Why NOT to be Scared of Homes with Oil Heat

Oil Heat vs. Natural Gas Heat

There are many misconceptions out there about oil heat I’d like to clear up because it does get a bad rap from a lot of the mis-information flying around is contagious and seems to be coming from the Natural Gas companies and the wannabe conservationist who really aren’t as educated about the matter as they’d have you believe.

I’d just like to say first that there are pluses and minuses for each type of heating fuel system and overall found that taking all points into consideration oil vs gas get an equal grade from me.

NEWER oil furnaces are as clean burning and as efficient as natural gas furnaces. If you notice any "Soot", whether it be from an oil burner or a gas burner, it is an indication of a possibly cracked "Heat Exchanger".

Don't let anyone try to convince you that all oil furnaces are "Dirty". It's just not true. Sometimes there can be an odor of the fuel oil itself, but that usually occurs when filling of the oil tank takes place.

As far as prices go, oil and gas can both fluctuate and certainly have been trending up.

heating oil is almost the same as #2 diesel fuel that trucks use, except heating oil has none of those additives or detergents that diesel has.

If the oil tank is located outside, than you will need to use #1 heating oil. It has an additive in it so that it does not "Gel" up in cold weather. And radiant heat (the old radiators) are indeed a most pleasant, even heat. Much nicer than "Forced Air" systems which tend to have temperature swings however that is another topic, there are Forced Air oil heated systems available.

• Oil heat burns hotter
• Oil heat is Safer than Gas which is explosive!
• Oil lasts longer and is generally cheaper than natural gas
• Better local service from Oil company over Gas unless there is an emergency gas leak!
• Oil company’s offer service contracts to maintain your equipment just like gas companies.
• Oil heat can be used in locations where gas lines have not been or ever will be routed.
• Oil is versatile and you can have a Forced Air oil heating system just like gas.
• Oil heat systems are not more expensive to maintain when serviced regularly and properly, this can be done with an inexpensive service contract.

The Oil Heat Advantage

Oil heat has always provided efficient and affordable warmth, but it’s gotten even better in recent years. Here are some surprising facts about the “new” oil heat.

Oil heat is highly efficient

• Many oil heat systems now display the prestigious Energy Star label, which signifies that they are technologically advanced and clean burning. Some oil heat systems have efficiency ratings that exceed 90%.
• Compared to 25 years ago, homeowners now need an average of 500 fewer gallons of oil to heat their homes each year.
• Oil heated homes heat up quickly and provide even and efficient heat. For every gallon of oil burned, a whopping 140,000 Btu's are produced. That's 40% more Btu's of heat than an equivalent amount of natural gas produces.

Oil heat is environmentally friendly

• Particulate emissions have been reduced significantly and new oil heat systems now burn fuel 95% cleaner than 25 years ago. Average soot emissions for properly adjusted flame retention burners are less than .003 pounds for every 7 gallons of oil burned. This works out to about 6 ounces of soot per year (approximately equal to natural gas burners).
• The industry is moving toward the wider use of fuels that will burn even cleaner than conventional heating oil. Test studies have already shown that BioHeat®, a blending of conventional fuel with biological products like soybeans, have reduced equipment service costs for oil heat users.

Oil heat remains a good value

• Heating oil prices, when adjusted for inflation, actually dropped 23% during the 1980s and 1990s. More recently, the price of heating oil has increased—but so has the cost of natural gas and all other heating fuels.

Oil heat is versatile

• Oil-fired water heaters provide virtually unlimited hot water at low cost. Not only does an oil-fired water heater save huge amounts of money over its lifetime, it is also perfect for homes with high hot water demand (growing families, homes with hot tubs, etc.).

Oil heat is safe

• Heating oil cannot explode. If you dropped a lit match into a barrel of oil, the match would go out as if you dropped it in water. Oil must first be turned into a fine particle mist before it will ignite and burn, typically at a temperature of 130-140 degrees.
• Oil heat poses an extraordinarily low risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Oil heat gives you service choices

Oil heat companies aren’t large monopolies, so homeowners can choose a company that best suits their needs and personalities. Most oil dealers are locally owned and operated with deep roots in their communities.

What about old oil heat systems?

Most homeowners have the attitude that if their heating system works, it doesn't need replacing. The trouble with that logic is that many heating systems still in use are 40 years old or older! The efficiency of a system that old is so low that the owner is probably using, and paying for, twice as much oil as he or she would need with a modern oil heat system. With today's heating oil prices, that's a tremendous waste of money.

Save clients money!

According to the nonprofit Consumer Energy Council of America, the best way to cut heating costs is to improve system efficiency. This means real estate agents who encourage clients to switch away from oil could be wasting thousands of dollars of their clients' money due to conversion costs. But if clients stay with oil heat, they don't have to pay those conversion costs. Plus, with a modern oil heat system, it can cost up to 40% less to heat a home than with a system made only 30 years ago!

Peace of mind

Explain to your clients that replacing an old clunker of a heating system will save them stress for several reasons:

• New systems are less likely to break down.
• Most new systems come with extended warranties.
• Modern heating systems can vastly improve the comfort throughout the home.
• Today's super-efficient systems provide more heat from less fuel.

If you have clients who are thinking about switching away from oilheat, give them the PRO$ "Homeowner's Guide to Heating with Oil" (see FREE materials page) and encourage them to talk with several local oil dealers first. It could save them thousands of dollars and earn you valuable referrals!

© 2009 Warm Thoughts Communications, Inc.

Grant Money Available for Replacing Oil Tanks Even Without Leaks

NJ Grant Program for Underground Tank Replacement has been increased! Qualified homeowners can now get from $3,500+ to upgrade their underground oil tank. Qualifications are liberal.

The Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Upgrade Remediation and Closure Fund was first established in 1997, but only applied to tanks that leaked. Money for the fund, administered jointly by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), comes from corporation taxes levied by the state.

On August 2, 2006, Governor Corzine signed legislation that enacted important changes to the fund. The change gives a homeowner the power to be proactive. You can now apply for a grant to upgrade a tank BEFORE it leaks.

 

Heating Oil Storage Tank Issues

Modern heating oil storage tanks are marvels of contemporary engineering. They have leak-proof inner walls of plastic or fiberglass and an outer wall of corrosion-resistant metal (for aboveground models) or a plastic/fiberglass outer wall (for underground models).

There are presently no federal or state laws regulating active underground tanks. However, if your clients are replacing a tank, make sure they check with their municipality for local replacement regulations and options.

Older underground tanks

For many years, home builders installed bare metal tanks for underground heating oil storage. Unfortunately, because metal corrodes, those tanks occasionally leak. Some tanks last 50 years or more, while others need to be replaced after 20. There is no set rule for metal tank longevity because so much depends upon how they were installed, the surrounding soil, water tables and salinity.

We recommend that every homeowner replace metal underground tanks with new, leak-proof plastic or fiberglass models. Encourage your clients to contact local oil dealers for estimates or recommendations on tank replacement options.

When selling a home, a new oil storage tank can make a huge difference in how quickly the home sells. It can also have a positive impact on the price.

Replacement options

If your current tank needs to be replaced, you have two good options.

1. Replace an old underground tank with a modern, corrosion-resistant underground tank. With today's technology, a new tank can be isolated from the ground, making it worry free.

2. Replace an underground tank with an aboveground tank. Aboveground tanks are normally smaller (275 gallons) and they can be customized for hard-to-fit places indoors. They can also be installed outside the home and hidden in a tank enclosure.

Many homeowners now have aboveground tanks installed inside tank enclosures, such as the one pictured here.

Guidelines for replacement

If a homeowner decides to replace an underground tank with an aboveground tank, the buried tank must either be removed or properly closed and abandoned. To close the tank, it needs to be emptied, cleaned and then filled with an inert material such as sand or foam.

It is important to work with a licensed experienced professional when closing and abandoning an underground tank.

Before proceeding with a tank abandonment, homeowners should contact their municipal governments or local oil companies to find out about any codes or regulations that may affect the removal or abandonment of an underground tank.

How to tell if an oil tank
has been closed properly

The best resource is your town building inspector's office, which will have a record of the tank abandonment on file. Additionally, if a tank has been legally and properly abandoned, there will be no vent or fill pipe.

Underground tank testing

Frequently, a home buyer or seller is faced with a requirement from a lender or insurance company to have an underground oil tank tested. If this happens, here are two things to keep in mind.

• There are several tests that can be conducted on an underground tank, and the need for one test or another can vary. Often, a combination of tests is appropriate. To avoid confusion and to get a reliable assessment of which tests are best for your situation, consult a local oil heat dealer.
• Any testing on an underground tank should be conducted by a company that is certified to do tank testing.

Aboveground tank inspection

Here are some things to check when listing or selling a home with oil heat:

• Make sure the oil tank's fill pipe and vent pipe are metal, not plastic, and that they have caps.
• Look for leakage from and around tank fittings, valves, filters or the tank's gauge.
• Make sure the tank legs are in good condition and that the tank belly doesn't touch the ground.
• Look for signs of corrosion.

For more information about oil tank options, call your local oil heat dealer.

© 2009 Warm Thoughts Communications, Inc.

 

Understanding Heating Oil Prices

Oil prices have been in the news lately — and the news has been good. Recently, crude oil prices dropped to their lowest point in five years. As a result, oilheat dealers have been able to lower their heating oil price back down to a normal level. This will make marketing an oil-heated home much easier for you.

A great value

Historically, heating oil prices have delivered great value for homeowners. And while energy prices rose in the first half of 2008, as expected, the spike was followed by steep declines. So oilheat consumers can rest assured that heating oil at $4 a gallon is the exception and not the rule. So what causes price spikes? A number of factors affect oil prices — economic conditions, world energy supplies, unchecked market speculation, global events and the weather, to name a few. The chart shows how those factors have affected oil prices in the past.

What does the future hold?

The best news of all is the future of oil prices. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Short-Term Energy Outlook, crude oil prices are expected to hold at normal levels, around $50 a barrel. This means that oilheat will continue to be a great value to homeowners. And no matter where oil prices are headed, the commitment of oilheat dealers to their valued customers will never waver.

When your clients have questions for you about oil pricing, here are some things to remember:

Local heating oil dealers don't control prices. In fact, many dealers have programs specifically designed to help their customers control costs and even out their fuel payments.

Energy prices tend to track one another. That's why the Consumer Energy Council of America says, "It makes no economic sense to switch heating fuels."

Thanks primarily to the U.S., Canada and Mexico, about three-quarters of the heating oil used in the United States comes from outside the Persian Gulf. This means our energy costs are much less dependent on the Middle East than people think.

© 2009 Warm Thoughts Communications, Inc.

Additional Information Resources:

• FAQ about the Grant http://www.newtanksnj.org/faqs.aspx
• American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/heating.htm
• Oil Heat America http://www.oilheatamerica.com/
• Fuel Merchants Association of America http://www.fmanj.org/
• Fuel Merchants Association of New Jersey http://www.newtanksnj.org

Link for Realtor Education www.nj.oilheatpros.com  
Toll-Free Phone: (866) 807-PROS (7767)

NJ companies that replace oil tanks and remediate old tank leaks:

• Meridian Environmental Services (Ed Golub) 732-281-1900 x 102 http://www.meridianenvironmental.com/ ProTank http://www.protankservices.com/ 908-851-0057
  1 Rahway River Parkway • Union, NJ 07083
• Mike Hoensch 973.390.5356 http://www.mhtankco.com/

A more comprehensive list of vendors can be found here
Fuel Merchants Association of America http://www.fmanj.org/

www.MarivicRealty.com
2056A Lincoln Highway
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911
Toll Free: 1-866-745-4622

Located Across from The Pines Manor & Crowne Plaza Hotel in the Nixon Plaza Shopping Center where the Labonbonniere Bake Shoppe

No matter where in the country or the world you’d like to live, call us and we will either personally assist you or match you up with an experienced agent in your area that would be happy to assist in your search, obtain financing, etc.

Click here for Door to Door Directions

Think You’re Living Space is Small and Cramped?

Think you’re living space is small, feeling a little cramped like a sardine in a tin can or squeezed into a cardboard box? You just may have it a lot better living in a mansion compared to these people

  Warning, Not for claustrophobe's!

I suppose “city living” is for those not so attached to personal possessions either. I don’t know about you but I for one couldn’t live in the city just because I have so much “stuff”, little things that would break the bank to keep if living in NYC like… a car, automotive tools, ladders and other large tools, all my furniture, my atv and motorcycle, a snow blower, all my electronics toys a pool and so on.

Granted if living in the city some of these items would not be needed like the snow blower, a ladder and so on but I like my stuff, I like having a yard and I like having my space. Sure, city living has it’s advantages but if you examine them they are more beneficial for either older folks (if it weren’t for the cost) or the young party crowd,  I’d say the city favors them a bit more. I can’t see any advantage to living in the city other than there is a store outside your front door, you live blocks from bars, clubs and entertainment and….um… yeah, that’s about it.

The point of my rambling here is actually an amusing one, check out how this couple lives, personally I think their nutz paying $150,000 to buy this place plus pay a $700 monthly maintenance fee.

That being said, I’d like to introduce you to New York City’s Smallest Apartment - $150K for 175 Sq Ft., yes you heard that right, my dining room is about that size!

I can understand staying in the city one or two nights a week
hobnobbing in the neighborhood, networking, promoting one’s self and business or for entertainment purposes but to live like this is just a bit strange in my book.

I’m not claustrophobic or anything but imaging this apartment would not be a safe place for those who are to live. I would go absolutely crazy having to live in such cramped quarters alone forget about with another person and two cats! Oh, they also need to take an elevator and then the stairs to get to nicely tucked away apartment. I would be afraid of fire in this building seeing that it’s hard enough to get to under normal conditions.

Not many couples could live in complete harmony in a space the New York Post calls the “smallest apartment in the city,” but Zaarath and Christopher Prokop — plus their two cats — live in a 175-square-foot “microstudio” in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights.

Purchased for $150,000 three months ago, the co-op is 14.9 feet long and 10 feet wide and is on the 16th floor of a building on 110th Street, but, get this — it’s only accessible by a staircase from the 15th floor.

The couple has:

• a queen-size bed (about 1/3 of their living space)
• mini-fridge and hot plate (they don’t eat in very often)
• one kitchen appliance (a cappuccino maker)
• closet-sized bathroom with shower with sink and toilet (no long, luxurious baths here)
• kitchen cabinets that are used for their clothing (they don’t eat here, remember?)

With a space this small, they jog to work, picking up their clothes along the way at various dry cleaners around the city and some clothes are kept in their offices.

Curbed figures they spent about $857 per square foot in one of the priciest cities in the world. The Zillow Home Value for Morningside is $641,600 and the median value per sq ft for Morningside is $726.

The Prokops plan to pay off their mortgage in two years and then plan to remodel by installing a Murphy bed and larger windows. Their only cost at that point will be a maintenance fee of $700 a month.

Reference Source: Read the full story and see the comments of others on zillow.com

If you agree with me or not on what living comfort means, that’s a personal choice and either way our agent’s would love to help you find your mansion or tiny love nest to call home.

No matter where in the country or the world you’d like to live, call us and we will either personally assist you or match you up with an experienced agent in your area that would be happy to assist in your search, obtain financing, etc.

www.MarivicRealty.com
2056A Lincoln Highway
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911
Toll Free: 1-866-745-4622

Located Across from The Pines Manor & Crowne Plaza Hotel in the Nixon Plaza Shopping Center where the Labonbonniere Bake Shoppe

Click here for Door to Door Directions

Rates WILL Rise a Good Reason to Buy Now?

This article is related so can be considered as a follow up to the last article “If You Don’t Buy a House Now, You’re Stupid or Broke. The answer to that question is… Well that it really depends on you and your debt to income ratios and ability to repay and previous repayment history of debt.

Lenders are subject to extreme scrutiny at the moment. Above average defaults can have drastic consequences and no lender is immune. This has led to over the top caution and excessive documentation and underwriting requirements.

It is what it is, so we’ll have to deal with it and only deal with mortgage reps on top of their game and don’t make promises they can’t keep!

FYI Rates continue to be at or near historic lows.

Given the eternal optimism that is inside all of us we believe the low rates are here to stay (or go lower yet) but think again.  The writing is on the wall for higher rates next year!  With the Fed buying approx 80% of all mortgage loans now, they will stop doing this by March, and there are few other buyers at current price and interest rates.

As the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) considers  raising the minimum credit score requirement for new borrowers to reduce risks to the single-family insurance fund, Fannie Mae (FNM: 1.04 +13.04%) has increased the minimum borrower credit score from 580 to 620.

Brian Faith, a Fannie Mae spokesperson confirmed the minimum hike, adding that the adjustment reflects a careful analysis of borrowers’ ability to repay their mortgage obligations over the life of the loan.

Faith said “Our experience with recently delivered loans with credit scores below 620 is that they reached a level of serious delinquency at a rate approximately nine times higher than other acquisitions during the same period.”

Fannie also reduced the allowable debt-to-income (DTI) ratio to 45% when executing loss mitigation efforts under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). Under HAMP, the US Treasury Department provides allocated capped incentives to servicers for the modification of loans on the verge of foreclosure.

Faith said that “high DTI ratio loans also have higher levels of serious delinquency. “In other words if you have a lot of debt and keep stacking it on with new cars, credit card bills and other investments and leveraged to the hilt, maybe you shouldn’t be buying a home until you pay down some of that debt first.

It’s not enough to help borrowers buy a home – we must also ensure that they can stay in the home over the long term. Repeat business through ill-gotten gains is rare, immoral and unethical, at least in my book.

Contact us today for a free consultation to see if home ownership may be in your future.

www.MarivicRealty.com
2056A Lincoln Highway
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911
Toll Free: 1-866-745-4622

Located Across from The Pines Manor & Crowne Plaza Hotel in the Nixon Plaza Shopping Center where the Labonbonniere Bake Shoppe

Click here for Door to Door Directions

If You Don't Buy a House Now, You're Stupid or Broke

Have you read this article yet? It was featured in Business Week. 

My first thought, wow! That’s blunt and kind of rude, a very harsh statement. But the writer, Mark Roth, uses this  head turning title to get your attention to make excellent points for those who are on the fence.  Namely that interest rates are at an all time low, in fact, the lowest in 40 years. He noted that in the late 70s, rates hit a high of 18%!

Can you ever imagine buying a house at 18%?  I  can't fathom the thought however not all too long ago in the grand scheme of life my parents did it, as probably yours depending on your age, as of this writing I’m 37.

Most of my friends and people buying homes in this generation either bought a home using an FHA loan in the 6%-9% range depending on how good or bad their credit was. Imagine having excellent credit and only being able to fetch a best rate of 17-18%, that’s just nuts, but possible to happen again in the not too distant future. 

In the 80s rates dropped from 12% to 9%, many people were thrilled, while most peoples reaction today today would be more like WHAT!!!! Well if you were previously at 17% or 18% you’d be dancing in the streets at the opportunity to refinance at those low by comparison rates. We’ve had it pretty good for so long now that most people can’t imagine rates so high these days.  

Generation X'ers probably would never dream of purchasing a home above 7% given all we’ve ever known are super low rates between 5% – 6%. Mr. Roth points out the history of previous interest rates as well as their impact on purchasing power. I happen to agree with his prediction that as the economy becomes more stable, interest rates WILL rise to hedge inflation as it wildly spins out of control thanks in part, a big part due to out of control government borrowing and spending. Heck even our country’s credit rating is in danger of losing its triple AAA credit rating.  I’ll make the prediction that by this time next year, rates will have risen at least 1%-2% higher than today.

Now let’s keep in mind if rates go up as expected, refinancing at a lower rate should not be counted on given the history and how long it may take in years for rates to even begin to fall without further government intervention.

These numbers are just examples but lets just say the average sale is $250,000. Assuming a 5% down payment at 5% interest on a 30 year fixed, your monthly principal and interest payment would be $1275.  If rates rise to 7%, your payment increases to $1580/month. 

Some buyers may be on the fence because they fear prices may drop further. Consider this. If there is a 10% decrease in price and the $250,000 falls to $225,000 in one year, but you wait to purchase and the interest rate rises to 7%, your payment will be $1422.  You spend more money per month plus at the higher interest rate, you pay more interest over the life of the loan.  Real estate appreciation is always a cycle and as the economy stabilizes, values will level out. 

Data being analyzing by many of the trend trackers are having the experts already saying this is happening in many markets and that this will occur by 2014 in many states. Making a home purchase is still a decision that should be weighed carefully, being a home owner is not for everyone. Some people with poor credit and personal financial habits or others with other reasons should probably remain renters. One important consideration will depend on how long you plan to stay in the home.  

Mark Roth summed up the article, "What I'm trying to impress upon everyone is that if you are planning on being a homeowner now and/or in the foreseeable future, or if you are looking to move your family into a bigger home, then pay more attention to the interest rates than the price of the home. If you have a steady job, good credit, and the down payment, then you really are being offered the gift of a lifetime." Depending on where you live I’d also have to add that you should also take into consideration funds from additional sources such as local government down payment and closing cost grants as well as the federal home buyer tax credit currently being offered while it lasts and not wait until last minute this time. The government will not be extending it again, this time they will actually have a phase out plan giving people plenty of opportunity to take advantage without just yanking the offer away.

Marivic GMAC Real Estate specializes in helping families make good decisions. We do NOT think you are stupid or broke if you don't buy a house right now.  But if you are considering purchasing a home and would like a FREE consultation, we'd love to sit down with you and help you weigh your options and direct you to a qualified, caring mortgage professional that will help you with the numbers.

www.MarivicRealty.com
2056A Lincoln Highway
Edison, NJ 08817-3330
Office: 732-650-9911
Toll Free: 1-866-745-4622

Located Across from The Pines Manor & Crowne Plaza Hotel in the Nixon Plaza Shopping Center where the Labonbonniere Bake Shoppe

Click here for Door to Door Directions

Why NOW is a Good time to Buy?

Below is a neat little video explaining why it’s a good time to buy real estate now courtesy of Lennar Home Builders.

For any real estate questions and for all your real estate needs contact us any time.

Marivic GMAC Real Estate
www.MarivicRealty.com
Local: 732-650-9911
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622)
Facebook Blog: www.realrep.com

Has the real estate market finally hit bottom?

Is it too late for buyers to get the best deals?
Has the real estate market hit bottom?

Interest rates are at all time historical lows, home prices have bottomed out and now the amount of homes sold are showing signs of being on the rise again.

So did you miss your opportunity to buy at the best time? Probably not, the rates are still low and there are many homes still on the market available for sale and many deals still to be had.

I would not suggest waiting too much longer if you intend on buying, with eminent inflation on the horizon due to Obama's careless spending of money we don't have interest rates WILL RISE AGAIN but how high?

Care to find out?

Read about recent home sales on the rise:
http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2009032301?OpenDocument

About Us a Peek Inside Marivic GMAC Real Estate

I'd like to start off by welcoming all the visitors to my brokerage's blog, my name is Victor Kaminski and I'm the Broker of Record and owner of Marivic GMAC Real Estate, Marivic Referral Associates and Marivic School of Business.

The Marivic Companies were started by Victor Kaminski and Maritess Kaminski as a partnership in hopes of offering a better option to traditional real estate brokerages for agents, a little variety, something different when it comes to a real estate brokerage and culture that grows within. Each of us come from very different backgrounds which work well together, one as a technology geek with marketing and human behavior observation skills, the other as an up beat get the job done no nonsense attitude with a background as an educator.


We offer our agents more, a chance to learn more, earn more, develop skills you may never thought you even had and will teach you how to be successful in real estate as a career minded individual. We encourage when others discourage, we will show your how to become a better agent though hard work and will equip you with the tools needed to do the job.


We strive to fill our office only with the hardest working agents in the biz, young or old, black, white, asian, latino it doesn't matter. We are an equal opportunity employer and seek agents from diverse backgrounds to teach, share and collaborate with each other like no other office in the industry.


We encourage agents who work together to play together by offering outings and occasions to play as well as work in different environments as an opportunity to break away from the norm. Break away from the stress working as a real estate agent can bring.


From street fairs with our Mascot Selly, to watching Broadway Shows and Hockey Games, Playing Paintball together as a team, the kind of things that really make a team that works harder and plays harder then any other brokerage. Does this sound interesting to you?




We'll get into more of the details in other articles at a later time. I wouldn't want to overload you by regurgitated too many of my ideas all at once, besides the competition is listening. Shhhh......


Does this sound like a better work environment to you? We offer the tools to work smarter not just harder and offer the most training options. Our training topics are never fluff, always the best possible usable topics are covered. With all kinds of training available from from self paced videos by professional trainers to formal classroom and webex type training classes and round table brain storming and role play sessions, we have it all.

We recognize talent and encourage it to grow in you and with us. We offer opportunity, showing how hard work and effort can and will pay off. If you want to earn more, learn more, be presented with more opportunities then any other office offers and have the desire to truly look out for your client’s best interest, look no further than Marivic GMAC Real Estate and come grow with us.

Okay... Alright already....Enough already?


This blog will be filled with everything from content from our agency listings to articles I hope you will enjoy and find insightful covering topics like my quarks and takes on the real estate industry, rants and raves, best of and worst of and factors which effect it, external as well as from within.

Many folks find me to be a love him, hate him type of character with a few on neutral ground, its all in good fun and although sarcastic always with good intentions, this is all part of what makes up my unique personality.

I consider myself a pull no punches kind of guy, believe in honesty even if it hurts and that integrity, honor, dignity, ethics and morals are good things to have and are all traits which build character, Everyone should have some!

Most of the opinions found in this blog are strictly that, opinions of Victor Kaminski and may not reflect the opinions of everyone in my agency or industry. Although my views and outlook will be given, remember much of it is only my opinion even though facts are many times quoted or used, always do your own due diligence and check with your attorney and accountants for all legal and financial matters and how they can affect you. Nothing herein should constitute legal or financial advice.


Through my contributions and consumer as well as other professionals feedback in other blogs on the web, I have found how personalities and perspectives on the real estate market topic, trends and opinions differ vastly and at times it can be amusing while other times irritating, either way it is good to hear other people's opinions and views.

All this makes up the great democracy we live in here in the United States but keep in mind, this is MY BLOG and not a democracy so get with the program!

Please enjoy and leave with a little more knowledge, perspective or a few laughs, we'll try and keep the tears to a minimum.

It's a good thing to stay sharp and on your toes in this industry and this is just my stress reliever and perspective enhancer. Although this blog entry is geared more toward the professionals in the industry or wanting to break into it, I'd like to hear the opinions and input from you, the consumer as well in this blog, trust me when I say you'll always get mine!

Once again enjoy and please don't ever be offended, take it all in with a grain of salt and remember its all in good fun.