It's Thanksgiving Day week & already I'm feeling the rush of the upcoming season.  This past weekend was all about helping out with fundraisers for our church youth ministry--several hours on Saturday evening & all day yesterday.  The events were highly successful but I felt every one of my years.  Next weekend promises to be more of the same--another big event on Sunday.  I'm not complaining however.  The exhaustion I feel is gratifying because something good came of it---much needed funds to help out our young people (and future) at church; I especially like helping our enthusiastic youth minister, who doesn't ask more than what she herself gives.  Being able to help her & the ministry is a huge blessing.  So, among my many thanks this Thursday will be one for the opportunity to serve until it hurts (literally)! 

The city of Pembroke Pines, Fl in Southeast Florida was recently named among the best for raising a family as reported in the Sun-Sentinel on 11/19/09.  Following is the article:

Pines is top place to raise your kids

Pembroke Pines has been named one of the best places in the country to raise children by Business Week magazine.  Tamarac & Sunrise were runners up. The city was noted for its low crime, the Pembroke Lakes Mall and schools.  "It is a selling point for the city," said Commissioner Iris Siple. The results, released this week, were based on an analysis of affordability, safety, and school test scores.  The cities considered for the list had populations above 45,000 and median incomes between $40,000 and $125,000.

A couple of weeks ago, I read on the internet a somewhat contrarian view about the 1st time homebuyer credit of up to $8K. The author of the piece opined that the credit was ill-advised, in effect it provides a credit to buyers that would have bought property anyway, regardless of the credit.  The author went on to say that the credit simply inflated the price of realty, much like the mortgage interest deduction & the capital gains' exclusion.  Caught up in the day-to-day details of the business, I had never stopped to consider how the government's initiatives impact the ultimate price of the housing stock in this country.  Any other views?

Here's another article from my upcoming newsletter...enjoy!

Buyers

  This is ‘crunch time' for many buyers who have been waiting to buy a home. Many are very eager to see properties & spend time sending listings to area realtors.  However, it's important for these consumers to remain focused on the fundamentals.  Before going to see properties and/or asking a realtor to check on a property, buyers should ask themselves the following questions:

•           Money: Do I have enough for the down payment & closing costs?  How much will I need for the property & location I want/need?

 •         Credit: Has the financing been lined up? Do I have the credit ability to make an offer & close on a deal? 

 •         Flexibility: Am I willing to compromise on some features and/or  the property's location? Can I pay more to get what I really want?

Location & home condition are generally predicated on the price.  If the buyer's budget is unrealistically low, there will have to be significant compromise(s) on location and/or condition (including size) of the property for a sale to take place.  However, if the price is adequate, financing has been lined up & the buyer has realistic expectations, then the probability of success is greatly increased. 

 Here's an article from my upcoming newsletter:

Listing during Holiday Season

  Homeowners planning on selling their properties soon have many decisions to make.  Chief among these decisions is when to list the property.  There is a natural tendency to put off the actual property listing until sometime ‘after the holidays'.  But there are compelling reasons to list right before & during the season that could prove advantageous to home sellers, as follow:

 •·         Less Competition: Since other home owners may be waiting until the new year to list, homes already on the market have the field all to themselves;

 •·         Serious Buyers: Serious buyers don't quit looking because of the holidays.  Relocated employees that have to be in place by the new year, in particular, look & buy during the season;

 •·         Moving Companies:  By selling in the last or first quarter of the year, it may be much easier to schedule the move with the moving company because this is considered the moving industry's ‘slow' time of the year;

 •·         Holiday Beauty: Many homes look their best during this time of year because of the seasonal decorations.  Why not take advantage of that beauty to show off the home?

Yesterday, I co-hosted a garage sale to benefit the youth group at my church.  I was at the church at 6am & didn't leave until 3:15p.  What struck me was how few buyers were out there.  We had 200 vendors, great location & yet, no early birds to speak of & more sellers than buyers throughout the day.  We made a few hundred dollars but we had a lot of inventory & ruthlessly slashed prices to move the stuff as the day wore on.  I was reminded, anew why I vowed 2 years ago to never again do or participate in another garage sale.  It's a tremendous amount of work for a relatively low reward.  Nonetheless, the idea that you can make some money from getting rid of your discards is hard to die. 

The dearth of buyers, however, told me that Craigslist & ebay & possibily the recession have significantly eroded the buyer pool.  I guess getting up early on a Saturday to score some deals isn't as exciting as checking Craigslist or ebay for deals.  I notice that I don't see as many garage sales as I used to.  Too bad. I've always enjoyed visiting garage sales, especially when my daughter was very young & I could find toys or clothing that she'd use.  Another sign of the times.

I hate returning anything---it's the thought of it, really, more than the actual act.  With the cost of living, however, I can't justify not returning merchandise that proves defective.  Happily for the consumer, retailers & technology have greatly simplified the process.

The other day, I returned a steam mop that I purchased 2 months ago & that I thought I'd have for a few years.  As luck would have it, I couldn't find the receipt for it but, uncharacteristically, I had kept the box.  All I did was walk in, go to the counter & returned the item with no hassles whatsoever.  Bed Bath & Beyond has my loyalty & business going forward!!!

I've heard of realtors who simply give out showing codes & instructions to their clients and send them, unaccompanied, to see properties but until this year, I hadn't experienced it with any of my listings.  Earlier this year, a single family listing I had in Pembroke Pines, Fl. was under contract.  The list agent's wife gave the prospective buyers the code to the lockbox so they could see the house once again (note to self: once it's 'pending', remove keys from lockbox).  The neighbors called me, quite upset, to tell me that the prospective buyers were at the house washing their car!  I rushed over to the listing & sure enough the buyers were inside looking over the premises alone (they had been testing the water spigot).  I asked them for the house keys & made sure they left.  Within 2 hours, I had a locksmith at the house re-keying the place, I'd managed to placate the neighbors & informed the buyer's agent that I expected to be reimbursed by him for the $200 cost for re-keying the place (I was). 

Yesterday, something similar happened:  the owner of one of my rental listings called to tell me that a lady came by the house to see it, unaccompanied. Her husband had seen the property the previous day with their realtor & now she wanted to see it.  My client was perplexed about why the realtor wasn't with this lady.  I told him that he doesn't have to show the property to anyone that shows up without professional representation. 

I can understand not wanting to spend time showing other agents' rental listings or re-showing properties to the same people.  But isn't that the job?  

Here it is! 

ENJOY THE SOUTH FLORIDA LIFESTYLE IN THIS WELL-MAINTAINED HOME LOCATED IN ONE OF THE BEST SUBDIVISIONS IN PLANTATION.  LAKE VIEW. TILED THROUGHOUT, AMPLE CLOSET SPACE, ONE CAR GARAGE, FULL-SIZE WASHER & DRYER.  NEAR SHOPPING, SCHOOLS, MEDICAL, HIGHWAYS, MIAMI & FT. LAUDERDALE.  

In September, I've been revamping my online presence, ordering new business cards, changing MLS boards, etc. & reviewing the past 8 months. I've realized that there are many time sappers out there--you know what I mean: busywork that I should either not deal with or delegate; going out with, at the time, real buyers only to learn that there isn't the urgency to buy that I initially thought. Those 'buyers' really sap my time & energy so I need to find my voice & simply refer these folks to someone else. I'm recommitting my scarce time to truly productive (as in generating new business) activities. It's easy to get away from the important tasks of the day but it ends now--it's back to industry fundamentals for me!