Real Estate Information Archive

Regardless of where the market is, people still need to buy and sell houses. The difference is that in this market, where risk factors are higher, people are a lot more careful about picking an agent. They want a known quantity. They want someone with a few decades of experience in real estate and whose name they know and trust. I believe that's why Brad's numbers propelled him from fifth to second in this recent ranking.

Brad has always done well in the regional ranking - over the past eight or ten years, Brad has always been among the top 15, with a personal-best of fifth until now. His consistent high placement says quite a lot about Brad. Agents from big offices with huge support systems tend to top the list, but Brad does it from a boutique-style office that is very personal and service-oriented.

Brad said he was really "kind of blown away" when he found out he'd been rated in the top two teams out of 15,000 teams. He also said he's never had such a high referral rate from clients as he has in the last several months. I think that really speaks to the level of trust and the great reputation Brad has earned over the years. Congratulations, Brad!

I have seen firsthand how the prospect of having the bank foreclose on a homeowner over loan problems is so frightening that some people stick their heads in the sand and ignore letters and phone calls because they feel so helpless. They don’t realize that lenders often actually want to help them keep their homes.

Because of some of the creative option-ARM mortgages devised in the past few years, all around the country there are homeowners now in a position of having negative equity in their homes.

The subject has come up often in the bi-annual meetings of a real estate Mastermind Group to which I belong. The group is made up of some of the most experienced and successful agents in the nation. One of the things the members know about me is that the words “caring” and “compassionate” represent the priorities I have when it comes to my clients. So the group encouraged me to become an approved Loss Mitigation Consultant.

I took their advice and did so, along with my office manager, Heather Tyler. Our job: at the request of lenders, we go to the doors of troubled homeowners and offer to help counsel them so they can avoid foreclosure and keep their homes.

The lenders are the ones who give us authorization to talk with the homeowners and to work on modifying the loans to keep them in the property. Both Heather and I appreciate the opportunity this gives us to truly help people who need to hear some good news regarding their mortgage difficulties. We are going out there and talking to individuals to help them see that things aren’t as bad as they might be thinking.

For more information about our Loss Mitigation efforts, call my office at (818) 953-5300.

Light has been shining more efficiently on members of the Brad Korb Team since early October, when energy-saving light bulbs were installed throughout Korb’s offices. According to Office Manager Heather Tyler, the project was done in cooperation with the City of Burbank and Burbank Water & Power’s Energy Solutions Program, which offers local businesses partial rebates for the cost of the new bulbs.

“The energy savings are expected to pay for the cost of the replacement within a year and a half,” said Tyler. “It’s a great program that will help make Burbank much more energy-efficient.”

For more information about how the program assists businesses in being more energy-efficient, call 818-238-3638. Private residences can also benefit from the city’s programs. For example, BWP has a Home Rewards Rebate program for energy-smart appliances ranging from ceiling fans, pool pumps, and air conditioners to dishwashers, clothes washers, and refrigerators. Call 818-238-3730 for details, and check here for energy-saving tips.

Submitted by Jan Anderson - Clear, breezy weather made for a gorgeous view and a slight sunburn at DeBell Golf Course when Heather Tyler, Sales Manager for the Brad Korb Team, attended the Burbank Chamber of Commerce’s Inaugural Pro-Am golf tournament. About 135 golfers participated in the event, which was held Sept. 14.

Tyler and Connie Wong, Branch Service Manager for Cal National Bank, sat at the 17^th hole to distribute water and snacks to golfers as they worked their way to the end of the course.

“It was an enjoyable day and the view was gorgeous,” Tyler said. “But not all of the golfers were the best shots – I think next year, Connie and I will wear helmets!”

Submitted by Brad Korb - I think the Taste of Downtown Burbank is about a lot more than food. The event gets bigger and more fantastic every year, and it represents everything that makes Burbank a great community. What people got out of it was more than food. They got a taste of the real Burbank, the kind of place where people turn out in droves to help support local businesses and great causes like the Burbank Community YMCA.

I went with my wife Nancy, our son Tyler, and Heather Tyler, the Sales Manager at my real estate office. Heather said she looks forward to it every year because it’s so easy and fun – you buy one wristband and you can eat all you want, and that covers nearly every kind of food you can imagine.

According to the Downtown Burbank Partnership, the event, which was held Sept. 27, raised more than $45,000 for the local YMCA, exceeding prior years’ figures by more than 30 percent. About 35 restaurants participated, mostly from downtown Burbank.

It’s a great time for people to come to town, taste what our wonderful restaurants have to offer, and to mingle and hang out with people they haven’t seen for awhile. I ran into Burbank Fire Chief Tracy Pansini and Raul Porto while I was there, and it was great to see them. I’m looking forward to another even bigger event next year.

Submitted by Jan Anderson - Sports and real estate are worlds apart in most ways – but not all.

“Tiger Woods is one of the best golfers in the world, and he has a coach,” said Brad Korb. “Michael Jordan had a coach. The best players always have coaches. It’s the same with the best real estate agents.”

For the past five years, Korb has called upon experts at Corcoran Consulting and Coaching to help keep him and everyone on his team at the top of their game. In the most recent coaching session, held in mid August, nationally respected former real estate agent Katherine Ross spent three days working with Korb’s buyer’s agents.

“The purpose of being a real estate agent is to help families move in and out of houses – that’s it,” said Ross. “It’s all about building relationships. A buyer’s agent must become the buyer’s partner to make sure they get into the home they want at a price they can afford, with the least amount of stress.”

One of the things Ross stresses is that in order to build the relationship, the agent must have and understand the most current information available about the local market and explain it to clients “so that it makes sense,” Ross said. “Brad’s team is always very well up on the market data, which is impressive.”

While it seems like agents are first in line to benefit from Ross’ coaching and expertise, Ross doesn’t see it that way.

“Clients who come to Brad will get a level of customer service they’ve never, ever experienced before,” she said.

Heather Tyler, Sales Manager for the Brad Korb Team, said Ross’ coaching session was motivating and filled with information on sales techniques used successfully in markets across the nation.

Ross returned the compliment, saying that Korb’s agents are themselves motivational.

“Brad does amazing business, and he gives back so much to local causes that his team is fully integrated into that community,” she said. “They really provide outstanding service. I like to think our coaching has helped contribute to that.”