I enjoy writing an occasional piece for the local paper. It is a change of pace and tests skills I don't always use. This particular one is about growing up in Wenatchee and the role radio played... much better than TV...lol!

Anyway for those of you that might be interested or that want to take a short step back in time and remember how we grew up you might find this link of interest http://tr.im/FWXo

It was another day and time and we do all grow up (ok, Peter Pan excepted) but it is fun to stop and remember... thanks for dropping by! Happy Thanksgiving!

If you are old enough you may remember the song from the movie MASH. The dentist had some issues so they were going to give him a little pill to solve everything.

I think as REALTORS we often look for the magic bullet or pill (as a society we do too) There has to be another solution, a better quicker, "painless" way. A few years ago it was rapidly appreciating property and selling as an investment, then low rates (I remember when we said "if rates would just get down to 12% we could really do some business") now government tax credits. Tomorrow a better faster and quicker web site (or was that yesterday?).

Truth be told, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz... we all have and have always had the solution within us.

Not very exciting and certainly not very controversial but the solution is best summed up in a single word...WORK! Actually two words 'HARD WORK". Plus, experience tells me the easier it is the harder you probably worked.

You see it really makes no difference what is going on. There will be people needing to buy or sell or move out or move up.  And those are my (and your) clients. All the other stuff...incentives, foreclosure, market conditions are just peripheral circumstances and they will change tomorrow and the day after. So the solution is to just keep you head down... slogg through each day in a pattern and consistency and the rest really doesn't matter, as you will succeed.

The old tortoise and hair analogy comes to mind... life isn't a race it is just day to day. Sure you need to adapt... but don't confuse adaptation with the answer to success.. the answer is in you and it always has been... just "work" on it!

Last week was a beautiful fall week weather wise. Great, spectacular weather is something we experience in Central Washington (entirely different from the West side i.e.Seattle). Sky was blue, air was clear and foliage was in full color. Just time for a quick walk along the Banks of the Columbia River.

One of the special features of our town is the development, in the last few year, of a river walk/trail system. Initially the loop was about 11.5 miles in length. Today there are several additional extensions. But it is a great place to be, relax and exercise.

I started near Porters Pond (see above). There were a lot of Mallards on the river

 There were also lots of critters but the most impressive was my partner Maggie... a long haired Dachshund that thinks the world is her oyster... which is not a bad attitude and in fact it probably is

This morning I read the following post and I agree! (See below). In fact I had to chime in with more thoughts.

We have all seen them... overpriced and out of the market but still in MLS. Before going on I have to subscribe to full disclosure and that is I have had a few too... but some of the ones I see I would be embarrassed to have listed at that price. So whats the deal?

First from "04 to now, even with recent attrition there are a lot of comparatively new agents that just have not really dealt in a flat or declining market. Throw in lack of training (that is another topic) and they know how to sell based on price only. Next there are unreal expectations on the part of sellers. This can be charterized as "sure the market is down but my house is better than average and nicer than the one across the street that sold for $600K two and a half years ago".  Then there is the people that are buried in their home loan and need to sell and perhaps the agent is trying to accommodate them but in the end as it moves to a foreclosure did they really help them?

I work with a partner. We ALWAYS do listing appointments together. We also do our own pricing independently and then we speak openly and frankly with the seller. Or as my partner puts it "many times we need to back the hearse up and let them smell the flowers".

We take the view that we are the professionals. We are not just called in to sell the house but to advise the sellers. Advise as to price, marketing, pitfalls and whether or not they just want to sell or need to sell! In fact we tell our prospective sellers up front that if they only think they would like to sell, in our market, today, is not something they should consider. I want to point out this is not done in negative terms but frank and unvarnished advice from what we hope will be regarded as trusted advisers. Yes we talk all the benefits and the pluses... but do not get carried away. Neither the sellers nor the agents set the market... the market is the market and it can be pretty tough at times. It is also important that we as agents do not "own" the problem. We have to keep an open and unbiased attitude.

Next we discuss a rather well thought out and documentsd CMA. Being sure to try and keep numbers within a six month time frame and having prices both over and below our subjects recommended price. If you don't you will rue the day the apprasier shows up... in fact in our MLS data we can generate FNMA 1004MC statistics and we make that part of the presentation.

Then we discuss the house itself. If it isn't ready to show and I mean ready to show we do not list it until it is, or we do not list it. Again we help the seller to understand that in their price range being third best will not sell the property... first MAY but third will not.

We look at the market as we set the price and realize we are looking at historical data... i.e. old. If the market is in decline then the data is not current as of today. Add to that the fact it may be another month before the property is truly on the market and being actively shown, we may (and usually do) lobby for a price lower than the comps will indicate. To that end we always have a sales proceeds sheet with us. We include in the proceeds (or lack of) possible points to the buyer, an allowance for repairs and 90 days carrying costs. This way the seller gets a good idea of what they are up against. If they know the worst after that things look pretty rosy (the old under promise and over perform).

It is not an art and at best a swag (scientific wild assed guess). But it is not a pie in the sky let's price it here.

There is a lot more to cover but for now Ill stop except for one additional item. I really feel that brokers have an obligation here too. If an agent is consistently overpricing you should step in with advice and guidance... I just saw a house in our market priced at 1.9MM for over 800 days and they just now dropped the price 150K.  Wonder what the broker, agent and seller all think. Agents need to be the professional and lead the seller... brokers need to be sure it happens. Then if all your work results in a price of 250 on what should be 210... just get up say thank you very much and call it a day... you don't need the problems!

PS here is the other post I mentioned http://activerain.com/blogsview/1314270/agents-help-price-homes-out-of-the-market-or-priced-to-expire

It has been several months since I last dropped into Active Rain. Partly on purpose, partly just other business.

In that length of time it is amazing how things change and yet how they remain the same. But in all I am pretty optimistic about the future. I tend to think most of it has to do with ourselves than with outside forces. If we choose to rely on the outside forces we will be sitting idly by until ... well as my daughter likes to say "whenever".

But by doing it ourselves we find...hey there is business out there...EVERY DAY! The rules keep changing... so what adapt... keep posted and bend a little. Watch for speed bumps and learn to be pro-active. If appraisals are a toughie in your area...look for active comps on both sides of your suggested price... if your market is still declining (ours is though slowly) recognize the price that works today may not be right even 30 days from now so get ahead of the curve...your clients really will understand honest and straight talk (they will appreciate it too).

So far this year it looks like my business will be up about 42% over last year! But it is a combination of number of sides and commission. With declining prices I have been able to work both sides...that is get the listings and sales and at the same time expand my gross commissions as a percentage... that way even with a decline in price I have been able to increase my income... work smarter AND harder... it is a good life and thank you Buffini and all the Buffini friends out there... now to look into my crystal ball for next year...

Him...hard to believe that the 4th is just around the corner... 1776 to 2009 long time and a lot has happened.

As we creep up on the 4th and all the political Bs I decided to post to a blog an true story about some of the people that helped make the 4th possible. John Weimer...a distant relative. But you have to ask yourself why ...why did he do what he did? I sincerely doubt if most of us today would have the drive and fortitude to carry on the way he and thousands others did.

So if you are interested in a look back and seeing the people of the Revolution the way they really were drop by my blog at  http://tr.im/pht5

Thanks!

Well actually i just posted a blog on the local paper about our language and the use thereof. While not directly about real estate we as agents can take a tip in writing addendum's to be clear and concise in our writing. Something, unfortunately, the legal community do not always believe in (IMHO). We often say things we don't mean or confuse statements with unnecessary qualifications and adjectives. Just say it... or my old Army maxim KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)! So if you are interested here is the address of the post

  http://blogs.wenatcheeworld.com/author/pcornell/

You see and hear lots of people pushing Twitter as a sales tool. Is it really? Is it just a sales tool or do you need to use it in other ways too and gain sales through the back door? Lots to consider and there are many approaches an none are 100% correct.  If you live in North Central Washington and can easily get to Wenatchee you might want to consider the following:

 " TWITTER TECH EVENT At the Wenatchee performing Arts center. Sponsored by the PAC and Wenatchee Chamber. Free! From 5-6:30 on June 17th. Time to network after..."

This is a good opportunity to learn, network and perhaps find the elusive deal...lol

See you there!

I blog on the Wenatchee World about events in the past in Wenatchee. Some are current but many are historical. My intent is to give a flavor about the community, our roots and help us understand where we are going. There is some humor, some tears and a few just stories. Perhaps it si something that all of us in a small way may relate to. So if you are interested, I invite you to check out the blog and my newest post at   http://blogs.wenatcheeworld.com/author/pcornell/

For a bit of perspective on what it is like (was?) to live in Wenatchee and to get a feel for the people and places you may want to check out my blog (and others at the same place) on Living in Wenatchee

 http://blogs.wenatcheeworld.com/author/pcornell/

Nothing fancy but it is fun and it does provide a bit of insight if not to the Wenatchee area then at least to the authors background. Always open for constructive comments too.

It is not all that unique nor is it a Saturday Evening Post Cover but it is a glimps of americana... enjoy!