Get out from behind the mask - 10/30/09 07:46 AM

"There's nothing that gives more assurance than a mask."  (Colette) from the Jack's Winning Words Blog, of course. We think about masks at Halloween, but many people wear a "mask" of sorts all the time, when they hide their true emotions behind a stoic face or, even worse, if they hide malice or anger behind the mask of a smile.
We have sayings like "mask your feelings" in our vernacular and phrases like "don't let them see you sweat" in business and sports. It is a part of our culture to be somewhat circumspect and to "keep a stiff upper … (2 comments)

Getting an education in the current market - 10/28/09 06:53 AM

From the Jack's Winning Words Blog come this little gem - "There's no education like adversity." (Disraeli). Well, if Disraeli were a Realtor today he'd have earned a PhD by now. From the sames source, Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder, put it a different way - "Success is a lousy teacher. It makes smart people think that they can't lose."I guess Realtors are all getting a free education in the current market. Just think of all of the things that we've all learned about foreclosures and short sales; things that most of us probably thought we just didn't need to … (2 comments)

Shouldn't Realtors be fighting this bill? - 10/26/09 07:17 AM
I have been seeing alarmist ads of TV about the American Clean Energy & Security Act of 2009 for some time now, but it took an email from one of my past customers to get me to look into it a bit further. I certainly had no idea that it may have such a dramatic impact on housing and the ability for owners to sell their homes as it appears that it may. A part of the problem is that very few people anywhere, including the Congress, have any real idea of what is hidden in this bill and what impact it might … (44 comments)

The sleazy operators invade the first-time buyer program - 10/23/09 08:41 AM

There was a report on local news last night about the growing cases of fraud being discovered in the first-time buyer tax rebate program. The sleazy operators of the world will always find ways to game the system. What was interesting to me in the report was not the thousands and thousands who have made claims to be first time buyers, when in fact they either already own a home or certainly are not first time buyers (even by the 3 year rule in the program). You could have bet on that happening, as I have opined here before. What was more … (3 comments)

To thine own self be true... - 10/18/09 07:34 PM
"To wish to be the person you aren't is to waste the person you are."  (John Wesley) from the Jack's Winning Words Blog. How apropos as I agonize over that person that I'm not. That person is unafraid of cold calling as a prospecting activity. That person is out there socializing around town and making new contacts everyday. That person is out front, in your face and probably wildly popular at bars or in certain social circles. I'm not that person and the truth is that I'm not wishing that I was.
 I don't like cold-calling, so I just don't do … (0 comments)

Trying to be an optimistic realist... - 10/17/09 09:33 AM
"In so many areas of life, you need to be a long-term optimist, but a short-term realist."  (Chesley Sullenberger)   Sully was the pilot who safely ditched Flt 1549 in the Hudson River.  In his new book he says that all of life is a preparation for how we react to emergency situations.  A spirit of optimism helped him when he was faced with reality. It was more than luck.  From the Blog http://jackswinningwords.blogspot.com

Capt. Sullenberger was lauded as the "Hero of the Hudson" for his quick thinking and calm actions on the fateful day when he was forced to land … (1 comments)

Not as much as you had hoped, but not as little as you might have feared. - 10/12/09 07:21 AM
I have lots of opportunities to respond to would be sellers who inquire about the state of the market and what their house might sell for on today's market. I use the phrase above a lot as an opening positioning statement. There is absolutely no doubt left in anybody's mind that the value of their home has gone down over the last 2-3 years. There are still those who are convinced that their home was somehow passed over for most of the devaluation and that it must be worth nearly what it was the lat time that they had it appraised … (2 comments)

The search for contentment... - 10/09/09 08:00 AM
"Be content with your lot; one cannot be first in everything."  (Aesop) from the Jack's Winning Words Blog. Jack posted this the day after the Tigers had lost to the Twins for the Division title. I suppose it had better meaning for that occasion. The Tigers did have a very good season and posted an enviable record for the year; however, that is scant consolation for their loss in what was a great baseball game.

In life and in real estate this is a tricky phrase to properly position. There is value in being able to be content with what … (2 comments)

And then my phone rang... - 10/07/09 08:55 AM
I just got back from a short "vacation" of sorts. We went over to Chicago to visit some old fraternity brothers and then on up into Wisconsin and across the UP and down the state to home - inadvertently doing "The Circle Tour" around Lake Michigan. I say it was a vacation of sorts because I never really got away from business.
 
On the drive over to Chicago I was on the phone at least 5 times discussing various deals that are in progress and instructing people what to do.  Friday night we went out to dinner with the friends … (4 comments)

Accept the situation and decide what to do... - 10/03/09 07:52 AM
“Acceptance is not submission; it is acknowledgement of the facts of a situation. Then deciding what you’re going to do about it.” (Kathleen Casey Theisen) from Jack’s Winning Words blog. I have a feeling that lack of acceptance (denial, if you will) of what has happened to home values, at least in my area, is one of the biggest issues facing Realtors.

Home sellers who refuse to see, or believe, that their home has lost the same 30-40% as everyone else’s home has and then deciding what to do about it are certainly a contributing factor to the stall of … (1 comments)

 
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Norm Werner

Milford, MI

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Real Estate One

Address: 560 N. Milford Rd, Milford, MI, 48381

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