Ed Kenzer
Making People At Home In The Antelope Valley
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PRIVACY and FAQ


OUR PRIVACY POLICY

Because we value your patronage, we want to address any privacy concerns you may have. To that end, we have set forth our privacy policy for handling the information you share with us online. We want your decision to do business with us to be an informed one.

1. Collecting Information......When you visit our Website, we may collect information about you that you voluntarily choose to share with us. This identification information may include, but is not limited to, your name, your physical address, your e-mail address, your telephone and fax numbers, details of your real estate and lending needs and preferences, and other details of your life.

What may be less obvious to you is that, when you visit our Website, we may collect data involving your usage through the use of "cookies" (i.e. small text files placed on your computer by a Website), Web server logs, and other Web tools. This technology allows us to customize your online experience, as well as track your Internet use. The tracking data we collect may include, but is not limited to, the date and time you visit, the time you spend, the Web pages you view, the other Websites you visit, your search queries, and basic information about your computer, such as your Internet Protocol ("IP") address, your domain name, your browser type, and the name of your Internet service provider. You may deactivate cookies if you do not want your browsing to be tracked, but doing so may hinder your online experience.

When visiting our Website, you may be directed, through hyperlinks, to other Websites that are beyond our control. Furthermore, when you are visiting our Website, other companies, such as third party advertisers and sponsors, may be gathering information about you. This Privacy Policy does not cover the collection of information by those other companies and Websites. Although we encourage third parties to provide their own privacy policies, we are not responsible for their activities, such as how they handle the information they collect online.

2. Using Information Collected......We primarily use the identification information you voluntarily share with us to customize your online experience and to do what you have asked of us. We also use your identification information to tell you about our products and services, but you may instruct us not to send communications to you by following the procedure indicated below under "Contacting Us." On occasion, we use your identification information to validate your identity. As for usage tracking data, we primarily use that information to operate and improve our Website, and to further our marketing efforts.

As a general rule, we do not share your information with unaffiliated third parties. We may, however, share your information with our own personnel and our service providers to the extent necessary to fulfill your requests. We may also share your information with our affiliates, but we will not share it with unaffiliated third parties for direct marketing purposes. We reserve the right to disclose your information under limited circumstances, such as to cooperate with law enforcement or judicial authorities as required by law or legal process, to protect our own legal rights, or to protect the public good.

Whenever you are online, you run the risk that the information you give out will fall into the wrong hands. Although we implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices to safeguard your privacy, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you provide to us. We accept no responsibility or liability for the activities of third parties.

3. Updating Information......If you would like to review the information about you that we have collected through our Website, or to change that information, you can make that request by following the procedure indicated below under "Contacting Us." We may require that you verify your identity before we process your request.

4. Updating Our Privacy Policy......We may, from time to time, change our Privacy Policy. We will notify you of any changes by posting our updated Privacy Policy on our Website and inserting a new "Effective Date."

5. Contacting Us......If you would like to send us a request as indicated above, or if you have any other questions or concerns regarding our Privacy Policy, you may contact us by e-mail at edkenzer@aol.com or call us at 661 965-5239.

6. Effective Date: This Privacy Policy is effective as of 7/1/2004.


 Frequently Asked Questions 

Q I understood that by coming to your website that I could check listings on the Antelope Valley Multiple Listing Service by myself. How do I go about doing this?

A You should have noticed a button on the left side that says " Search the MLS ". Click this button. If the listing form doesn't automatically come up, click on the AV Multiple Listing Service link at the top. All information need not be filled in --but the more detailed, the more accurate the search. Experiment and see; revise criteria to modify your search. What shows is available (ACTIVE) as of that moment as reported to the MLS, which has rules about getting it off the ACTIVE list when sold. It's not like newspaper ads, signs, Real Estate books you get at the supermarket, where you call on the listing, only to be told that it's already sold. Does this sound familiar?

Q What is the Multiple Listing Service?

A When a listing is taken by a broker or agent it wouldn't get much exposure if only the associates of that Realtor's office knew about it.Therefore, it would probably take a long time to sell. Listing it on the MLS allows any cooperating office and its agents to show and offer the home for sale. Part of the listing commision will go to the selling office -- but it's worth it to the listing office (and the seller) as the home sells much quicker. If you're trying to purchase a home, you won't have to deal directly with the listing broker's office. You can have any Realtor show and help you purchase the property.

Q If an agent or broker is a member of the MLS, does that mean that they are Realtors?

A NO and NO again. Any broker or agent can join a multiple listing service. However, to be a Realtor one must join a local board of Realtors and become a member of the National Association of Realtors. In California, we also have the California Association of Realtors. To belong to these, an agent must subscribe to a Code of Ethics. This helps assure the consumer that the agent will deal honestly and in the clients best interests. I would highly recommend to work only with Realtors -- if not me -- then at least another local Realtor.

Q I've been told by a Realtor that the home I was inquiring about is pending. What does that mean?

A Our local MLS has several categories for listings. In most cases when a home is first listed it is categorized as Active , meaning it's available for sale. When a seller accepts an offer on the property, the home is on its way to being sold, Pending the close of escrow which commonly takes 30 to 60 days. Hence, the term pending. Sometimes this is referred to as being " under contract ". When escrow closes, the MLS will categorize the listing as Sold. There are other classifications, but these are the most commonly used in everyday real estate talk.

Q I'm trying to sell my home For Sale By Owner. Why am I constantly being told that I'll have a hard time finding a buyer?

A As answer 2 above indicates, the time it takes to find a buyer for a property is directly related to the amount of exposure it gets. Flyers and newspaper ads may work -- the MLS works better. Statistics show that 95 % of buyers use real estate agents to find their home -- why -- because it's free to the buyer. This leaves the FSBO seller only 5 % of the available buyers left to market the home to. And some of these may even, change their minds after discovering that they have to rely on the seller and escrow to walk them through the process of the contract, disclosures, title insurance, inspections, appraisals, and lending practices.