If you are planning to buy or sell your home this spring, you know that the real estate market has changed considerably. What’s an “REO”? What’s a “short sale”? How do foreclosures affect market values? Know your options!

Is This a Seminar for First Time Home Buyers? Who Should Attend?
The seminar is for anyone interested in learning more about buying or selling a home in today’s market including first time home buyers, repeat buyers, and sellers.

What: Workshop for Home Buyers and Home Sellers
Where: WaLaw Realty Offices, Downtown Seattle
Click here to RSVP and get directions to the Home Buying Seminar .
When: Wednesday, July 20th, 2011, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Cost: FREE

As usual, RSVPs are appreciated but not required.  We hope to see you!

They describe Agent Reboot as “power-packed” and “low cost” which pretty well sums up our whole business model so you know we’re down with that.  It’s an event local real estate agents looking to learn about new developments in the industry so it presents a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to agents who haven’t heard of us, yet.  And maybe we’ll get to spread the gospel of lower commissions!

Nominations are open to the public and winners are chosen by the Inman News editorial board.  This year, for the first time, there is a “People’s Choice” Innovator Award as well so we need your vote so we can win twice! 

Click here to register (choose the “limited access” option to register for free) then click here to vote. 

Inman News prides itself as “the leading source of independent real estate news, information, advice, research, opinion and commentary for industry professionals and consumers alike” and they’ve been handing out the Innovator Awards annually since 1997.  The awards go to forward-thinking individuals and businesses and past winners include Google Earth, Trulia, Redfin, New York Times Real Estate, Coldwell Banker Real Estate, RE/MAX International, E*Trade, E-Loan, Lending Tree.

It’s a big honor for us to be nominated and especially cool since it comes on the heels of an awesome article they about us last April.  You have to be a dues-paying member to read the whole article so we’ll sum it up for you.  The reporter looked all across the company to see if anybody else had a business model that combined the traditional strengths of a top notch real estate brokerage with the practical advice and counsel of a real estate law firm all for a low flat fee.  Sure enough, we’re the first and only ones to do it and that, my friends, is the definition of innovation!

This nomination is right in line with our mission statement which makes it all the more satisfying.  WaLaw Realty - Changing the way people buy and sell real estate!

New business models are emerging that allow consumers to save thousands of dollars when they buy or sell a home. Where these practices are allowed, some buyers’ brokers are offering refunds on commissions, and some sellers’ brokers are charging only for services actually used.

WaLaw Realty is one of the “new business models” that not only allows consumers to save thousands of dollars directly, but also puts downward pressure on the fees charged by other brokers. WaLaw Realty — helping clients save money, and changing the world for the better in the process. What’s not to love?

WaLaw gits 'er done!

Here’s one of our recent listing success stories. This seller saved more than six grand ($6,000!) on the listing agent fee. The house sold in less than two months. The system works!

On a related note, I authored an interesting post on Rain City Guide about this picture. Specifically, what does the “Sold by…” sign indicate? I soft sell my point in the post, but here I’ll give my full two cents: It tells other brokers and agents that the buyer’s agent (Mr. Houston) will work cooperatively to get a deal closed.

This must be the purpose of the “Sold by” sign. It simply cannot be designed to promote Mr. Houston as a competent buyer’s agent, because most buyers don’t understand the role played by Mr. Houston based on these signs. The only people who completely understand the message are other brokers and agents. Therefore they must be the audience, and this is the only message to that audience that makes sense.

In the not-too-distant future, WaLaw should have its own “Sold by” sign — except it won’t say, “Sold by.” Rather, it will say something like “Buyer assisted by” or “Buyer’s interests protected by” (obviously we need to refine the message) because that is what WaLaw does. When representing a buyer, we don’t “sell” anything.