REALTORS® are like the Swiss Army Knives when it comes to communicating with clients. Whatever their style is, we adapt. That being said, I've found that communicating with clients can pretty much be generalized by age.
At the upper end of the maturity range, the preference seems to be more personal. Meeting in person and telephone calls seem to dominate how seniors prefer their communications. This doesn't mean that cell phones are out, but I find it pretty rare that they would like to text. If my own eyesight is an example, I know the reason here.
I'll sort of glump the next age group into the 30 - 50 range here. Their preferred style seems to be the good old email. Texting and phone are alright too, but email dominates. If they don't know you well enough, you'll get a free email account. I always find that the more serious clients give me a work account or one from the major ISPs.
At the youngest end of the scale we're more frequently texting than anything else. I don't need to know your life story, just give me the info in short bytes. Very efficient, pretty impersonal, but effective nonetheless.
Personally, I haven't seen anyone who prefers to communicate their real estate transaction through any of the social networking sites, but I'm ready when they are.
In my market area we frequently work with clients who are with the NSA over at Ft. Meade. I could tell you how we communicate with them but then I'd have to kill you :)
I'm not a big fan of generalizing but this communications scenario plays out too frequently to be just mere coincidence. Successful real estate agents adapt to their clients, not the other way around.
I just recently listed and sold a listing agent's dream townhouse here in Crofton, MD. New roof, new HVAC, new HWH, new windows, great condition. Could use some updating but one of those listings where all the heavy lifting was already done. The home inspection should be a snap.
Kind of surprised when the home inspection called out the 6 month old hot water heater. Seems like the plumber neglected a few critical components required in 2009. No water shutoff valve and no gas shutoff valve. The home inspector was right of course. Since it was recently replaced, the installer was required to bring it up to code for 2009, not when the townhouse was originally built.
A call to the plumber elicited this response; "we can come out to do the necessary repairs. Our charge is $75/hour." To say that that response elicited a bit of anger by the seller is an understatement. A quick call to the County showed that they never pulled a permit to do the work.
Armed with that information, the second response by the plumber was a bit different. "No charge for the repair, we'll be out tomorrow at 1 PM, is that OK? A homeowner not getting a permit for work gets a slap on the wrist from the County, and maybe a fine. A licensed professional puts themselves, and their license, at greater risk.
That shortcut by the original installer cost them an additional four hours to make the necessary repairs. As agents, we're frequently tempted to take shortcuts during the course of a real estate transaction.
Agents should resist taking any shortcuts, they rarely pay off, and can cause serious trouble.
It's your license and your livelihood. Don't put either at risk by taking inappropriate shortcuts.
It was only a few short years ago that agents recommended to sellers not to accept contracts that had FHA and VA loans, in favor of conventional loans. Back then, there was frequently multiple contracts on every property and the thinking was that a conventional loan would be easier to close.
FHA loans today are affordable, and as you can see, most frequently used last month to finance home purchases in Anne Arundel County, MD.
With our proximity to Ft. Meade and the Naval Academy, VA loans accounted for 13% of all funding last month. Another great loan product for our military home buyers.
Rates are still low and there is a wide selection of inventory in Anne Arundel County, MD. Combined with government tax rebate programs, now is a great time to buy.
Several of the Crofton, MD home sales statistics looked better in October, 2009 compared to October 2008.
More units are being sold, but in the lower price ranges. 25 of the 27 sales were in the price range under $500,000, while fully 22 of the 27 listings were under the $400,000 price range.
During the month of October, 2009, 37 new listings were added to the Crofton, MD home inventory, while 27 were sold.
In a peek at the near term future, 46 homes went under one of the various contract categories. Despite that, more houses were added to the Crofton MD inventory in October, than went off.
From the data, it looks like first time home buyers were fueling the Crofton, MD home sale increases in October. That makes sense since there was an urgency to buy because the $8,000 tax credit was set to expire on November 31st. That has since been changed by Congress taking some of the sense of urgency off first time home buyers.
If you're not already working with a Realtor® to find that perfect Crofton, MD home, I can help. Call me at 443-995-9595 any time.
SOURCE: Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. Information deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed.
Living in suburban Maryland, I'm only a short trip to Washington DC and the many memorials to our Veterans of all wars. I'm not able to go down there today but I've been there many times in the past. Here are a few photos from the past years visits.
The military remembers it's own at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetary. Dedicated to those soldiers who's remains couldn't be identified. Known only to God.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24/7/365 by one of their own. The Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb is meticulous in its execution, and compelling in its meaning.
With a precision only the military can achieve, the gravesites can be seen in any direction. Together forever.
It took far too long for the country to honor those veterans from WWII with their own Memorial. Many of the veterans never got the chance to see how the country chose to honor their huge accomplishment to humanity. Every day you can see the last of the generation sitting on stone benchs with their memories.
Too bad the "War To End All Wars," didn't.
The Memorial consists of two large, identical, pavillions. One dedicated to the war in the Atlantic, and the mirror image to the war in the Pacific. Smaller memorials dedicated to each State and Territory who sent their own to fight for freedom.
The wall of stars in front of a small reflecting pool. I was told by a park employee that each star represents 100 Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. There are 4,000 stars on the wall. Far too many.
Korea, the forgotten war. Statues of soldiers on patrol, thousands of miles from home. Its seems like that's always the case.
Large numbers that many of us have forgotten.
No truer words were ever written, especially on Veterans Day.
Reflecting wall with the ghostly images of veterans of the Korean War.
There is no more compelling Memorial than the Vietnam Memorial. The start black granite, with the names of soldiers who never returned can't adequately be described. When you experience it, you will never be the same.
The reflections of the crowd on this day was a very surreal effect. The mixing of the reflections of the living with the names of the dead.
Nothing needs to be said here.
The contribution of the nurses who served in Vietnam can never be diminished.
These pictures belong to the nation and you're free to use them with the respect that they deserve.
We Crofton MD residents do love our tall, stately Oak Trees for the beauty and shade that they provide all summer.
Now that summer is over though, all I can say is, UGH!
The annual Crofton chore of leaf collection is in full progress from now until mid to end December. As a matter of fact, those last few dead leaves will probably still be there in the Spring.
It doesn't matter how many times you rake and bag them, the next day it looks like you didn't do a darn thing.
There are some people on my block that rake leaves every day. That's not a hobby, that's an obsession. I'm good for once every week or two.
The pile you see here is from this weekend.
Anne Arundel County MD trash collection has a special leaf pickup on Mondays during this time of year. They do have to be bagged and placed at the curb. At the height of the season, they'll send trucks in over the weekend to get ahead of collections.
I'm done for today. Last leaf blown, picked up and bagged. Sigh...there is never a "last leaf" in Crofton.
All photos and written content were produced by Richard Iarossi. Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved. This content may not be reproduced or reprinted, except for Active Rain Re-blogging, without express written permission of Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®, Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc., Crofton, MD.
"Rich, how much will the seller take for the house? Well, taking the rest of the contract into consideration, the seller will more than likely accept the listing price." Frankly, what the heck else did you expect me to say?
Even though some agents ask that question, thats really not what they're after. There is usually a pause after I tell them the seller will accept the listing price. What they frequently say next is, "my client wants to make an offer, but I don't want to waste your time." I don't know about you, but for me, its never a waste of my time to review a written offer with my sellers. Thats my job.
At least be honest. It really is about wasting your time, having to write an embarrasingly low offer, isn't it? If you're working with a client who thinks they can grab some listing by offering 50 cents on a dollar, you probably are wasting your time. As a buyer's agent, you really need to ask yourself whether your client is a serious buyer.
Experienced agents know whether their buyer clients are serious, or just tire kickers. You would be surprised how many people fall asleep in front of the tv and wake up in the middle of the night to an infomercial. "Real estate riches for 50 cents on the dollar, or less." This is where many of them hook up with an unsuspecting agent to do their dirty, time wasting work.
If your buyer client is wasting your time, I'm sorry. If you have an offer, even a low one, send it over. I never consider it a waste of time to do my job.
Give me a "no drama" settlement every time. I love being bored in between an accepted offer and settlement. This isn't to say that "stuff" doesn't happen. Of course it does. Real estate transactions are complex, and expensive, and demand and deserve a lot of attention to detail.
The difference in making an entire real estate transaction relatively smooth has a lot to do with the agents involved.
Professional agents take action. I know some agents that believe that if they ignore a problem in a real estate transaction, that it just goes away. Professional agents know better. Real estate isn't like wine making. Problems tend to get worse with age. Professional agents attack problems as they occur. No waiting around, fix it and get it off the table.
Professional agents don't let their emotions get in the way.I'm sure you've all dealt with screaming agents, cussing agents, and everything in between. In my experience, that isn't a particularly effective strategy for getting anything done. I've never seen one item on a home inspection report that "self corrected" after being yelled at. Make sure you swear at that lender...that will make the loan commitment smoother. This industry does attract more than a few "drama queens."
Real estate is complex, but it isn't rocket science either. Experience and training, addressing items as they occur, understanding the contract. All these and a few more will go a long way to making a successful transaction.
All photos and written content were produced by Richard Iarossi. Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved. This content may not be reproduced or reprinted, except for Active Rain Re-blogging, without express written permission of Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®, Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc., Crofton, MD.
All photos and written content were produced by Richard Iarossi. Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved. This content may not be reproduced or reprinted, except for Active Rain Re-blogging, without express written permission of Richard Iarossi, REALTOR®, Long and Foster® Real Estate, Inc., Crofton, MD.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
I just recently listed and sold a listing agent's dream townhouse here in Crofton, MD. New roof, new HVAC, new HWH, new windows, great condition. Could use some updating but one of those listings where all the heavy lifting was already done. The home inspection should be a snap.
Posted by 
We Crofton MD residents do love our tall, stately Oak Trees for the beauty and shade that they provide all summer.
"Rich, how much will the seller take for the house? Well, taking the rest of the contract into consideration, the seller will more than likely accept the listing price." Frankly, what the heck else did you expect me to say?
Give me a "no drama" settlement every time. I love being bored in between an accepted offer and settlement. This isn't to say that "stuff" doesn't happen. Of course it does. Real estate transactions are complex, and expensive, and demand and deserve a lot of attention to detail.
;)
;)
