sellers: I Am Your Pilot - 09/17/15 10:44 PM
It's one of those movie scenes you don't forget.  It's from the movie Flight and it's after the airplane has gone out of control.  The pilot, played by Denzel Washington, is struggling to do everything he can to keep the plane in the air.  Finally, he realizes he's got to do something desperate.  Something unconventional.  Perhaps even unthinkable.  He's got to turn the airplane upside down and fly it that way.  It's the only way he can regain control of an out of control situation.
If you've seen the movie, you know that the flight ends in a field after clipping a … (8 comments)

sellers: Faking It: We Have Another Offer - 07/24/15 08:34 AM
If you sell real estate, it doesn't take you very long to figure out that our industry is full of all sorts of people who do their business in all sorts of ways.
What is always interesting is when a real estate "professional" takes an offer personally and gets all bent out of shape.  You want to say to them, "Uh excuse me, it's your job to present the offer here, not get emotionally bent out of shape because you don't like the terms and conditions."  Once, we had to ask the agent if she was refusing to present the offer.  She meekly … (28 comments)

sellers: Adapt, Change and Move Forward - 06/02/11 02:53 AM
Diane and I work with a small church just up the road in Collinsville, Oklahoma. On Wednesday nights I work with the teenagers during the school year. Besides teaching them some things about God, I try to help them see beyond themselves to a future that often many of them never thought they would have. In the summertime, we combine all of the kids together for Wednesday night summer fun. This gives us a chance to go outside and enjoy the warmer summer weather and to do things differently.
Yesterday my plan for the activity didn't come together. I needed some … (6 comments)

sellers: If you're going to sell your house, remember that letting people in to see it is important! - 06/02/10 01:38 AM
If you're going to sell your house, remember that letting people in to see it is important!
I've got a nice couple whom I am working with.  They are looking for a house in a certain part of our city and in a specific price range.  And they're very certain of what they're looking for.  That makes it easy to find houses to show them.  Usually there are only a couple at a time to go see.
"Hi.  This is Bob Haywood with McGraw Realtors.  I'd like to show your house on Saturday at 1 p.m."
Usually when I call a home … (10 comments)

sellers: Please Don't Let Your Listing Number Be One of the Leftovers - 01/16/10 09:18 AM
It happens every year about this time.  New listing numbers start showing up in our MLS.  The old ones begin to be intermingled with the new ones.  Then pretty soon you begin seeing more and more new ones and less and less old ones until, finally almost all the old ones are gone.
But there's always some leftovers.  Leftovers are those houses that hang around in the MLS, sometimes months after all the competition is sold and gone.  They're like the old house that the owner just won't remodel or update.  It sticks out among the newer homes and upgrades all … (63 comments)

sellers: HOME INSPECTIONS PROTECT HOME BUYERS IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA - 08/07/09 11:51 PM
Hi Folks!
The following blog was written by Lenn Harley, Real Estate Broker, Rockville, MD.  Clients who have worked with me to buy a house know that I ALWAYS recommend having the home inspected, even on new construction.  A home inspection protects you and provides information about the condition of the home.  Many thanks to Lenn for reminding us of the importance of home inspections!

HOME INSPECTIONS PROTECT HOME BUYERS in NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Homefinders.com believes that the single most important step a home buyer can take as a part of the home purchase process is the home inspection. No one can guarantee … (2 comments)

sellers: How You Can Benefit from working with a Real Estate Professional - 07/22/09 01:50 AM
You know someone who sells real estate right?  We all do.  In fact, you probably know several people who are real estate professionals.  But did you know that your real estate Realtor brings you some excellent benefits when you work with them?
You are protected
As your real estate professional, I am not allowed to point you to just one mortgage lender or service provider.  And I'm not allowed to take kick backs from anyone in exchange for business.
This is a good thing.  It protects you as a consumer.  And quite frankly, you don't want that kind of thing going … (2 comments)

sellers: Education Discussions - 06/03/09 02:02 AM
Had an offer come in on a property I had listed.  It was an okay offer, but below my seller's bottom line.  In talking with the other Realtor, I learned that she had arrived at the offer price by doing her comps like she always does them.
Her formula was simple...comp the neighborhood and then go 1/2 mile out.
The only problem with this formula is that, in this location it doesn't work.  That's because the house is located in a rural area.  The neighborhood is one street.  There was only 1 house that came close to be comparable and even … (0 comments)

sellers: The Good Things that Real Estate Professionals Do for Clients - 03/27/09 03:56 AM
I'm sitting here writing this in a Word document in frustration as I wait for my wireless connection at my house to try to re-establish itself. 
Ah, there it is!  The icon says we're connected!  But wait...I go open Internet explorer only to find...nothing.  It won't connect.  My heart falls and my frustration level rises because I know what this means.  I will call the cable company.  I will listen to their forever long menu of choices.  I will finally reach some live person who may or may not be in India somewhere.  They will tell me to disconnect the power … (6 comments)

sellers: "Hey Bob, can you help us..." - 01/27/09 01:50 AM
It was one of those phone calls you sometimes get when you are a Realtor.  There is a problem and your advice is needed.  Most times I'm happy to talk with folks.  It's fulfilling to be able to point them in the right direction in order to help them solve their issue.
This particular phone call came from some people who had bought a For Sale by Owner home from a guy.  There had been no official closing and they had basically purchased the house on a contract for deed arrangement.  They've been making payments and the seller was taking care of the paperwork. 
Now the house … (2 comments)

sellers: The Internet Mistake - 01/20/09 12:13 AM
We all love and embrace the Internet these days right?  Need to know something?  Do a Google search and off you go.  You can shop for stuff too! 
The internet is a part of our lives now.  But when you go to sell your house, be careful.
A coworker of mine has a listing.  It's a good listing too.  Right pricing.  Nice home.  Should sell pretty quickly.  Recently he got an offer on the house and was able to negotiate it to contract stage.  Very cool for the seller...especially in our current market.
But then the phone call from the … (8 comments)

sellers: Motivating Sellers - 06/10/08 01:36 AM
Every now and then, you get a seller who wants to "hold out" for a better offer, even if the difference between the current offer and the imaginary better offer is only a couple of thousand dollars.  Here in our area, I find myself often dealing with sellers who are convinced that they can get last summer's selling prices for their home this year.  While our home values aren't off as much as some other areas in the country, they are off some.  The reality for us right now is that successful sellers are typically negotiating between 5-10K off the price of … (5 comments)

sellers: Which One Do You Think Will Sell? - 04/08/08 12:53 AM
In the world of real estate, we work with both buyers and sellers.  When you're out showing with a potential buyer, you will usually call the listing agent first in order to set up the appointment and to find out if the house is still available, any special things to know (like there's a dog in the house), alarm code, etc.
Inevitably, there are times when you're out showing and you drive by a house that your buyer wants to see that you weren't able to line up ahead of time (might be new on the market, out of price range, etc.)  When … (6 comments)

sellers: The Client Who Had to Sell Her House - 04/03/07 02:27 PM
Met yesterday with a nice lady who is at a point where she has to sell her house.  The reason is because the family has lived a pretty high life style up till now.  They borrowed and borrowed against their house until they were almost upside down in it.  Add to that an unexpected job loss and suddenly they can't maintain that lifestyle any longer.
Things are so tight that she has to list her home at the high end of what we need to list it at.  In fact, she's not even sure she can get enough to clear the debt … (2 comments)