How many ways are there to say R-E-D-U-C-T-I-O-N?

Have you noticed the market and prices are coming down slowly? I love the different words…a hundred different ways to say reduction! Does anyone do comparables or a CMA and I mean a “for real CMA“? Not 4 or 5 pages, with the majority saying how wonderful you are and all your former customers just dearly, Love, Love, Love you!  We have so many programs to create amazing CMAs.  Information for your prospective customers to see what their property is worth.  I have customers that want to know the economics of the area, educational levels of the people that live there, of course the school system, both public and private, the crime rate, the traffic patterns….most information you can give them, and some you need to direct them to the various websites. Or do you let the customer tell you what they want for their property?  And then back to the first sentence…How many ways can you say…newly priced, reduction, more ads in the newspaper? Our profession is one of hard work, research, education and expertise, so let’s be good to each other and most of all: Professional Realtors.

Until next Monday…

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When do you have an effective date?

Ok I know I have mentioned this before, but when do you have an effective date?  The effective date (as written in the contract ) is the date the last party signs or initials.  So I go by the contract…but yesterday at one of my listings: we have a contract but there is an addendum left to be signed. The Realtor on the other side says yesterday is the effective date. I am not going to get into a verbal argument with this Realtor, so I politely say that an addendum supercedes the contract.  The Realtor insists that we have an effective date and her reasoning is that her Broker told her.  So do I fight, be rude or what? She believes it to be so because her Broker told her.  So I emailed the Broker the signed addendum and stated what the effective date was.  Am waiting to hear his comment.  I tried to be kind as I end all my blogs that way, but there are some days that try my patience and my kindness.

So to you all, Happy Columbus Day and be good to each other…no matter how trying it is!

Until Next Monday!

If you don’t disclose it….

I have been looking for a townhouse for some first time homebuyers.  Several of the properties I have shown have been virtually staged in the MLS.  Some have disclosed virtual staging but others have not.  This throws the Buyers completely off, as many Buyers go on Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, Realtor.com as many of them think that you will have missed something to show them.  I personally never use virtual staging, I know developers use real staging as it gives insight to their product, however, virtual staging, if you don’t disclose it, is a turn off, at least to any Buyer that I have shown.  I would say that the majority of real estate that is virtually staged, looks  horrendous in real life, so staging doesn’t help to sell the product.  Besides I would rather show with less furniture as, in my opinion, less is more.  Now flowers, plants and a fresh coat of paint, generally helps to make the property much more appealing, so you decide.  Whatever helps to sell your listing!

Be good to each other, practice the code of ethics as that’s what sets us apart.

Until Next Monday,

*photo courtesy of BoxBrownie

Keep On Keeping On

About a week ago while watching the news, an NFL player quit in the middle of the game.  Now all athletes quit sometime early on like being injured or a myriad of other  reasons, but I don’t know of anyone quitting in the middle of a game.  This leads me to think about other areas of our lives…what if you are in the midst of open heart surgery  and the doctor decides he is done and quits, or a policeman directing traffic due to a light outage just up and quits, or your parents decide when you are 10 years old to quit parenting you and just leave?  I could list a thousand different instances.  Within the real estate industry, we get more rejections than most occupations but there are multiple stories of why we should never quit.

There is an old saying……..”it’s not over (don’t quit) until the fat lady sings! Seriously though, in the progression of American history, famous artists, singers, battles, games and life….I could go on and on as to why not quitting has led us to greater heights in life. So sad to say, the football player has set a bad precedent for kids and adults – all of us, that it’s ok to quit, if we are losing or just feel like it.  That’s no prize at the end, that’s just nothing!

So my fellow Realtors, keep on, keeping on and on the journey be good to each other!

Until Next Monday…

Are we a conduit on their way to buy?

Buyers are more and more educated these days, what with all the technology and info at their disposal.  I have one customer that sends me listings from Realtor.com.  Buyers go on Zillow, Redfin, Trulia and Realtor.com besides multiple others and get information and then send to me for me to go over the financing, pets, parking etc.  I am beginning to wonder if we are a conduit on their way to a buy.  Not that I mind, but it is interesting that they find the info and present it to me and at that point in time, they now want me to be involved. Buyers seem to be more in command of the situation if they first bring me the information.  It doesn’t matter that most of the time the information isn’t relevant to their desire to purchase. Are you all finding the same situations out there in your marketplace? Sellers on the other hand, think their real estate is gold, and everyone else’s place is inferior to theirs.  So my fellow Realtors, some days it is a toss up to see what comes down the road, and the inherent opinions from our buyers and sellers.

Let’s be good to each other…let’s be REALTORS!

How do you remember?

Everyone of us remembers where we were on 9/11.  What do you remember of that day and thereafter?  George Santayana, said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”   So true, but how do we remember?  Do we remember with parades, memorials, wreaths, and prayers or do we make it part of our everyday lives?

There were many heroes that day: from the first responders, the firemen and policemen, to the National Guard pilots to the individuals helping the wounded, searching for anyone in the rubble. Everyone of us remembers where we were on 9/11.  What do you remember of that day and thereafter? We can all be heroes in our own way from 9/11, teaching our children to be respectful of one another by our own example.  Teaching through example that human life is to be cherished and that each person is a vital contributor to our way of life.  It doesn’t matter who you are or what possessions you have amassed, every person has value.  If human life had a great universal value, 9/11 would have never happened.  It is my firm belief we need to look within and cherish who we are, what we are and treat each other with dignity.

Let’s be extra good to each other.  Let’s be REALTORS!

Until Next Monday…

Professionalism…What exactly does it mean?

Professionalism…this word has been used, abused and generally dragged around, up and down. What exactly does it mean? Does professionalism mean knowing your product, your customer and what to do?  Does it mean to observe what professional conduct is and how to achieve it?  Does Professionalism mean continuing to make yourself aware of  the new laws, common courtesy and respect for our fellow Realtors and the public we serve? If we really stood in front of a mirror and began some serious soul searching, we would be surprised. No matter how long we have been in a profession we can always learn! The market changes constantly, people change and we need to change, continue to learn, continue to strive to be the best.   It’s not how much money you make, or the car you drive, it’s how you are perceived in your profession and that’s what it comes down to….yours, mine and our profession. Let’s all make an effort to make our profession better, and in the process, be good to each other!

Until Next Monday,

Consistent Content Defined

Do you regularly send newsletters or other form of content to your addressable audience? 

Also referred to as cyclical or recurring content, consistent content is information that you publish weekly or every other week that resonates with your readers.

Consistent content has 5 traits that make it easy to create on a regular basis:

1. Focused on a specific topic. Uses a pre-established content hook that doesn’t change over time.
2. Structured the same way. Has a reliable architecture for authors and readers. This uniform approach makes the information easy-to-create and consume. Because they’re moderate length pieces, readers can quickly scan the content to decide on reading it or not.
3. Published on a regular schedule. As a result, provides predictability (in a good way!) Readers know who, what, when, where and how content will be published. Over time, this builds up your share of audience attention.  It’s the digital version of appointment media.
4. Formatted consistently. Uses the same media format (audio, video, or webinar) each time. As a result, you know your audience likes this content.
5. Created by the same author(s). Provides a reliable voice. Further, it builds an expectation for both the writer and the reader.

 

 

Source: www.HeidiCohen.com