Not just a head banger…this is a body slam!

It’s Monday and what am I thinking?  Appraisals…and here is not only a head banger, but a body slam! The Federal Government wants to eliminate appraisals for mortgages less than $400,000. There would be an evaluation but by maybe your babysitter, next door neighbor and these people would not be required to be subjected to oversight requirements as our state licensed appraisers are.  They could be a bank employee but be competent about market conditions and the property they evaluate.  This could be a barrel of laughs.  Of course Appraisers are upset but that would affect their bottom line, on the other hand it would speed up sales and loans for lenders.  Most of the time, we,  as Realtors do a complete comparable analysis of the property we are listing, we are still concerned that the appraisal will come in at the contract price once we have an executed contract. This is a fact I always caution my Sellers about. There are all kinds of arguments about no appraisals, the biggest one being expense, whereas there are many more expensive aspects to the purchase of a home.  If this becomes part of the closing process, we may be looking at many homes sold at inflated prices as we saw back during the financial crisis, and I don’t know about you, but I had several customers that literally walked away from their homes, heartbroken, as they lost just about everything.  So here we go again… find a wall in your office or home and we can collectively bang our heads  at the stupidity  of the federal government! If nothing else, be kind to each other.

Until Next Monday…

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The “Perfect” Property!

Virtual Staging! One of my customers was on Realtor.com and emails, texts and calls all in one breath saying ….She had found the perfect property, it was beautiful, exactly what she ever wished for and right in her price range.  Now I have been looking for this individual for several weeks and the most I have found in her price range needed work, not a lot of work but needed paint, landscaping, some new appliances all within her price range.  Now I do a thorough search, even going up and down streets, speaking to older people that have been in a home for a long time, etc, etc. so I was a bit taken aback when she tells me she found this property, that is perfect.  I just figured this was one I missed!

Remember, the first 2 words of this blog….Virtual Staging…save me from a head banging…no where in this listing’s information did it say it was staged.  So I tried to tell my customer but seeing is believing so we made the trek to the property and needless to say, it was a bit of a wreck.  Now fortunately, the properties I run across now say that they are virtually staged, so I don’t run into this much.  I realize it shows what can be done but on the other hand, it does misrepresent the property when you don’t disclose that fact.  Developers stage their new construction every day but it’s called a model…so the buyer can “see” what they can do.

So my fellow Realtors let’s be good to each other in our day to day activities….be upfront…always always disclose! Until next Monday!

This is being thankful….

It’s Monday morning and this week I have no rants and raves or head banging or vile thoughts about whatever.  I am thinking more positive…like this week is the week of Thanksgiving.  Yes, many of us will pig out (speak for yourselves) but in between bites, think of all we have to be thankful for.  Just being able to breathe, to think without being censored, to love whomever we want, to be grateful for the profession we are in, to love what you do each and every day and get paid for it! To watch our children grow up, to watch the sun come up each and every day.  This is being thankful.

I need to take time here to mention special people in my life: my husband, who has made me a better person, our sons who are so very special, my parents, who gave me life and taught me to be thankful each and every day. And to a very special person, Deborah, she taught me through that  little dog, Dante, how amazing little things can be and to see life through his eyes.  She was the one that first started me on my writing path and now I can’t stop.  So for all those I mentioned and for all those I didn’t, thank you, each and every one of you.  So be extra special good to everyone you come in contact with this week and maybe, just maybe we can continue this all year long.

Happy Thanksgiving Friends…Until Next Monday!

What’s a Nine-Letter Word for Seller Disclosure?

I was reading a letter to the editor in the Florida Realtor magazine.  The topic was Seller disclosure.  Now the Seller disclosure has been around for a long time.  It is used in residential transactions, it doesn’t have to be in writing but you all know…”He said, She said”, so always in writing avoids that.  However, the letter to the editor said in an area (and I won’t mention the area), Realtors in this specific area don’t use the Seller disclosure when they are using the As-Is contract.   I literally stopped and reread the statement again. My youngest son has a phrase he uses when I say something totally outrageous and that is….”Mom are you smoking? (illegal use of a drug) and that’s what crossed my mind when I read this letter.  What a wonderful way to put the Seller at risk! Many inspections can’t see latent defects, or underground gas tanks, or anything remotely possible that can affect the purchase of  the property.  I wondered where in heavens, ( I am being polite here), did they learn this or who told them this.  If there are no disclosures on the part of the Seller and something is discovered after the closing, the Seller is liable at the very least…as could possibly be the Realtor that did not make the Seller aware of this disclosure.  So my fellow Realtors, please remember to advise your Seller about the Seller Disclosure and how important it really is, so as to avoid problems in the future,

…and by the way….be good to each other.  Until Next Monday…

Days that count….

I am the listing agent for a long time customer of mine.  We did the usual pictures, yard, sprucing up the property etc.  We received an offer and after a short period of negotiation, Buyer and Seller settled on a price.  Everyone signs and initials. Buyer goes off on a 2 week vacation that had been planned for some time.  Now you all remember the effective date blog and what it entails….last one signs or initials. OK, know that the Buyers are: one is an attorney and the other is a Realtor (save me from experts) and no I am not an expert, I just have 35 years in the business.  So Buyers return and of course the end of due diligence is the Monday they return.  Realtor/Buyer calls me (on Tuesday) and starts talking about the inspections that were done while they were gone.  I am respectfully silent and when she took a breathe, I reminded her that the inspection period had passed.  She of course says….”No, there was a national holiday and that day doesn’t count“.  So I listened and when she was finished, I called her Broker who was handling the transaction and explained, first that she shouldn’t be calling me as she is the Buyer, and that she does not understand the AS-IS FR/Bar contract.  Long story short, we are on our way to close and the Buyer speaks to me through her Broker.  Effective date is the date that last signatures or initials are completed but the count doesn’t except federal/national holidays.    Fortunately, her Broker understood that.

So my fellow Realtors, let’s be good to each other.

Until next Monday…

 

How does a Buyer or Seller choose a Realtor?

Did you ever stop and think how your customers have chosen you to sell or help them purchase a home?

How does a Buyer or Seller choose a Realtor?

Here’s some things Buyers and Sellers  should consider:

• Does the Realtor have systems in place to handle the biggest investment most people make in their lifetime?
• Do they run their business as a business and not by the seat of their pants?
• Just because they have their name on a bus bench, doesn’t mean they know what they are doing.
• Don’t choose a Realtor just because a friend knows them or are related to them, be picky as this is your investment we are talking about here.
• Realtors have certain obligations and duties to protect their customers.
• Ask for references and the ability to speak with some of their former customers.
• Ask about accountability, and communication, and tell them what you expect.  I have heard that some Realtors, once they get the listing, all communication is out the window.  This is not acceptable.
• Your Realtor should keep you in the communication loop….customers need to know what I call the good, bad and the ugly.
• Your Realtor needs to know all info about your home, the marketplace.
• And you need to know how they are going to help you achieve your goal of buying or selling .

So my fellow Realtors, most of you that read this are already doing the above and more, as I get your comments…which I do so appreciate. Be good to each other and your customers.

The better we are, the better the profession…give your best to the public we serve.

Until Next Monday…

The time is now…

The year is beginning to wind down.  Now is the time, as I have said before, to begin to develop your 2019 business plan, make adjustments based on your 2018 business, add new aspects, new ideas for the coming year.  The market is slowing down somewhat, with inventory under a million (this is Miami-Dade County I am referring to) being rapidly absorbed and inventory that is over $1 million is hanging on the market for longer than usual.  Creativity is in the marketing of your inventory, as is Seller correction and reality.  As we all know Sellers think their property is worth gold, because Zillow says so (eyes rolling). You might want to educate yourself as well as market and advertise, by attending many of the seminars that are offered by vendors and Realtor Associations.  Also it is good to remember WHY the market is slowing!  Boomers and Millennials: Boomers are trading either sideways or slightly down, there are about 75 million in the marketplace and there are 85 million Millennials that are looking to get into a home.  We have generally 330 million people in the US.  Over half is our marketplace, not counting those from foreign countries looking to park their money in a safe place.  So the news is not negative but somewhat positive, albeit that interest rates are rising slightly.  Still many years ago ( and i am so old) interest rates were 17-18%.  So not all is negative.  So my Fellow Realtors, be good to each other…

until next Monday…

 

5 Actionable Blogging Tactics To Improve Your Blog Post Quality And Frequency

To support improved blog post quality while maintaining regular publishing frequency, here are 5 actionable blogging tactics.

 

1. Add Different Content Formats To Your Blog

Use your blog to deliver a variety of content formats, not just text!

2. Establish a Formal Editorial Process

To increase blog post quality bloggers use professional editors.

25% of bloggers have a formal editor.

 

3. Create regular or recurring columns

To support increased blog post frequency add regular or recurring columns to your blog content mix.

4. Add other voices to your blog

Don’t go it alone!

Top blogs like Content Marketing Institute and Social Media Examiner include articles by their staff as well as top thought leaders in their space. These blogs act like professional media entities complete with editors. (Hat tip: Lisa Doughtery of Content Marketing Institute and Lisa Jenkins of Social Media Examiner!)

By contrast, long time bloggers like Mark Schaefer and Michael Brenner selectively add other voices from marketers they know and respect. Often, these bloggers are regular contributors to help fill out the blog’s editorial calendar.

Or at a minimum, ask influencers and peers to contribute to your content in the form of comments as Crestodina did with the blogging survey. In Crestodina’s words, “A partner in content creation is a partner in content distribution.”

 

5. Update Your Best Blog Posts

Once you have an inventory of older posts, selectively updating existing content remains an easy way to fuel your blog.

Further, select only your best performing, road-tested content to update.

 

Source: www.HeidiCohen.com