Condo Artist: The Other Side of Real Estate

In episode 9 of Condo Artist: The Other Side of Real Estate, condo sales strategists and hosts Uri Vaknin and Mark Bunton follow up on episode 7 and take a deep dive into the inner workings of condo homeowners associations (HOA). In an interview with Lisa, a community association manager at a prominent downtown Las Vegas condo high-rise, they break down:

• What an HOA is and why it must be formed as a legal, not-for-profit corporation
• What kind of information is contained in HOA condo docs, and why it's important to homeowners, real estate agents, and everyone involved in a real estate transaction to read and understand them
• Capital reserve budgets vs operating budgets, and how each is created and funded
• How order is maintained in a condo building through the HOA
• HOA board specifics - what makes a good board member
• The role of the HOA manager
  
  

Uri, Mark and Lisa offer detailed explanations of the benchmarks, rules and processes that make up an efficiently-run, well-funded HOA, which in turn makes condo living such an exceptional experience.


This episode is brought to you by Juhl Las Vegas, loft-style condos located in the heart of vibrant, downtown Las Vegas. From the low $200s to  over $1M. Learn more at JuhlLV.com.

This episode is also brought to you by One Las Vegas, luxury high-rise condos featuring two and three bedroom plus den residences. From the mid $400s to over $1M. Learn more at theonelv.com.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected].

In episode 8 of Condo Artist: The Other Side of Real Estate, condo sales strategist and host Uri Vaknin speaks with Lee Bryan, principal of Lee Bryan Interior Design, about using models to increase condo sales velocity and pricing. Uri and Lee, along with co-host Shahn Douglas, discuss the strategy behind using modeled homes to transform your sales program, including:

• The more models, the better
• Static models vs. a model move program
• Creating condo buyer profiles
• Which homes to model first
• When and how to sell model homes

They go in-depth on the importance of design in a modeled home, including how to create memory points, the work-from-home trend, luxury penthouse design, how much a model should cost, timing of a model move - and how it all translates to increased sales velocity.


This episode is brought to you by Juhl Las Vegas, loft-style condos located in the heart of vibrant, downtown Las Vegas. From the low $200s to  over $1M. Learn more at JuhlLV.com.

This episode is also brought to you by One Las Vegas, luxury high-rise condos featuring two and three bedroom plus den residences. From the mid $400s to over $1M. Learn more at theonelv.com.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected].

Did you know that homeowners association (HOA) fees are the number one objection to buying a condo? Does the term "HOA fees" give you pause, either because you don't want to sell them, or don't want to pay them? In episode 7 of Condo Artist: The Other Side of Real Estate, condo sales specialists Uri Vaknin and Mark Bunton break down exactly what HOA fees are in condominium buildings, why they carry so much value for the homeowner, and if you are an agent, how to sell them to your condo buyers! You'll learn:

• Why the HOA is the backbone of a condominium community
• How Uri became a condominium specialist based off of HOA research - and how you can, too 
• How to sell against your competition using HOA data  
• How HOA fees are calculated and what's included
• How to break down HOA costs to your buyers, and help them see the value
• What "condo docs" are and how to acquire them for any condominium building
• How to help your buyer understand if an HOA (aka condo community) is right for them 
• Why HOA increases are inevitable, and when it's ok 
• What it means for condo buyers to be part of an HOA corporation

Join Uri and Mark for a detailed discussion of HOA fees that will demystify the concept for anyone involved in a condo real estate transaction!



This episode is brought to you by Juhl Las Vegas, loft-style condos located in the heart of vibrant, downtown Las Vegas. From the low $200s to  over $1M. Learn more at JuhlLV.com.

This episode is also brought to you by One Las Vegas, luxury high-rise condos featuring two and three bedroom plus den residences. From the mid $400s to over $1M. Learn more at theonelv.com.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected].

This week, condo sales strategist and host Uri Vaknin welcomes a very special guest - Mike Leipart, Managing Partner of The Agency Development Group, based in Beverly Hills, CA. Mike and Uri have a 10-year friendship and working relationship. In Episode 6: Condo Sales Philosophy, they take a trip down memory lane to recount one of the most significant periods in condominium sales and American real estate in general - the formation of ST Residential during the Great Recession. You'll learn how Uri made his way from Atlanta to Las Vegas, and how Mike came to collaborate with Mauricio Umansky of The Agency. They discuss:

• How ST Residential took over the portfolio of 110 condo communities in the United States from the failed Corus Bank, and what the outcome was
• What Mike and Uri's roles and influence were within that organization
• How Mike came to work with Mauricio Umansky of The Agency
• The value of saying YES, being an asset, and just being nice (particularly in the small world of condo development)
• How condo sales are inherently different from resale
• What (and who) you need to develop a success condo sales program
• Where housing is headed in a post-COVID world

This is an in-depth episode with one of the greatest minds in the history of condo development, sales and marketing. Enjoy the listen!

Chapter Markers:

4:35 - Origin Stories of Mike, Uri and ST Residential

25:55 - How Mike joined forces with The Agency 

54:08 - Yerba Buena Island, the power in doing what you love, and a glimpse into the future



This episode is brought to you by Juhl Las Vegas, loft-style condos located in the heart of vibrant, downtown Las Vegas. From the low $200s to  over $1M. Learn more at JuhlLV.com.

This episode is also brought to you by One Las Vegas, luxury high-rise condos featuring two and three bedroom plus den residences. From the mid $400s to over $1M. Learn more at theonelv.com.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected].

This week's episode pulls back the curtain on the complicated yet critical world of condo financing. In episode five of Condo Artist: The Other Side of Real Estate, host Uri Vaknin speaks with special guest Dino Schulatz, Vice President of The Federal Savings Bank*, to help listeners gain clarity about the fine details of mortgage types, condo building qualification, interest rates, tax write-offs, and more.

You'll learn about the trifecta of mortgage financing - Fannie Mae, FHA and VA - and what they mean for both condominium buyers and buildings. Dino breaks down the definitions, guidelines, requirements, and fees for these three loan types plus Freddie Mac, fixed rate mortgages, and adjustable rate mortgages.

If you are involved in any aspect of real estate - buying, selling, developing or investing - this episode is a must-listen.

About our guest:

Dino Schulatz is Vice President of The Federal Savings Bank, a veteran-owned bank headquartered in Chicago. The bank lends in all 50 states and Dino has closed every type of residential and commercial loan. Dino moved to Las Vegas from Chicago in 2014 to help bring homeowners and families back to the downtown area. Learn more at thefederalsavingsbank.com/dinoschulatz.

This episode is brought to you by Juhl Las Vegas, loft-style condos located in the heart of vibrant, downtown Las Vegas. From the low $200s to $1M. Learn more at JuhlLV.com.

This episode is also brought to you by One Las Vegas, luxury high-rise condos featuring two and three bedroom plus den residences. From the low $400s. Learn more at theonelv.com.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected].

*NMLS # 1175600 | The Federal Savings Bank is a member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. All loan terms including interest rates discussed in this podcast are in reference to a specific loan closed with The Federal Savings Bank, and may not be available to all customers. Terms and conditions apply. Subject to underwriting approval.  

In a continuation from last week's episode, condo sales strategist Uri Vaknin offers a series of real-life stories about challenged buyers who would close on their homes only because his sales team gained an intimate understanding of their financial situations.

In episode 4 of Condo Artist: The Other Side of Real Estate, Uri and his long-time colleagues, Shahn Douglas and Mark Bunton, discuss why it's critical to have a deep understanding of your buyers' financial abilities, even if that means having uncomfortable conversations.

Learn which documents and information the team requires from each buyer and buyer's agent, why it's ok to research your buyer, and why lenders should have permission to share financial information with the selling agent. They relate these stories back to the T.I.R.E method of qualifying condominium buyers as discussed in Know Your Buyer - Part 1.

Listen as they recount the stories of:   

A buyer from California who could not close on his condo until his very successful - but very niche and seasonal - business was sold. Learn what happened when COVID hit and how that impacted both transactions.

A buyer from Indiana whose condo closing was contingent upon the sale of her home. Learn what happened when this buyer was NOT properly qualified using the T.I.R.E. method, and how it could have easily caused the sale to backfire.

A couple buying one of the most expensive condos in the community whose contract was contingent upon sale of one of their (multiple) million dollar homes. The home does not sell... how does Uri get this $800K condo to close?

(Uri's dog Gypsy makes a special guest appearance - she also gets excited about condo success stories.)

This episode is brought to you by Juhl Las Vegas, loft-style condos located in the heart of vibrant, downtown Las Vegas. From the low $200s to $1M. Learn more at JuhlLV.com.

This episode is also brought to you by One Las Vegas, luxury high-rise condos featuring two and three bedroom plus den residences. From the low $400s. Learn more at theonelv.com.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected].

In the follow-up to Who Is Your Buyer?, episode three of Condo Artist: The Other Side of Real Estate details the T.I.R.E. method of getting to know your condo buyer.

Learn how condo strategist Uri Vaknin, along with his long-time colleagues Shahn Douglas and Mark Bunton, gather important information about each of these four qualifiers as part of their natural conversations with prospects. They'll give you the exact tertiary level of questions to ask in order to penetrate your buyer's mind, get to the heart of what they're looking for and why, and shorten the sales process. 

The T.I.R.E. method is:

• Timing
• Investment
• Requirements
• Experience

In the next episode, Know Your Buyer: Part 2, Uri and his team will give real-life examples of buyers with extenuating circumstances and demonstrate how the T.I.R.E. method helped them overcome objections, make personalized offers, and close sales.

This episode is brought to you by Juhl Las Vegas, loft-style condos located in the heart of vibrant, downtown Las Vegas. From the low $200s to $1M. Learn more at JuhlLV.com.

This episode is also brought to you by One Las Vegas, luxury high-rise condos featuring two and three bedroom plus den residences. From the low $400s. Learn more at theonelv.com.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected].

In episode two of Condo Artist: The Other Side of Real Estate, hosts Uri Vaknin, Shahn Douglas, and Mark Bunton walk condo marketers through the steps of identifying their best buyers and explain how to use data to make sales faster and more efficiently. Learn how Uri and his team, through real-time data analysis, identified a seismic shift in traffic to one community and started selling condos to buyers relocating from Northern California even before the Raiders' announced their move to Las Vegas.

Discussed in this episode:

• Data: basic and important but often ignored
• The difference between sharpshooting and buckshot
• Website registrations - the 5 key pieces of information to ask for
• How to organize and build upon demographic information
• The value of real-time data analysis
• Understanding who your BEST buyers are and how to be most efficient with your marketing dollars
  
  

This episode is brought to you by Juhl Las Vegas, loft-style condos located in the heart of vibrant, downtown Las Vegas from the low $200s to $1M. Learn more at JuhlLV.com.

This episode is also brought to you by One Las Vegas, luxury high-rise condos featuring two and three bedroom plus den residences from the low $400s. Learn more at TheOneLV.com.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected].

In the premier episode of Condo Artist: The Other Side of Real Estate, condo sales and marketing strategist Uri Vaknin takes listeners through a journey of rapid adaptation and flawless execution that resulted in continued condo sales and closings at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Las Vegas.

Uri, along with his colleagues and co-hosts Shahn Douglas and Mark Bunton, shares details of how they pivoted their marketing and sales strategies in a matter of days to pique interest and meet expectations of Las Vegas condo buyers. They also offer a glimpse into how the entire real estate market has pivoted, and how condos will be developed, marketed and sold in a post-COVID world.
 
Learn how Uri and his team:

• Planned for the coming pandemic even before stay-at-home orders were announced
• Adjusted advertising and changed messaging immediately
• Implemented lifestyle programs for existing homeowners to promote a sense of community
• Used existing sales tools and created new virtual ones
• Managed growing pains of adjusting an entire business model overnight
• Overcame prospects' fear of being sold to
• Continue to sell condos today using an evolved sales and marketing model

 News article mentioned:
 
Southern Nevada real estate pros reinvent the way they do business during pandemic (VegasInc.com)

This episode is brought to you by Juhl Las Vegas, loft-style condos located in the heart of vibrant, downtown Las Vegas. Juhl offers a variety of floor plans and amazing amenities such as full-service concierge, resort pool and spa, wine deck, and co-op working space. Live the life you deserve at Juhl Las Vegas, condos from the low $200s to $1M. Learn more at JuhlLV.com.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you! Contact us at [email protected].