Bruce's Blog

We are looking for a house and will get a pre-approval in the next couple of weeks....

Bruce Miller (Friendly Appraisals) — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 10:08:38 -0500

This AM, I heard a line that made me say "HUH?"........Here is what the guy said, >>I now have buyers representation and we are supposed to look at a house this coming friday, at some point the next couple weeks we'll also get pre-approval.<< Am I the only who thinks this is backwards?

I can understand someone saying "we want to buy a house, lets go look!"

What I do not understand, is why someone would say that AFTER they have an agent who is supposed to be helping them.

Driving someone around looking at houses is NOT helping them!

When an agent has a buyer to represent(HELP), they should(At least):

LISTEN to what your client's needs are and find out what their motivation is.
EDUCATE THEM on how the process works in the Real World.
SATISFY the clients needs.

When you listen to the clients needs & motivation you can begin to help them. It also prevents EVERYONE from waisting their time, money and energy.

When you educate them, you are now serving them.....isn't that what we are supposed to do?

By doing 1 and 2 you are helping the potential buyer and are now satisfying their needs. Remember, sometimes a buyer does not know for sure what their needs are.......once they are educated, they WILL know!

Yes, I realize this is or should be Real Estate 101-First Paragraph of the first Chapter, but apparently, someone missed it!

Market Report for Acworth, Cherokee County GA-No bursting bubbles here!

Bruce Miller (Friendly Appraisals) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:53:17 -0500

With so much talk about bubbles "Bursting" Everywhere, it should be pointed out that they are not

"Everywhere"! Real estate is still local and ALWAYS will be!

While the market as a whole has slowed down, this is due to "Averages" which can be pulled way up, and way down by extremities!

Some areas have become "Disasterous", however, MANY areas are doing just fine, and some are even doing GREAT!

I am not going to tell you Acworth Georgia is doing GREAT, but it is doing just fine!

Here are the August stats(AVERAGES) from 2006 vs. August of 2007-taken from FMLS.

August 2006, per FMLS

21 Total sales
LIST Price $164,600
SALE Price $162,700
Days on Market 50

August 2007, per FMLS

24 Total sales
LIST Price $196,100
SALE Price $190,300
Days on Market 60

ARE YOU THINKING WOW?!? That is a HUGE increase! Whoa Nellie!......OK lets use the averages, but lets get rid of a few EXTREMES-the HIGH ones!
Last year there were really no extremes to be removed, but this year, there were 4 sales OVER 300K-LETS GET RID OF THEM! Now it looks like this....

August 2007, Per FMLS(minus 4 extreme highs)

20 Total Sales
LIST Price $164,200
SALE Price $161,300
Days on Market 55

Days On Market has increased a little(5 days), but values have remained relatively stable. NO MATTER what anyone tells you, REAL ESTATE is LOCAL!!

Information taken from the FMLS and does not include FSBO's and any other sale that was NOT posted in the FMLS. There are several New Construction subdivisions in this area, however, they too are NOT in FMLS.

Oh where, oh where has my directional gone......oh where, oh where can it beeeeeeee

Bruce Miller (Friendly Appraisals) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:06:55 -0500

I bet this has NEVER happened to any of you(JK & LMBO), but today not just 1, but 2 of my directional signs were GONE!

Also participating in the disappearing act, were another AGENT'S Directional sign.

Not only were they gone, but in the same spot I had one of mine(Prime Corner you dream of putting one), there was another, different sign, and it looked like this!
HHHHHMMMMM!!!!!

NO, I am NOT going to call the number on this sign and make any type of accusation, but I think tomorrow, I will call & warn this person that there is a SIGN THIEF in the area!
I will be pleasant and introduce myself as a professional Realtor®-the one I consider myself to be!

The sign was placed at the corner of a busy 2-lane road and a residential street, THE PERFECT PLACE TO HAVE A SIGN!
Or so I thought. The lot at the corner where the disappearing act took place is vacant & wooded.

The owner across the street has not been home, so I have been unable to get permission to put my sign at the edge of their yard; hence the placement on the wooded lot.

I know you wont believe this, but this has actually happened to me before! Maybe even a couple of times........lol

The first time this happened was at a gas station with SUPER TRAFFIC! When I talked to the attendant at the gas station, she told me "oh yea, the owner throws signs away all the time!" I just laughed because I KNEW whose fault it was-MINE!

I would like to think that buying the more expensive, Personalized Signs would not get taken, at least not as fast. However, they seem to do Disappearing acts, just as fast as the el Cheapo Generic ones.........

While it is very nominal and pretty much common sense, this is what I have for you, my Active Rain Family,

Before you put a sign on someone else's property, or ANYWHERE for that matter:

GET PERMISSION FIRST! Aren't we ALWAYS trying to find an excuse to introduce ourselves anyway?
This is a great way to meet people, and it makes a great impression by being considerate of them and their property!
KNOW YOUR CITY/COUNTY ORDINANCES! While some counties don't care or seem to have any, most will at least have a setback that says it must be a minimum of 15' from the curb. Some counties will only allow signs from 6PM on Friday until 6PM on Sunday. In some places, usually inside City Limits, you cannot put out a sign at all; KNOW what you can and cannot do!
ONE SIGN IS ENOUGH! If there are one or two directional signs at the entrance of your listing's subdivision, even if they are from a different company, DON'T PUT ANOTHER ONE! Put your directional inside the subdivision, at a corner that needs it, if there is one. And don't forget #1 listed above!

If this has happened to you, I feel your pain, if it has NOT happened to you, IT WILL!

I certainly don't know it all, so PLEASE, if you have something to add, or even disagree with what I have said, I would love to hear about it!
I Will be off to the FMLS store in the AM, so I can buy a few more Disappearing signs!

REDUCED!1Minute to Allatoona!Master on Main with 3 more br's up! Total Privacy and NO HOA Dues!

Bruce Miller (Friendly Appraisals) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:21:33 -0500

Welcome Home!

Great opportunity to live in a fantastic owner occupied neighborhood with total privacy and NO HOA DUES!

This Huge Cape Cod has a full basement with 2 car garage and extra storage room plus another room almost finished to be used like an office or den.
Her walk-in and his closet in BIG Master bedroom.
Master bath has Huge tub with separate shower and dual vanities. New HARDWOODS in kitchen, breakfast and dining areas.
Upper level has a large bedroom plus 2 good sized secondary bedrooms and a full bath! Greatroom with awesome wood burning fireplace!
Additional parking pad for storing your boats/jetskis/RV! Motivated seller will consider carpet allowance and/or closing costs assistance!
This property has already been reduced and will not last long! Click on the picture to see more photos of this home, available on my website!
Call Bruce @ 770 540 4934 for Details on how to view and make an offer on this house!

To see other listings in your area and for more information, you can visit my website at http://www.friendlygarealtor.com

This property is listed with an exclusive right to sell by
RE/MAX Town and Country of Woodstock
Office 770 928 4966
Realtor® Bruce Miller
cell 770 540 4934
fax 770 966 0273
Email: b.friendly@comcast.net
Information deemed reliable but is not guaranteed
Each office independently owned and operated
Equal Housing Opportunity

If you, one of your family or friends were buying a home..........

Bruce Miller (Friendly Appraisals) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:35:16 -0500

If you, one of your family or friends were buying or selling a home, do you have a Professional Realtor® you would immediately refer them to?
If so great, You really need a good one! But if not, I would like to be that person. Not just for today, but for LIFE!

I am a new Realtor®, am motivated and I have time for you!

I will answer the phone when you call!

Though I may not know all the answers to your all of your questions, I am one phone call away from 100s of years of experience, and I will get the correct answer for you.

While I may be a new Realtor®, I am NOT new to Real Estate!
I have been a Real Property Appraiser since 2001 and I have alot of experience in Real Estate and its True Market Values.

Throughout my whole life I have been in some type of industry where SERVICE comes first.

My wife has also been a Realtor for the last 6 years and we help each other any way we can to make sure we do the absolute best job for our clients we can possibly do.

That is how we intend to keep our clients for LIFE! Please call me on my cell phone if there is any way we can help you with Your Real Estate Needs. 770 540 4934

There is NO OBLIGATION and we will always be happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you are considering buying a home, we will be happy to help guide you through the entire process at NO COST TO YOU!

Bruce & Michelle Miller

Bruce's Cell 770 540 4934
Michelle's cell 404 538 5396
www.friendlyGArealtor.com
RE/MAX Town & Country
office 770 928 4966

How do you answer when someone says, "How are you"?

Bruce Miller (Friendly Appraisals) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:40:41 -0500

When you make a call, are in front of the cashier in a store, or for whatever reason, someone asks, "How are you doing today?" What do you say? Do you go into how bad your life is? Do you complain about your spouse or kids? Maybe complain about how bad you hate your job? Do you complain about the weather, the war? I honestly do not think that any of those were the answer they were looking for. I have asked this same question, "How are you doing today?" and have gotten all of these aforementioned responses. It is like loading a gun and pointing it to my face!

What cracks me up are the responses I get when people ask me this question and I give them my answer of "I AM FANTASTIC!" The person on the other end almost 100% of the time will SMILE or even Laugh out loud. Even if I am having the worst day of my life, and everything is going wrong, I do my best to give the same answer......"I AM FANTASTIC!" Not sarcastically, but sincerely! I may not even be talking to them, but instead I may be talking to myself! I challenge everyone of you to try this! Especially when the day is NOT going good. Try to turn things around by forcing yourself to smile for 1 minute! When someone asks you this question, you will be amazed to find out the answer you give, will have a direct impact on you and your day! Whether or not you like it, you choose how your days go. The day itself does not make this choice, you do!

Tax Records Say WHAT? It cant be THAT BIG(or small)!

Bruce Miller (Friendly Appraisals) — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:44:05 -0500

As a Real Property Appraiser for the last 6 years, I have had to deal with this same scenario many times. Be aware that Tax Records differ from county to county. Some counties will give you the Basement area and then they will give you the Gross Living Area AKA Above Grade or Heated Area, but many other counties will not be so friendly. For instance, in certain counties they will often times indicate what the "Building Area" is. Beleive it or not, the "Building Area" usually includes every part of the house such as the basement, garage, porches, decks, breezeways etc; it is essentially a "Sum of its parts". This can make figuring out what the actual Gross Living Area is very difficult. However, if you look closely, use some simple steps, you should be able to figure out what the true Gross Living Area is and what the basement area is. After all, those are the areas that we simply MUST have accurate figures for when we do a CMA, Right? Usually(but not always), when the county indicates the "Building Area", there will be a break down of the size of each area at the very bottom below sale and mortgage history. (I am using Realist.com for this example)

When you see "1.0s" this is the main level without the garage; use this same figure for the basement if there is one. If the house is a Ranch or one story home without any Bonus area or upper level, you should have the number you need.

Then you should see "1.5s", "2.0s"and sometimes even "3.0s" which are the upper levels; these areas will often times be larger than the lower or main level, if they extend over the garage or have any type of "Pop-Out" or "Overhang". Add the 1.0s to the 1.5s to get your Gross Living Area.

Many counties here in Georgia have their own website with tax/property records available. When it is possible, try to look at the actual Sketch of the house. If it is available, look at it and double check the calculations.

As with any practice, USE COMMON SENSE! Dont be afraid to call the Realtors who sold the comps you need! Find out how much of the basement was finished(25%? 100%?) and wether the ceiling is Drywall or Drop Tiles(Big Difference)! While MLS is great, it may not answer your question, but the Realtor surely can. If you found a comp through tax records only and have concluded it sold as a FSBO, dont be afraid to knock on the door and ask questions to the new owner.

Of course if you have any questions, please fell free to send me an e-mail and I will be glad to help in anyway I can. b.friendly@comcast.net or feel free to visit one of my websites at www.friendlyGArealtor.com or www.friendlyappraisals.com