay Area Real Estate Expert Prepares to Help Financially Stressed Homeowners

Experienced Expert Get RE$ult$ Team Leader Michelle C. Carr-Crowe Prepares to Help Financially Stressed Homeowners

San Jose, Calif.—Local real estate consultant and top producing residential real estate agent Michelle C. Carr-Crowe of San Jose-based Altas Realty has just completed coursework and testing to obtain the new and distinguished Certified Distressed Property Expert© (CDPE©) designation.

The Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE©) designation is offered through the Distressed Property Institute, based in Boca Raton, Fl. and launched in January 2008. It offers comprehensive training on how to handle short sales. The institute was founded by dynamic real estate veteran Alex Charfen.

Charfen and Carr-Crowe are colleagues connected through their membership in, and commitment to, the principles of the client-centered By Referral Only© program, developed by noted real estate coach Joe Stumpf, based in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif. The two met at the organization’s annual strategic leadership conference.

“As the majority of my clients in the Lynbrook High, San Jose, Saratoga and Cupertino areas are financially conservative, I initially expected CDPE© education and training to be useful solely in helping my investor clients buying short sale and bank-owned properties at bargain prices,” says Michelle C. Carr-Crowe. “However, as I processed my first short sale, I remembered my mother Judy Carr’s perseverance and persuasive techniques in negotiating with buyers, sellers, thrifts, the FHA and HUD on what we called short-pays, (now referred to as short sales) during the Savings & Loan crisis of the 1980’s.”

“As I realized people I already knew and cared about needed a trusted professional to help them navigate through this new and dangerous financial terrain, I recalled asking her why she worked so hard on these paperwork-intensive, bureaucratically frustrating and emotionally draining transactions.”

“My mother looked at me and said, ‘If someone ethical like me doesn’t help them get out of trouble, they’ll be stuck working with the same crooks who got them into this mess in the first place,’” and when I asked her how that could happen, she explained.

One, clients are usually loyal and go back to whoever they worked with the first time;

Two, clients are embarrassed and feel it will be easier to talk with someone who’s already familiar with their private financial information rather than explain it all to a new, and perhaps judgmental, person; and

Three, those people already have their phone number, address and personal information, and many are actively soliciting people in trouble with automated phone calls, letters and late-night television ads, usually with too-good-to-be-true promises, such as walk away and owe nothing, together with advanced fee contracts.

Today, people in financial distress are also being bombarded over the Internet with unsolicited e-mail messages, often leading to Web sites with official-sounding names that are unaffiliated with the government programs actually designed to help homeowners.

“What I and my team first do is consult with a potential client to see if we can help them, whether it’s exploring a loan modification, introducing them to a seasoned loan consultant for a refinance or hard money second loan, or possibly selling the property, even if it’s in foreclosure, or negotiating a short sale,” says Carr-Crowe. “First, we find out what’s important to the client, and like a physician, ask the client to tell us the honest truth about everything going on so we can show them all of their options available so they can make the best choice for their family in that unique situation.”

Carr-Crowe has effectively counseled many homeowners who purchased homes since 2005 who are terrified about their current or near-future financial situations but are unsure of who to safely turn to.

“Realtors® are in a position to help people avoid foreclosure,” says DPI founder Alex Charfan. “Like Michelle, they can be great catalysts for the recovery of this housing crisis.” Nationally, only 12 percent of short sales are approved. Among CDPE© designated Realtors®, more than 80 percent of short sales are approved. According to the National Association of Realtors®, more than 45 percent of existing home sales in the fourth quarter of 2008 were foreclosures and short sales. In a short sale transaction, homeowners sell their property for less than the mortgage amount, but avoid the foreclosure process. The CDPE© designation has been endorsed by many major U.S. brokerages, and industry icons including Howard Brinton, founder of STAR POWER System; Bob Corcoran, founder of Corcoran Coaching and Consulting, and Brian Buffini of Buffini and Company.
The Distressed Property Institute is based in Boca Raton, Fl.
By Referral Only© is an organization of real estate and mortgage consultants committed to ethical principles and effective business models. It was founded by real estate coach Joe Stumpf, and is based in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Calif.
Altas Realty, headquartered in San Jose, Calif., is the largest independent brokerage in Northern California.
Michelle C. Carr-Crowe is a San Jose-based real estate consultant at Altas Realty, and the leader of the Get RE$ult$ Team of experienced experts specializing in San Jose, Cupertino, Saratoga, Palo Alto and Santa Clara properties. More information can be found at www.michellejudycarr.com. She can be reached at 408.252.8900 or info@michellejudycarr.com.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Need a Last Minute 2008 Tax WriteOff? Try Using the $8,000 Tax Credit for Buying a Home in 2009

Need a Last Minute 2008 Tax WriteOff? Try the $8,000 Tax Credit for Buying a Home in 2009
by Michelle C. Carr-Crowe, ABR, ASP, PME, RECS, SRES

This is a tip from one of my preferred mortgage consultants, Clay Edwards of Rooftop Lending.

According to Clay, people who intend to buy a condo, townhome or single family home in 2009 (or have already purchased a home in 2009) can actually elect to take the $8,000 tax credit on their 2008 tax filing.

Obviously, you need to verify whether this strategy is a good fit for your unique situation with your tax professional. If for some reason you DON'T buy in 2009, you'll need to pay it back.
However, this is a unique opportunity for people who intend to buy a home in 2009, whether they're in San Jose, Saratoga, Cupertino, Santa Clara County or anywhere else in the country and need an additional tax credit for 2008.

You can find more information on the tax credit included in the info below:
Frequently Asked Questions About the $8,000. Federal Tax Credit, taken from www.irs.gov Web site and paraphrased by yours truly.

How much is the tax credit?
The tax credit would be $8,000 or 10% of the purchase price, whichever is less.

Who is eligible?
Similar to the $7,500 tax credit included in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, the $8,000 tax credit (included in the 2009 economic stimulus plan) is available for the purchase of the primary residence by first-time homebuyers.

How do I know if I qualify as a first-time homebuyer and am eligible for the tax credit?
According to the IRS, any taxpayer who has not owned a home during the 3 years prior to the date of purchase can qualify for the credit. KEY POINT: if only one spouse owned a home before, the other spouse can still qualify for the tax credit!

Do I have to repay the $8,000.?
NO! Unlike the previous $7,500 tax credit, the $8,000. does not have to be repaid!
EXCEPTION: IF the home is sold within three years of purchase, then at that time, the credit will be reversed.

Are there any income limitations on the tax credit?
Yes. The tax credit is strictly for individuals with adjusted gross income of under $75,000 or $150,000 for joint filers.

Thanks for reading & Happy Filing! Remember, your taxes MUST be postmarked by midnight on April 15th to avoid late fees and penalties.

Michelle C. Carr-Crowe is a fulltime real estate consultant with San Jose-based Altas Realty, specializing in residential property thrutout the West Valley area of Santa Clara County, especially Lynbrook High and Cupertino Schools. Just Call...(408)252-8900.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Bay Area Agent Michelle C. Carr-Crowe Awarded for Marketing Excellence


Michelle C. Carr-Crowe of San Jose, Calif.-based Altas Realty, receives award for marketing excellence from Realtor.com.


PALO ALTO, CA, April 8, 2009--Michelle C. Carr-Crowe of San Jose, Calif.-based Altas Realty, was recognized by Realtor.com today for her excellent use of technology in marketing on her clients’ behalf.

Nationally renowned real estate marketing and technology speaker and Realtor.com Chief Executive Officer Max Pigman personally presented the "Real Estate Online Marketing Award of Excellence" to Michelle C. Carr-Crowe, leader of the Get RE$ult$ Team at Altas Realty. The Award of Excellence recognizes top agents who consistently provide great marketing services on behalf of their buyers and sellers.

"There are but a select number of real estate agents who distinguish themselves from other agents by doing more for their sellers - and Michelle C. Carr-Crowe is one of them. In particular, when Michelle lists a home, she markets it on well trafficked sites such as the #1 ranked real estate site Realtor.com, plus high-trafficked Internet sites including Trulia.com, Zillow.com, Yahoo! Real Estate, Homes.com and many others,” says Max Pigman. “Even simple efforts like having more photos displayed, crafting better property and area descriptions, and promoting neighborhood features can make a home stand out from competing properties."

The award recognized her cutting edge techniques for leveraging the Internet and technology in successfully marketing residential homes and properties throughout Santa Clara County.

As a direct result of her marketing expertise and efforts, Carr-Crowe just sold and closed on a $1.410M property at 16345 Sanborn Road in Saratoga, Calif. The award was presented to Michelle Carr-Crowe at the trade organization's Survivor 2009 marketing and technology conference at The Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto, Calif. The event was attended by nearly 200 local real estate agents.

“If there’s one thing I learned from my mother, top-producing real estate legend Judy Carr, it’s that as change is constant, we must consistently adapt, adjust and actively use all of the tools available to achieve our clients goals—because at the end of the day, the only offer that counts is the one in my hand,” says Michelle C. Carr-Crowe. “In our current volatile market, I and my team invest hours every week ensuring our client’s homes are seen by as many potential buyers as possible.”

“Because of our intense focus on technology and using it to give buyers what they want – more photos, more details, and more market data—buyers then feel comfortable directly contacting us to see these homes and receive complimentary buying power consultations,” says Carr-Crowe. “Our expansive use of technology visually demonstrates some important truths to today’s discerning buyers: by providing extensive data and exceptional experiences before we’ve even personally met, they see we truly care about what’s important to them and have prepared and positioned ourselves to help them on their real estate journey in an environment and style that is convenient and comfortable for them.”

Maximizing marketing exposure for a seller is critical in today's market: the combination of Michelle’s outstanding marketing system, and Realtor.com are just a few of the many ways Michelle C. Carr-Crowe and the Get RE$ult$ Team are leveraging recent trends in home buyer online behavior to their clients' benefit."The extra steps agents like Michelle and her team are taking online on behalf of their clients is the reason we wanted to publicly recognize them for providing these added value services," says Mr. Pigman. “She demonstrates the type of quality marketing and experience that REALTORS® provide.”

To find out more about Michelle C. Carr-Crowe and the Get RE$ult$ Team’s award-winning marketing system, call her direct at 408-252-8900 or visit michellejudycarr.com for more information.

Michelle C. Carr-Crowe is an experienced expert in residential real estate sales and marketing, and the leader of the Get RE$ult$ Team at Altas Realty in Santa Clara County, Calif. Michelle’s general service area is in the West Valley, particularly in the Lynbrook High and Cupertino Schools areas, and includes San Jose, Cupertino, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara.Realtor.com is the online marketing division of the National Association of REALTORS®.

# # #

Contact: Michelle C. Carr-Crowe, (408) 252-8900, pr@michellejudycarr.com

Sunday, April 5, 2009

You're Invited! 3 Open Homes! Sun., 1:30-4:30 * 3 UPDATED Move-In Condition Homes! Cupertino Scls*5516 Bollinger *6076 Elmbridge *1264 Oak Knoll!

You're Invited! Open House! 3 Open Homes! Sun., 1:30-4:30 * 3 UPDATED Move-In Condition Homes with TOP Cupertino Schools (San Jose with Cupertino Schools)
You and the People You Care About are Invited to 3 Lynbrook High Open Homes !
Open Sun., 1:30-4:30 * 3 UPDATED Move-In Cond. Cupertino Scls *
All 3 are Updated! ... Move-In Condition! ... with TOP Cupertino Schools!
All 3 with Dilworth! Miller! Lynbrook High!
Sun., April 5th, 2009 from 1:30-4:30
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$40K Down Possible!* with NEW $729K FHA Loan - 6076 Elmbridge! $769K or best written offer! -
16% Down Possible!* with NEW $729K FHA Loan - 5516 Bollinger! $868K or best written offer
For Sale or For RENT! Big & Beautiful 6 Br - 1264 Oak Knoll! $1.250M or best written offer ... or For RENT at $3,900 / month - 1 Year Lease
www.lynbrookhighhomes.com - visit to see virtual tours & details
Location: San Jose with Cupertino Schools
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests