Rough Draft: Realtors Have To Write Too

Realtors Have To Write Too

Travis Frohlich

tfrohlich@antioch.edu

Writing 310

Professor: Zack De Piero

11/22/15

           Have you ever wondered how to become rich by selling something without having to necessarily buy the inventory? Many people think that real estate is a business that is difficult or hard to get into. I am here to tell you that although the business may not be hard to get into, it is hard to make a name for yourself and be successful in the industry. Here is the story of a real estate agent whom became successful in the Santa Barbara County virtually on his own. Keith Berry is a native Santa Barbara local with some of the most experienced knowledge in the field of real estate. He knows the area from Carpentaria to Goleta where he would start selling homes in the 1970’s. Keith has written many articles and been a guest speaker for the real estate industry with regards to many different areas of the real estate business. Currently, Keith is a real estate agent with Coldwell banker. Although the real estate industry seems like an easy buying and selling process, it in fact tests the realtor’s ability to read the fine print and write creatively.

            Keith Berry found his interest in the Real Estate business at age twenty-three. As Keith graduated high school he was drafted into the Navy, so he did that for four years. He was not educated and didn’t know what direction he was going to go in. As he explored his options on how to become financially stable independently he determined that he would have to be in sales.  Real estate was a business that, “one can get into and have the inventory without having to buy the inventory”(Berry, K). Keith describes the business just as easy to get into now as it was back when he got started. When Keith started he got into the title business. He would make sure that the title to a piece of real estate was legitimate and then issues the title insurance to the property. Title insurance protects both the lender and the owner from lawsuits or claims against the property. Keith says that he became a partner to the firm that he was working with and expanded that firm all over California very rapidly. Keith ended up with forty offices, 2,500 agents, in 5 counties in California. He then sold it all to Merrill Lynch. This would support himself, as he would raise his kids for the next twelve years. Retirement was too boring for Keith Berry so he decided to go back to what he did originally which was list and sell real estate.

            Rhetoric is used in many different ways in real estate and this should be understood before getting started (Understanding Rhetoric, Into: “Spaces for Writing”). One way that they use Rhetoric would be when a realtor tells a client how much they charge for doing a transaction. Usually it is a percentage of the total sale price that is non-negotiable. A house contract is something that the agent and the seller or buyer will create in order to do a transaction with the opposing side. Some of the information in the packet go without any say but other things like the price, property lines, interest rate, and so on are what the agents write up. A mortgage is something that needs to be discussed in great detail as well as it needs to be agreed upon by both parties. If the one buying a home can only afford to pay 6% interest then don’t let the offer say 7% because that is how you can get yourself into a lot of trouble. All of this has to be presented using a certain tone that appeals to the readers. Also know as the clients to the real-estate agents.

            Getting your name out there and building trust from the buyers is key. Who better to inform someone buying property in the Santa Barbara area than people whom have grown up here their entire lives? Something that Keith and I have in common is that we both are from Santa Barbara and know the ins and outs of our town pretty well. Now there is still no possible way for anyone to know that Keith is in the real estate business without advertisement. For a long period Keith would create his own ads for his website, but now that he is a bit older Keith has his assistant help him with all of that. There is a lot more involved in putting up an ad than would expect (Driscoll, D). A photographer needs to go to the home and take pictures that are going to be grab the buyer, or with the new technology of flying drones through homes and above the homes to capture the house entirely. Voluntary Participation from the current owners is something that the agents will have to mention when trying to take pictures, see the property, getting people to clean the home, gaining knowledge of the neighborhood and the surroundings, and having a selling point for the home. This isn’t an issue usually because the seller wants they’re home advertised. There has to be somebody that makes the ad and properly advocates for the property in a way that will appeal to the viewers. This is important because there is a lot that goes into this description like address, number of rooms, yard size, whether there’s a garage or not, and so on. This will eliminate buyers calling and asking the same questions over and over again as a result of an incomplete ad.

            Real-estate leases spell out the terms of a residential tenancy between a landlord and a tenant. They are perfect for landlords, property managers, and real-estate invertors. These are for all residential property types, including homes, apartments, condos, basement suites and many more. Leases are created uniquely for the customer, by an agent and lawyer, depending on the situation. All fifty states in America use this in order to buy or sell a home. A rule of thumb I have always lived buy is in order to buy something I either have to have the money and I will buy it and if I don’t have the money then I will not buy it. I see myself making an exception when buying a home in the future and leasing it is what I will do. Now understanding what I am going to be getting myself into is going to be very crucial for me. I will be critical with the fine print in the writing of my lease. I will rely on my reading and comprehension skills as I sign my way into the biggest purchase of my life. Once I purchase a home I plan on keeping it until I pass away. Whether I get another home will depend on what happens in life but I will make sure to sign an agreement that the home will go into someone’s name whom I love and trust if I were to pass away.

            Transferring a property after the death of the owner is a specialty that not many real estate agents get into. It’s a field that someone will specialize in and have many clients from all over. This can be an extensive amount of paperwork depending on the situation. If a house is left to somebody then it becomes very easy to transfer the home. In this case there is a name that the property can be transferred to. There are legal contracts that need to be written up by the agent and then the home goes into he name of the new owner. They can do with it what they wish after this happens. If there are two owners to a property and one of the owners passes away the property automatically goes into the name of the other owner. The laws are set for each individual state so the agent must know the laws for the state in which they are selling the property. This is extremely important so that the agent and the buyer or seller don’t get themselves in any legal trouble by doing things they are use to doing in different states. This is a practice that Keith does not participate in but does know whom to refer someone to if they were to have questions.

            What I am getting at is with any change in the real estate market there is paperwork. One may think that real estate agents just sell and buy homes but there is a lot of writing and reading that goes along with it. Doing the proper reading and writing will reassure the agent that they are making the best decision possible for their clients.

Works Cited

            Driscoll, Dana Lynn. (2011) Introduction To Primary research: Observations, Survey’s, and Interviews. Retrieved from http://www.parlorpress.com/pdf/driscoll--introduction-to-primary-research.pdf

            Spaces for writing Retrieved from file:///Users/travisfrohlich/Downloads/Understanding+Rhetoric+p.+1-22%20(1).pdf

            Berry, Keith. (1997-2015) Keith C. Berry, Santa Barbara Real Estate Professional. Retrieved from http://www.keithberryrealestate.com/

Annoying Ways People Use Sources

There are many annoying ways in which people use sources. Some have their way that they are use to but isn’t grammatically correct. This in return shows your readers that you didn’t put the effort into making your paper or whatever you are writing. Having proper sources and addressing them the right way makes you a more credible writer. All outside sources must be introduced, punctuated, and cited accordingly. The more effectively you anticipate that pickiness the more likely it is that readers will interpret your quotations and paraphrases in the way you want them to. This is either critically or acceptingly, depending on writing context. Conventions of writing have a fundamentally rhetoric nature. It builds up to the quotation and then explains it. The fix is where the writer decides why each quotation is there and massages it in correctly to fit the surrounding text. Flow makes what you are trying to write sound good to the readers and keeps your readers interested.

Final Paper Brief Outline

Realtors Have To Write Outline

Thesis: Although the real estate industry seems like an easy buying and selling process, it in fact tests the realtor’s ability to read the fine print and write creatively on a daily basis.

Topic 1: Using Rhetoric- meant to shut down a conversation or debate. Not always meant to have an answer.

-Rhetoric is used when a realtor tells a client the percent they charge to do the transaction. Its non debatable and the clients usually always understand that.

Topic 2: How reading and writing specifically obtains to the real estate business.

- Writing Ad’s

- Writing buying/ selling forms.

Topic 3: Reading all the fine print when selling a home to your client so that everyone is on the same page and nothing is misunderstood.

Conclusion: Recap and have a good ender

Creative Thesis statement

My thesis statement was created over the course of this entire interview process. In the real estate industry there are many pieces of paper to read over and comment/ changes are necessary most of the time. Some of the most important information can be in the midst of some of the least important information or obvious information. As a pondered on what to write I came up with this.

Although the real estate industry seems like an easy buying and selling process, it in fact tests the realtor's ability to read the fine print and write creatively on a daily basis.

So what? Who cares? and Using Rhetoric (Arguable Assertions)

          Using Rhetoric, Issue four talked about arguable assertions. Stating that speakers are always pointing out how circumstances have changed from one phenomenon to another. A good argument is a lot like a good conversation. This is when dialogs have been used to present arguments about many philosophical, social, and political issues. An argument also needs grounds or evidence to support your position. The four questions that need to be identified are what or (facts), how (circumstances), who (Relationships), and why (reasons). Think about the kind of evidence that will work in the correct context of your argument. When a claim is made make sure that you have supporting evidence to support that, and you will want to cite this to look more credible. Make sure that the claim has a firm connection to your evidence and present your reasons for making that connection. For each academic argument they are made up of paragraphs and in the paragraph there is evidence, analysis, implications, and/or context.

            So what, who cares is a funny article in the sense that it is very true what they are telling us, it's just relayed in a humorous way. Speakers don’t always address the crucial question of why their arguments matter. Rather than assume that that audience will know why their claims matter, all writers need to answer the “so what?” and “who cares?” questions up front. If we all do this while we are writing we might find some sentences that don’t fit as well as we would like with our proposition. We might realize that the message we are trying to relay doesn’t have the effect on others as we thought, and then we might consider rewording our statements. Who cares literally asks you to identify a person or group whom cares about your claims. So what asks about the real world applications and consequences of those claims!

Introduction To Research, and Learning To Read Like A Writer

            Introduction to primary research through interviews, observations, and surveys was about how research is defined and how it varies widely from field to field. People conducting research are producing the articles and reports found in a library database or in a book. Primary research is often based on principles of the scientific method, a theory of investigation. Voluntary participation gets permission from people before you involve them in any primary research. Next, Confidentiality and Anonymity are if the interviewees say something inappropriate but you wish to share it in your essay, then you want to keep the interviewee anonymous. Research bias means that things you think you know should be researched also to avoid bias. Create a timeline when conducting primary research. Start primary research with secondary library research to learn more about what it is you already know. Primary research is used and is appropriate for questions that can be answered through asking others and using direct observations. I understand that deductive reasoning is when researchers start with a hypothesis or general conclusion and then collect specific data to support or refute their hypothesis. Inductive reasoning is where researchers start with a question and collects information that eventually leads to a conclusion. Its important to choose data based on your research question that best addresses your research topic. Also make sure to write good questions for your interview while always trying to eliminate the bias. Most of the time we want to use open-ended questions but there is also a time to use close-ended questions. All of this information that I am sharing leads up to the interview and it is important to find a suitable location and record the interview so you can refer back to it later on.

            How to read like a writer was an awesome article because it helped me refer to writings that I have done, am doing, and will be doing in the near future. Writing is a word-by-word, sentence-by-sentence process and I find this quote to be very true when you really think about it. When reading we work to identify some of the choices the author has made so that we can better understand how such choices might arise in our own writing. We read to learn about writing. There are many different techniques a writer has in order to draw in their readers. Learn to read like a writer and then you will be more inclined to understand and participate in writing. I came across a few questions that are good to ask yourself before you start reading. What is the author’s purpose for writing this piece? Who’s the intended audience for this piece of writing? What genre is it written in? How does the author move from one idea to another? What is the technique that the author is using and is the technique effective? All of these questions really make me think about the message the writer is trying to convey and how it is being presented. I believe if we all ask ourselves these questions from time to time to remind us, we will in return be more aware writers.

Interview Questions for Real Estate Agent Keith Berry

1. How old were you when you first found your interest in real estate?

Follow-up question: What sparked your interest in it, and why?

2. What specific field do you work in with Coldwell Banker?

Follow-up question: And why did you choose that field?

I know there are many artifact with the real estate business the pertain to reading and writing:

3. What are some hidden details that are in a house contract when buy and selling a home aside from the obvious price, address, interest rate, ect…?

4. Is there a lot of writing involved when someone who leases a home from you?

5. What about after some one whom owns a property passes away but has no one in their will to give the property to?

Follow-up Question: What kind of paperwork on your end is there to complete?

6. Whom designs and makes the ads for the properties that you have on your website for sale? There sure is a lot of writing and organization there as well.

7. When you created your personal/ mission statement what sort of guidelines did you follow to make it so appealing?

8. What are some key tips you have learned over the years to keep your email professional with clients or others in your workforce?

9. What are some other important artifacts that help you do the job of a real estate agent that I am missing?

10. What are some good readings you would recommend to me that have helped you better understand specific laws or procedures in the real estate business?

11. Out of all the different artifacts we have talked about what are some of the most annoying/ bothersome readings and writings you have to complete in real estate?

12. How would you recommend I get started/ get my foot in the door as I finish school and continue on the path towards a successful profession in the real estate world?

Follow-up Question: What is different now about becoming a real estate agent from what it was when you got started over forty years ago?

Artifacts (Real-Estate)

            I have an interview on Tuesday morning with real estate agent Keith Berry. In order to have a little insight on what it is I am getting into when I go into the interview I have done some research on what the job of a real-estate agent entails. I know there are tons of unseen artifacts that agents contribute to for their job. Nevertheless some of the more common ones in the real estate business include house contracts (when selling or buying a home), real estate leases, transfer of property at the death of the party performing the contract, and real estate ads.

            A house contract is something that the agent and the seller or buyer will create in order to do a transaction with the opposing side. Some of the information in the packet go without any say but other things like the price, property lines, interest rate, and so on are what the agent writes up. A mortgage is something that needs to be discussed in great detail as well as it needs to be agreed upon by both parties. If the one buying a home can only afford to pay 6% interest then don’t let the offer say 7% because that is how you can get yourself in a real pickle. All of this has to be presented using a certain tone that appeals to the readers. Also know as the clients to the real-estate agents.

            Real-estate leases spell out the terms of a residential tenancy between a landlord and a tenant. They are perfect for landlords, property managers, and real-estate invertors. These are for all residential property types, including homes, apartments, condos, basement suites and many more. Leases are created uniquely for the customer, by an agent and lawyer, depending on the situation. All fifty states in America use this in order to buy or sell a home.

            Transferring a property after the death of the owner. This can be an extensive amount of paperwork depending on the situation. If a house is left to somebody then it becomes very easy to transfer the home. In this case there is a name that the property can be transferred to. There are legal contracts that need to be written up by the agent and then the home goes into he name of the new owner. They can do with it what they wish after this happens. If there are two owners to a property and one of the owners passes away the property automatically goes into the name of the other owner. The laws are set for each individual state so the agent must know the laws for the state in which they are selling the property. This is extremely important so that the agent and the buyer or seller don’t get themselves in any legal trouble by doing things they are use to doing in different states.

            How do we think that we are aware of the homes that are out there for sale? Well there has to be somebody that makes the ad and properly advocates for the property in a way that will appeal to the viewers. This takes time, organization, planning, and knowledge of the property. Putting up ads takes a photographer to take the pictures of homes, people to clean the home, knowledge of the neighborhood and the it surroundings, a selling point for the home, and so on. This is not easy work and the agent might work with multiple people on this in order to make it happen.

            What I am getting at is with any change in the real estate market there is paperwork. One may think that real estate agents just sell and buy homes but there is a lot of writing and reading that goes along with it. Doing the proper reading and writing will reassure the agent that they are making the best decision possible for their clients.

(Week 3) Everything's an Argument and Steps toward Rhetorical Analysis

          Everything’s an argument has many good proposals about finding evidence, what’s credible, and how to look for it. Evidence when supporting an argument should match the time and place in which you make your argument. Quantitative data may be the best evidence to use. Students often overestimate their ability to use data, books, films, documents from sources located in libraries, databases, and online. Ask the librarian to guide you through these resources. The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) are standardized words and phrases that are used to classify the subject matter of books and articles. Advanced search is another great way to maximize using the internet, and don’t just search for data in the first box. Understanding the difference between academic and popular sources is key.

            Taking steps towards Rhetorical Analysis is not all about always making assumptions and running with it. The more we know about how to analyze situations and draw informed conclusions, the better we can become when making judgments, the people, situations, and media we encounter. Understanding Rhetorical messages is essential to helping us become informed consumers. When one posts a blog or tweet we are using rhetoric. What we decide to wear gives off an image that we are trying to portray to others. Asking questions about the writer can help the reader determine whether she or he is credible and knowledgeable. The purpose of a piece of rhetoric helps you understand what the rhetoric is trying to achieve through discourse. Logos is commonly defined as arguments for a reason and it usually appeals to an audience’s intellectual side, with organization being the real contributor to ethos. The tone of the writing and weather the tone is appropriate for the context helps build a writer's ethos, as does the accuracy of the information or visual presentation of the rhetoric. Take into consideration the visual appeal of the rhetoric, like the font, page layout, types of paper, or images. Rhetorical analysis asks how discourse functions, in the setting in which it is found. Persuasive discourse is political cartoons, scholarly articles, speech, photograph, and PowerPoint presentation.  

Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking), Writing Identities, and Effective E-Mail Communication

            This weeks readings were connected to last week's reading but took a different approach. When reading, Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking) by Boyd, there were a few things that stood out that I plan on using in my future writings. If you leave a short caption one might not be able to fully understand what the message is that is trying to be relayed. Make sure to be clear and just because it makes sense to me doesn’t meant that everyone else can understand it. Nevertheless every piece of writing needs a starting point, a perspective, and a genre that will be unique accordingly. It is easy to be objective when writing in first person but once you have a few facts about your topic it is time to start writing, and the only person you can turn to is yourself. A really important part is to acknowledge or know what it is that you don’t know about academic writing. Know our audience in whom we are writing to and use different rhetorical tools that carry different weight given the rhetorical situation.

            Some good writing identities are presenting a character that the audience will trust that is inspiring and passionate about what the message is they are conveying. It will change in order to meet the needs of the audience and the writer must be clear on their perspective. Using the right tone of voice when writing will either get your audience to listen and pay attention or not. Always address the audience appropriately and demonstrate the right ethos depending on the audience. The performance in your writing expresses the fundamental features of your authorial identity. Last but not least when you are trying to impress your instructor use rhetoric a lot with meaning.

            When using effective email communication I should be aware of the formality I am writing the email in, the intended audience, and the desired outcome. The formatting expectation will vary depending on the audience and make sure that the emails contain the main points or ideas. Make sure that the subject lines are informative and that they reflect the tone of the message that is being conveyed. These tools will help the email flow, have meaning, get your point heard, and insinuate that you want a response.

Navigating Genres, Understanding Rhetoric and Academic Arguments

     During this weeks readings I was able to learn a lot while enjoying the content of what I was reading. The article Navigating Genres showed me that genres go far beyond a simple discussion type. They can apply to my own writing endeavors and one can use a different genre to describe a different situation. Genres develop, then because they respond appropriately to the situations writers encounter reality. Knowing what a genre is used for can help people accomplish their goals. Understanding Rhetoric, Spaces for writing, talked about people writing and gathering ideas in different ways. Some are by themselves thinking until they come upon an idea and others surround themselves with an abundance of ideas and activities going on around them. Writing comes in all forms, outside on the wall, in a diary, in a classroom either professional or not. People communicate differently and it is the way in which they express themselves and get what they want to say to the groups of people they want to be talking to. This comic discussed the importance of getting someone else to look at your writing assignments to read and give some feedback before the final draft. Visual literacy is how a message is conveyed by photography and illustration and for me it makes me want to read and learn more.

       Understanding Rhetoric, Why Rhetoric first discussed a question being rhetorical. This is when no answer is actually expected and is meant to shut down a conversation and debate. Plato’s philosophy on writing is ridiculous. He believed that Rhetoric was a word used to hide flaws instead of encouraging self-improvement. Aristotle found rhetoric to be one of the foundations of education. In order to have democracy many different viewpoints need to be acknowledged. The last article I read was everything’s an argument. Their definition of an argument or academic discourse is the use of evidence that can be documented, clear compelling point, follows agreed upon conversations of format, and uses professional citations. Academic writing draws upon sources and builds arguments from research done by experts and is reported in journal articles and books. One of the hardest parts of producing an academic argument is finding a topic narrow enough to be manageable in the time you have to work on it but also rich enough to sustain your interests over the same period. Good claims are controversial and any academic argument is only as good as the evidence that supports it. It is also important to remember to not only gather information that is going to support the position that I believe in but also gather information to support the opposing side.

About me

Hello,

My name is Travis Frohlich and I have grown up living in Santa Barbara for most all of my life. I am a very outdoors person whom loves being involved in action sports such as surfing, mountain biking, riding and racing motorcycles, snowboarding, skateboarding, ect. I am very happy to be here at Antioch and I am excited to see what this school is all about. I am an extremely hard worker in whatever I put my mind to and I know that school is my job right now so that I where I am applying all my attention. Over the next year and a half I hope to build my reading and writing skills to a more comfortable level in order to achieve my lifelong goals. I went to Santa Barbara City College for about four years and completed my AA-T in communication studies before transferring to Antioch. I loved SBCC but that school can only take you so far which is why I am at Antioch now. Life is good and I hope to make new friends, explore my strengths and work on my weaknesses as I continue the life of an Antioch student.