There are three words that are often used, misused, overused and abused.  Let's take them one at a time.  You will see that when used alone they are harmless.  The first word, BUT, could mean excuse me... in addition to... wait a second and could possibly mean more than we even care to imagine.  The second word, I, means me... no other word for that one.  I means me.   The buck stops here, so-to-speak.  And the very last word, THOUGHT, wow, now there is a loaded word if ever there was one.  Thought... think in the past tense... an idea that just popped up in your head... an understanding... a misunderstanding and so on.

When used alone, any of those words can be put into a sentence that is quite harmless.  When combining them and when you combine them in an effort to defend yourself, wow... Katie bar the door.  But I Thought it was included in the purchase price.  But I Thought the drapes were going to be replaced.  But I Thought the Water Softener was included.  But I Thought, But I Thought, But I Thought.  Three very powerful words that when used together in an effort to defend your actions in a real estate transaction, can and many times does mean that there will be damages and that they usually will be paid out of the sellers commission.

We are in a profession that is filled with ways to cause harm to our sellers and/or buyers.  More and more people are suit happy these days and if we are not careful to dot every I and cross every T, we lose. 

So, how can we prevent silly and stupid mistakes that have plagued our profession for so many years?  It is easier than you think.   GO THE EXTRA MILE.  That's right.  GO THE EXTRA MILE when asking questions about the water softener.  Can I see the contract please?  Or, Who do you mail your check to for salt or service?  Check it out for yourself.  It can save you a thousand dollars or even more. 

When writing the inclusions and exclusions on the listing contract go over, in detail, and even go as far as highlighting in yellow marker, those items that are listed as inclusions.  It may sound petty, but we don't live in 1960 any more.  Every thing is wonderful.  I trust you and you trust me.  No, no.  Not any more. 

Protect yourself from silly and needless errors such as these.  It can be done.  You will be very happy when there is a dispute between the buyer and seller over these items.  You can be sure that you did your job and that you have acted in a professional manner.  It will pay big dividends to you and your pocket book.

Have a great and productive day.  Make a memory.

See you at close.

Larry

http://youtu.be/JU1IMXe8EkI

Remember...  Remember...

Today is the day to remember.  Remember those who came and are now gone.  Those who were so much a part of our love and life. 

However, the holiday was really meant to remember those who died defending our freedoms.  Our very being depended upon the success of their plight.  The horror of war and death was all around and still they fought on so that we may enjoy the life we have today.

Today, Memorial Day, what are you doing?  Boating?  Picnicking?  Biking? Or, just staying home... remembering those who made you who you are today.

Some of us go to the final resting place of those we loved and who have left us behind.  It is a time that we try to honor those who fought and died.  It is a time to relax and enjoy our freedom.  And yes, no matter what you think about our country, our economy or our government, we still enjoy freedoms that are so far above our neighboring countries that we forget just how the rest of the world really is. 

So today, remember...  remember all of our friends, relatives, loved ones.  Remember your life and where you are today and how you got there.  Be thankful for everything.  For everything that we take so much for granted has had a terrible price tag attached.  Remember...  I do and I hope and pray you do too. 

I urge all of us to keep this day, Memorial Day, a day that will always be special.   Special because of what it really stands for. 

Please, click on the link above and REMEMBER...

Larry Stanul

See you at close.

Kristin,  Thanks so much for posting this potentially life saving article.  All of us should remember this and look into our own cabinets to eliminate all of these dangerous products.  Kidos to you...

Wouldn't it be great if all of us would feel like the verse in the song, Oh What A Beautiful Morning?  The feeling that we would have would lift our spirits and allow us to soar each and every day.  The confidence that we would emit would be catching to all of those around us. 

If you don't believe this, just take a look around you and notice that when you are in the presence of a happy person, you too become happier.  It may not boost you to heights of euphoric proportions, but you will none-the-less, be a happier and therefore, better person to those around you.  Not only is this good for the soul, mind and body, but it stays with you for the rest of the day. 

In this time of trial, tribulation and setbacks in our profession, we need to focus on feelings of happiness and success.  We need to remember that life could be worse.  "It is what it is", as spoken by so many of those around us.  So then, what are we moping about?  Why are we looking for the negative in all of the articles that we read.  "Housing Market Faces Another Setback and Severe Decline For Larger Home Owners".   Headlines like this only fuel our inept feelings of disappointment and frustration.  Yes, we are in the midst of the worst recession in the real estate industry ever recorded.  Yes, there is nothing, and I mean nothing we can do about this.  Wait a minute... yes, there is something we can do about it.  It is right there in front of us.  It is our attitude.  Is the glass half empty?  Or, is the glass half full?  Are we heading into a worse time in our profession?  Or, are we coming out of the worst time in our Profession?  The choice is yours.  Just think, when this is over, and yes, it will be over, there will be such an opportunity for those of us who weathered the storm.  Who stayed the course.  Almost half of the licensed Realtors are no longer in the business.  Once this market turns, the work load and volume of homes that we will be listing and selling will be so great that it will pale any other time in our recent memory.  This is what we all have to look forward to.  Not the doom and gloom of what has happened.

The news no longer reports the news.  They create the news.  Headlines like I  spoke of earlier only fuel disappointment and frustration.  They create panic and put fear in the hearts and minds of those who choose to live by the written word.  It up to us, no, it is our duty, to make sure that we look adversity in the face and we beat it back.   We educate our buyers and sellers.  We look for the deals for our clients and for those facing real setback because of the value of their recently purchased homes, that we become counselors, so-to-speak, to help them through the reality of this terrible time. Not all is lost in a bad market.  Only what we allow to be lost within our attitude.  Tomorrow is another day. 

So, I say yes, Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what A beautiful day, I do have a wonderful feelin, everything is going to go my way. 

God Bless and Make a Memory Today.

See you at close.

Larry Stanul

Hi everyone.  It has been a while since my last post and I thought I would borrow the office computer for a while to write a story about a memory. 

First, yes, I did say borrow the office computer.  I am very hard on all of the equipment that I own.  I drop my cell phone several times each week and wonder why people on the other end say that my voice keeps fading.  I just dropped my lap top at a clients home several nights ago, and wouldn't you know it, it didn't like that so it stopped working.   I apologized to it and said that it was an accident, but to no avail.  It wouldn't listen to me.

Now, I am faced with having no method of communication, no way to research properties or to see what the competition is doing.  But, it is what it is and we all move forward.  After all, it will be repaired within one month.  Ouch...

So here I am, writing a blog about memories.   The reason that I am doing so is because I really was feeling quite sorry for myself with the impending delay in communicating with others because of the fall.  But then I began thinking about my grandchild.  About how adorable she is and how happy I am to have her as my screen saver on my cell phone.  I then remembered, while looking at her photo, that I could attach most of the important sites to my phone and be able to be a part of the real world, despite the loss of the lap top.

Then it hit me.  We will get through this life despite ourselves and our opposition to change and to trials.  We are in the biggest trial of our Real Estate Lives right now, and to be quite honest, we are going to experience growing pains because of it.  Growth in our own attitude towards life.  Growth in our ability to cope.  Growth in the method of selling and listing homes.    And on-and-on it goes.  We will grow if we allow our self to.

The choice is ours.

Make it a great day and I'll see you at closing.

Larry Stanul

Emotions are like the wind, they change regularly and with that change comes attitudes that can sometimes affect the decisions that we make every day.  Whether good or bad, our actions and decisions are usually the direct result of the mood that we may be in at any given time.

Have you ever worked with a client who, for whatever the reason, had mood changes that were so baffling that you didn't know how to react?  One minute they are happy and filled with anticipation on finding the perfect property only to have that happiness and hope turn into despair and frustration? 

I recently had the opportunity to work with a beautiful family in the search for their next home.   After several showings of a half a dozen homes or so, the decision was made to write an offer on the home that was most suited for their needs.  Now, keep in mind that this couple has lost two other properties by having a home sale contingency on the offer.  Not having their home sold, another offer came in on those other homes and forced them to either remove their home sale contingency, or to walk away.  Not having the confidence in the sale of their home, they elected to walk away and watch their dream home disappear.  

The stage is set, the home that far exceeded the other homes that they lost has been discovered and the offer is made.  Their anticipation was evident and we all were very pleased at our discovery.  The offer is submitted only to have the listing agent call and state that another offer has been made by another agent who also felt the home was worth the offer.  The owner of the property, who happens to be the lending institution, has given each prospect the opportunity to re-visit their offer.  The bank informs the listing agent that the highest and/or best offer will be accepted.  I immediately call my client to inform them of the situation.  I urge them to raise their offer and to even remove their home sale contingency.  After conferring with each member of the family, they decide that they really want this home and are determined that they are not going to lose another home.  Their offer is increased, the home sale contingency is removed and they even move the closing up by 15 days making the banks carrying costs a little less. 

We submit our adjusted offer and wait.  And wait...  and wait somemore.  Thursday turns into Friday.  5 pm comes and goes and still no resolve to the offer.   After contacting the listing agent, I find that the bank has to take the offers to a group of bankers to review and decide on one of the two offers.  Monday will be the day that the decision is to be made.  Or will it?

After contacting my clients, their hope of getting their dream home turned into frustration at not have a resolve before the long weekend ahead.  This frustration turned into disappointment in a 15 minute phone call and the happy couple soon turns into strangers who, for reasons of attitude, changed by their emotion into one of anger.  They began making comments like, I don't want the home any more.  I feel that it is not meant to be.  I don't care if they take my offer or not and on and on. 

I had all that I could do to assure them that this is normal operating procedure and all good things are worth the wait.  I told them that we gave it our best shot given the circumstances and also tried to tell them that I too was disappointed in the delay.

My point here is this.  We need to be more than Realtors with many of our clients.  We need to be good listeners... good sounding boards for them to bounce off their attitudes and frustrations.  In other words,  Counselors in their time of challenge.   What you say and do in this critical time of the process could make or break any deal. 

Are you a good listener? 

Larry Stanul

The title of this blog is from an award winning song by John Lennon.   When you come right down to it, truer words could never be spoken.  Life does in fact get in the way of our plans.

Today is a day like any other.  I am sure that many of you got out of bed and began your day like every other day in your life.  Bathroom stop, think about the days activities, say good morning to family, or in the case of a single person, your pet, or if alone, just meditate on the days coming events.   In my case, I am thinking about an offer that I recently wrote and as with many of my offers, another offer on the same home on the same day is presented to the buyer.  So I find myself biting my nails wondering if I did a good enough job in convincing my client to offer more than my competitor' client did.  Go figure, the market is slow for over a year and homes are sitting for even longer.  My client and I find the perfect home and wouldn't you know it, another offer at the very same moment. 

That's Life.   Frank Sinatra made a song very famous talking about it.   Listen to the lyrics of it and you will soon realize that life is full of ups, downs, sideways and maybes.  Yes and no, now or later. 

How do you react to the set backs of your life? 

This blog today is not to educate.  Not to advise.  Not even to entertain.  No, I am writing this today to talk about life and all that it offers all of us. 

As in many of my prior blogs, I write of being positive; glass half full; good attitude and the like.  I am here to remind all of us to get up each and every day with an attitude of happiness. 

I am a movie goer and sometimes quote a great line that some other person wrote for the movie to give it that wow factor.  To tug on your emotions and feelings so that you leave the theater with that statement on your mind.  In the ending of Tombstone, Val Kilmer, playing the part of Doc Holiday, tells Wyatt Earp, played by Kurt Russell, that there is no normal life.  There's just life. 

You need to find your happiness in whatever that may be.

Don't let life get in the way of your plans today.   Take it one step at a time.  Take everything in stride and choose to be happy.  I find that when I have a good attitude, I make those around me happy too.

Enjoy life.  It's the only one you will ever have.  Make the most of it.    Happiness cannot be found in gold, riches or success.  It is from within. 

Have a great day.

Larry Stanul

I am amazed at the amount of client inquiries that are surfacing of late.  The phone doesn't stop ringing and the amount of interested buyers are coming out of the woodwork.  I for one am extremely happy about the turn of events from a year ago. 

It seems that there are a number of reasons for this increase in buyer activity.  I, in my opinion, think the reason cannot be attributed to just one event, but rather to a combination of events.   Stimulus???  Perhaps.  Low interest rates???  Perhaps.  Lower prices on all existing inventory???  Maybe.  How about buyer and investor confidence?  How about the simple fact that most believe that an asset such as real estate will have value despite economic times?  Seems there is more optimism being reported by our news casters of late.  There are more people talking up the opportunity that now exists in our country.

Confidence...  this, is what I believe to be the reason for the recent surge in activity.  Now, don't get me wrong, one month of activity does not set a trend.  It is a beginning point however.  A start to whatever lies ahead.  Our entire financial system is based solely on consumer confidence.  Let's help make this confidence happen by our attitude and by what we say and do.   Let's take this opportunity and make the best of it.  Talk up the benefits of home or investment purchases at this time. 

I was watching the Today show yesterday and was pleased to hear what was said by a well-known personality.  She said, for those of us who don't have any money after all expenses, try to get out from under your debt load.  But, for those of us who have been blessed and have good disposable income, go out and spend some of the money.  Take those who are less fortunate than you out to dinner, a movie or whatever.  Help our economy.  Remember, big begets big.  By this I mean your spending habits will help our situation more than you may think.  The more money you spend, the more workers hired or not laid off and hence the additional money earned will eventually wind up in our economy by those individuals spending also. 

I am not suggesting that we all go and spend foolishly as if there were no tomorrow.  Rather, think about what you can and cannot do. Do what you can to help stir this economy.  It is catching and there are more and more reports about a recovery looming just around the corner. 

I for one, am gearing up for one of my best springs since I began this career 6 years ago.  Are you?

Larry Stanul

I recently was asked to set up a showing with a lead from RE/MAX Lead Street.  Our companies way to distribute inquiries from the Internet.  I was pleased to oblige and immediately called the Lister to set up the showing request. 

I was somewhat amazed to hear the response from the listing agent.  Seems the first mortgage holder has allowed this property to be marketed as a short sale.  There is a second mortgage on the property also with a very nominal balance owed.  The property has had several offers which, according to the listing agent, are all very good offers considering the circumstances. 

I was a little stunned when the the listing agent told me the story of this property.  Seems the second mortgage holder will not release their position unless 2/3 of the balance owed be paid with the proceeds of the sale.  The first mortgage holder has refused to pay this much out of proceeds and has offered a 7% payout. 

Now, neither bank is agreeing to the terms of the other lender and hence, the home will be going into foreclosure within the next several days. 

Can you believe this?   Nationally, statistics given by Re/Max state that short sales yield the lending bank 70% of their loan proceeds.  Foreclosures yield a whopping 40%.

What are they thinking???

Can anyone help me with this behavior?  Has this happened to you and is this the norm with a depressed sale condition?

Thanks in advance for your clarification.

Larry Stanul 

Hello and welcome to another Sunday.  For those of you who never have open house, this will not mean anything to you.  For those of us who once again, feel that the open house is a good way to show your home, here we are.

After a one year sebatical, I am again opening my homes to show the public just what this property looks like.   I have changed a number of things with my preparation to show the home however.  The first, and probably the most controversial, is the fact that I no longer advertise the property in the local newspaper.  This was very difficult for me to do as I used to spend in excess of $30,000.00 annually for newsprint and other printed media.  This is a new era and I think the impact of newsprint has outlived its price/value ratio.

Now, internet marketing, opens on local MLS sites, opens on Re/Max.com and other real estate sites is where I place all of my energy.  Also, don't forget the placement of the signs.  Very critical point and one that may hurt your open if the signs are not placed in the right locations.

My question to all of you is this.  How many of you feel like I do about media advertising?  How many feel that open house still works, or better yet, is beginning to work once again?  Or, am I all alone in this tool of marketing my homes?

I would love some feedback and some help in this matter. 

Thanks and have a great Sunday.

Larry Stanul