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Attention Realtors! When posting your pics to the MLS make sure they are least 400 X 300 pixels in size (MLS format size). It’s ok if they’re larger because the system will automatically resize them. But if you upload them at this size …

(actual size of the pic taken from the Fresno MLS)

people viewing them won’t know what they are looking at
Looks to me like the this might be a contributing factor to the home being on the market over 200 days. Also looks like the seller is offering nearly $20,000 commission to have a Realtor market their property.
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Selling real estate in Fresno? What is your Realtor doing for you?

Looking to Buy real estate in Fresno - SEARCH THE FRESNO MLS

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There was an article in the Wall Street Journal in March titled

Why Don’t Real-Estate Agents Use Better Photos?

which I happened to miss at the time.  It certainly worth a read.  Its a great article and I expect that consumers will gradually wake up to what is going on.  I dont find time to blog every day but I might try finding the time to post a CRAPPY MLS PIC(S) OF THE DAY.

Here are today’s todays winners.  NOTE: all these pics are from the same listing AND, get this, you are seeing the ACTUAL size they posted them in even though the MLS provides for a 400 x 300 pixel format.

This is the exterior …lmao!

  I think this is the kitchen — HELLO!

  Turn your head sideways please.

  The master bedroom perhaps?

If your going to list your home, find someone who has the tools and enough cerebral substance to market it for you.

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Help beautify Fresno by purchasing a home with a green pool through Lazarus Realty. I will *pay for the cost of draining, cleaning and refilling the pool. When complete you will have a sparkling BLUE pool.

Did you know that Fresno has over 1000 **GREEN POOLS and that these green pools are a breeding ground for mosquitoes, and a single green pool can infect an area within a quarter mile and that the mosquitoes may carry the West Nile virus? With the weather warming up green pools will only get greener because algae blooms in sunlight.

The majority of these homes are vacant and/or REO (properties that have gone through foreclosure and now belong to the bank)

If you are unfortunate enough to have one of these homes in your neighborhood you might want to report it to the Fresno Mosquito Control District and they will go out and test the pool for larva and if it has mosquito larva they will treat it. I called them and the person I spoke with said some homeowners pools are going green because they just dont have the money right now to take care of them. If you happen to be in that unfortunate situation you can grab a bucket and go down there and they will fill it with minnows for free.

If you are interested in purchasing a Foreclosed home in Fresno call me today: Lazarus @ 559-301-1647

SEARCH THE FRESNO MLS

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* (some restrictions apply) I called four pool cleaning services in the yellow pages and only one had a live person on the other end: All Brite. Erica at All Brite told me that this service generally runs between $400 to $800. I will either credit $400.00 of my commission to buyer at close of escrow or pay up to a maximum of $800.00 for the service. Agents of Lazarus Realty are not bound to this offer - only mwau - the broker

**(source: KMJ)

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Here are a few factoids gleaned from the Grapevine which is the weekly publication put out by the Fresno Association of Realtors.

Total sold properties has gone up every month since November 2007 (with the exception of February).

The November low was 254  closed transaction

March 2008 there were 299 closed transactions

Of the first 191 closed transaction in April - 38% were REOs

Here’s a little secret.  the F.A.R. website is for Fresno Realtors however if you go to the website and look in the upper left hand corner you will see a link to download the Grapevine in PDF format. Just click the link and you too can say you “HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPVINE”.

And dont forget to subscribe to my blog, just enter your email in the “subscribe’ box in the upper right hand quadrant of this page.

And PLEASE, by all means, dont forget to call Lazarus when you need help buying and selling real estate in the Fresno - Clovis area.

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Not long ago I gave the bleak statistics on closing of SHORT SALES on our Fresno MLS.  Yesterday I spoke with an agent at another brokerage and he told me that he submitted an offer on a Short Sale in February and was recently told by the lender that they still haven’t assigned an asset manager to review the file.  He just made another offer on a Short Sale property and spoke with that lender and was told it would likely be about 3 months before the file would be reviewed and more months after that to finalize paperwork if it was accepted.

The majority of offers on Short  Sales are simply a waste of time.   If you’re an investor looking for a bargain don’t even waste your time on a short sale; spend it looking at REOs or properties in which the owners have a significant equity position.

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Whether you’re looking to BUY or SELL real estate in Fresno California,

I will give you the straight picture.

Don’t be caught with a half-assed agent (and a broker who doesn’t oversee them) who give you the picture SIDEWAYS:

Actual pictures taken from the Fresno MLS

© Randy “Lazarus” McAtee
Broker: Lazarus Realty

559-301-1647

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Yesterday, as I often do, I drove around the neighborhood

View Larger Map

looking for open houses to preview. Their weren’t many which is one of the good things about this area: very low turnover. It’s not a great market for the real estate agent who “farms a neighborhood” for that very reason. Many of the folks around here are original owners (from the 50’s and 60’s) or have been around for quite awhile.

We have lived in Northwest Fresno’s 93711 zip code for 20 years and we really like it here. The only drawback is the Bullard schools don’t have as high a rating as the new Clovis schools. If you can deal with the school system, this is great Fresno Neighborhood. There is ample shopping close by, including my favorite: Fig Garden Village.

Of the 4 homes I looked at two of them are worth mentioning:

1365 W Roberts - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS - is just two blocks south of where I live on a quite culdesac street.  I have been previewing homes in this neighborhood for several years and this home is as nice as ANY home I have ever looked at in the area. It looks like its been on the market for LoooooOnG time (295 days) so I would suspect the sellers would be open to an offer.

1151 W Ellery - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS -i s a very nice home that just came on the market about 10 days ago. The home is priced a bit too high (in my opinion) but it has a really nice layout and I’m confident the sellers would accept a reasonable offer.

If you would like to see either of these homes - CALL ME 559.301.1647 and I will be happy to arrange a showing.

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Tea Leaves? No!
Tarot? No!
Iching? No!
Ouija Board? No!
Haruspicy? No, No, NOOOO!

HOW DO I DO IT?

It’s sheer brilliance, investor acumen, and finely honed financial perspicacity… and its all underutilized! What am I referring to? My prediction in this blog about the home I previewed on a Sunday 3 weeks ago (MLS # 308605 @ 1730 W Ellery). On March 10th I said that I found a great home in my neighborhood and predicted it would be in escrow within 2 weeks. The home went PENDING on March 24th, two weeks from the date of my prediction.

If you would like to take advantage of Fresno Califorinia’s most underutilized real estate talent - CALL ME: Lazarus @ 559.301.1647

Currently I have only ONE buyer that I am working with to locate a property. I have enough time for a couple of more. Consider being one of them

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For those of you who are following the real estate market nationwide I am sure you already read today’s Associated Press news story about the real estate market which announced that sales of existing homes rose in February - which also happened to be the month that home priced dropped the furthest. It appears that as prices decline buyers are willing to move off the sidelines.

Here is a recent article on the local market citing industry professionals who believe the Fresno real estate market has bottomed.

The market is still very unhealthy and we have a lot of foreclosure, short sale, and REO inventory to absorb. Let’s hope and pray that out economy can get back on track soon.

Want to purchase a foreclosure, shortsale, or REO property in Fresno? Call me, I can help.
Lazarus @ 559.301.1647

just dont ask me if the market has hit bottom - because I don’t know. 

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