My New Blog

     I've made some changes today to the website.  I've put the news feed right on the front page.  Information is king (or is it queen) right now.  With so much turmoil, we need to keep up with all that's happening (or not happening). Now, that I've told to keep up with the news, don't do it too much.  Last week, at the Long & Foster Gold Team meeting at National Harbor, we heard from Terry Watson, a nationally recognized real estate speaker.  Terry was truly funny.  Had the 100's of agent laughing out loud, some almost to tears.  But between the jokes, he really had some truisms (is that a word?).  One of my favorites that day - don't listen to the news first thing in the morning.  The continued bad news, well, its continues.  Newspapers, TV, radio are in the business of selling ads, and bad news sells.  Just look at all the stories of death, murder, crime, etc.  Very few happy ones.  Or the happy is buried in the back/inside pages, or at the end of the newscast.

    I've also put foreclosure search right underneath.  It continues to be "hot" but should it be?  That will be for another blog.

    Let me know what you think. 

    Take care,

    Eileen

So  maybe, just maybe, I reacted too quicky that they were gone because after 2 weeks of leaving multiple messages & just about to call the real estate comission, they're back.   Some excuses why they couldn't return phone calls.  Totally immaterial the reason, because would you want to be represented by someone like that?

Not me! 

I have one thing to offer - service.  Plain & simple.  While I'm extremely entertaining & mind numbingly brillant (hey, its my blog so I can brag a little),  so are many other realtors.  But, I am totally committed to making sure you have the best of all possible experiences while buying or selling real estate.  Every transaction has a speed bump somewhere along the crazy ride, my job is to make sure that you go over them as smoothly as possible. 

And guess what?  I answer my phone.  I also text, email, facebook.  I do love my technologies.

Take care,

Eileen

The real estate business has always been an easy entry business.  Take a class & a test and poof - congratulations, you are now a realtor.   Wait three years, take a class & a test and poof - congratulations, you are now a broker.  Take a tough (or as we like to say "challenging") market, and poof-they are gone.  I mean really gone - they don't answer the office line, the cell phone, the email, the home number, the fax.   Nothing.  They vaporize off the face of the real estate brokerage market.  POOF, gone!

Tough markets are the time for the strongest partners.  I'm very happy to be associated with Long & Foster right now (& was before the market change).  No one has to worry that we're going to be gone.  We're only getting stronger.  Welcome all the new agents that are transferring to my office.  They're coming because we all know that you need a strong back office to keep a realtor successful.  If I'm not worried about my back side, I can spend my time worrying (yes, I worry) about my client's back sides.

Now, back to looking for more houses that my clients will actually be able to live in and not just write offers on.

Take care,

Eileen

Sellers - TURN ON LIGHTS!

Cute little home, remarks say that its been staged by some TV show.  Open the door - its dark.  Blackout dark.  No lights, curtains drawn shut.  We're fumbling around for a light switch.  What a turn off (all puns intended). 

I'm all for saving electricity but this is just silly.  Buy a timer, leave a night light on, keep your blinds open.  Something, anything.  You don't go into Walmart or Tiffany's with the lights off.  Every merchant knows you have to see the product before you can buy it.  Sellers - your house is now a product, show it off.

Sellers!  Want to know another secret to selling your home?  Make it available! 

"R" & I went looking again for houses.  Same criteria as the day before, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths with a garage.  Simple right?  Simple only if we can see them.  Out of 10 potential homes, we were cleared to see six.  I heard it all - can you come back at 7? (no, its dark by then), can you back when we have a new key in the keybox? (no, we'll be in another area), can you come back after their doctors appointment? (no, again, it will be dark), can you come by tomorrow, they need 24 hours notice? (no, we're not seeing houses tomorrow, we're looking at them today).  Now, you'd think that we were trying to squeeze these houses in late in the afternoon, but we were trying to see them at 2 pm.  I made all of these appointments early in the day.

Even in this market, its not hard to sell your house.  Keep it clean, make it available, and price it effectively.  Simple, really.

It seems that the newpaper's are full of bads news about selling a home.  But the reality, at least the reality that I see, is that are still buyers out there looking to buy a home.  You want to sell, they want to buy.  But a few very basic steps are still missing from the sellers.  And this week has been a doozy for my buyers. 

My client "R" & I have been looking for homes in the Columbia area, with at least 3 bedrooms & two baths.  Pretty simple, right?  Townhome or single family as long as a garage or carport.  Still simple, right?  Day 1, we looked at 10 homes & the cleanest of the bunch was the one where the homeowner was in the shower when we came in.  (They had been away & didn't realize we had a showing appointment at that time.)  She kept apologizing for the "dirt" but it was just a little messy from stuff not being put away.  My buyer could easily see through it & recognize that the windows were clean, the kitchen was clean, the carpet was clean, the bathrooms were clean - get the picture.  

Sellers please, clean your homes!  And keep them clean.  We know its hard but its hard to look at a house if all you are seeing is the mess.  Stay tuned for more adventures of "R" & I looking at houses this week.