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Lola Audu is one of the most insightful, caring articulate Leaders our industry has! These words speak volumes about the future of the directions needed for our industry!
I hope you enjoy her post!
~ Jay Via Lola Audu~Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI Real Estate:
 What does leadership require? In an profession rocked by unprecedented upheaval, the importance of a good leader cannot be overestimated. In May, I attended the Real Trends Leadership Conference in Dallas. I was struck by how often the topic of visionary leadership was noted as being the single most important predictive factor for surviving the current chaos being experienced in the real estate industry.
A google search on the topic yields over 314 MILLION results! This is definitely a hot topic in. It is also a recognition that the role of leaders has changed significantly in response to the increased complexity of issues that we face as local and global communities.
At the top of the search heap was a link to an article by Lead2XL According to the author, Mitch McCrimmon,
"Our definition of leadership needs to change for a knowledge driven world that is no longer rigidly hierachical, stable or static but one that is fluid, fast changing and less formally structured."
So, what does this mean? According to McCrimmon, leadership involves the ability to influence, to promote, provide vision and to engage thought capital. Leadership is no longer a static entity based on the traditions of position based authority nor is it limited to the people 'at the top.'
What's at Stake...
The Grand Rapids Association of Realtors® is about to begin the process of selecting leaders again. These new directors will be tasked with carrying forward the vision that move us into the future. A responsibility of true significance. Recently a group of individuals met together to brain storm about the type of leadership that our association needs at this time. The discussion did not initially center on names or personalities... rather, it focused on ideas, character traits and vision. Through this sieve, several critical definers began to emerge.
What Will 21st Century Leadership Require...
We recognize that leaders in our association will require the humility to learn and lead. The willingness to communicate with transparency and the courage to change course when necessary. We need leaders who are curious and committed. Individuals who have a passion to serve and are willing to engage. Leaders who are willing to tackle difficult issues with tact and perseverance along with a recognition that the diversity of ideas and viewpoints ultimately strengthens the final decision.
Leading Through Tumultuous Times...
 Last year, I was appointed to serve as a Director on the Board of our association and then subsequently elected to the position of President-Elect. Serving our members during this tumultuous period has included radical redefinitions of our marketplace through short sales and foreclosures, engaging a consultant to advise on the implications of changes in our industry, facing the reality of having to significantly upgrade our educational offerings and tackling the process of converting/merging our MLS system to create a more unified and regional database of information.
Through this process, I am reminded of the bravery of the small band of settlers that made the shores of the New England coastline their homestead in the 17th century. They faced the unsettling task of dealing with unpredictable elements that also threatened their prospects of survival. Not entirely unlike some of the challenges faced in the real estate industry today. Due to the ferocity of the tumultous storms, they fashioned a home which could withstand gale force winds...a home style commonly known as the Cape Cod Style Home.
Lessons from the Cape Cod on Servant Leadership...
The Cape Cod was not a fancy house. It was usually only one story and had a hearth at the center. The shingles outside the windows were not decorative, but were meant to be pulled over the windows to protect against the wind. The steep roof allowed for adequate run-off and the small roof overhang added stability and security to the structure.
In some ways, that's how I view the task ahead. We need leaders who appreciate that serving is a calling to servant leadership. It's not a fancy task and may sometimes be a thankless one. An acronym for the world CAPE provides a base foundation for the issues which I think are important as we chart a course for the future. These include:
C ~ Community; the hearth as a gathering place symbolizes a recognition that we need to encourage the formation of strong relationships amongst our association members and to support the growth of communities and neighborhoods in the areas we serve. This is where our strength lies...we need to support each other and respect and encourage the core strengths inherent in our diversity.
A ~ Awareness; early settlers lived and thrived because they were attuned to the the changing dynamics of their environment and linked forces together. We need to be more proactive in engaging other sectors of our real estate industry and overall commercial sectors to pool resources, creative energy and expand opportunities.
P ~ Profitablity; directly related to Productivity. In an era in which we are seeing profits dry up and productivity per agent take a nose dive, we need to address issue of professionalism and open up frank discussion about what will be required to ensure that we have an industry which can adequately support the welfare of those it employs.
E ~ Education; in a world that is rapidly changing, standing still is going backwards. The early settlers learned to adapt to their environment and even today, the Cape Code Style home continues to evolve. As a real estate community, we must recognize that a new set of knowledge tools will be vital to success in the future.
I'm excited about the possibilities that will emerge for all who are willing to take up the challenge. In the final analysis, we are all leaders and every contribution has an impact. I'd like to encourage you to ponder the possibilities.... If this calling speaks to you, please volunteer to lead as a director or in the future in other capacities. You are important. We need your presence at the table!
Lola Audu, is the Designated Broker & Owner of Audu Real Estate. Our company specializes in helping people buy and sell homes in the greater Grand Rapids, West Michigan area. We've had the privilege of helping hundreds of clients succeed in their goals of purchasing and selling property including demonstrated success in the negotiation of Short Sale Transactions. You can contact us via e-mail @ info@auduhomes.com or by phone at 616-791-0511.
  
This is a great article about limitation Realtors have in advertising property. Leesa Finley does an awesome job of laying out the basics of the Federal Fair Housing Act
--Jay
Via Leesa L. Finley, REALTOR®/RE Strategist Wake Forest NC Real Estate and Area Info (Circa Properties - Your Wake Forest NC Homes Specialist):
Dear Seller - I Know Your Home is Family Friendly But I Just Can't Say That
While your home may be prefect for a large family, in a quiet, family neighborhood and right  across the street from the Catholic church I just can't say that. Your home may be right in the middle of the financial district, near public transportation and have a free membership to the gym making it ideal for a working professional but I just can't say that.
You see, there is the Federal Fair Housing Act that I must adhere to that strictly prohibits discriminatory preference against:
- Race or Color
- National Origin
- Religion
- Sex
- Familial Status
- Handicap/Disability
To advertise your home in a family friendly neighborhood would be discriminatory. Why? It would discourage those without children from looking at your home based on familial status. While your home may be right across the street from the largest Catholic church in town it would be discriminatory based on Religion.
As a Realtor® it is my job to highlight your home and advertise it in the best possible light. If you hire me to be your Realtor® then you must be comfortable with me and trust that I know how to advertise your home without violating the Federal Fair Housing Act. If you DON'T hire me, or any Realtor® for that matter, to assist you in selling your home you must know that you are subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act as well. Yes, even as a private seller!
The next time you see the ad that I run for your home please don't be upset with me for not mentioning that your home is family friendly or right next door to the Synagogue. Besides, your home has many more beneficial attributes for me to concentrate on!
     
Whether you are buying or selling Real Estate in Wake Forest NC it just makes sense to use a Realtor® that knows the area! I live here, work here and play here - I call Wake Forest NC home! For more information regarding Wake Forest NC be sure to visit my websites:
- Leesa Finley - Homes for Sale in Wake Forest NC, Wake Forest NC schools, restaurants, shops, entertainment and MORE....
- Circa Properties - My company website with information for the entire Raleigh NC area including Cary, Apex, Garner, Franklinton, Youngsville, Holly Springs and MORE....
Here is an article that I was turned on to by my friends The KCM Crew. If you are thinking about using an FHA Loan to buy a home, you should do it sooner than later.
---Jay
FHA Set to Reduce Closing Cost Assistance This Summer
by Jon Prior of HousingWire.com
The real estate industry is still waiting to see how the market will adjust after the expiration of the first-time homebuyer tax credit, but more consumer incentives are about to be cut, this time from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
The FHA will reduce allowable seller concessions — the percentage sellers can take from the sales price of a home to fund closing costs — from 6% to 3%. According to an announcement in January, the current level of 6% exposes the FHA to excess risk by creating incentives for appraisers to increase the value of these homes. The change will take place in “early summer,” according to the FHA, but a spokesperson said no specific date has been set.
The closing costs include fees for origination, attorneys, appraisal and inspections, title search, title insurance, credit reports, and more. Down payment assistance is not included as a closing cost.
Anthony Askowitz, broker and owner of RE/MAX Advance Realty II in Miami, Florida, said the FHA 6% level was also a big incentive to homebuyers looking for reasons to buy a home after the tax credit expired.
Askowitz said on a $100,000 house, 6% is $6,000, which is one way of overcoming the tax credit expiration going forward. He said he is seeing some sellers offering an $8,000 credit to new homebuyers, especially for homes that have been on the market for an extended period of time.
“I think the seller is going to be much more apt to agree to a seller contribution in order to get it sold. Being creative, there are other ways to do it, other than the government doing it,” Askowitz said.
Write to Jon Prior.
I happened upon an article today about an area family who had decided to raise chickens and they were told by the municipality's zoning department that chickens were not allowed. Now while, I don't think I would want the responsibility of every day feeding, tending and whatever else you have to do to take care of chickens; I am awed by someone who wishes to take this on.
Contained in this article was a link to an earlier article about another family, who, too, were raising chickens (I think this makes articles about three different families). One line in article, with a cute picture of one kids and one of the three hens, really set me off.
It had nothing to do with chickens!!!
It was about the City's Chief Building Official not wanting to be in a position to have to make a decision!
Here's what was said:
"As currently written, (the code) gives me the latitude to stipulate the conditions (for keeping
chickens). WE'RE NOT REAL COMFORTABLE WITH THAT FLEXIBILITY."
I just don't get it...HE IS PAID to make these decisions!! If he wants to have the zoning ordinance to be that specific the he can be replaced with a $10/hour person. This person could read the law and then say, "Sorry, but the books says....NO!"
Have we truly gotten to the point where a bureaucrat can't or won't use his God given talents to make a decision?
This is a great blog post about business liability of its staff. I thank Lenn Harley of Homefinders.com for work. Via Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate:
LAWS ABOUT THE USE OF CELL PHONES, TEXTING and BROKER LIABILITY.
BE RISK AVERSE. Folks who know me know that I am very risk averse. That said, we can't live in a cocoon and we can't eliminate all risk to ourselves or our businesses. We can, however, take affirmative steps to limit liability.
This post inspired by June Lewis who wrote a thoughtful article today on this timely subject. 
THE MATTER OF "DISTRACTED RESTRICTIONS" WHEN DRIVING. This subject came to my attention several years ago. Granted, it was prior to the introduction of texting. However, I believe that the risk to real estate brokers when an agent is texting is the same as an agent using a cell phone while on real estate business.
- Cooley Godward, a Virginia-based law firm, was slapped with a $30 million wrongful death suit where an employee of theirs was conducting business on her cell phone when she struck and killed a fifteen-year-old boy with her car.
A good article about this matter can be found at Employers Guide to Cell Phone.
When I read about the Gooley Goodward case in Virginia, I contacted my attorney and, after consultation, we decided that, in order to limit broker liability, which would be similar to the law firm liability in the Cooley case, Homefinders.com would implement a BROKER POLICY to the effect that Independent Contractors who were agents of the brokerage would acknowledge receipt of a NOTICE that it was broker policy that agents would not use cell phones while driving.
Agents signed the acknowledgment letter and it was kept in their employee file.
I could not control agents' use of their cell phone while driving. However, implementation of the broker policy served several purposes.
- It made agents more aware of the dangers of talking on the cell phone while driving.
- It gave some protection to my real estate brokerage and myself as the broker.
WE ARE ALL AN "ACCIDENT ABOUT TO HAPPEN". To this day, I do not talk on my cell while driving. Calls go to my 800# and I check messages regularly. If I make an outgoing call on my cell while in my vehicle, I first pull over to a safe place. That said, I understand well the pressure for agents to be connected while on the road. Agents on my network are usually anxious to answer a call from me because they know it's important. I'm usually calling with a buyer referral. However, I still would not encourage them to answer a call while driving. With a "HANDS FREE" device, voice activated agents may have a margin of safety. However, law enforcement folks claim that simple talking is distracting. I don't have an answer for that, or anything else for that matter. I would just like to raise the awareness of the subject for my ActiveRain friends. When an agent doesn't answer, I assume that they are driving and wait a reasonable time before calling another agent to make the referral.
"Hey, let's be careful out there." Sergeant Phil Esterhaus, Hill Street Blues.
Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.
I found the following post very interesting....unfortunately those who NEED to be reading aren't because they are not using social media. Via Michelle Minch Home Staging Los Angeles & Pasadena, CA (Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA):
I was reading a post about Google & SEO on WebProNews when I saw a link to a story about the Pope using social media The Pope Urges Priest to Get On The Blogsphere.
I learned the Pope has a FaceBook app (application), a Vatican YouTube Channel, a website P2Y (Pope To You) and an iPhone app (available in 8 languages). I was unable to find Pope Benedict XVI on Twitter (at least not the real Pope) but I'm sure we will see it soon.
I'm not Catholic, nor particularly religious. But with all due respect, Pope Benedict XVI has got it going on when it comes to social media.
Pope Benedict XVI is nearly 83 years old. He is the leader (you could say Chief Executive Officer) of one of the oldest, most well known and respected, and arguably, one of the most conservative organizations in the world. An he is urging priests to embrace social media in order to spread thier message.
Here's an excerpt from the Pope's speech for World Communications Day:
'The spread of multimedia communications and its rich "menu of options" might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web, or to see it only as a space to be filled. Yet priests can rightly be expected to be present in the world of digital communications as faithful witnesses to the Gospel, exercising their proper role as leaders of communities which increasingly express themselves with the different "voices" provided by the digital marketplace. Priests are thus challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources (images, videos, animated features, blogs, websites) which, alongside traditional means, can open up broad new vistas for dialogue, evangelization and catechesis.'
Not that the Pope needs my vote of confidence, but I think his embracement of social media is brilliant.
What does this have to do with real estate?
I frequently meet real estate professionals who say "I've sold houses for X years the old fashioned way, and I see no reason to change now" or "All that social media stuff is just a fad that will fade away. I don't see a reason to put any effort into it". The Catholic Church was doing things "the old fashioned way" for a whole lot longer, and they've seen fit to incorporate social media into their outreach program. I wonder if the anti-social media crowd understands all the missed opportunities their head-in-the-sand stance costs them.
I'm active on Twitter and Facebook, and I have gotten jobs because of that. My social media activity is introducing me to a much larger sphere of potential clients. I got a home staging job a few months ago, just because I was active on Twitter. The clients found me on Twitter and hired me because I was on Twitter (They were in their early 30's and worked for Google).
The Pope has decided that the best way to reach the people he wants to reach is to employ both traditional and "the latest generation of audiovisual resources". Because of that he is able to reach out to many more people, not just people who do things the traditional way.
We should all be taking a page from the Vatican's social media playbook. If you're not doing so already, start embracing the Internet and social media to get your message to the people you want to reach - potential clients.
Photo Credit: Sam Herd on Flickr
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2010 RESA Professional Stager of the Year
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price. She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
Click here to see our Los Angeles home staging portfolio
Click here to go to our Los Angeles home staging blog
Click here for more information about home staging in Los Angeles and how we can help sell your home faster and for the best price
 
Here I sit in Grand Rapids, Michigan and it is one of the Chamber of Commerce days. You know the type - the sun is bright, the sky blue with little wisps of white clouds dashed in for effect and the tempurature are awesome.
I was thinking that today is a great day for someone to participate in the real estate market. One of the comments I keep hearing is "I am waiting to make sure we are at the bottom of the market".
I am glad to say, It appears that we have passed it! First let's go back to the fall on 2008. Both the University of Michigan and an Economist from Comerica Bank said that we, West Michigan, would start its' recovery in about a year. GUESS WHAT FOLKS, IT'S BEEN ABOUT YEAR!!
Just in the last several days, Ford reported an increase in sales for the first time in two years. The office furniture index is showing improvement. It was announced yesterday that Michigan firms will divide up $1 Billion to make Electric cars and batteries. Homes sales in the Grand Rapids Area are up for the sixth straigh month. Nationally the home sales are up for the fifth straight month.
All of this is great news! What I think it means is that we have reached the bottom. Interest rates, while still are great, are starting to creep up. Homes are getting multiple offers and in some cases over the list price - one of our clients won out by a single dollar!!!
This tells me that the gap between the listing price and the actual sold price will be closing. Great deals are still out there.
If you don't get in now your are almost about ready to lose $8,000 automatically. The first time home buyer tax credit is set to expire November 30th. The house has to close by then. It may take 45 to 60 days from the date of an accepted offer to close - so you should have an accepted offer no later than the end of September. It may take a while to find a home that you like - you need to get looking now. You don't want to miss that money if you are entitled to it.
Even if you are not a first time home buyer and you have a house to sell; maybe it would be home to be bought by a first timer. I guessing that they will take a break from the market until February or so. They will have missed the $8,000 tax credit and wait to see what, if anything, the government will do to help them.
Get out there and start participating in the real estate market. It's a beautiful day to do real estate!!!!
This is the shore of Lake Michigan like Kid Rock talks about in his song "All Summer Long"
I happen to live in Grand Rapids, MI. Like other communities around the country, Grand Rapids has several neighborhoods of those houses. Houses that in the day were top of the line. In the last week I have had the opportunity to visit two such homes.
One of these is the Meyer May House that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is classic FLW. This home has been completely restored by office furniture maker Steelcase.
This is the first time that I have made it in the home, though I have driven by and admired it many times. The attention to detail is amazing. You can find out more about this great home at Steelcase's Link for the Home.
The other home that I visited this week is the Women's City Club. Again, completely different in construction and style, but just as spectacular.
As a REALTOR(r) I get to see a lot of differing floor plans and construction quality. Having toured these two homes recently helped me remember what can be done with good design and a little craftmanship.
Some days are just interesting...this is how I started my Monday morning!!!
Yes, that is the back end of a cow, on the highway in Grand Rapids, MI!!!
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Jay Spencer
Grand Rapids,
MI
More about me…
U.S. Home & Realty
Address: 4700 Countryside Dr NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49525
Office Phone: (616) 301-7000
Cell Phone: (616) 304-3883
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Jay Spencer's thoughts and musing about the Grand Rapids, MI real estate market, business in general and life.
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