BrokerIPTV Real Estate News and Videos

BrokerIPTV: Today we are talking with Jaime Kelce, the owner of HighShot Aerial Photography and Jaime welcome.

Jaime Kelce: Nice to meet you Dan.

BrokerIPTV: Thanks for being here. I really like your business, but for people who don't know what it is, tell them?

Jaime Kelce: Well, HighShot is a close range aerial photography company and when I say close range, I mean that my helicopter focuses directly on to the house itself and the lot size itself, be it 1 acre, 5 acres, whatever. I do all of this with a radio controlled helicopter with a high resolution digital camera on board. I can fly between 10 and 250 feet covering around the house itself and taking snapshots as I go, so I usually take up to about 400 shots.

BrokerIPTV: Wow.

Jaime Kelce: Yeah, and at the very end, what I hope to do is take 10 of the very best and burn those on to a CD in a JPEG format and give that to the customer that very same day.

BrokerIPTV: Do you have a remote to click the camera or does the camera just shoot itself?

Jaime Kelce: No, I do. I have a remote that I control from the ground. So, I control all the shutter and everything. I put the helicopter into a position where I want to in a hover and then start taking the shots.

BrokerIPTV: Wow, that is cool. So, if I am a realtor and I am watching this, how does the process work? I mean how do I get an aerial shot for my property?

Jaime Kelce: Okay. First what they, take a realtor for example. First they will contact me either by email or by phone and they will tell me the address of the listing itself. I will go ahead and schedule them, usually within about three days, go out to the site, unload the helicopter, and then begin to hover and fly around the house taking the shots.

BrokerIPTV: Cost?

Jaime Kelce: It costs $195 and what that gets you is that CD with at least 10 or more photographs in the JPEG format and I will deliver that to their realtor's office or home, wherever they want it that very same day.

BrokerIPTV: Packages?

Jaime Kelce: Yes. There are packages. What I can do is if you do two or more on the same contract, I will give you a 20% discount on it.

BrokerIPTV: What shots are not doable with this technology?

Jaime Kelce: What I said before. Probably, the single shots, the one shot of a 100 acre plus. I do not do real tight urban areas, because of just the liability. There are just so many people. There are so many cars. There is so much concrete and the worst thing is radio interference. It all works by radio and if I get radio interference, then I lose the copter and we don't let that happen.

BrokerIPTV: Yeah. Ever taken a shot of something you weren't meant to see?

Jaime Kelce: Well, I will tell you. There was an instance where a client had hired me. He thought that... he suspected his neighbor of using his property as a commercial landfill. So, I went over there and kind of somewhat eavesdropped, spied on his property, and indeed he was landfilling.

BrokerIPTV: Really?

Jaime Kelce: Yeah, and unloading spilling oil into the ground water, so he was very concerned about it. He used those shots to go to court.

BrokerIPTV: Well, we are going to talk about other uses in just a second. Thanks so much. I appreciate it.

Jaime Kelce: You are welcome Dan. Appreciate it.

Dennis Brachfeld Provides Knowledge on Making Your Home More Comfortable and Energy Efficient

BrokerIPTV: We are talking with Dennis Brachfeld today, energy consultant for existing homes and Dennis, welcome.

Dennis Brachfeld: Welcome. Happy to be here.

BrokerIPTV: Thanks for being here. Tell me about your company, what you do?

Dennis Brachfeld: We specialize in making existing houses more comfortable and more energy efficient.

BrokerIPTV: How many homes are inefficient, when we talk about heat, when we talk about energy? What would you say?

Dennis Brachfeld: Well, I will tell you. We have worked on a little over 30,000 houses since I started the company and we still haven't even scratched the surface. So, nowadays new houses that are energy star labeled, which I would say are less than 5% of the market, are pretty energy efficient; they won't need me.

BrokerIPTV: Right.

Dennis Brachfeld: But historically....

BrokerIPTV: But that is only 5% of the market.

Dennis Brachfeld: In today's market, right. Energy ....

BrokerIPTV: That is, 95% are all losing heat and energy.

Dennis Brachfeld: Correct, wasting it.

BrokerIPTV: Why is that? We were talking before we got started and you had the perfect answer.

Dennis Brachfeld: Right, because typically homeowners ask how many square feet do I get for the buck and it is not a problem yet, but once you have a problem, you look for the best stock. So, once a homeowner acknowledges they have a problem, they look for us.

BrokerIPTV: And you do what you call a comfort home audit?

Dennis Brachfeld: Correct.

 BrokerIPTV: What is it? Tell us a little bit about it?

Dennis Brachfeld: Well, I kind of believe in the 80/20 rule that if a homeowner is aware of their environment, they probably know where 80% of the problems are and we can figure out why those are problem areas - either too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. So, we rely on their input, on the comfort audit, and you need all the instrumentation to do an audit where the homeowner doesn't know about the house. Let's say they are deciding to decide between two houses they haven't lived in yet and that is more of a detailed scientific audit.

BrokerIPTV: All right. We are also talking about keeping your house cool. You know during the summer so... is that the same process that you go through?

Dennis Brachfeld: It is a little bit different. The physics is a little bit different because the physics of heat - heat goes from hot to cold, heat does not rise, warm air rises, warm water rises, but the reason why the upstairs is hotter is basically because it is closer to the roof and the roof and attic get so hot and downstairs it is cooler because it is further away from the roof, not because warm air is rising. So, we really make sure the attic is well ventilated to let that heat out in the first place and then we insulate the attic insulation or shading east and west windows.

BrokerIPTV: All right. Last question - this wasn't what we talked about. Settle this fight for between me and my wife. We have got a finished basement. She says keep the vents closed in that basement because I want all the heat going upstairs. I say keep the vents open in the basement so you get heated from bottom up. Answer?

Dennis Brachfeld: Okay. Yeah, the answer is complicated, but it is how much air goes through your furnace. It is like your radiator. When your radiator gets plugged up, your engine overheats. By closing up some of the vents, you are slowing down the amount of heat that is going through your furnace and so you are sending more of the heat up the chimney. So, it is more efficient to have as many vents open as you can and get more heat air going through that furnace to transfer more into the house.

BrokerIPTV: I think I may have won that. Dennis, thank you very much. Appreciate talking to you.

Broker IPTV: Today we are talking with Aaron Rath form Home Systems Data. They specialized in inspections. Thanks for being with us. How are you?


Aaron Rath: Thank you, Dan, thank you.


Broker IPTV: I want to talk about getting your home ready for inspections, because I often as the realtor go out and wonder if any of these sellers ever get their house ready for inspection, your response?


Aaron Rath: My response to that is basic things that we look for is maintenance, caulking, getting like the pre-list inspection done before, they even listing it. That's the biggest thing that way then you don't have any surprises that come up when you sell the house for your potential buyer or seller.


Broker IPTV: Right. How about issues specific to Colorado?


Aaron Rath: Well some of the stuff is specific to Colorado is we have some heaving soil, we got to be careful on that stuff. Once we starts seeing the side walk move and stuff like that let's preventive thing that we can do to help mitigate that. Caulking crack in concrete, stuff like that to keep the water form going down in there and no wonder time can making that bigger and drainage issues around Colorado goes along with this soil.


Broker IPTV: Radon is the big deal in Colorado and again it's mostly because of our soil, people I think are confused by this point. Well, the builder told me that there is a passive radon system in the house. Is that anything?


Aaron Rath: A passive radon system is, it's a basic ventilation system. It is not a true Radon mitigation system. It's helping, but it not a true system. The true system is where they come in and they drill a hole in the concrete floor in the basement, put a pipe in, run it out side and the fan outside and then it's dispersed though the air that way.


Broker IPTV: If you had the budgets say $5,000 bucks, to get your house rent. Where we would you spend?


Aaron Rath: My biggest recommendation to people of that is one would be give a Radon test, such going in and two would be drainage.


Broker IPTV: So start sloping thing away...


Aaron Rath: Sloping things away from the house.


Broker IPTV: Bring the rock in.


Aaron Rath: Right make sure that everything is slope the way, make sure we have the proper down spawn extension zone, four to five feet away from the home and then work on inside maintenance stuff.


Broker IPTV: let's say $10, 000 and the reason why I say this because concrete is the big issue in Colorado. I don't think I have ever seen the piece of concrete in Colorado without a crack.


Aaron Rath: Right.


Broker IPTV: So the question is, when do you replace it?


Aaron Rath: Well, the when you replace it, is when the crack is over an inch wide. Once that crack exceeds an inch, it's time to replace it, because than any water or anything, any amount of caulking is getting down inside, there is nothing you can about.


Broker IPTV: You are going to red flag that all day, right?


Aaron Rath: Yes.


Broker IPTV: Good information, thanks for being with us.


Aaron Rath: Thank you, Dan.


Broker IPTV: I appreciate it.

Broker IPTV: We are talking today with Aaron Rath from Home Systems Data their specialized inspections. Aaron thanks for being with us, glad you are here. Tell me how did Home Systems Data get started?


Aaron Rath: Home System Data started 1985 by Brain Jones we are from home inspections company here in Denver metro area, including the Front Range and Mountains.


Broker IPTV: Now there is, obviously, a lot of inspection companies out there, how do you differentiate one form the other?


Aaron Rath: Well the way they differentiate us from all the others is we take, lot of pride in what we doing, we are very knowledgeable and that's our main thing is we are very knowledgeable inspectors, with us.


Broker IPTV: People look, they say an inspection is, inspection is inspection and there is standard stuff that supposed to be covered, what are some of the standard stuff?


Aaron Rath: The standard stuff that is covered, Dan, in an inspection is usually your roof, your furnaces, your water heaters, the structure of the home, plumbing, the electrical, sewer we do not do.


Broker IPTV: I am often, when I go out and see the inspector I always recommend we do the Radon test. Is that something that you recommend as well?


Aaron Rath: Yes, I recommended it for the same reason, it is been known that EPA has come out, so that is a known cancer causing, and also it is the what they called "silent killer" now. The biggest thing what is the EPA has said standard of 4.0 pCi/L, anything above that they recommend mitigation on it.


Broker IPTV: All right, most frequent problem you run in to?


Aaron Rath: Radon and also drainage issues around the house


Broker IPTV: Foundation?


Aaron Rath: Yeah, grading around the house make sure that sloped away properly.


Broker IPTV: They do not have down spots, and...


Aaron Rath: That is right, No tip ups, they have water drain right next to the foundation.


Broker IPTV: They are not even aware of it.


Aaron Rath: Right.


Broker IPTV: Most avoidable problem?


Aaron Rath: Maintenance.


Broker IPTV: Maintenance?


Aaron Rath: Maintenance on the house. Routine maintenance is the biggest that we find is lacking in homes.


Broker IPTV: Painting?


Aaron Rath: Painting, the caulking, the painting, grout, the grout around the tile, caulking around the snicks, stuff like that.


Broker IPTV: I have always amazed every time we do an inspection, how many people don't even change the furnish filter?


Aaron Rath: That is one of the other biggest thing too, is the filter, never changed and people don't understand. When I do an inspection, I always recommend that the filter be changed every 30 days, not every three months. Reason behind is because if you leave the 30 day one in for 30 days, take it out, the motor doesn't have to work as hard. The longer you leave the filter in three month once, the more harder do motor has to work in the unit. So, it shortens the life of the blower motor.


Broker IPTV: And an in the front. Aaron thanks, good information, I appreciate it.


Aaron Rath: Thank you.

David Knox Provides Some Huge Insight on Taking A Listing In Todays Market

Hello I am David Knox, with David Knox Productions, live from the convention floor here in beautiful Las Vegas.

I am from Minneapolis area but today we were at booth 2417 at Las Vegas at the NAR Convention 2007.

BrokerIPTV has asked me to give you some inside on the market. Those of you who know me I spend a lot of time teaching you to teach your buyers and sellers how to respond to this market. Lot of people use my pricing and home result video to get their listing price right but I think it is important to this market to do two things. Number 1, find out whether or not you are settled what to sell or whether they want to stay and we have way too many listings right now, we are based on their motivation of pricing. They dont want to sell, they want to stay in that case let them stay. So you need to sit down the sellers who say,