I Know That's Not What You Wanted To Hear

This is a good group of lists  to review. Sometimes you have to make choices based on facts. This means the real facts not the things you want to hear. This list includes a lot of the different news pieces we have to impart so you are empowered to make the right choice.

 

 

I feel like so much of my time these days is giving bad news to good people! It's tough! Buyers and sellers are getting bad news from me. But honest news.

Short Sale Sellers are hearing:

• The home value is so low that they have to do a short sale
• The Short Sale "might" result in an income tax bill
• There is a sale date scheduled
• The buyer walked

Equity Sellers are hearing:

• The real value of their home, not what they wish it were
• The home down the street is listed 30% less because it is a short sale
• We have an offer, a lowball offer

Short Sale Buyers are hearing:

• It's going to take a few MONTHS to hear back from the bank
• The listing agent just got a higher offer and has sent that ALSO to the bank
• The short sale approval doesn't include temite, or past HOA dues, or Hazard Reports, or title fee, or escrow costs, or, or, or
• The approval is 20% higher than our offer
• The approval is for 15 days and if we don't close there is a per diem charge

Buyers of standard sale properties are hearing:

• Just because the home down the street is listed 30% lower than this one, it's most likely not going to sell for that price....it's a short sale/bank owned.
• The sellers chose not to counter your offer because it was too low
• The sellers countered your offer to include "as-is" language
• The sellers will not pay for termite work

Just some of the many bits of bad news I have to discuss every day. It's not fun....for any of us. And each time I have to deliver this type of information, I worry. People don't like to spend time with "downers" and I feel like one.

But it's the truth....the unvarnished truth.

The current real estate market is complicated. I requires care and attention to navigate the various aspect of writing offers and getting them accepted...and of course closed. My clients are responsible adults who do not need to be babied, certainly cared for, but not lied to. We need to deal with reality as it is.....lies, distortions and omissions do not help anyone. On my part they violate the fiduciary duty I have for my clients. My job is to give the facts to the best of my knowledge and then allow my clients to make decisions......even if that means they want to work with someone who tells them what they want to hear.

I'm never going to tell a buyer or seller what they want to hear.....I'm going to tell them the truth.

 

 

 Karen Fiddler
Broker/Associate
The Fiddler Realty Team/eVantage Real Estate
Lic # 01494165

www.SearchForOrangeCountyHomes.com

Serving all of Orange County, California Real Estate!
Buyer's Agents, Listing Agents, Short Sales, REOs, Equity Sales, Investors

SEARCH THE MLS HERE

Orange County Home Search 
Orange County Foreclosures
Orange County Short Sales
Buyer Information
Seller FAQs
Contact Us With Your Questions

 

Forget The Chevrolet Song

Looks like a tour of the country starts here on Active Rain with these bloggers. I follow a lot of them so the few I have missed I am I am going to add to my must follow list. Let me go get started adding them to my subscription list due to to the Krushka's high praise.

See The USA
In The "Rain" Each Day.


Every day on ActiveRain we can take journeys to all four corners of the US and Canada without ever leaving our home or office. The tours of these two great countries are available to us 24/7 regardless of time zones. Unlike TV travel shows the "Rain" tours aren't interrupted by commercials. Additionally, we "tour" all aspects of the real estate market including community profiles, market statistics, a wide variety of community events, unique businesses, etc. There is a virtually limitless supply and I can't list them all, but here are some from which I've learned a lot about our country and blogging techniques

• Southwestern landscapes are beautifully photographed by Mike Jones in Tucson, Arizona
• Mountain states home photos are regularly and generously included in community profiles by Tony and Darcy Cannon in Cedar City, Utah. Many of the elevations are quite different from colonial style homes we have in Virginia.
• Market reports with community profiles are the purview of Renee Burrows in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lee and Pamela St. Peter in Raleigh, North Carolina, Teri Eckholm in Anoka and Washington Counties, Minnesota and Jim Frimmer in San Diego, California
• California living has no better photographic ambassadors than William Johnson in San Diego and Myrl Jeffcoat in Sacramento
• Barns of rural America are guaranteed a long life by Rob Thomas in Bristol Tennessee/Virginia. I'm confident the best looking barns are on the Virginia side of his market area.
• Videos that set the standard are produced by Lynda Eisenmann in Brea, California, Cindy Edwards in Johnson City, Tennessee, Debb Janes in Clark County, Washington and Andrew Mooers in Houlton, Maine
• Business promotional posts are one of the highlights of posts by Rebecca Gaujot in Greenbrier County, West Virginia
• suburbs of NYC are shown very interestingly by Jennifer Fivelsdal in Rhinebeck, NY. I can visualize the Headless Horseman galloping past a frightened Ichabod Crane.
• Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC benefit from the community representation by Richard Iarossi in Crofton, MD
• Hyper-local community posts that have taught us how they should be written are the wok of Debe Maxwell in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Florida shines brightly in the community event posts by fellow Rotarians Toni Weidman in New Port Richey Florida and Silvia Dukes in Spring Hill, Florida
• Floral gardens are major tourist attractions in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania. We are fortunate that they are frequently toured and documented in photo posts by Roy Kelley in Gaithersburg, Maryland
• British Columbia is famous for its' scenery. If you doubt it look at posts by Li Read n British Columbia

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Kruschkas are long term Prince William County residents with 35 years experience as real estate brokers serving Woodbridge, Manassas, Dumfries, Manassas Park, Bristow, Brentsville, Gainesville and Haymarket.

Experience Isn’t Expensive – It’s PRICELESS

If you plan to buy or sell a Prince William County home or property contact Karen and Art by Email or call us at 703-499-9279. Put our record of customer service, real estate experience and state-of-the-art technology to work for you in Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Prince William County, Stafford County or the entire Northern Virginia Area.

So how do you celebrate a Birthday Weekend?

Selling Real Estate and the Art of Storytelling: adding narrative to your sales pitch!

A good story doesn't cost a thing...so what's your story?

Lets face it just about everyone enjoys a good story, even the potential buyers looking at your property for sale. In Hawaii we call it Talking Story which colloquially means both story telling and social conversation. When it comes to Real Estate Merchandising and Marketing, storytelling or in this case Story-SELLING is more than just anecdotal ice breakers or idle gossip but a highly evolved art of association that casts the potential buyer as the protagonist in the drama that is your property for sale. 

In the antiques and diamond selling business it's called provenance. Similar to a chain of title in Real Estate terms the provenance of a unique and valuable asset is the history of it's ownership from it's creation to it's current owner. Sometimes it is the very history of the object that closes the deal for the purchaser and not so surprisingly it is the emotional connection to the narrative that often motivates the purchase. Case in point the infamous Hope Diamond has an astonishing and storied provenance and a purportedly notorious curse. The large blue diamond was first introduced to Evelyn McClean, Washington socialite and owner of the Washington Post, by renowned French jeweler Pierre Cartier. Knowing the power of storytelling, Monsieur Cartier cleverly presented the diamond wrapped in paper and did not reveal the stone until he told it's storied and colorful past, at which point Mrs. McClean demanded to see it. Although, Cartier did not make the sale that day, Mrs. McClean did purchase the legendary gem shortly there after and it is said she did so largely because of it's story and curse.

 

Ok so your property is more diamond in the rough than big bling. No worries, not all properties for sale have an interesting back-story with famous inhabitants, scandalous events, or momentous occasions but you would be surprised to find out just how many actually do. All you need to do is little research and you might be pleasantly pleased by some of the interesting gems of local history and colorful characters that potential buyers are eager to hear about, giving some "personality" to your property for sale. Start with the chain of title and go from there, the more flesh and blood details the more interesting the brick and mortar. Ask neighbors and long time residents what they know of the property, they often are eager to share what they have witnessed and heard especially if it's interesting or even better scandalous. 

 

Talking story to potential buyers can instantly push the purchase potential from luke warm to hot to trot and the reasoning behind this is: consumers like to feel emotionally connected to their environments. If you have ever walked into a home that is several hundred years or older there is often a revelation of the humanity associated with the space and the many generations that have lived there. It is here that the story teller turns wear and tear into nostalgia; an empty room into the birth place of a dynasty; a dank basement into a former speakeasy; and a cool consumer into a burning buyer. The narrative should of course be truthful but it doesn't have to include famous people, major events, or end happily for that matter. It just has to convey emotion in a way that is relatable to the buyer. Granted you will probably want to leave certain information as a discreet disclosure as necessary. It doesn't take a Stephen King to know that horror as a genre may sell movies and books but not necessarily homes, obviously discretion should be used.

 

So how do you create a narrative for your property for sale? Find out who designed and built the property; who's owned it; was the property used for purposes other than what it was intended; were special events held there i.e. weddings, party's, civic meetings, musical performances, movies filmed, etc. Did anyone famous "sleep" there. When showing the property to potential buyers use it's features and details in the story itself and include the buyer too; So and so used this room to write their memoirs aren't you writing a book? What elements of the property were specifically created to meet the needs of it's inhabitant. i.e. the original owner had polio so he built the in-ground pool, the first in the neighborhood. Just about everything and anything can be woven into an informative and interesting story giving your property for sale a life of it's own; ready to embrace a new chapter and buyer.

and the story continues... Selling Real Estate and the Art of Storytelling: adding narrative to your sales pitch!

Website : WaikikiRealEstateProfessionals.com

NEW TELEPHONE NUMBER (808) 927 9162

  E-mail : JDSDecorDesign@aol.com

My very first Active Rain post from almost three years ago!

"I like the concepts of "Clouds" on Twitter. The top ten tools or things you are doing in your business is an interesting "Cloud." Here are mine:

 FlipVideo, Fujitsu ScanSnap, Private Facebook Groups , Snag It, Buffini Pop Bys, Kindle, Twitter Hashtags         #somdbrokeropen or #komenboardwalkathon or #somdhousetour   MozyPro,  Photodex, VSO Image Resizer, PDF Annotator"

Okay, that was the whole two sentences worth of my first Active Rain post.. I hope your mind did not wander.

Oh Boy.

I had to reread it a few times to understand and remember what I even meant.

I have been reading post suggestions on blogging ideas recently. It stood out to me the number of times rewriting an old post has been mentioned. 

So I figured the beginning was a good place to start.

I kind of think my first post is beyond redemption. But for the heck of it, here are my top ten tools or products off the top of my head when you fast forward to today. I am not going to peep at the ten I picked way back then a blogging century ago.

TODAY...I REALLY like these Tech Tools as of Feb 2012....

Imagine a pretty cloud of this from Wordle....

IPAD ( gee, who would guess that?) apps,apps,apps, Fujitsu ScanSnap Scanner, Snagit, New Wordpress Blog, New IDX, NEW Mac Laptop ( no more Queen of Crash), Docusign, Evernote, Top Producer new Mobile 8i, and the iPhone. I guess I was a closet MAC Gal who now is kicking with Apple Products after that first iPAD bite of the Apple.

You'll Retrieve Golden Results with Cheryl Ritchie, RE/MAX 100, for all your Southern Maryland Real Estate Services. Visit www.GoldenResults.com for more information.

Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County- 4 Things to Do BEFORE Your Staging Consultation...

Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County- 4 Things To Do BEFORE Your Home Staging Consultation.  (and 4 Bonus “Don’ts)

Congratulations, you are taking the right steps you need to take to help get your home sold.  Investing in a Home staging consultation will give you the tools and information you need to prepare your home for sale.

To help you make the best use of your time with your professional home stager, here are 4 things YOU can do before your Home Stager arrives:

1.  Step outside the front door of your home.. take a few Yoga breaths... then open the door and step back in.  Only now.. tell yourself that this is a house that you are soon going to market. From this point on you want to look at your house as something you are marketing for sale.

2.  Remove all distractions... if you have young children at home that will need your attention, enlist a relative or your babysitter for the few hours that the stager is with you.  
          The same can be said for your pets.  It’s hard to concentrate when your dog is demanding your attention.

3.  Allow for time.  Most staging consultations can take about 2 hours, sometimes more depending upon the size and condition of your house.  Neither one of us wants to feel rushed.

4.  We don’t need you to pack everything up before we come but help us see what we have to work with.  Laundry that needs folding, dishes in the sink, personal papers on your desk and counter tops will only take up your consultation time as we try to see what’s under everything.

And now.... 4 Things NOT to DO

5.  Put the Paint Brush DOWN!  You’re hiring a Stager to give you their expertise on how you can best prepare your home.   Painting everything white or painting the exterior of your house a fresh bright blue color will only add to your expense when we suggest you repaint.

6. Just for now... put the staging and design cable shows you’ve been watching on the back burner.  These shows have been helpful in educating the public on the need to prepare your house to sell; but the reality show is in your home not on television.

7. DON’T give everything away.... yet.  Let us see what furniture and accessories you have and what we can use. Tell your children, neighbor or relatives they’ll have to wait until after the house sells for that piece they’ve been wanting for their home.

8. If you want support during the consultation for note taking or to lend another ear.. that’s ok but make sure they understand that you want to hear what the Home Stager has to say.  Every time they open their mouth to tell me what they know from watching HGTV is costing you money.

Enjoy Your Home Staging Consultation!

 

 

Check out my about.me profile!

Room Service! Home Staging
Palm Beach County Home Stager

561-914-6224   Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

                     

                                   

 

 

 

10 REASONS NOT TO STAGE YOUR HOME

1.  We want to test the market for 90 days.  And on the 91st day?  Price reduction--and 90 days worth of potential buyers who have already eliminated your property. 

2.  It costs too much money.  I have never seen a home where the staging costs would have exceeded the first price reduction.  And that doesn't even factor in the monthly carrying cost of the home. 

3.  We can't stage the house, we're living in it.  One common misconception is that staging is only for vacant homes.  Every home/condo can be staged, and you can actually live in it after staging.   

4.  We didn't have to stage any of the other properties we sold over the years.  Yes, once upon a time you could generate three offers by 5 p.m. on the same day your Realtor put the For Sale sign in your yard.  Not now.  Buyers are picky and they have a lot of homes to choose from. 

5.  Everyone loves our house so buyers will love it, too.   What you, your friends and relatives love about your house may not be what today's buyer wants.  Sellers are often baffled by the feedback they get after showings--amazed that buyers have found things they don't like about the property. 

6. We can clean the carpets and declutter without someone telling us how.  Yes, you can (and should) do this, but it is a tiny piece of staging.  Do you know what separates  "clutter" from "asset"?  And what about all the other things that staging encompasses, like traffic flows, highlighting architectural features, updating, and appealing to your target market?

7.  We have no desire to remove/change our _______________ (wallpaper/mirrored tile/gold faucets/paneling/dated light fixtures . . .).  And neither do buyers.  Better to keep your home or be ready to sell at a deep discount. 

8.  The view alone will sell this place.  Then why many months later are these great view homes/condos still on the market?  Could it be that buyers want something to go with the view--like a comfortable, move-in ready home?

9.  We would rather let the buyers makes their own paint/flooring choices.  And that equals a price reduction.  If buyers do make an offer on your home they will double or triple the cost of these items and reflect that in their discounted offer price--which includes a deduction for the inconvenience. 

10. Our home is professionally decorated.  A professionally decorated home is tailored to the owner's particular needs.  Does it work for the new buyer's needs?  You could see #1 above . . . .

These are all great reasons--

• for price reductions
• for extended time on the market
• for buyers not coming to look at your home
• for buyers not coming back for a second look

There are dozens of reasons not to stage, but only one good reason to stage--getting your home sold faster for the highest possible price.  Staging is preparing your home for sale and creating a home that buyers want to buy.  If you want to be in the best competitive position in this market today, consult with a professional home stager before listing your property for sale. 

 

 

 

 

When you say , "It's Monday, Realtors hear..."

For the Sake of Negotiating... Oh How Much Fun It Is to Ride

For the sake of Negotiating..... Lessons of Feet Dragging - yes, even in a Buyer's Market.

So, I've experienced the Lessons of Feet Dragging, Negotiating and Dragging just for the sake of Negotiating. It is not fun to witness buyers wanting to haggle just for the sake of haggling.

In the end, when the counter offer is not accepted and a new offer is introduced into the picture, it would be very disappointing when you lose the house, the house you've been talking about and the house you've been spending your time visualizing in.

So many times I wonder why buyers cant be serious? What could $2,000 mean in a $200K transaction or better yet, $2000 in a $500K transaction? Is it worth haggling?

ABSOLUTELY NOT! After evaluating the pros and cons of going back to the sellers for a tiny pricehaggle, in the grand scheme of things, it will not make a small pinch in the monthly payment,

WHY OH WHY DO YOU RISK ANOTHER OFFER COMING INTO THE PICTURE?

Do you know until it's signed and executed, you - the buyer is still vulnerable and that you have not secured anything yet.

And agents, don't come back to tell me how your clients will now pay the price they originally agreed on. It may be too late. The seller may have signed and executed the other offer. The seller may be upset about the haggle, the seller wants to deal with the other non-haggling buyer.

I've personally experienced 2 back-to-back negotiations where buyers lost because of Negotiation for the sake of Haggling.

 

---

CALL TODAY (214) 783-2210 Loreena Yeo lives, plays and works in Frisco TX since 2000. Owner/ Broker of 3:16 team REALTY - a local Real Estate Company. Moving to Frisco TX? The UNOFFICIAL Ambassador of Frisco TX. Search Frisco TX homes now. Position you to become an informed, ready Frisco TX home buyer. Find out how Loreena sells homes in 1/3 of time than the average local Realtor®. Be an informed real estate consumer in Frisco TX. Read raving fans' reviews. Connect via Social Media:

Content & Photography Copyright © 2012 by Loreena Yeo (3:16 team REALTY)
For the Sake of Negotiating... Oh How Much Fun It Is to Ride

Creating a Looping Video Slideshow Display

Whether you’re a real estate agent or other small business owner, you may find yourself needing to play a slideshow on a display for potential clients.  Maybe it’s for a tradeshow or maybe it’s for the walls of your office to play a loop of current ‘for sale’ homes.

Whatever your needs, ProShow slideshow tools make it easy to create custom, looping displays you can play anywhere on any screen.

Here are some tips to get you on the road to making a professional and polished video for your display.

1. Go Widescreen:  Pretty much all displays now-a-days are widescreen. Make sure that when you’re setting up your slideshow in ProShow, or any other slideshow tool, that you have the show size set to Widescreen rather than 4:3. In ProShow, you can find this under Show Options > Show Settings > Aspect Ratio. 

2. Keep it Simple:  When making a slideshow for a display where people will be walking past or viewing in passing, keeping the visuals simple is the best way to go. Yes, many modern slideshow applications have all sorts of cool effects and animations built-in but control yourself!  J  The end goal is to show off your listing. So, simple zooms, crossfade transitions and easy-to-read captions (try to avoid a script font since it’s hard to read from a few feet away) are the best way to go.

3. Audio and Soundtrack Considerations:  Usually a low volume soundtrack (that can be muted if need be) in the background of your slideshow is the best way to go. If you’re depending on a voiceover to help sell your product, you could run into trouble. People at busy events normally spend just a few minutes observing your booth or display so a voiceover explanation of your product or service just won’t have time to catch their attention and convey your message.

4. Loop It: In an office, tradeshow booth or window display you’ll want to make sure your video is able to loop. The easiest way to make your video loop in ProShow is to add a menu and include the option to ‘loop show’. You’ll see the loop option for any type of menu you create. Many TV’s also allow you to manually loop a video through the TV’s menu.

5. Output Format and Quality: What type of display will you be presenting your slideshow on?  A flat screen TV? A projector? Whatever your method of display, you’ll want to output an HD video to get the best quality possible. For the best results, burn a Blu-ray disc of your slideshow and playback on a Blu-ray player or Playstation 3.

Don’t have a Blu-ray burner? Create a 1080p HD MPEG 2 video and hook up a laptop to play the video directly from your laptop to the HDTV screen.  Of course before hand, test playback to make sure everything looks perfect and you have all the right components, wires and parts you need to make it happen!

So there are some of my top tips for creating and displaying a photo slideshow at your next event or for your office. If you're looking for a great slideshow tool, check out ProShow. It's free to try and creates professional video slideshows.