3:09PM PST - Carl Cole is no longer associated with Keller Willams Camarillo. Praphrasing; "Bothe the distance and difference in markets, it just isn't a good fit."
My brief conversation indicated that Mr. Cole was on premises and she asked if I wanted to talk with him. I declined. I expressed my sadness at his circumstance and made it clear I was sympathetic to his having been decieved but that I was not prepared to let happen to Ventura county what happened in Bakersfield. It was at this point that the K-W front office person made it clear he would not be joining the team.
57 comments:
First, what happened to Bakersfield? ;-)
LMFOA!!
That wass quick!
Where did you get this from?
I went to the Keller-Williams offices and talked to an agent at the front desk. I could hear Mr. Cole in the back room. I was not going to be vindictive or confrontational. Instead, I expressed my regret to her for him as to his recent misfortunes but that I would be actively observing and protecting the interests of Ventura County should matters progress to those levels.
Wow.
Did you really?
Why are you so worried, look at his "interests": Passions-- Family, God, Country, & the Earth.
http://yourecoteam.com.yourkwagent.com/atj/user/AboutUsGetAction.do
Dont send him back her! Dam you Cote!!!!
Very good Rob!
I suspect having several news agencies call for a comment re: "you just hired a guy the FBI is looking at for fraud" didn't help either.
I suspect Cole failed to mention that during the interview process...
Did you really?
Yes. I really. I don't understand why anyone still doubts my methods or intentions. I don't bluster, I don't lie for gain and I don't seek personal aggrandizement. It was important to put K-W on notice that this was a poor match. Turns out they agreed even before I stood in the lobby.
Nice work keeping your composure while pushing your case, Robert, and no I am not surprised.
Dont companies do a Google search on new hires?
I linked your breaking news on the BC website!
It will be fun seeing the MSM play catch up.
As to K-W and due dilly; no, there's no harm there. If they had hired and defended him then there'd be a story but as it is they show discretion.
Reviewing my google hits. Looks like they are doing that now:
67.151.178.146 (Forward Beverly Hills Inc Dba Keller Williams) [Label IP Address]
California, Beverly Hills, United States, 0 returning visit
Date Time WebPage
26th February 2008 16:46:11 www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Carl Cole bakersfield
bakersfieldbubble.blogspot.com/2007/04/state-files-charges-against-carl-cole.html
I just replied to the Bakersfield TV station inquiry as to circumstance.
Holy Shit Rob!
Don't you know bloggers are only supposed to critique from a distance? That way you can sound like you have all the answers. But real personal contact with outside events, I'm in awe.
I agree with w - that's pretty freakin' cool.
That's a pretty nice feather in your cap, Rob. Can you go after TanMan next?
BTW, I find Cole's sales pitch very funny. Cole The Ecologist, who only wants to help people buy "green" McMansions. He even quotes Thoreau!
The world is built on lies and self interest. Why shouldn't the two work well together?
Wow! No way! This is great stuff.
The world is built on F-ing Fishnets and Exxon Goddamnit!
It really is pathetic that the real estate industy hires con artists without even bothering to google them for god's sake & keep up on the news in the field they're f-ing working in.
I refuse to pay taxes until this country gets their shit together.
How many ways does Exxon suck?
After nearly 20 f-ing years they are fighting the Exxon Valdez disaster because they can't be bothered to pay 2.5 million to the fishermen when the overall cost is $1,776,000,000.
Ask yourself, do you want to pay taxes for ExxonMobil?
I do not.
I do not.
I do not.
You know, other countries have nationalized their oil industries for less than that. Not advocating anything, just making an observation...
@Ogg,
I appreciate your reasonable nature, but other countries aren't as royally f-ed as ours. The downfall of the BS US economy will be an international/global tsunami.
Is there a proofreader in the house? I think we have a catastrophe.
Maybe Cole can birddog for KC.
win-win
h.
Akubi -
That's 2.5 Billion, with a "B". Until recently, that would have been a lot of money for Exxon... Lately though, they've been doing rather well.
If they delay long enough, they'll pay it out of petty cash.
Akubi, Exxon is paid handsomely to be the focus of your ire. But who is worse the pimp and prostitute or the john? I have less sympathy for the john. If Exxon shut down tomorrow people would absolutely demand that someone step into their shoes and keep the gasoline coming. So they make ~10% doing the will of the people. Seems reasonable. When people self-interest is in favor of abandoning fossil fuels they will. Of course it will be a 100 years too late.
Woohoo! Ventura County is only a distressed market according to Wells Fargo mortgage.
http://blownmortgage.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/w08-024.pdf
Well, it looks like Exxon might not even have to pay out of petty cash: The Supreme Court seemed inclined Wednesday to let Exxon Mobil Corp. off the hook for some of the $2.5 billion the energy giant was ordered to pay as punishment for a massive oil spill in Alaska nearly 19 years ago.
Unbelievable.
19 years ago I had an exxon gas card. I cut it up.
Since then I have purchased a gallon of "e-type" gas once (in an emergency).
When leading Sierra Club outings, I would never stop at exxon for a fillup - & never got an argument from the car pool.
In fact, on many occasions we filled up at the 76, then went across the street to the exxon mini-mart (clean bathroom) to get goodies. The owner understood that we respected his right to earn a living without contributing to the delinquency of the gas company.
So don't underestimate the power of your own boycott. And this will outlive the Hatfield-McCoy tantrum in my family.
At the usual annual mileage/mpg numbers, it's easy to you to cause exxon to lose $2000 each year.
On the other hand, Mobil-1 true synthetic oil is environmentally & economically a winner. You pay twice as much per unit, but double the service period & extend engine life & improve mileage.
/end rant
So don't underestimate the power of your own boycott.
It'll have about as much impact as the misguided fools who think they are harming Chavez by boycotting Citgo.
Wanna have an impact on evil corporations? All you rich people here go down to WaMu or the other subprime slime bank you have your money at and close your accounts. All of it. CDs, money market accounts, checking accounts. Tell them why. Make a big point of it. That's an impact. Akubi boycotting Exxon to the tune of $50/week is a fart in the wind.
@Wagga,
19 years ago I had an exxon gas card. I cut it up.
And the corporation has grown so much worse in recent years (Burma, Iraq, etc.)! I still can't get over the Exxon ads all over The Economist's Burma coverage last year.
@Lou,
I boycott cars in general until they are energy efficient.
BTW, other than general things that annoy me in the news I'm trying to stay in politics ignore mode, but I thought The Audacity of Data was worth a read.
Rob,
What's your take on the market's action these past few days? In your opinion, is the market going to drop to the level where it should be any time soon? Why is it still afloat given all the bad news?
@Lou
I don't know what your eyeball quotient is, nor Akubi's. The Dawg's is significant. You could help by publishing the email address of the em chairman (if it can be found). Even the US prez email address is easy to find, (though ignored).
If the safety or well-being of the public has any environmental aspect, then the following from the em handbook is a smoking gun.
"No employee with alcohol or drug dependency will be terminated due to the request for help in overcoming
that dependency or because of involvement in a rehabilitation effort. However, an employee who has had or
is found to have a substance abuse problem will not be permitted to work in designated positions identified
by management as being critical to the safety and well-being of employees, the public, or the Company."
Note that 'public' is lower case & 'Company' is upper case.
Harish said...
Rob,
What's your take on the market's action these past few days? In your opinion, is the market going to drop to the level where it should be any time soon? Why is it still afloat given all the bad news?
We don't do much of this around here. Opinions and assholes and all that.
Nothing goes straight up or down. A stairstep pause in a bear market is the most likely explanation.
There's not much left of the powers of manipulation that have been propping the financials and home builders. i mean how desperate are Lennar rumors/leaks? Even if true a last gasp.
Is there a commodities bubble? Take out dollar weakness and it doesn't look so bad.
Are the indices too high? Not for a stable economy but even a small change in earnings and the multiples go ballistic. That's not investing, that's gambling.
For entertainment purposes only.
N.B. done with taxes tomorrow and back to better blogging.
Rob Dawg, Activist for the public good vs. Cole, the evil Realtwhore®. I smell a movie, perhaps a sequel to Godzilla vs. Mothra?
@Dawg,
done with taxes tomorrow
I guess you don't happen to owe anything this year?
I'm still mining f-ing deduction opportunities - and until then I refuse to pay my taxes because I'm thoroughly pissed off.
My standard of living is far from high - I take public transit for shit's sake!
P.S.
In addition to Exxon and such, I'm angry with stupid people who can't save their little dog from a python and choose to throw chairs and take pictures instead. WTF? Pythons are so easy to handle - especially when they're eating.
wagga, with the investment world being so global now you have to evaluate our stock market from a non dollar perspective. I am sure you have heard it a million times but measure our market in foreign currencies or commodities. Obviously, it is way down.
What do Levi's cost in the US? $30? They are 50 pounds in England. What is that $100? To foreigners our stock market is becoming the nikkei.
Essentially, this is what is wrong with the United States of the Totally Fucked:
Stagflation
Losers
Fliptards
Idiots
Unethical POS
Exxon
Fucktards
Dick Cheney
Realtards
Extaordinarily unethical behavior currently seeming to be signed off by the Supreme Court.
The common theme among your list is the overwrought pursuit of wealth. People looking for easy money or fabulous wealth will easily sacrifice things that the rest of us take pride in. As long as society (especially MSM) puts inordinate value on wealth (wealthy people are smarter, better looking and lead more fulfilling lives, I am sure because I saw it on TV) the ratio of these people to the rest of us will grow.
Perhaps it is more that wealth is valued for the wrong reasons. I value it because it offers freedom and security. Many people value it for their self worth. These people will not see the difference between wealth and debt.
What do YOU plan to do about the economic disaster falling upon this country (and planet)?
I have learned that many people do not care but I cannot understand why - given the fact that the shit is seriously hitting the fan.
I sold my house 2 years ago and invested the money in gold, silver, foreign currency, ag commodities and short funds. I paid off new vehicles with the money I saved renting. I have no debt. I took on extra clients in case I lose some during a recession. I am ready and watching for opportunities. But, I am a novice.
A sibling was recently diagnosed with a terrible disease and is most likely going to die. It is comforting to know that I am able to support them because I am in a good position with no debt. It has made it crystal clear that debt is a major burden. I plan to live my life with a very low burden. I feel very free.
Furthermore, I have thought a lot about where the world is going.
Going "green" is feel good BS. I keep harping that green energy is merely a way of turning fossil fuels into something to assuage peoples guilt. The making of solar panels, wind farms and hydroelectric dams is all done with a lot of fossil fuel. Using cars, lightbulbs or refridgerators that use less energy only prolongs the inevitable. We will use up all of the coal, oil and natural gas we can find whether it takes 100 years or 200 years.
So we can plan on a climate that is possibly much different than the one we have now. Who knows how it will be, but it seems reasonable that huge amounts ancient carbon being released into the carbon cycle on the surface of the Earth will cause some kind of changes. Of course the next Ice Age would also drastically change the world. The difference being that the next Ice Age could be thousands of years away and the potential problems of global warming could be much nearer.
So to make my point, I have thought about where to position my family in the world to give them the best chance in succeeding. I expect a lot of wars as food becomes scarce because of high energy costs, increasing population and standard of living. So the US might be safest at first due to great food surplus and our army. But over time there is 500 million people to compete with here and water issues. Australia seems good because it has a lot of food, open space and low population. But because of its grain and minerals I would expect it to be the first choice of the Chinese during a world war. The best place I can think of is New Zealand. The most isolated Western civilization in the World. Lots of water, farming and fishing. The society is very uniform and thus may work better together. Though it has a small army, it would be protected by western nuclear weapons in the short term and by distance over the long term.
In the great tradition of my Scottish ancestors...when trouble is at hand head for the mountains.
> stupid people who can't save their little dog from a python
I hate Chihuahuas so was cheering for the snake, but yes, simply picking the snake up and pulling the dog out might have helped. My stepbrother attacked a much larger version of this snake with a rock when we were kids. I attempted to do the same to him on the snakes behalf.
Re economic disaster: sold house, bought gold ($955+ ftw), ideally will buy enough land to be able to generate decent proportion of food/income from it, unlikely to be able to convince wife who is a true believer in house value appreciation (as opposed to land value appreciation). Oh well.
I believe there are actually almost-reasonably priced stocks available in the USA, and I will be putting some money that way shortly. Its very simple to create an initial filter - is the company/industry sexy? If yes, avoid.
From my fallible viewpoint, it seems there is an enormous amount of pension money sloshing about the globe, desperately trying to perpetuate itself. It appears to be failing.
> I have thought about where to position my family in the world to give them the best chance in succeeding.
It depends how you define success. If you want your kids to be wealthy, look at what wealthy people do and copy them. Get them into finance or law or working for themselves.
> Australia seems good because ...
It IS a good place to live, but right now is probably not an ideal time to move there. Better to wait till the economy cools down and you get a reasonable exchange rate.
Holy shit I believe I just heard Barbara Corcoran say "If your home is ...worth a pile of shit...that you should hold to regain your losses, because in the long run REAL ESTATE PRICES ALWAYS GO UP. REPEAT REAL ESTATE PRICES ALWAYS GO UP.
WTF???????
spooq: "It depends how you define success. If you want your kids to be wealthy, look at what wealthy people do and copy them. Get them into finance or law or working for themselves."
I would steer clear of both finance and law, as well as the other favored professions for the upper middle class, including real estate. Real estate is already dead in the water, but finance is becoming increasingly crowded, in no small part due to former real estate professionals flooding into the industry, and just as massive layoffs are just starting. I've heard estimates that the financial industry, and Wall Street in particular, is twice the size of what it should be.
Law is also very vulnerable. Law schools are churning out way too many graduates for the positions available, and a lot of law grads are ending up working at coffee shops and restaurants. The headlines of law school grads pulling down $150,000/yr don't make it clear that those salaries are only for the top 0.1% of law school grads, that the median income for a recent law school grad is more like $45,000; with law school debt, that salary is nearly poverty level.
The one point you hit on the head is working for yourself. Entrepreneurship is, and has always been, the road to independent wealth. It requires a lot of work, at least some education, and a little bit of luck (the notorious Mr. Serin had none of the above), but it's the one road to riches that is still open.
Speaking of houses...
http://docs.google.com/TeamPresent?docid=ddp4zq7n_0cdjsr4fn&skipauth=true&pli=1
How subprime worked, in stick figures! (and some foul language).
spooq, good points. I define my family's chances of success by what their chances of survival are in a world possibly racked with war and famine. I agree that Australia and New Zealand are not good to move to today since their land prices are bubblicious. When the carry trade ends so will the New Zealand bubble. It is not like they are a major grain or mineral exporter like Australia. I do see them profiting long term by exporting dairy, processed vegetables and lamb to Asia. I bet the Chinese middle class will have their silent spring and demand foreign foods out of fear of their own. But that is a generation away.
> I would steer clear of both finance and law, as well as the other favored professions for the upper middle class, including real estate.
I did fail to define my terms. Being a bank teller is not finance. Selling mortgages or insurance is not finance. If your desk is on the trading floor of a bank, you are in finance. Or you can do what I do, which is effectively selling shovels during a goldrush.
Ok, I may be slightly biased by working in the City rather than New York. On the whole though, I still think these two professions will always be worthwhile. Both tend to produce politicians, which means that their common interests will be looked after. They also come into contact with big-picture issues and ideas on a daily basis, which means your children will be better informed. No fixed strategy will be perfect for all times in all situations, but knowing more about what is going on around you lets you adapt more easily.
> with law school debt, that salary is nearly poverty level.
The ROI on education is very high, even without counting the soft benefits. Im confident noone here will argue that point, after all, most of us are here to learn from each other. To be honest, I dont know much about lawyers, but Im sure Im going to find out, as my little sister starts her law degree this week. She wont have the debt that a US law grad would, luckily.
> Entrepreneurship is, and has always been, the road to independent wealth.
Can't argue with that.
@w: Re New Zealand, the reality is that most kids leave for the excitement of the big smoke in Australia as quickly as they can. Your kids will listen to your opinions as much as you listened to your parents (scared yet? ;). Anyway, New Zealand will be only too happy to hand your kids a uniform if theres a real war, just like everywhere else.
I guess the only real point is that everywhere has its good and bad points, its glory days and its hard times. This is going to sound like some stupid Mr Miyagi comment, but I believe its true - always run towards something, never away.
Spooq / PV / W
Law is too broad an area to be considered as a whole. It's like saying "I work with computers". Top notch computer people make a good living, the guy who refils the printer paper, not so much.
A good law school is not cheap. The top five percent from the tier one schools will get the $150/180k offers from "Big Law" and those who accept will not see much daylight.
Just having a JD means very little. It's what else you know that matters - regulatory compliance is a good one, can't find enough people qualifed. If you have a background in it, you're hired.
Patent law is another fun one - you cannot sit the federal patent bar without a background in science or engineering. Not enough of these guys either... it's one of the highest paid areas of law. Mergers and acquisition is another...
Public defender? Not going to make much.
Environmental law? EVERYONE is trying to get into this, once you fight through the hordes, the few jobs out there are either with a non-profit (and pay very little) or you're working for Exxon - NOT what most expected.
Thanks PF, Ill pass on what you said to my sister.
Married to a lawyer, so with her law school buddies, we tend to hang out with a wide assortment.
My best advice for anyone thinking of law school is to sit down and chat with a few lawyers, see what they like and what they don't like about the profession. Also find out what type of law they do and why... different personality types fit better into different types of law.
One thing you don't see on TV, you'll spend a LOT of time reading / writing and very little in court.
I think patent law/intellectual property is fascinating.
Even IP is a broad area - Trademark is very different from Patents... and within Patents are many subfields. The wife does bio-tech patents (specifically oncology / anti-bodies). She was on her way to becoming a research scientist when she decided law was more fun.
WAY too much education required to get there, but she loves it.
Got a good friend doing regulatory compliance law - she got into it doing software licensing and kind of morphed over to other types of compliance... makes GOOD money, but only partitally from being a lawyer.
Typically, you need more than a JD. Having an MBA / JD combination is powerful. Most impressive I've seen is someone my wife clerked with after law school - she had a MD / JD combination. Child prodigy type, started college at 14, had both degrees by age 25. As a mere mortal, I hate her... cool person to catch a beer with, but just raises the bar too high. :)
At 4:25 PM, Bakersfield Bubble said...
Dont companies do a Google search on new hires?
I am a KW Manager near Camarillo. He first called me for an interview. After I set the interview, I DID Google him. Was shocked...called him back and canceled it. I was shocked when the Camarillo manager hired him. Told her about him and she said everyone deserves a second chance. I was floored. We got our Regional Director involved and thats how he was let go...trash
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