Intelligent Equity

In Episode 16 of the Intelligent Equity Podcast, host Ryan Kiefer talks with Ken Martin, President of Priority National Title Services. Ken shares why it’s important for buyers to purchase title insurance and how you can protect yourself with a good policy, sharing examples of when these policies have helped his clients.

Episode Highlights: 

• Priority National Title serves the Midwest, with great connections working north to south.
• Ken runs the marketing side of the business and his wife, Tina, runs the title side.
• They looked at the status quo and wanted to do something different with their title company.
• They wanted to make connections and establish an important place in the community.
• 50% of people who move south will actually move north again within two years.
• Ken thinks this is because people find it too hot in the south.
• Priority National Title begins closing at 7:30 in the morning and stops closing at 11:30 at night.
• Why would someone want to have title insurance?
• Title insurance protects buyers from things happening in the past.
• This protects you from what happened when someone else owned the property.
• Title insurance can protect you against liens.
• Getting surveys on your property is critically important.
• Ken shares the story of a client who purchased a home that ended up being built fifty feet over the property line.
• 25% of homes have title defects.

3 Key Points:

1. Priority National Title serves the Midwest with great relationships, great service, and low fees.
2. Purchasing title insurance protects you from anything that happened in the past.
3. A high number of properties have title defects.

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Kiefer: LinkedIn, Facebook, Website
• Ken Martin Facebook, LinkedIn
• Priority National Title Services

In Episode 15 of Intelligent Equity Podcast, host Ryan Kiefer talks with Monika DeRoussel of RE/MAX Preferred Group. They discuss the current market conditions in Cincinnati, advantages and disadvantages for sellers in the current market, and how to think outside the box to best position yourself in a multiple offer situation. 

Episode Highlights: 

• It’s an awesome market and a great time to sell. 
• The biggest struggle we have in the market today is that you might end up without a home to move into. 
• A lot of sellers want to find a home first and then sell.
• Between 350k-400k there are only a few houses to choose from.
• It's a challenge to sell because you may not have something that meets your criteria to move into.
• When you push over 500k houses are sitting.
• Everything is flying off the market at 350k and below.
• In order to move to a 500k price point, you have more leverage if your house has sold.
• The rates are so low that it allows people to truly get the dream home.
• We can’t list homes below 350k fast enough. 
• Even if the local market slows down, there are relocation clients that start coming to Cincinnati at this point in the year.
• If you list in November it's not a bad time. 
• The relocation people typically don't nickel and dime you.
• In multiple offer situations, you want to position yourself to win the house.
• A lot of people are writing letters to sellers.
• Find ways to think differently from other prospective buyers.
• Attention is in the details.
• Realtors want to help you sell for the most money in the least time while getting you into a new place that you’ll love.

3 Key Points:

1.   It’s a great time to sell in Cincinnati. 
2.   Rates are so low that people are truly able to get their dream home.
3.   In multiple offer situations, you have to find ways to think differently to create an advantage.

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Kiefer: LinkedIn, Facebook, Website
• Monika DeRoussel website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn

In Episode 14 of Intelligent Equity, host Ryan Kiefer talks with Aaron Weiner and Karen Kelley of Comey & Shepherd Realtors. They discuss the importance of staging a home to sell by de-cluttering, organizing, and taking professional pictures that will portray the property in the best light online. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Aaron was licensed in 2000 and has seen all cycles of real estate. He wanted a flexible job and liked helping people.
• Karen staged her own home to sell in 2009 and began staging for her agent.
• When you’re selling your house, your home becomes a product.
• When you sell your house it should be 30% stuff and 70% air.
• The biggest stumbling block in staging is getting people to buy into de-cluttering.
• Balance hard surfaces and soft surfaces. 
• Balance color.
• Show 60% architecture, 30% furniture, 10% accessories.
• Bring green into every room.
• Add a pop of color and some features.
• Photography is extremely important.
• People look at homes online long before they make an appointment for a showing.
• They use professional photographers.
• They also take their own pictures with wide-angle lenses before bringing in the photographer to get a sense of things they might be missing.
• They have three storage units full of staging furniture they can provide to clients.
• Ryan Kiefer describes how staging helped him to sell his home three years ago.
• Buyers have a hard time envisioning themselves in homes that aren’t move-in ready.
• A house that shows well has an emotional advantage.
• More inventory is coming and the market will balance.

3 Key Points:

1. When selling your home, it becomes a product.
2. The biggest stumbling block to get sellers to buy into is de-cluttering.
3. Using professional photographers is incredibly important in this online world.

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Kiefer: LinkedIn, Facebook, Website
• Aaron Weiner website, Facebook 
• Karen Kelley website 

In Episode 13 of Intelligent Equity, host Ryan Kiefer talks with Lisa Phair, a top-performing Cincinnati realtor with Coldwell Banker West Shell. They discuss the work of the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP) and why Phair believes in advocating for equal housing opportunities.

Episode Highlights: 

• Lisa Phair is recognized as one of NAGLREP’s Top 100 agents.
• The Cincinnati chapter of NAGLREP is about creating a referral network, building business, and education.
• The Cincinnati chapter is young and they are looking for more membership.
• NAGLREP has a huge referral network.
• Realtors who have had a profile on NAGLREP for at least one year have reported that they’ve closed a minimum of 1-3 deals from their profile.
• Mortgage Minute: 55% of recently surveyed would-be homebuyers feel we are due for a recession.
• Mortgage Minute: Kiefer urges us to calm down. 
• Mortgage Minute: Today, credit is much better on mortgages. If there is a recession, it will not look like 2008.
• Phair learned that one of her children is transgender. This opened her eyes to bigotry and discrimination that other people have faced their entire lives.
• Phair knew she would love and support her child.
• Phair believes that all Americans deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and equal protection under the law. 
• According to HOME Cincinnati, complaints from the LGBTQ community were one of the top rising issues of 2018. 
• NAGLREP wants to be sure that all people can enjoy the homeownership process.

3 Key Points:

1. Housing discrimination is a real issue for members of the LBGTQ community.
2. If there’s a recession coming, it will not look like 2008. 
3. Complaints from the LGBTQ community are a top rising issue. 

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Kiefer: LinkedIn, Facebook, Website
• Lisa Phair website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube
• NAGLREP
• Housing Opportunities Made Equal

In Episode 12 of Intelligent Equity, host Ryan Kiefer talks with John Durso, a highly experienced realtor with Comey & Shepherd Realtors. They discuss great reasons to buy a home in the current market. Whether you’re renting and looking to own, or you’re considering trading up, you’ll learn why now is a great time to buy. 

Episode Highlights: 

• John Durso has been selling real estate since 1986 and has seen many different market cycles.
• Why might someone want to buy a home in this market?
• Rents are high and increasing.
• Educating renters about down payments can help them see that they can afford to buy now.
• It’s a misconception that you need 20% down to buy a home.
• There are possibilities for building wealth through investing in real estate.
• When your family grows and your space feels smaller, that’s another great reason to buy. 
• There are many ways to make it possible for sellers to list their homes and buy another one.
• What’s the current inventory like on move-up properties?
• Below 300k there’s a lot of scarcity in our market right now.
• Now is a very good time to sell if you own a home in the 200k-300k range.
• Kiefer expects rates to possibly go a little bit lower. He expects them to stay low for a little while.
• Now is a great time to trade up because there’s still a lot of pent up demand.
• Could some buyers benefit from a renovation loan?
• There are several different ways to approach buying a fixer-upper.
• Homes sell due to the price, condition, location, and motivation of the seller.
• People want move-in ready homes at the moment, but you might consider renovating a fixer-upper.

3 Key Points:

1. There are many good reasons to buy a home right now.  
2. Now is a very good time to sell if you own a home in the 200k-300k range. 
3. Most buyers want homes that are move-in ready. Consider investing in a fixer-upper. 

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Kiefer: LinkedIn, Facebook, Website
• John Durso website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram
• Comey & Shepherd Realtors

In Episode 11 of Intelligent Equity Podcast, host Ryan Kiefer talks with Terry Hankner, President of Comey & Shepherd Realtors. They tackle issues surrounding home ownership and then discuss the challenges buyers and sellers are facing in the current market environment. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Terry Hankner has been licensed since 1978. She started her career in education.
• Most of real estate is really about teaching. It’s sharing information and letting people know all of their options.
• Should everyone own a home?
• Hankner thinks that not everyone should own a home but there are great reasons to become a homeowner.
• Reasons to become a homeowner include personal satisfaction, control of your own environment, the fact that real estate is a good investment, and tax advantages.
• Inventory awareness is currently a problem for sellers. Sellers need to be locally aware.
• The best way to understand your local market is to talk to a good realtor who can provide you with statistical data and tell you the truth about your property.
• Put your house in really good condition as a seller. Consider a pre-listing inspection.
• Tell your sellers to dust off their water heaters.
• Mortgage Minute: If you happen to be a move-up buyer, you’re in a perfect position because of the increased purchasing power that comes with interest rates near historic lows. 
• If you’ve been thinking about moving up, now’s the time.
• The challenge for buyers in the current market is also inventory related. There are not as many homes on the market as there usually are.
• If you’re a buyer, get pre-qualified financially and have a heart-to-heart discussion about needs and wants.
• Buyers need to be ready to do something when a house that meets their criteria comes up. 
• The only really slow time for the industry can be between Thanksgiving and the new year. Spring begins on January 2nd. 
• The cyclical nature of real estate is much more tied to favorable interest rates and market conditions than it is to the weather.

3 Key Points:

1.   Sellers should increase their awareness of local inventory. 
2.   Buyers can prepare themselves so they’re ready to take action when a house that meets their criteria goes on the market.
3. The cyclical nature of real estate is tied more to market conditions than to the time of year. 

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Kiefer: LinkedIn, Facebook, Website
• Terry Hankner Facebook, LinkedIn 
• Comey & Shepherd Realtors

In this episode of Intelligent Equity, host Ryan Kiefer talks with Holly Maloney of eXp Realty about the local market outlook as back to school approaches. They discuss the boon of low-interest rates and that there’s no bad time of the year to list your house. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Holly Maloney has been licensed over 16 years. 95-99% of her business consists of repeat clients and referrals.
• Maloney’s team has an exclusive partnership with the renowned Cincinnati Zoo. Any time a client buys or sells a property with them, they donate to the Home to Roam campaign on behalf of that client. 
• They discuss whether back-to-school changes the local real estate market.
• There’s no bad time of year to list your house.
• Inventory in Cincinnati is still low, but interest rates are also low. 
• Buyers are still looking and buyers are still buying.
• When you’ve got someone walking through your home in December they are usually serious buyers.
• With interest rates back near historic lows, that frees up space for people who want to move up, creating an inventory for first-time buyers.
• Once you start talking price points, buyers are realizing what they can afford. Many are now choosing to get into homes they will be able to stay in longer.
• Higher-end homes are moving a bit slower.

3 Key Points:

1. There’s never a bad time of year to list your home. 
2. Lower interest rates will hopefully free up inventory for first-time buyers.
3. Some buyers are choosing to buy homes they can stay in longer due to lowered interest rates.

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Kiefer: LinkedIn, Facebook, Website
• Holly Maloney: Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn
• American Dream (tv show)
• The Cincinnati Zoo

During this ninth episode of Intelligent Equity, host Ryan Kiefer talks to Kelly Scovanner, Senior Loan Originator at PrimeLending in Cincinnati, Ohio about obstacles that homeowners may face, the importance of engaging loan officers in the process, and challenges that self-employed borrowers face. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Kelly Scovanner explains the importance of experienced loan officers 
• What types of lenders should buyers be wary of? 
• Why full credit approvals are helpful
• The stumbling blocks Kelly thinks buyers need to look out for
• The challenges self-employed borrowers can face in real estate purchases 
• Kelly discusses how clients can get help with credit 

3 Key Points:

1. Try to get a pre-approval letter from a local lender instead of a random 1-800 number or internet lender. 
2. Sources of funds have to be documented, even if the funds are a gift from family members. 
3. Even legitimate tax write-offs of self-employed borrowers can become a stumbling block for approval. 

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Kiefer: Linkedin
• Kelly Scovanner: Linkedin

During this eighth episode of Intelligent Equity, host Ryan Kiefer talks to Melissa Orange, a Cincinnati-based realtor, and Senior Sales Vice President with Sibcy Cline Realtors, about why it is a great time to buy a home, the importance of pricing properly, and what you need to know about bidding wars. 

Episode Highlights: 

• Melissa Orange gives her take on the current real estate market in Cincinnati 
• It is a great time for move-up buyers going up from a $250K home to a $450K 
• Why buying a home is such a valuable investment 
• Are buyers currently showing buyer’s remorse or cold feet? 
• Melissa’s advice on bidding wars
• The types of condition issues Melissa Orange has been seeing
• Get a great loan officer 
• Why it is such a great time to buy a home

3 Key Points:

1. Buyers are more educated about the values of homes. 
2. Nobody really feels comfortable in a bidding war. 
3. Take care of cosmetic issues before selling your home and factor the condition of the home into the price. 

Resources Mentioned:

• Ryan Kiefer: Linkedin
• Melissa Orange: Linkedin 

During this seventh episode of Intelligent Equity, host Ryan Kiefer explains the difference between the ideal loan and the ideal loan file. Get a deeper understanding on what is involved in having the best chance for a mortgage loan to get processed.

Episode Highlights:

• Ryan Kiefer shares how critical the spring market is to real estate
• Make sure to have all paperwork in order for mortgage loans
• Why is the perfect loan file such a necessity?
• Why borrowers need to be aware of processing and underwriting
• The automated underwriting engines for government agencies
• Why the mortgage loan process is so rigorous

3 Key Points:

1. It is not about having the perfect loan. It is about having the perfect loan file.
2. The perfect loan pays back the lender and pays back the lender on time.
3. Processors and underwriters gather all of a borrower’s documentation for loan approval

Resources Mentioned:

• Linkedin: Ryan Kiefer