Would GARP Ever Work?

Generally Accepted Realtor Principles....hmmmmmm

I recently read a blog post from a realtor in the US. As a CPA (US equivalent to Chartered Accountant) he looks at one of the glaring issues in real estate today. The deficit of rules, guidelines and standardization for realtors to follow.

In accounting there are the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or GAAP. A standard set of rules and guidelines for everyone to follow. No questions of how a situation is handled. If you are not sure, you go to the GAAP and look it up. A great quote from the post is:

Ask any CPA any question, and their response should be, “Well, according to GAAP, Rule XYZ says that in that situation you must do 123.”

How is this handled in the traditional real estate world? Here is another snipit from the blog post:

let’s assume that you, as a licensed Realtor, receive multiple offers on a particular home you have listed. What do you do? What are your obligations, and to whom? Do you entertain both offers, or only one? Do you tell each agent that there is another offer? What if one of the offers is from an agent from your company? Does that impact your behavior in any way? What if one of the offers is from one of YOUR clients? How does that impact your actions?

Ask 10 agents, and you’ll get 10 different answers, I will surmise.

There are no clear, concise, precise, definitive instructions on this situation.

This lack of "regulation", in my opinion, is what separates real estate agents from what they think they are,highly trusted professionals, to what the public perceives them to be, on par with politicians, and car salespeople. Think Herb Tarlek from WKRP in Cincinnati.

If realtors had a GARP to follow they sure would weed out all the dead wood in the industry and the true professionals would be left standing in place with their head held high.

The other outcome of this would be with less realtors in the game the need for the high commissions would be gone as they would all get their fair share of the pie.

Do I ever think this would happen? When turkey's fly.


M

Antique or Trash?

I guess even ol' Saint Nick needs to be sure!

Just like a home, an antique is only worth what a buyer will pay for it. In my travels I have heard the "oh that's an antique" as I looked at what I thought to be a junky old piece of furniture. The question I have is why are you keeping it? Most times it is a family heirloom of some sort and the guilt of parting with it might just out way the pittance.

Fact is when you are looking at selling your home it pays to ensure your house "matches". If you have an antique mahogany side table, an art deco dresser, an Ikea bed and a chandelier for a light the flow in your room may not work. Buyers will be too distraught over the jumble of styles they won't be able to picture their room. That will cost you money in the end! Don't be afraid to ask for help. A professional stager can effectively allow you to mesh your styles and better your flow, most times using what you already have in the house.

The other issue is just having too much stuff. Often times we take pieces of furniture that were our parents' or grandparents' because we need to hold on to something to remember them. Here is an idea. Make a scrapbook including pictures of the items (both now and from the past in their original settings) to remember them by. This allows us to hold on to the memories but not the items which are just cluttering our already cluttered lives!

Now what to do with the item(s)? I would suggest contacting a local antiques dealer and have them give you an idea of value. At that point they may decide to purchase at a fair price or even allow you to put it up for sale on consignment in their store. Renting a truck and borrowing a friend to lug everything down to the store/market may end up as a huge disappointment as most people don't get the "Antiques Roadshow Surprise" they are hoping for. A couple of ideas. If you have a fairly big "collection" of items most dealers will do a site visit to asses what you have. The other option is using the power of the internet. Green Spot Antiques in Cambridge ON has taken the old world to the 21st century. To quote Vince the owner "like having your own antiques pro at home". You can connect with Vince via Twitter, Facebook and even talk via phone or video with him on skype.

Now about the mahogany table....


M

Can You Learn From the Dragons?

When I saw Kevin O'Leary's tweet about valuations it rang in my ears.

By now I assume everyone has at least heard of the hit CBC show Dragons' Den. Kevin is the "Simon Cowell" of the venture capital world. He is jagged and unrelenting on business owners to show him the money. His words above are the common denominator in deals turned down on the den. Most people go in looking for too much and have too high of a valuation. This is no different then those selling their house.

We recommend all sellers make sure they have the right information when pricing their home. As I have said many times before this is best made available from an independent appraiser. What happens when a home seller takes that advice? As you can expect, if they start with a fair market value appraisal to base their pricing decision on, they get people wanting to make a deal. If they choose to over value their home then buyers are going to say one thing..."I'm Out"

Check out what this Vancouver realtor has to say regarding price...


That's right, he said it. Price is 90% of the selling and marketing is only 10%. So tell me why an appraisal costs $250 and an agent costs $15,000. Seems to me your better investment is the appraiser not the realtor. Seems to me your better to drop your realtor AND your price so you can sell your house!

M

Win Fantabulous Prizes

All you have to do is know the right answer.

When selling your home you need to ask "What is the right question?"

The answer: Knowing the value of your home. Without this info you are guessing and one of 3 things will happen.

1.Price it too low and leave money on the table
2.Price it too high and sit on the market forever
3.Get lucky and price it right and sell your home

The likelihood of #3 goes up dramatically as you start to gather knowledge. First step in the knowledge quest happens by watching the local market and see what other people are listing for. How long are they sitting on the market? How does their home compare to yours? This step should be done 2-3 months before you put your house up ideally. Second step is to see what houses are selling for. This can be done easily enough through the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation website. The third step, and the most crucial, get yourself an appraisal by a licensed appraiser. Not a "CMA" from an agent, the motivation of their pricing can not always be considered in your best interest.
I am including this slide show and want you to look specifically at slide #8

CMA Steps

View more documents from mratcliffe1.

Why is it a Keller Williams agent does not want you to not listen to another agent? Are they not all trained the same? Do they not all look at the same data to come up with your price? Why would there be a difference between agents?

This is why an independent appraisal is so important versus a real estate agent offered CMA.

Hey don't get me wrong, you could always get lucky...


M

Keep Your Eye On Your Money

What is your cost to get your house noticed, per eyeball?

The interent has changed the way people buy and sell homes. Gone are the days of flipping through the big green MLS book at your local real estate office. Gone are the long Saturday drives in the back seat of your realtor's lincoln looking at 30 houses to see what you like within your price range. Gone is the lack of information for the consumer.

People are searching for homes while in their underwear. Come on you've done it. Just as your getting ready for bed your partner calls you "Honey come and see this one!" You rush over to the computer with your best pair of Calvin Kliens on. You catch a glimpse in the mirror and think "this is not the way my parents hunted for their first home".

The internet is a great tool allowing people to make a short list based upon what they see in the listings posted to their favorite sites. But as a home seller how do you choose where to list your home? Is there a way to measure the value of those eyeballs looking at each and every site? Let's boil it down with simple math. Depending on who you talk to Private Sale is garnering somewhere between 10 and 25% of the market. So as a conservative figure I am going to work with 15% for the purposes of this calculation. We are going to forget that people are looking at multiple websites and assume that 15% is decidedly Private Sale and the remainder are only looking on the MLS.

The cost of an average detached home in KW is just over $300,000. Based upon the industry average of 5% it would cost you $15,750 incl. GST to sell or $185.29 per set of eyeballs out of 100 home buyers. Looking at the same home being sold with PropertyGuys.com shows us a much better scenario. To ensure you are getting all the same coverage including paper advertising, virtual tours, and even an appraisal done by a 3rd party licensed appraiser lets look at the $1,500 package. With tax you would pay $1,575 or $105.00 per set of eyeballs a savings of nearly 44% per set of eyeballs. Remember that is the most expensive package. If you went with the $350 package it would cost you $23.33 or about 1-8th of the cost of the realtor.

I know what you are thinking. They get more eyeballs and that means more chance of selling, right? Wrong! The stats from November 2008 to October 2009 show that for every 100 listings that were listed by an agent in the Waterloo Wellington area 58 of them sold. Same time frame, same area for PropertyGuys.com and the numbers show 60 out of 100. The list to sell ratio (how many homes were listed vs sold in a given time period) for PropertyGuys.com in October was 81.67%, MLS was only 68.08%. I guess taking the commission off the table and making your pricing more attractive is what buyers are looking for.

Give your buyers a reason to have their eyes pop out when they see your home...


M

Honesty Works

Ever been sold something that didn't live up to the claims?

Real Estate is the same way. You have to be honest about what you have. You cannot lie in your advertising.

If you own a two bedroom, story and a half, century home with stone foundation and a dirt floor in the basement, say that.

Imagine you saw what you thought was a great home online. Took the time to make sure the neighbourhood was what you needed (schools, shopping and amenities), booked an appointment even though your spouse thought it was too good to be true, packed up the family to drive over (maybe 15 min maybe 2 hours) only to find the truth was stretched online.

Your home is what it is, nothing more, nothing less. Price it accordingly and be truthful. Like the way this guy advertises his mobile homes...


It worked for me.

M

HST....Not If Your Realtor Has A Say

There was an article printed in this week-end's real estate papers in KW and Cambridge. The one that appeared in the Cambridge Times was entitled "HST threatens home buying dream". It was written from the board and quoted Mike Toffner, president, "No matter how you sell it, the HST is a big tax increase for local home buyers, sellers and owners." The article goes on to claim with the average home price being $302,354 (Ontario) that the cost to home sellers would go up an estimated $1,449.

Realtors are very much opposed to the HST, and I suspect it is for a reason different than they claim. The following chart was included with the article to show you how much you would be effected.
Not pointed out is that of the $1,449 in additional tax, 83.5% of it is a direct result of their fees. If they are so concerned with home buyers being able to live out their dream of home ownership lets not worry about $1,449 in potential taxes when they are charging 10 times that amount for a simple process.

If a home seller decides to pay themselves commission, which the government can't tax, then they end up not only saving HST on the commission but also the $15,117.70 in commissions. What would the chart look like if it considered the cost of a an average Private Sale marketing package?

Realtors appearing so adamant on reducing costs for the home seller by going after a proposed tax that equals a small fraction of what they charge seems a little misguided. They claim that HST will add an additional $262-million to residential resale real estate transactions. That means that they are expecting to charge $3.275-BILLION to you the home sellers. Put your equity in your pocket where it belongs. Pay for all your marketing with less than the taxes you would have paid for using a Realtor.

Here is their "official" stance:


M

Am I Priced To High?

You don't need Bob Barker to answer your question!!!

When you are considering selling your home the big question is "How much is my house worth?" It's a great question. It's the most important question you should be asking.

So how do you go about finding the answer? Well the best way is to hire a third party appraiser. This unbiased professional opinion is your best bet. The investment of $250 is a good one in the sale of your home. Knowing that you are priced right can save you time and money! Heck you can even make this report available to prospective buyers!

If you are more inclined to figure things out on your own there are a few things you need to do. Watching the market is a great way to understand what is going on but you have to know what you are looking at. People can list there home for as much or as little as they want. You can learn from this if you are paying attention. Specifically it is good to watch comparable homes in your neighbourhood. Are they sitting for a long time? Did one just list and sell right away? Are their reduced price stickers on the signs? These nuggets of knowledge are all telling you something. The one thing you should always keep in mind is if a home is priced correctly it will sell (so long as you get the needed exposure).

If you are looking for better information, than the key number you want is their SOLD price. A home is only worth what someone will pay for it, no matter what they were listed for. So how do you get this info without calling a home appraiser or real estate agent? One way is to use the public info available to everyone through MPAC. As you can see on this sample report you can chose comparable properties within your community and it will show you the last sale date (if within the last 5 years) and the price it sold for. When I SOLD my house last winter I printed this report with 4 comparable properties and handed them out with my feature sheets to prospective buyers.

Giving prospective buyers information on how you priced your home is a great way to avoid situations like this...


M

Inspecting For Who?

Have you ever wondered just who the home inspector was working for?

The key to avoiding this is to hire your own. By all means get some references but you should have final say on who the inspector is. Hire based upon ability, skills and value, not on referrals from a party gaining from the transaction. Even worse if the real estate agent is offering to pay for it this should raise all kinds of red flags!! (Author’s note) Make sure you ask the agent if they are willing to pay for any inspector or just one in particular. If they will pay for any inspector than it is simply your commission dollars paying for it. Where the flags should be raised is if they will only pay for one inspector in particular. I was unable to get any details of the program offered by the agent in the link as it was not spelled out on his website. I have emailed him for details on just how his program works. I have asked him to post the details as a comment on this post. Added 11/5/09.) I have met a few inspectors in my travels that said they lost referrals from local real estate agents because their thoroughness had caused deals to fall apart, losing the agent's precious commission.

I did a post on this back in July when Mike Holmes announced his new inspection business. I really respect Mike for his ability to stand up for what is not right. Take this quote about the inspection business as an example:

"There also are questions over whether some inspectors are too cosy with real estate agents who don't want an inspection to kill a sale."

Let's hope that Mike can do for the inspection business what he did for the renovation business!!

He is putting his money where his mouth is too. Have you been stung from a bad inspection in the past....Mike wants to make it right....

M

What To Do With All This BS?

Author’s Note: Due to a complaint about the legitimacy of information in this post I have double checked my sources and found the data to be accurate and made some notes below. I have also made some edits to help protect the home buyers/sellers involved as well some of the language has been edited due to individual interpretation of the specific words used.

I think I need a skid of these to deal with it all!

I hear all sorts of stories in this business. I recognize that they all start with a kernel of truth and through the art of story telling they get altered slightly. We all remember playing broken telephone as children, right?

I was out putting up the first of two sold signs in Cambridge last Friday when I came across a flyer blowing aimlessly on our client's door step. I am sure it fell out of the door jam or mailbox but there it was carefully avoiding my feet as it tried to get my attention.

I picked it up to see the same drab excuse of a flyer we expect from a (replaced Joe Schmoe with) ordinary agent. What popped for me was the PropertyGuys.com sign in the photo. (Using other people's trade marks in your advertising is not allowed and was a big motivator to this post. I have scanned and presented the flyer as it was found and included another company logo only to show the flyer in it's entirety.) When I read it in detail I knew it was a stretch of the truth at best. It is the exact opposite of everything we see in the market...so I did some digging.

Nothing is the truth except the truth, and here it is.

Address deleted
Listed with PropertyGuys.com on July 14 2008 at $267,900
Cancellation date deleted
Listed with Robert Wollziefer on Sept 30 2008 at $269,900 MLS® #0894383
Relisted with Robert Wollziefer on Dec 1st 2008 at $259,900 MLS® #0895294
Sold Date Jan 29 2009 for $255,000 (There was some question to privacy laws in publicizing the sold value of the property. This is already public information available through the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation aka MPAC)
Total days on MLS 121
Estimated commission paid at 3.5% $8,925 plus $446.25 in GST
Net amount client sold for deleted

Here are some points that Robert fails to point out in his marketing piece:
Details of the price drop of $8,000 in listing price and $12,900 to the actual SOLD price
(Deleted a comment regarding bottom line price client received after commissions payed).
Property was relisted after 60 days on the market

Here is (in my opinion) the absolute (replaced false with) misleading statement made:
"One day they received 3 offers and can now move forward"

As you can see from the truth above, they were listed for a total of 121 days with Robert (deleted “and not the 1 day he states”. It was brought to my attention that the client did in fact receive 3 offers in one day, the ad fails to mention that it took 120 days prior to that happening). The truth is they were listed twice as long with Robert than with PropertyGuys.com and needed to drop their price because it was price that was the issue not their choice of marketing. (Deleted language specific to the client and replaced with) One of the true benefits of selling privately is the fact that you are able to lower the cost of the transaction. Those costs can either be kept by the seller or used as a tool to lower their price, making them more attractive in the market place and sell faster.

Way to help them "Move Forward" Mr. Wollziefer, (grammatical error replaced your) you’re a gem!

Do you have a similar story? Leave a comment! Your story may help someone else avoid the "Rubber Lips"...


M

She Needs Your HELP!

Do you remember the Ypreneur Gene contest I blogged about earlier this month?

Things are starting to heat up with over 25 contestants vying for top spot and a $100,000 franchise package from CYBF and PropertyGuys.com.

We have seen our first entry from the Waterloo Wellington area entered by our very own associate Martha Neath. Martha joined our team in September of 2008 and quickly became a valued member. Her belief in Private Sale spread like an infection. She was passing it on to everyone she knew. But then she realized it was more than just that.

When she found out about the contest that could put her at the helm of her own Private Sale ship she came to the conclusion her infection spread so fast because she had the Ypreneur Gene.

Now it's time for you to help make her dream a reality. The first round of the Ypreneur Gene contest is a down and dirty popularity contest. She needs your votes by 11:59pm Oct 31st. So HELP MARTHA OUT!

Here is her video submission for your viewing pleasure...

Have You Seen This Dinosaur?

Now why do you think he ended up here?

There are many theories as to why the dinosaurs disappeared. Many creatures have gone the way of the Dodo Bird and more often than not it was because of their inability to react and adapt to changes in their environment.

When the travel industry was faced with the internet changing their business many were doomed for the tar pits. The ones that remained did so either through specialization or over the top customer service. The everyday ordinary transaction has gone online. The majority of people are now booking basic travel needs either direct with airlines like WestJet or using services like Hot Wire and Expedia.

Why has the real estate world taken longer to adapt than the travel industry? In travel it was a company dealing with a consumer. One large company can make decisions quickly and change an industry. In real estate it is a consumer to consumer transaction. Instead of one or two CEO's changing the course of an industry it is millions and millions of home owners each making the decision one at a time, as the situation arises. This no doubt has lead to the extended yet agonizing march into the pit for those not ready to adapt to a changing market place. As is with any tipping point, the closer you get to it the quicker it picks up speed. Have you noticed a change happening? Has it been picking up speed?

One can only hope that if extinction is in their future they won't feel the pain...

Do You "Get It"?

Some people "get it" from the start, others, not so much...

I saw this quote on Facebook from the PropertyGuys.com Edmonton franchise.

"Just had a client who was listed on MLS for 2 weeks and was already getting the "Drop your price, drop your price, drop your price". The Realtor of course was going to get them "Top dollar" when she set the price two weeks prior. ...... So they dropped her and went with us. Listed Friday and already had 8 families through by Sunday. Somebody gets it, they really get it!!! Product......Price....Exposure."

More and more people are getting it.

Here in the Waterloo Wellington area we have been helping people pay themselves the commission for about 3 and a half years. Things are starting to come full circle in the local real estate market. Those leading private home sellers will be second time clients in the near future (we are already starting to see them).

As the Private Sale Circle grows so does the empowerment of you the home seller. The three card monte game of pricing your home with a realtor will end. No longer will you be lead astray in order to sign a contract. Pricing your home should not be a contingency on your listing. There is a better way. A licensed appraiser has to be objective. Here is a quote from their code of ethics

"public interest will be served by members acting responsibly, impartially, objectively, and with independent judgment."

Pricing shouldn't be tricky!

M

Getting A-Head

Can you judge a Realtor by their head shot?

I was having breakfast with some friends on the weekend and we were thumbing through one of the local real estate rags. It was everything to keep eggs from coming out of our noses looking at some of the head shots that local real estate agents use. I found an interesting blog post showing some of the "worst Realtor head shots" so I thought I would showcase some local talent and things some of the "traditional" and not so traditional poses.

Here are a few of my favorites (along with the one above) from the aforementioned blog:
Not your parent's real estate agent.
Spray Tan, check. Teeth whitener, check.

OK so here are some pics of locals that seem to speak to the stereotypical agent head shot:

"The Tilt"

Almost like stop motion falling. I dare you to not tilt your head when you look at them.
My favorite example of the "The Tilt"...Hold on to that contract!!

"The Lean"

Probably the most versatile of poses. Often imitated and always duplicated. Here are a few styles to choose from.
The Single The Double

The Classic The Pairs.

The Prop

Nothing says "I can sell your house" like a sunburst yellow Hummer!

"High School Confidential"

Kinda speak for themselves.

"She's a Brick....House"

There are right and wrong ways to use back drops.
Right Wrong

"SMILE"

How much teeth should one show?
Too much? Not enough?

"Location, Location, Location"

Let's take a stab where in the world they might be.
The outback? Down on the farm?
The Sun? ACC?
This guy is in Florida for sure!

"The Honour Role"

My mother-in-law cuts off the entire head!


I wonder if they are talking to each other?


Platinum Blonde called....um....they want to talk to you.


Is Facebook really the place to get your head shot?


Super Ben!

I guess at the end of the day, they're only pictures and it doesn't really matter...

Buzz

Can you hear private sale buzz getting louder? We sure can!

I had the pleasure of spending some time at the KW Fall Home & Leisure Show. You almost couldn't think the buzz was so loud.

Bzz Bzz Bzz

"Hey I just wanted to say hi. Tonya helped us with the sale of our home in Conestogo last month!"

Bzz Bzz Bzz

"That sign sure looks better with the SOLD on it. We just SOLD in 2 weeks in Paris with William!"

Bzz Bzz Bzz

"Our neighbour just SOLD with you guys. I can't believe how quick it was!"

Bzz Bzz Bzz

"Can we book an appointment to list our home today?"

Real estate agents, brokers, realtors all want you to think that private sale is going no where. They could not be further from the truth. The buzz on the street is growing. Our clients are selling their houses and telling everyone how easy it is. Word is spreading. Fast.

How fast does word of mouth spread? Have a peek at this video...


M

You SOLD Privately.....Now What?

Well if you are between 18-34 you can make a living at it....for FREE!

PropertyGuys.com has teamed up with the Canadian Youth Business Foundation to offer an unprecedented contest. You can win a franchise package worth $100,000. How is this "unprecedented"? Well by simply uploading a video on the website describing how the "Ypreneur Gene" effects you and the "symptoms" that you have you can be part of the narrowed field that gets to pitch to the stars of CBC's hit series Dragons' Den.

Feeling a little shy? Worried that someone might point and laugh? Carry on, we don't want you. Our winner will have the last laugh when they are looking at the business plan of their new business, an award winning franchise systems that has been featured on the cover of many Canadian business magazines! Shy need not apply.

Don't feel your worthy of such a prize? Than you probably aren't. We are not talking to you. Go punch your time card. You do not have the Ypreneur Gene.

Think you could hang out with Dr. Emmett Y. Browne....step right up and smile for the camera!


M

How Many O/H Signs Does It Take?

Is more better?

There seems to be some misinformation in the FSBO world. If people are having problems selling their home privately it would seem they blame it on lack of Open House signs. I come to this conclusion because when people have been on the market for 6-8 weeks they seem to add more signs.

On a positive note they are trying to increase a third of the HOME SELLING TRIFECTA. Problem is they are not hitting the right one.

Do you know how many eyeballs are seeing your home? This information is imperative to selling. You see if you are judging your sale proceedings simply on the traffic in your door you are making an oversight that could cost you precious time and money.

If you have had no phone calls and no showings in the first 4 weeks of marketing your home you need to make a decision. You need to change something in your HOME SELLING TRIFECTA. But what? It would seem people automatically place blame on Exposure. If people are seeing your listing online and choosing not to call you, Exposure is not your problem? Let me give you a scenario that may show why other areas need to be considered.

You are the PROUD owner of a 1992 Chevrolet Corsica. A fine piece of North American engineering. Since you bought it off the showroom floor you have babied it. Oil changes every 5,000km, brakes at the slightest hint of a pedal pulsation, new spark plugs each and every spring, fuel injector cleaner in every 4th tank of premium fuel. Nothing is too good for your baby. This time of year most people are leaning towards snow tires for their car, you wouldn't think of it because your sweet ride hibernates through the winter. Alas it is time to move on. A new minivan is calling. The twins changed everything. The scoundrel at the dealership told you your baby is worth $500 for trade, you almost puked. The Voltage Blue Metallic Clearcoat still glistens in the heat of a midday sun and highlights the FOR SALE sign posted in the window. To make it easy for people you even put the price right there on the sign. After weeks no one has called. You place signs at every corner within a 2km drive of your house announcing the availability of this classic road machine, nothing. Time to up the ante and place an ad in the paper.

1992 Chevy Corsica
Like new, under 100,000km
of summer driving. Call
Today to get this car
$22,500

I am sure you could always look at washing away your blues with some lemonade...


M

How Is Your House Branded?

Tell me, what's in the bag?

When we make our buying decisions we look to the familiarity of brands. We look to something that is tried, tested and true. Products and services become popularized only after a Maven has proven their worth. What is a Maven? Wikipedia tells us Malcolm Gladwell used the term in his book The Tipping Point (Little Brown, 2000) to describe those who are intense gatherers of information and impressions, and so are often the first to pick up on new or nascent trends.

We brought PropertyGuys.com here to the Waterloo Wellington area over 3 years ago. The Mavens have come and have been telling all their Connectors about us. Word has spread. People are talking about PropertyGuys.com.

How do buyers look at your home? Do they see a bloated balloon? Maybe they see indecision in that faded orange and black sign?

Branding your house, good or bad, could be the difference between selling and sitting. Katie Johnson knows:

[I'm] very impressed with PropertyGuys.com. They have a great brand and have firmly founded themselves outside of the expensive MLS world.

Katie Johnson
Kitchener ON
Sold Aug 2009

What are you doing to brand your home. Are you branding it properly? Are you passing on confidence of a brand to prospective buyers? One that speaks to them?

We are not just creating our brand through Connectors and Mavens. We are also getting word on to lips of others...



M

Give Us A Hug

Nothing says "I appreciate you" like a hug.

Standing on the porch is always exciting. Waiting there with a bottle of champagne in my hand. Trying to hide it behind me to help with the surprise. The SOLD sign has already been installed and the door bell has been rung. CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP The foot steps are making their way down the front hall. I can barely contain my smile. The door opens almost as wide as the arms...

Human kind shows their appreciation in all sorts of ways. A smile, a wink, pat on the back. I think the ultimate is a good old fashioned hug.

When I was first given the designation of PSP (Private Sale Professional) I never knew just how rewarding it would be. I knew that I would be helping people, but I never understood the unfathomed joy people would get from selling their own home.

Real estate agents talk about the joy they get from helping a client sell their home. If only they could imagine it with out the dollar signs.

Here is a little video of someone who understands the power of hugs.

M

Hey Mister...

If you have ever been to the Caribbean you know the beach peddler.

They claim to be the guy that has everything you need. Solve all your problems. Get you what you need. Sound familiar? I've had 5 clients say to me this week how surprised they were to learn how easy the process of selling their home was.

Imagine a trip to the beach and the peddler comes up and offers you sand. You are surrounded by it, you can feel it between your toes. All you need to do is lie down, yet the offer is there. "Hey mon, I get you some sand. Don't worry I'll only charge you $15,000 for da sand." Seem a little crazy?

I mean a trip to the beach could be worse...


M