Dane Briggs - Lawyers Title

Are you really using technology as best you can?

Dane Briggs — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 00:56:31 +0000

Technology can make us more productive, more efficient, and make our lives easier. Almost everyone has a smartphone these days and the more and more people are using tablets like the iPad. While listening to a webinar recently by Chris Smith with Inman, he brought up the point that most agents are not using their iPads to truly maximize their production.

Below is a video that explains just a little about how you can use the iPad to seamlessly transition between your home computer and you iPad. If you want to learn more about using your iPad contact me and I will help walk you through it, or attend one these upcoming classes:

Evernote For Real Estate:
Wednesday, August 22nd – 1pm-3pm
Learn how to use Evernote in real estate business. Step by step instructions on everything from sharing notes with clients to transaction management. Registration Link, PDF Flyer for Class, Blog Post for Class

iPad Training Classes:
Wednesday, August 22nd – 9am-12:30pm – Basic Contract & Documents on the iPad – 101
Wednesday, August 29th – 9m-12:30pm – Advanced Contracts & Documents on the iPad – 202
Wednesday, September 5th – 9am-11:00am – Core Apps 1 for the iPad
Registration link for iPad classes

Evernote for Real Estate Class – 8/22/12

Dane Briggs — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 19:45:47 +0000

Evernote is a very powerful technology tool that simplifies your life and increases your productivity. While it isn’t designed with real estate agents in mind, many agents are realizing the benefits of this program. Dean Ouellette, the VP of Business Development at Thompson’s Realty, is an Evernote fanatic and has recently authored a nook on how real estate agents can use Evernote as a tool in their business.

On Wednesday, August 22nd at 1pm, Dean will be teaching a class for agents on how to utilize Evernote in their business (PDF Flyer for the class can be seen here). The class will teach you simple tasks like setting up notebooks and tags and discuss some of the more powerful uses of Evernote that many users are unaware of. Did you know that you can use Evernote to share information with clients, manage your transactions, record conversations and copy information from the web?

Dean’s book, Evernote for Real Estate, is normally $19.99 but will be provided to all attendees of the class at no charge. Registration for the class is available at: http://evernoteclass.eventbrite.com/ and is only $10 to attend.

If you want to know more about Evernote below is a short video from Evernote on some of it’s uses.

On Joining Lawyers Title…

Dane Briggs — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 23:39:12 +0000

So this will most likely surprise many people in the Arizona real estate community.

As of today, I am now employed by Lawyers Title as a Sales Executive.

Yes, it is true, I will no longer be a real estate agent.

Why? When? Where? What?

The Why: Many people may wonder why after 5+ years of being successful in real estate why I would make such a change. Well, that is a very complex question. For the last year or so I have been focusing more and more on helping other agents grow their business. I have taught numerous classes to agents in the last year and realized that I really enjoy working with other agents. Having tried numerous marketing strategies and adapted through the changing markets, I have learned what clients are looking for in an Agent, and how agents can grow their business. This new position will allow me to focus on helping agents across the valley and let me do more of what I enjoy. Some may ask why Lawyers Title? More on that later, but the simple answer is it was a great fit for me and they have a ton of tools to help agents grow their business that I think most agents don’t know about. Also, the escrow staff I will be working with is top notch and will help agents have smoother transactions. John Foltz, an Arizona real estate icon for many years is my sales manager, and I am absolutely looking forward to working with him and his team.

The When: My first official day at Lawyers Title was today. It will take me a few days to get everything to the point of being able to deactivate my license with the Department of Real Estate, but I am up and running already with Lawyers Title. You will probably notice that most of my website has already been dismantled, which is why it looks so plain! This isn’t something that happened overnight, it has been in the works for a number of months and I am excited to start working with other agents immediately.

The Where: My focus is going to be the Northeast part of the Valley but I will be able to work with all the great agents I have come to know anywhere in the metro Phoenix area. I will be working mostly out of the Kierland and Paradise Valley offices.

Lawyers Title Kierland
14648 N Scottsdale Rd
Suite 125
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
Phone: 480-315-8090
Fax: 480-315-8091
Catherine Caparas, Branch Manager
ccaparas@ltic.com

Lawyers Title Paradise Valley
11211 N Tatum Blvd
Suite 220
Phoenix, AZ 85029
Phone: 602-996-0055
Fax: 602-996-0672
Stan Haarer, Branch Manager
shaarer@ltic.com

The What: This change is a big step in my life, but it isn’t something that was done on a whim. I have contemplated it for many months and I am looking forward to the challenge. It is going to take me a few weeks to get in the swing of things but I am looking forward to reaching out to everyone and seeing how I can help them.

Lawyers Title is a great company, and I am looking forward to helping them grow. Look for more updates to come soon! I welcome your comments and thoughts below. Of course you can always reach out to me on my cell phone at 480-620-7007 or email me at dbriggs@ltic.com

To give credit where credit is due: The format of this post was “stolen” from Jay Thompson’s post about joining Zillow with his permission of course.

ARMLS / Realist vs iMAPP Update 3

Dane Briggs — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:28:36 +0000

Below is the official release from ARMLS regarding the special board of directors meeting. I had known about the meeting since last week and was looking forward to what would come of it.

The good news: iMAPP is coming back! It will run parallel with Realist. We are still waiting the details of exactly how it will work, and when it will be brought back.

My comment: I personally don’t feel that Bob Bemis’s resignation had anything to do with the Realist/iMAPP debacle. This is not an offer that would come overnight and has probably been in the works for many weeks/months. Let’s do the professional thing and wish Bob the best in the next chapter of his life. Let’s not push any notions that his resignation had anything to do with the push back against Realist, I personally don’t think it had anything to do with it. If I had the choice to take a position with a publicly traded company, I would jump at that opportunity in a heartbeat.

So now we can celebrate, this little social media experiment created some great results, and I thank every single member of this group!

Official ARMLS Release:
On February 13, 2012, at a Special Called Meeting of the ARMLS Board of Directors, Bob Bemis tendered his resignation notice as ARMLS CEO, to accept the newly created position of Vice President of Partner Relations for Zillow, Inc. in Seattle. Over his four years at ARMLS, Bob built a legacy of strong leadership, and is widely credited within the MLS industry with moving ARMLS to world class status.

Under Board direction, Bob Bemis will remain at ARMLS to negotiate with IMAPP, as an ad supported tax system, to run alongside the Realist system within MLS. Subscribers can be assured that the accuracy of the tax data they depend on remains ARMLS’s highest priority.

As the details become available, we will keep you informed.

ARMLS Changes Tax Systems iMAPP vs Realist Update 2

Dane Briggs — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:05:49 +0000

This post is more for my records as to what I originally wrote, but some people not in the industry may find it interesting. The MLS company I belong to in Arizona is ARMLS. One of the features we use is a tax records search. Recently ARMLS just changed companies for the provider of this service and I found the change to be unacceptable. So I created a facebook group for agents that quickly grew to over 500 people. This is my update after the second heated day of discussions. It is posted more of a reference for people down the road:

Hey everyone just wanted to give an update… I have spent the day talking and emailing with plenty of people regarding this issue. Somethings I need more clarification on before I can fully comment on them but here is where we are.

Realist:

The data is incorrect. This is a bit of a technical explanation but here is why. The data is being sent in a Comma Separated Value (CSV) Format. The problem is that some fields like square footage include a comma and that is causing the rest of the data to be messed up. This is evident in seeing SQFT of a 2,350 sqft home showing 2 sqft and the next field showing 350. Apparently this is supposed to be fixed soon

The foreclosure data is not as up to date as it is supposed to be. Realist was contracted with having accurate data within a certain time frame. They are not meeting that time frame and are exploring options to get better data. ARMLS is hoping this is fixed soon, but seems like it is at least a few weeks away.

They are working on editing the static page that comes up in the detail page of Flex. They are going to be including a map on the static page, and probably the current foreclosure data and are looking for other opinions of what most users need to see on that page. The map will not be moveable or clickable, but will show the surrounding properties that are in auction and for sale. They tried to place hyperlinks to the data in this page, but couldn’t get them to work. They will try getting thsoe working in the future.

The iPad/iPhone/Android apps are being worked on. Due to confidentiality agreements I could not be told what they would include, but I was told they would not be the goto meeting/vpn style we had talked about in this group. They are supposed to be standalone apps for the data access and should be out soon.

iMAPP:

Here is where it gets interesting and I may be speaking incorrectly but this is what I have gathered.

iMAPP can apply for a data license from ARMLS, similar to what the Cromford Report acquired. There is a cost for that feed and I don’t know if iMAPP is willing to pay for it. Also, one of the conditions of the feed is that only members of ARMLS could sign up for the service, free or not. So they would need to include a verification system to ensure that all iMAPP users are current ARMLS subscribers.

If iMAPP does that, then they could request to be included into the flex system again. The big question is who hosts the data because if the Flex servers have to host the data then that is an additional cost, but if they are willing to host it themselves it is doable. But that brings up another question… how does iMAPP which is a company and needs to show a profit, pay for both the data license from ARMLS, the data source for the information used inside iMAPP, and the Server Load. There are a couple of options. One they could charge users for it, which may make it more difficult to include inside Flex directly, or they can go to an ad based platform. From what I gathered if they go ad based they can not accept ads from anyone that is involved in the transaction, so no bidding companies, no brokerages, no title companies, etc. They could support it with ads from website companies, marketing companies, etc. The big question is could they generate enough revenue to make this possible. After all of this ARMLS would still need to make sure they can legally do so, which it sounds like they are willing to look into if iMAPP makes the first step.

I don’t work for ARMLS and I don’t work for iMAPP so these are just my observations from the myriad of conversations I had today. I encourage all the members of this group to sign up for the forums next week to talk directly to ARMLS about these issues and what they need to make Realist better. The fact is Realist is under contract and isn’t going away, but we might be able to bring iMAPP back and we sure will be able to make Realist something that we can actually use. I know it isn’t the best, but sometimes we have to make lemonade from lemons.

Also, for all the people out there thinking that this is a big conspiracy, I was told that ANYONE can visit ARMLS’s office in Tempe and request meeting minutes and contracts and RFPs for review. They just can not leave the building. Also, Matt Consolvo the COO of ARMLS said he welcomes phone calls and emails and he will directly talk to any of us about what is going on and answer any questions. He will be at the forums, but if you want to call him his direct line is:480-303-7222 or email him at Matt@ARMLS.com

Thanks everyone again for being a part of this group, while we may not be bringing iMAPP back as the only tax records service, we may be able to find a happy medium.

ARMLS Changes Tax Systems iMAPP vs Realist

Dane Briggs — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:02:44 +0000

This post is more for my records as to what I originally wrote, but some people not in the industry may find it interesting. The MLS company I belong to in Arizona is ARMLS. One of the features we use is a tax records search. Recently ARMLS just changed companies for the provider of this service and I found the change to be unacceptable. So I created a facebook group for agents that quickly grew to over 500 people. This is my update after the first heated day of discussions. It is posted more of a reference for people down the road:

Alright everyone, this page has created a lot of feedback so far. I created it as a way for all of us to voice our opinions good and bad. So far a lot has been said, and I wanted to summarize a bit of what happened on the page today.

Obviously today wasn’t a good day for the people at ARMLS, not only were people upset about the change to Realist, but Realist also went down for the entire day, leaving us left with nothing. We were able to post the workaround to still get access to iMapp and it appears that everyone has been able to do so with success.

I wanted to post a little something about how we can get what we want. I don’t think there were any bad intentions from anyone at ARMLS regarding the change. The change was voted on by the ARMLS Board of Directors, who are people WE voted for. Many of these members are close personal friends of mine that I have worked with at AAR. They ARE agents and I don’t think they would have picked something that would have hurt them.

Have you ever received a sales pitch from a new website company, and you sign up with them expecting the best, and after you get all set up you are left scratching your head going, this doesn’t work the way I wanted it to or thought it would? Well I think that may be happening here. I can see the “potential” of Realist but right now it doesn’t work (for us the way we need it to, or at all for that matter). But please remember, we need the Board to work with us, and attacks against them are not going to help the cause. So lets keep the group positive and discuss the changes that can and need to be made. Maybe if we are lucky the Board will be able to work something out with iMapp to get both systems working side by side. But they are not going to want to work if we are beating them down and making accusations.

So as the Founder of this group, I beg everyone to be constructive, not destructive, we might just be able to accomplish something.

Ride A Bull at Buffalo Chip

Dane Briggs — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:02:20 +0000

This is completely off the topic of real estate, but figured I would share it none the less. Last night I crossed an item off my bucket list. I rode a live bull. For some strange reason this is something that I have always wanted to do, and in hindsight it was crazy, but absolutely worth it. If you want to skip straight to the video it is at the end of this post.

In Cave Creek, Arizona, there is a place called the Buffalo Chip Saloon. Every Friday night they have semi-professional live bull riding. On Wednesday nights, they have amateur live bull riding. Which is where I obviously fit in. If this is something you are looking to do, hopefully this post will give you some insight to it.

I showed up at 6pm to sign my waivers and get ready. My nerves were starting to get to me, and my stomach had butterflies. By luck of the draw, I was the first rider of the night. So they call my name, I strapped my vest on and looked down at the 2,000lb beast below me in the chute. I was hoping to have a quick conversation with him about we should go easy on each other, but he didn’t want to listen and there wasn’t much time for small talk. Quicker than expected, I was roped in and ready to go. However my bull decided instead it was time to relax, so out of no where the bull rolls to one side and lays down pinning my leg beneath it. After a few attempts to free myself, they shocked the bull with a cattle prod to get it to stand up. Now the bull didn’t like that too much and was really rearing to go, so I readjusted my rope and before I knew it the chute opened and I was on for the ride of my life (and for my life).

Like a rocket (and unbeknownst to me still being shocked by a cattle prod) the bull took off. Holding on for dear life, I spent what felt like 2 minutes on the back of my bull. After what was really about 4 seconds, my bull started to turn, and I decided that I didn’t want to get caught under him while he was spinning. So I leaned back let go of the rope and fell back to earth. Hitting the dirt I popped up and ran off looking behind me to make sure I wasn’t about to be reunited with my bull. All was good as he had continued to the other side of the arena.

It took about an hour to come down from the adrenaline rush. Looking at the video, I wish I would have held on longer, but for my first time riding a live bull I am more than happy with my performance. Given the opportunity again, I think I would try it one more time. If you are looking for an experience of a lifetime, give bull riding at the Buffalo Chip a try. If just for a night, you get to feel like a cowboy, experience the western lifestyle and partake in something unique to do in Arizona. Cowboy Up!

REALTOR Day at the Capitol

Dane Briggs — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:22:32 +0000

Today was the annual REALTOR® Day at the Capitol. To most home owners and consumers this doesn’t mean much, however it is an important day focused on protecting homeowners rights in Arizona. This was my second time attending the event and I am just as impressed this year as I was last year at the goals and objectives of the Arizona Association of Realtors (AAR).

I am often asked by consumers both what do Realtors® do for consumers besides sell them homes, and why do I spend so much time and energy on political issues. The event today explains both of those questions well. To start, AAR is Arizona’s largest trade lobbying organization. AAR focuses on issues protecting homeowners rights. Many of the issues tackled each year directly benefit home owners in Arizona.

For me politics has always been a passion. Long before hosting my radio show on AM talk radio, I followed politics closely. The immediate impact of laws that are passed affect both the way I live and the way I work. In previous posts I have talked about how I was honored to be included in AAR’s legislative committee this year. There are many issues coming up this year that directly affect home owners in Arizona and I am proud to be a part of it.

REALTOR® Day at the Capitol takes place at the beginning of each legislative session. It includes a presentation to REALTORS® in attendance about the issues that are known to be coming up as well as meetings with our elected officials at the state level. Not only am I on AAR’s legislative committee, but I am also the legislative liaison for Arizona Legislative District 6. What this means is that I am the point of contact for LD6 elected officials to talk about housing related issues.

I was able to meet with Representative Carl Seel both at lunch today and afterwards in his office. I am glad to report that Representative Seel is 100% for homeowners rights and the issues facing homeowners today. A few of the issues we talked about were related to Anti-Deficiency Statutes and making it easier for home owners to realize the tax rebate given to people on their primary residence. Sadly I did not get a chance to meet with Representative Amanda Reeve or Senator Lori Klein, but when I do I will report about their stances on the issues we are facing.

At this time I can not talk about all of the bills that will be brought up in this Legislative Session, but I can say that if everything goes well it will be a good year for Arizona Homeowners. Also, if you have never visited our State Capitol, I strongly urge you to do so, and try and schedule a meeting with your elected officials. Our political system may be frustrating at times, but when you take the time to be a part of the process, you appreciate it more. As always, I am proud to be and American and proud to be an Arizonan. Stay tuned for updates throughout the next few months on the issues facing you today.

Photo Credit: Dane Briggs of course!

Anti-Deficiency Update – Safe for now!

Dane Briggs — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 23:38:27 +0000

I write this post with a bit of jubilation. Representative Jack Harper sent an email this morning to Tom Farley, the CEO of the Arizona Association of REALTORS, and informed him that at this time he has elected to not proceed with attempting to move legislation forward regarding repealing Arizona’s anti-deficiency statutes. This is fantastic news for all Arizona home owners.

Had he been successful he would have surely caused more harm to Arizona’s struggling, but recovering, housing market. He had a number of reasons for pursuing the legislation, most of which I attempted to refute in a public Facebook conversation I had with him. While he had a number of reasons he thought the legislation was a good idea, I feel that he was misinformed on those issues. I was mostly done with part two of my series on the proposed changes when I heard that he was no longer moving forward. As I feel it is not necessary to “beat a dead horse” that post has been archived un-posted. Should he pursue it in the future, I will gladly take up the fight again.

I still have a funny feeling the issue is not completely dead, but I promise to aggressively fight any legislation that is brought up in the future . For now… it is an early Christmas present. While I can’t take credit for Jack Harper’s decision, I would like to think that this blog and the conversations I had with him through Facebook had an impact. The power of social media is impressive, and goes to show that one person really does have a voice and can make a difference.

Stay tuned to the blog to read about any changes as well as future posts about other legislation impacting Arizona homeowners. This is going to be a very interesting year at the Arizona State Legislature and there are sure to be plenty of bills that will come up that I will either show support for or take up the fight against.

Jack Harper’s Proposed Arizona Anti-Deficiency Changes

Dane Briggs — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:37:55 +0000

This will be a multi-part post with many updates and additions about Arizona’s anti-deficiency laws as the 2012 Legislative Session moves forward.

I have always believed in full disclosure, in real estate, in life, and on my blog. So I start this post with a disclaimer. I am proud to have been invited to be a part of the Arizona Association of REALTORS® (AAR) Legislative Committee for 2012. AAR is the largest trade lobbying group in Arizona, with over 40,000 members. I find this to be a great honor as I am among some of the brightest minds in Arizona real estate, and was a little shocked to find my name among the others who are part of it this year.

Having always paid close attention to politics, I had developed a dislike for lobbying groups. I thought their sole purpose was to manipulate and sway elected officials into passing laws that benefit them and in a sense that is true. What I never realized before this year was that laws do need to be created as our great Nation and State change and evolve. Most elected officials are at least somewhat knowledgeable in most areas, but they lack the on the street knowledge to understand fully what needs to be done. This is where lobbying groups can come in. AAR lobbies for or against legislation to protect homeownership in Arizona. This is done not on party lines, it is done based solely on what they believe is best for home owners. I write this post not on their behalf, this is my sole interpretations of what is going on with these proposed changes and my views on them. Also for full disclosure, I am a Republican, have been my entire voting life and hosted a radio show for more than 3 years on a conservative talk radio station. Also, I am not an attorney and am not interpreting the law as to your personal situation with your lender. Should have any questions about how anti-deficiency laws affect you please consult an attorney. Now that the air is clear, let’s talk about what is going on.

This is a long post and may be a boring read, but hopefully it will help explain what is going on.

What is Anti-Deficiency?

Arizona has laws to protect homeowners against a deficiency judgment against them in the event of a foreclosure. These laws are found in Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) §§ 33-729(A) and 33-814(G). In 36 states lenders are able to pursue borrowers for the difference on foreclosed homes, meaning that if you owe $400,000 and the bank can only recoup $250,000 then they can sue you for the $150,000 difference. Arizona is one of 14 states to have anti-deficiency protection for borrowers. According to numerous attorneys the bad news about these laws is that they only protect homeowners against the deficiency judgment in the event of the foreclosure, not a short sale, and they only protect against purchase money mortgages. That means they do not protect people who took out second mortgages or refinanced (most of the time). They also have limitations such as to how many acres are protected, how many units are on the property and that it has to have been used as a residence. There will be a link below to a few attorney websites that have that information in more detail.

Now for a little more clarification: Arizona actually doesn’t have many mortgages or foreclosures. Most liens on properties are actually deeds of trust and when a borrower defaults on that loan the lender initiates a trustee sale. A mortgage on the other hand will foreclose on a property when the borrower defaults, this is a judicial process that takes much longer and is more expensive. On this site and in these articles mortgage and deed of trust as well as foreclosure and trustee sale interchangeably as most people relate better to mortgage and foreclosure.

Why does Arizona have Anti-Deficiency Statutes?

Before 1971 Arizona was a mortgage and foreclosure state. Mortgages are very costly to foreclose on as they must be done through the court system with attorneys involved. So way back then (before I was born) the bankers in Arizona wanted to switch to Arizona being a deed of trust state so they could instead utilize trustee sales which were much cheaper. Part of the agreement of that was that anti-deficiency protection was developed. It was a trade, cheaper for the bankers, more protection for the homeowners. And that is how things went along for 40 years.

Who is Jack Harper and what does he want to change?

Jack Harper is a member of the Arizona State Legislature and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee; he represents Legislative District 4 which roughly encompasses the city of Surprise and the surrounding area. He has been a member of the Senate since 2005. His profession as listed on the Arizona State Legislature’s website is none other than Mortgage Loan Officer. That should give us at least an inkling of an idea as to why he may be fostering such crazy ideas.

For years the Arizona Banker’s association has been trying to lobby to repeal the anti-deficiency statutes. Why wouldn’t they? It would line their pockets with potentially tens of millions of dollars. In 2009 they were successful in doing so however it was effectively repealed that same year.

I am not really sure as to what changes exactly that he wants to make as I have heard and read numerous different accounts about his proposal. Sometimes he says that he wants to repeal it for new mortgages moving forward, other times he wants to make it include current mortgages, and others he says he wants it to be retroactive to homes already foreclosed on. The latter is a position he seems to have moved away from as I think he even sees that wouldn’t be constitutional. So I can’t fully comment on what he wants to change yet, till I actually read his bill.

My initial thoughts and a preview of what is to come.

Why on earth would we do this? In my opinion you would be taking someone who is already down and out financially and burdening them with more debt. How will that ever help our economy? I know some will say well yes but what about the jerk that took a $200,000 line of credit out on his home, and bought a boat, a motorcycle, and took a trip to Fiji. Well, under the current law, the banks could go after the deficiency on that loan, so these changes don’t affect that. The banks are the ones that did the underwriting and approved these loans. The securitized them and sold them off. They made these loans knowing full well they couldn’t come after borrowers and yet they still took outlandish risks. How would making it so they could recoup their losses on every loan help to stabilize our market? It removes the entire reason banks underwrite loans. If they have no risk, they will make riskier loans. It will make things worse not better.

In the coming posts, we will talk about some of things Jack Harper is saying about anti-deficiency, and refuting each and every erroneous point he makes. This is a big deal to Arizona and I am here to fight. We will discuss statistics about the condition of our current market, how and why certain loans were made and sold, what are the statistics in other states that do not have anti-deficiency protection, and more. Stay tuned as it is going to get interesting!

Here are some attorney websites should you have any questions regarding your deficiency liability. Please do not ask me specific questions regarding your situation as I am not an attorney and cannot answer them!

http://www.garystickell.com/articles/arizona-antideficiency.htm

http://www.combslawgroup.com/#tab-4