In 1990 the real estate market here in Marin County took a downturn.  One of the first things that resulted from the market shifting to a buyer's market from a seller's market was the disapearance of discount brokers and discount real estate companies.  Seller's learned then that the marketing process had become more complicated than paying a flat fee to have your home listed on the local Multiple Listing Service.  Recently, the Help-U-Sell Real Estate franchise company entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings after a group of regional operators filed an involuntary petition for bankruptcy.  Sign of the times?                              
  
     Ashton Asensio, the consulting and operating officer for Help-U-Sell said that," the brand itself will survive this bankruptcy, and that the franchisees should not impacted by corporate issues"  The company went through a similar bankruptcy proceeding during the last major downturn in the mid 1990s.  The company was founded in 1976.  Asensio also said, "as everyone is aware, the market is not the best and revenues generated by the franchisees were not adequate to sustain them at the level they were currently operating at." 
     In today's real estate market it's become even more critical for sellers and buyers to associate themselves with competent, and reputable real estate professionals.  The mortgage industry seems to be re-inventing itself almost daily. Navigating the maze of details required to purchase or sell a property these days has never been more challenging.
     If you have any questions in this regard, please feel free to email me at: MarinCountyRealEstate@gmail.com or call me at: 415-789-7777
*Some of the content for this post came from Glen Roberts Jr. of Inman News