Starting a Green real estate company using the faxing and VOIP services of Ring Central

 
When I was researching the best E faxing and Virtual phone service companies to go with my concept of building a green real estate agency, I decided to go with Ring Central. I love the service and would highly recommend it to anyone trying to save money and time. 
 
Ring Central has several plans and options. I went with the 49.95 a month unlimited calling and faxing nationally. Moreover, I bought a Linksys IP SPA942 VOIP phone with 4 lines and have it hooked up to my router and it works great. The retails for about $125,but if you sign up with RC you get a bit of a discount.
 
Customer Service is excellent, but what I like most about the service is that I never miss a call. I am hardly in the office and RC forwards my calls in a .wav file to my cellphone in less than 30 seconds from receiving it at the office. I can open the .wav file on my blackberry and return the call instantly as if I were in the office. Another feature I love is  fax out. It lets you fax the pdf's,word,excel docments directly from your computer. 
 
Short Sale Faxout example:
 
I received a short sale listing for a 1/1 Condo in West Kendall. As a CDPE I gathered all the required initial paperwork to send to the bank. Well you can imagine it was 80 pages long. ( Banks do not accept Electronic documents for Short Sales, if so I would not have printed the forms) Well I scanned them on my printer into a pdf and saved it as a file, then I opened RC and attached the 80 page file to fax out to test the system. I figured no way will these many pages go out from this Efax. It took a while and received a notification about 10 minutes later the 80 pages were sent.
 
Boy, was I impressed !!
 
RingCentral your the best !!
 
 

Bad Pad Thai at 2010 AIA national convention in Miami Beach

On Thursday my wife Giselle and I were invited by our good friend Jorge Blet from Mechoshade to come visit the 2010 AIA national convention at the Miami Beach Convention center.

We arrived via my Solar Utility Vehicle as it is known by these days and saw that the  parking lot was full. I expected a good turnout as well inside. Boy was I wrong.

The show itself was filled with wonderful vendors from all over the country showcasing their product lines. We met vendors from Chicago putting up Green roofs in Miami for several commercial buildings, Sustainable flooring companies using bamboo and coconut palms to name a few, however the halls were fairly empty for being opening day.

As we walked down the mostly empty recession struck aisles Giselle and I were invited to eat upstairs at the Asian restaurant compliments of Mechoshade. Well let me tell you that it was the worst Asian food I have ever had along with it's dysfunctional staff  made lunch an adventure. First of all the staff had to write peoples names on the back of a take out menu in pencil. Secondly the hungry crowd grew larger and more hostile. Exhibitors from other states were amazed by the disorganization occurring.

I felt like saying "Welcome to Miami" or "Welcome Back to Wonderland Alice" It is a unique place here living in it for over 40 years. Well, back to the food or lack of. We ordered PAD THAI. How bad can you screw up :Chicken,Rice,Vegetables and Noodles. Well they did. We received our meals in these to go white containers and thought you have to be kidding. The meal tasted like the cardboard box that it came in.
I know that place will be changing ownership soon.

As for the rest of the show,we saw some friends from Pro Energy Auditors and Birgit from Resysta Deck Flooring. We were able to walk most of the show but could not finish due to time restraints.Overall,we had a good time and were impressed with the new innovations and products in the field of architecture for 2010.

Smart Growth Realty agent Carlos del Amo gets CDPE Designation

April 2010- Carlos del Amo of Coldwell Banker, today announced the creation of a new information Web site for Miami-area homeowners in distress. CarlosdelAmoGreen.com contains vital facts about the options available to these homeowners, to help them make the educated decisions about their future.

“I developed this site with my community in mind,” Del Amo said. “When faced with the possibility of foreclosure, I’ve seen too many homeowners make poor choices, even walking away from their homes without calling their lender or a real estate agent. These people didn’t know the options available, or even how to find any information on their situation.

"I want more for the people of Miami Dade County, and more comes with making informed decisions.”

My site acts as a hub for information on the facts and issues for struggling homeowners, putting all the necessary information in one, easy-to-use location. The information and materials located on the site are regularly updated to reflect market changes, trends, new lender requirements, and industry updates.

Alex Charfen, co-founder and CEO of the Distressed Property Institute in Austin, Texas, said that more than seven out of 10 homeowners in foreclosure proceed without any visible assistance.

“Agents with the Certified Distressed Property Expert® designation are helping distressed homeowners understand that there may be options available to them,” Charfen said. “Carlos del Amo" has been trained to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, and this Web site resource to educate the community is a commendable public service.”

The CDPE designation provides real estate professionals with specific understanding of the complex issues confronting the real estate industry. Through comprehensive training and experience, CDPEs are able to provide solutions for homeowners facing hardships in today’s market.

Eco Friendy real estate company opens in Miami

Miami has been waiting for sometime for a company to take the reins in the Green residential building movement and that company is Smart Growth Realty. My vision as a 40 plus year resident of the city is to reduce the carbon footprint of Miami one home at a time by giving our clients a commission rebate to go towards green initiatives. With the proceeds from the rebate we want our customers to put the savings to good use. For example, using the funds to install programmable thermostats,plant indigenous trees native to the area, increase the indoor air quality by repainting the interior walls with NO VOC paint and many other ways to save energy,water and provide for a healthier home.

At Smart Growth we want our agents to enjoy the path we are heading towards energy independence. We will give them what we call smart tools that will make them produce a much higher level with the least enviromental impact. Technology was created for a reason and we believe that in today's instant gratification world clients need a quick response.

It has been a passion of mine to make Miami as green of a city as Portland,Austin,Seattle,to name a few. We have a long way to go but we are making strides. If Smart Growth Realty has it way we hope to make a major impact on how real estate is bought and sold in the future.

Carlos del Amo
Chief Sustainability Officer
Smart Growh Realty

Green Fundraising Event for Dade County Public Schools at Coverings

On Saturday night my wife Giselle and I attended the annual Dream in Green Fundraising event at Coverings in North Miami. Dream in Green's mission is to develop and implement programs that promote energy conservation and efficiency, environmental sustainability, and the use of renewable energy. This organization builds partnerships with local schools, governments, and businesses for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and our reliance on fossil fuels. One of the night’s special guests was Miami Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto M Carvalho. He received an award for his effort and excellence in promoting The Green Schools challenge, a unique program for educating K-12 students about environmental and energy challenges and getting them involved in real world solutions that reduce energy consumptions. The successful event attracted over 100 guests. There was also a silent auction with some unique and interesting items. Some of the items ranged from recycled handbags to Energy Audits courtesy of Pro Energy consultants. My fellow Coldwell Banker realtor Jenny May did a wonderful job in preparing the event and hosting the silent auction. My passion and vision for Miami being a 43 year resident is to see all homes be sustainable. This will require effort from all of us but, if we each do a little, we can make it happen.