Jumping to Conclusions…

I’m on a plane heading to New York for a meeting with some of the best and the brightest in the Real Estate world (at least in New York)

It’s a red eye flight and everyone around me is resting, some even snoring, and here I sit posting a blog. What can I say…sometimes the most random things inspire me!

I don’t have my headset on and currently playing is “The Time Travelers Wife”. It’s a movie that I had planned on seeing, but somehow never made it to the theatre to catch.

I’m looking up at the screen periodically and get the gist of the movie but what I don’t have are the details. For example, why does he always disappear? Does he have control of it and how long he’ll be gone? Why does he do it? Does his wife finally get tired of? Why did she sign up for it to begin with?

That is the relevant information that I should have before making a decision on whether I like it or not. Seems logical.

But let’s say that I don’t bother to watch it with the headset and decide to jump to conclusions and create my own storyline. While there is an art to creating something from almost nothing, this is also the way that many rumors get started.

You arrive home from the market and you see a “For Sale” sign on your neighbors yard….what do you do next? Do you call one of your neighbors and ask if they know what’s going on…or do you call and give them an explanation on what YOU think happened?

This is something you should consider if you are looking to buy or sell a home. Allowing people that are not in Real Estate to advise you on:
When is the perfect time to buy/sell, what to offer, how much to ask for, asking the agent to kick in their commission check, looking for the best buy, work with many agents to see who gets you the best deal. In the end, this will do you more harm than good.

I bring this up because I know a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks. You know what I’m talking about. The ones that would have won the game if….

Without a professional Real Estate agent to represent YOU, you can expect to waste your time, writing low ball offers not aware of what the current local market is doing. If you’re looking to sell your home, looking on Zillow is a good start, BUT it’s still not an accurate portrayal as to what is REALLY going on in the neighborhood. For example, a home on a cul de sac will generally sell for more than a home that is on the corner of a freeway on ramp.

You’ll probably be told that REO’s (bank owned properties), short sales and foreclosures are the way to go…when in truth, that may not be the way for YOU to go. Time constraints (these can take anywhere from 3-9 months to actually materialize) condition of the home and price are all factors to consider. If it takes too long, what happens to your loan? The interest rate? Your payment?

I’m not saying to hire the first Agent you speak with. Interview several. Get a sense of who they are (Google them if you need to) and then move forward.

I wouldn’t represent myself in court or perform open heart surgery on myself…I also would not represent myself in a Real Estate transaction…

Why would you?

Now’s the Time to Buy…Or is it?? (Part 2)

A few years back (I am sure you are fully aware) homes were selling like hotcakes at a Waffle house after church.

During this time, homes were selling almost the same they went on the market! Buyers were rushed into buying homes. Some lenders were “qualifying” the buyers into homes that were well beyond what they could realistically afford.

It didn’t matter they said, because at the end of the day, “you’ll be a home owner and two years from now, we’ll just refinance you and adjust your payment”. Such a shame that a few have spoiled the stew for those that are ethical.

As a Realtor, I tell my clients all the time: You will more than likely buy 3 homes before it is all said and done.

1. Your beginner home. Here, you will learn about yourself and plan for your future and set goals accordingly. Here is where you will discover that the next time you buy a house you DO want direct garage door access into the kitchen and not a bathroom.

2. Your second home will be the one that, usually, you grow in your career, and for those that choose to, grow a family. It is the one that says: I love my family and can provide for them OR it’s your “Look! I made it!” home.

3. Your third house likely will be the one after the kids are grown and gone (if you had them) and the house is just too big to take care of. The one where you decide that you would rather spend your weekend sailing or playing a round of golf and not pulling weeds, unless of course you’re into that!

These life events cannot be rushed. They are steps that we all take and should savor along the way. Don’t buy more than you can realistically afford. You’ll get there…it’s just going to take some time….

Thinking of Homeownership? (Part 1)

Its funny how quickly time passes.

One minute you’re toasting soon to be un-kept New Years Resolutions, next thing you know, you’re preparing, once again, to carve a turkey at Thanksgiving.

Where does the time go? What’s the hurry? Over the summer we couldn’t wait for fall to get here. No sooner had Memorial Day come that we were buying Halloween candy…The day after Halloween, you would see all of the Thanksgiving Day themed paper plates and wind socks. Two weeks before Thanksgiving, the Christmas music starts playing and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is on TBS!

So what’s my point?? What inspired me to post this blog?

As a buyer you have no doubt been hearing how NOW is the right time to buy a home…you’re hearing words like “Tax Credit” “Low interest rates” “get off the fence”.

These are the buzz words. And everyone I know is throwing them out there like leftover meat loaf!

The truth is that right now may NOT be the right time for you to buy a home. Buying a home is a process, and one that you will be well advised to pay attention to.

The process begins when you awake and decide that you would like to know how being a homeowner will benefit you. Next, you’ll want to know what is happening with home values in a neighborhood you’ve been considering. You start to pay attention to what is going on the market, at what price homes are listed, how long they stay on the market and finally what it sells for. This process cannot be rushed! Only by seeing this for yourself will you discover what you are willing to pay for a home.

The next step is to meet with a lender and discuss all of your options. You want to talk about down payments, closing costs, interest rates and finally the payment. How much house can you really afford? What about reserves? Seasoning of funds? Do you even know what these terms are and why they’re important to you?

Life is a Highway…

Life is a Highway…..

Every now and again, things happen to us on the road of life, an unexpected birth, an equally unexpected death. A job promotion or the loss of a job……we all face the dreaded DETOUR….

We come to a point where we get to choose where we want to be NOW, since where we thought we were headed has changed.
We at Seven Gables came to be out of a desire to be the best at what we do. We hired only experienced Professionals. We made sure as a Company and as Agents that we had up to the minute training, education and certification. We were and still are quite proud of the reputation that we have built over the years, one building block at a time. Integrity, Honesty, and Commitment…
Times have changed. This is neither good nor bad, it just is. Economically, we have all faced our share of challenges. We have hit this:

How did we adjust? We took stock in what was important to us. We know that to us, our relationships with our Clients, Agents and each other as a company is the end all be all. We acknowledge that the market has shifted, and refused to take our eye off the ball. We have redirected how we focus our energy and resources so that our Clients and Agents are the ones who benefit.
We have hired experts in their fields to guide us with regards to what really works in advertising, training, and Social Media (the next Frontier, cue Star Trek music here…).
Will the market continue to shift, adjust and readjust? This is a certainty. Will we be in the forefront, learning how to shift with the market while holding to our core values and principles? Definitely! Where will this ultimately lead? It’s hard to say. What we do know however, is we’ll be ready when we reach our final destination…..

Out with the old…In with the New??

I love what I do! I am a Realtor for a FUNomenal company, as well as a sponge when it comes to all things Social Media. One of the reasons that I embrace this new forum is because of the vast reach it has, and I realize that in our Society, this is oftentimes how we get things done. We reach out beyond our borders and relay information to the masses!

Did you know that as a Seller, once your home is listed on the Multiple Listing Service, it is automatically sent out to dozens of websites?

Not just local ones either! Your listing can be seen as far away as Russia or a tiny village in Cambodia (provided of course they have internet).

What does this mean for you? It means that you no longer have to rely on a weekly advertisement in the local newspaper!

It means that a webpage can be created SPECIFICALLY for your home, and will be seen by an innumerable amount of people.

Why is this important, you may be asking yourself? Because regardless of how much money is spent on advertising, the main goal is not to spend thousands of dollars, but to reach thousands of consumers! One of them is bound to be interested in your home!

We, as Realtors, strive to make sure that we give as much information as possible (without security codes of course) to the potential buyers that will be interested in seeing your home.

Some agents even post blogs all about your home, giving not only the details/specifics of your home, but the feel of it. The comfort, the spaciousness, the love that you have experienced living in your home. All of this now translates well on the web, and it is important that you take full advantage of it.

I’m not saying that traditional ways of advertising a home for sale are wrong or ineffective. There was a time and place for that…

kinda like the horse and buggy…it has been replaced to be more efficient…faster…reliable.

How do you feel now that you know this? Does it bother you or excite you to have that kind of reach? Please leave a comment…I’d like to know!

You’ve got the Power…

One of the things I love about being a Realtor is the freedom that I have to do research. I can block times out of my day to research trends, neighborhoods, loan information, and social media, anything and everything that is relevant to my Industry.

Today I wanted to post a blog about what it is like for you as a buyer. I had thoughts and ideas that I wanted to put on paper, but nothing was coming…so I took a drive…headed towards the beach and found a place called Inspiration Point. I couldn’t tell you what beach it is specifically, other than I think it’s in Newport.

As I pulled out my laptop, everything that I wanted to say came rushing at me…like the waves that I hear in the background. I hope you are inspired by my thoughts!

There was a time when you as consumers were limited as to what information you could gather with regards to real estate.

As a buyer you had to rely on the information a Real Estate agent gave you. You would have to drive around different neighborhoods to look at Open Houses. Sometimes you would stop in, other times you wouldn’t. More often than not, the times that you did go in you discovered that the house didn’t suit your needs. And so you packed up your family and started again.

It hasn’t been that long ago that Real Estate Agent’s didn’t cooperate with one another with regards to a listing. That is how the Open House came to be.

The Open House was created to lure BUYERS and potential sellers in, gather the information that they needed to look for a home to suit the buyers needs, run to the office, tear off a page from the “Holy Book Of Realtors” (yes, all listing information was kept in a book and changed as needed…) then set the appointment to show you properties.

Eventually came newspaper advertising, and being ever resourceful, Realtors everywhere would advertise their listing’s in print…

this also opened up a multitude of “Homes for Sale” magazines, some which are still in effect today, though the information is most of the times expired. Homes sell, listings are cancelled etc.

Nowadays, we have the internet…

Really it’s only been around for us regular folks for about 15 years.

With the internet came a whole new way to advertise…which meant power to the people!

You could log on to the net, type in a zip code and find a myriad of homes for sale, or Open Houses. They are chock full of information, pictures, square footage, price and days on market! That makes it so much easier for you, the consumer to gather your own information before making the dreaded “call”. You know the one…where you call the listing office asking to see the home afraid that if you show up for the appointment, you will be forced to buy THAT house, or worse…get put on an email campaign!

I know this is true because I have spoken to many buyers in my career and they all say the same thing!

I love the fact that you as the consumer are empowered to create your own searches…I love the fact that there is so much information out there and that because of this, we agents have had to step up to the plate and be transparent in our business.

When you log on, you have the power to create a search that will tell you pretty much everything you need to know about the Realtor that is going to represent you. You can Google their name and see what comes up. Charities they have worked with, blogs, photos…everything is online for you to decide if this is a person you want to work with.

This is the ULTIMATE power for you. I’m curious, did you KNOW that? If you didn’t, doesn’t knowing this now empower you? Please post a comment…I would really like to know!

You call yourself a professional? Where’d you get THAT idea?

I came back to the office today and had quite a bit of catching up to do. My mailbox had a lot of mail to go through, so I begin…

Bills…ugh…that can wait for later

Junk mail…yeah, you know where that’s headed…

Personal mail…letters, cards, a belated birthday gift (my birthday was in June) and then a long white envelope, handwritten, real stamp, but I don’t recognize the name…so I open it.

In it was a flyer of a complex for sale, listed at 1,250,000. At least, that’s what it was SUPPOSED to be…instead, it was a photocopy (almost dated myself and said Xerox copy) of a flyer…a bad one at that! It had the Agents info at the bottom, and he had hand written his DRE license number! The company logo was on the bottom right hand corner and I know for a fact that it is now defunct, having been bought out by a bigger company, but someone obviously didn’t give him the memo.

I was FLABBERGASTED (great word by the way). Here is this person, advertising for his client in the most haphazard way (you know I want to say something else instead) and probably feeling like he’s doing a great job of it!

Now, I GET that when you have a career in Real Estate, everything is done out of pocket and you don’t get “reimbursed” until you close the sale, IF you close the sale. But I also get that if you cannot represent your client in the best possible way, it would be better to:
a. Not take the listing
b. Take the listing and get a loan to pay for marketing
c. Take the listing and ask your Marketing Dept to create something nice and inexpensive that you can pay at the close of escrow
d. Talk to the Seller and create terms for them to pay for the marketing and YOU reimburse THEM at the end of the sale
e. Ask for help from a team mate to create a nice Publisher flyer, run to Kinko’s, print it out and then mail
f. And then there’s ALWAYS the internet. Most online marketing can be done from FREE to inexpensively.

We have standards that we should hold ourselves accountable to! Professional quality pictures, not pictures taken from your cell phone with you in the mirror!

When are we going to learn that we get what we give…we want to be treated as Professionals, but we act like the .99 store! And just so we’re clear, I LOVE the .99 Store, but I don’t love people treating our industry as such. And then we scratch our heads and actually get mad at why we have to DEFEND our commissions!

When you walk into a store, ANY store, you don’t ask the salesperson to discount the price you’re about to pay. You don’t ask them to give you back a part of THEIR commission because you’re at the checkout lane!

If YOU were the Seller, how would you react to that cheesy marketing scheme? What if you’re the Broker? Do you hold your Agents to a higher standard?

In our world, we aspire to differentiate ourselves with brands, logos, pretty colors and fancy websites, but then we have no control over what Agents send out that has your name on it or offer up accountability? Why? Because they’re in Independent Contractor that could go somewhere else? What’s that worth to you? Do you want to be known for being “cheap” and that doesn’t mean monetarily in case some will quip, “Times are tough, who can afford it?” It means taking PRIDE in what you represent!

As an Agent, be PROUD to wear your Realtor hat. Hold yourself up to a better standard so that others may follow your lead! As a broker, expect more from and for your Agents, so that THEY will expect more of themselves. As a Seller, understand that marketing your home to sell is an expense and talk with your Agent about the best way to market your home, beautifully, inexpensively and with pride of Homeownership…regardless of why you’re selling.

I don’t care if you’re selling a 30,000.00 mobile home or a72, 000 sq. ft home on an Island…the same rules apply.

Let’s rebuild our industry to be what it is intended to be….an industry of PROFESSIONAL REALTORS!

WHO’S WITH ME!

Chatty Cathy and Heaven Help Me!

Yesterday my family and I buried my Mom, so to say that I’m in a different state of mind is probably correct. 
Usually, I’m interested in having genuine conversations with people.  I am interested in knowing who they are, where they’re from, and what they’re up to.  On a plane, I tend to read body language and if I see that the person is deep into his book, or looks sad, or angry, I tend to leave them alone out of consideration.  Sometimes people are open to conversations, sometimes they’re not…but I am usually always able to tell the difference.
Friday, I flew out of New Orleans to Denver on my way to Vegas and then drive home to the OC (long story, don’t ask).  I board my plane and walk to the back. I’m not particularly in a talkative mood, so I am avoiding eye contact, but on the rare occasion that I do make it, I smile, weakly and move on. 

I have an aisle seat, middle seat is empty and there’s a young gal sitting at the window.  She smiles and practically yells out “HI!” as if this were her first time making human contact with someone!  So excited to see me, oh my heavens! How can she stand it!  I semi smile and say hello, then think to myself…”not really wanting to talk lady, read my face”.  She says, “You going to Vegas?”  I bite the urge to say, “Why no, I’m headed to Salt Lake and thought I’d take the scenic route”…instead, I say yes….”ME TOO!  Do you live in Denver?  What are you going to do in Vegas?  Are you meeting some people there? 
>(What I immediately think of!)<

I let her know that I’m not staying in Vegas, I’m just flying there to pick up my car and then driving to Orange County.  “Why?” she asks.  I tell her it’s a long story but that my mom was on her deathbed and it was the cheapest flight out for me…”Oh!” she says…”so where’d she die?”  WOAH!  What?  REALLY!!!???  People ask those kinds of questions?  I want to scream and we haven’t even finished boarding yet!

I tweet out “heaven help me”…just then a young man comes and informs us he has the middle seat.  An answer to prayer..…”HI!  Are you going to Vegas?”  How old are you?  Are you going to have a drink?  I am and I need a drinking buddy….” Mind you that he hasn’t even fully sat down yet….he answers her questions and takes his seat…she proceeds….
“So what was your name again?”  He finishes getting comfortable and then fastens his belt and she says she has to go to the ladies room….REALLY?  We haven’t even taken off yet…GOOD NIGHT IRENE!!

We get up…off she goes…she comes back…sits down…”So, what do you do for a living, how long have you been doing that, what is that, how old are you (again) “  He answers her questions a little taken aback.  Then he asks her what she does for a living….”OH! I’M A REALTOR” and I almost lose my lunch!  YOU’RE A REALTOR AND YOU’RE ACTING LIKE A CRACK ADDICT!?
 
You’re not even taking the time to listen to the answers he gave you without jumping on to the next question!  You’re bombarding him with questions because that’s what you think you should do, but somewhere along the way, no one taught you the value of “JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN!” 

I was embarrassed for my industry!  I know that we Realtors come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and political affiliations.  I get that we won’t work with everyone we meet, and I admit that I am an acquired taste (pain in the butt, really) and tend to babble….HOWEVER…it embarrasses me that someone so genuinely disinterested in really learning about the person you are having a conversation with, but spewing questions for the sake of hearing your voice, is out there…representing an industry that I hold so dear to my heart….No wonder we ‘re not respected as an industry….I heard her speak and could only think that she is but one reason we’re on the lowest rung of the professional totem pole.

The flight attendant must have a Twitter account and seen my plea to the Twitterverse…..she walked over to me and said, “There’s a seat in the last row if you would like it…I smile, truly appreciative…and change seats.  Second answered prayer of the day.  Amen

What do YOU think?  As a professional in your industry, do you totally let loose and then tell people what you do for a living, or do you let loose and not even bring up what you in order to keep from tarnishing your industry?  Or do you, like Chatty Cathy, not really care and let the chips fall where the may?  Enquiring minds (and a nosey FUnomenalRealtr) want to know…

A tribute to the kids she raised…

To say that this last week has been stressful is an understatement.  I flew out to New Orleans on Saturday to visit with my Mom who has been dealing with different types of cancers for the last 8 years and let her know that I loved her, though I knew it was really my trip to say good-bye.  Saturday night my mom was doing “ok”.  My sister and niece were there, we laughed some, took pictures, and just loved each other.  On Sunday, we rushed my Mom to the hospital.  On Monday my Mom passed away.  Tuesday my family and I had to work through the arrangements, writing a eulogy, flowers, letting family overseas know, everything that follows a death in the family, which we were totally unprepared for.  Yes, we knew it was coming….yes we were dreading how we would respond…no, we didn’t think it would actually happen….at least not as quickly as it did.

Making the arrangements, working through the grief, being a support system for one another…takes its toll and it’s been a blessing to have strong family ties to get through it. 

I am so thankful for my Sister Lydia for her sense of humor, her love of family and her financial contribution.  I am thankful for my brother Gaby for encouraging us all and constantly reminding us of how much pain our Mother was in and how she was in a much better place now.  I am thankful for my baby brother Ben.  He has been a rock for me.  He has been open about his feelings, not once hiding them to make himself look good.  He has been patient, explaining to me that everyone grieves differently and asking for patience with regards to this.  He is able to put aside family differences to get through the day and rarely holds a grudge…unlike me.  Please understand…it’s not that I cut people off the first time they cross me (unless it’s huge like hurting or stealing from my family and me, sleeping with a boyfriend stuff like that), it’s that I am very selective of the people that I keep in my inner circle and I don’t have time to waste with people that don’t value that.  If I trust you enough to let you in, you can best believe that you are held to a different standard. Everyone around me knows most of my deepest, darkest secrets and love me anyway, and I them. So when someone crosses the line, not out of ignorance or being human, but willfully, intentionally to hurt those that I love, expect to get crossed off the list.

I love him even more because despite his own grief, there he is….sitting as a mediator…when what he should be doing is being able to grieve, to work through his own grief, the grief his family is dealing with and looking to put the pieces together in order to move beyond the pain (eventually). 

Thank you little brother.  For your love…for your patience….for being you.

A ride of a lifetime…..

Life is a roller coaster.  You ride to the top, slowly, one click at a time.  You saw the ride before you got on.  It looked scary but you stood in line anyway.  You’re friends were all there and you knew that even though you were scared, you would be able to yell, scream, cry or even lose your lunch with them by your side. 

You climb in and don’t pay attention, really, to what the rules are.  You “kinda” know them instinctively.  You strap your belt on, let out a little yelp, excited about what you are going to experience….and then you’re off!  Too late to change your mind, you hold your breath as you hear the clicks…..it’s not so scary, a little windy, but that’s it.  Then it dawns on you… that it might be a good idea to take off your hat and your sunglasses.  As you’re thinking about that, you’re suddenly caught off guard!  You’ve reached the top and because you weren’t paying attention, your heart stops!    You try to scream, you gasp but no sound comes out.  You’re scared stiff and by the time you are willing to admit it, you’re climbing back to the top.  This time there’s a hairpin turn.  Not so bad.  It was actually kind of fun….you even get brave and raise your hands as you reach the top of the next hill and skyrocket down.  Over and under, turns, up and down…you get the hang of it, learn to anticipate the fear and scream with delight as you realize you made it!  At the end of the ride, you are laughing, giggling, yelling to your friends to do it again, and run once again to the line except that this time you want to ride up front! 

At the moment I’m on a wooden coaster.  I’ve been on the roller coaster of life before, but this is the first time that I’ve ridden this particular one.  I’ve been on the “Betrayed by a Friend” whirl, the “Blast off to love” bullet ride, and the “Ride to the Poorhouse”.  All were extremely intense in different ways.  At the end of each ride, my friends and family were there to assure me I made it. 

This time’s its different. This time, even after the ride is over, there are no do overs.   Last week I flew to Houston to meet my Grandson, Wolfgang.  It was thrilling!  I was at the airport and couldn’t wait to get on the plane!  I knew that the minute we landed I would be one step closer to meeting him!  Heaven! 

One week later, I’m on my way to the airport again.  This time it is to see my Mom for what could be the very last time.  She was diagnosed with cancer 8 years ago: colon cancer.  They gave her 6 months to live.  They advised Chemo and Radiation to extend her life.  She declined.  She said she would leave it in God’s hands…4 years later she was diagnosed with liver cancer….had surgery and again declined the chemo and the radiation.  2 years later, she was diagnosed with lung cancer, had part of her lung removed, and this time she did have chemo and radiation.  It made her weak, made her nauseas, and she opted out.  She’s been getting progressively worse.  She’s unable to move much, and two weeks later she is bedridden.  Hospice has said the she has cancer in her spine and will not be able to walk again, they give her three weeks.  Of course we all knew it was coming.  Cancer does that. 

Some people recover. I wonder how that works.  Do these people “will” themselves to live? To fight mentally beyond what their bodies are capable of until the body obeys and recovers?  Alternative healing methods…so many things that people have tried. Some have worked for some, some haven’t worked at all.  

I find myself with feelings that I didn’t knew I had.  Or maybe I know them, but don’t WANT to acknowledge.  Either way, my friends and family are here, right by my side…waiting for the end of the ride to encourage me, yet again.  I’m truly blessed. I just need to remember that while I’m on the ride of my life….