Brent's Blog

The Most Important Single Word in Real Estate

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:01:59 -0600

It didn't take me long to learn what I feel is the most important single word in the real estate business. I have been in the business less than 4 years butI am always listening. I listen to agents rejoice when they finally get a deal closed. I listen when they lose a deal, and I listen when they just want to quit. I listen a little when someone is bemoaning the latest bad news prediction, and I listen a little when they are crying about the economy.

In all of my listening I have picked up one word that is always applicable and I will never forget it. It doesn't matter if I just closed a deal that was a piece of cake, or if it was the worst short sale in history. It doesn't matter if I just landed a listing that I have worked on for a year and a half, or I had to walk away from an over priced listing. It doesn't matter if I just had a listing pulled so they could afford to sell it on their own and bring less money to the closing. It doesn't matter if they want to work with someone else. You ask, What is this word that always applies?

NEXT!

-- 
Brent Link, CRS, e-PRO REALTOR
Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt 
Office (231)737-4004  Fax (866)334-2775  Cell (231)206-2772  
Mailto:Brent@LinkRealtor.com
http://LinkRealtor.com
Your West Michigan Real Estate Link

Coldwell Banker 10 Day Sales Event

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:03:47 -0500

Friday begins The Coldwell Banker 10 Day Sales Event running October 10-19th. In order to get a little more activity for our sellers Coldwell Banker is sponsoring a National Sales Event. This will be advertised on TV, Radio, Newspapers, and online. We asked our sellers for a price reduction and we advertise these listings over and above our normal advertising in an effort to create more activity on our listings.

I have had a very good response from my sellers. I have had price reductions from my listings in North Muskegon, The Northside, Holton, Fremont, Hesperia, Wolf Lake, and Muskegon Heights. Today the Woodland Schmidt Division has posted over 100 Price Reductions in Muskegon, Oceana, and Newaygo Counties. The Fremont Office has had over 70 listings alone. This does not include the offices in Ottawa or Kent Counties or any of the Northern offices.

I believe Sellers are interested in a reduction as long as we are going to step up to the plate and make sure they get noticed. Why reduce the price if no one is going to really promote it so it gets noticed? This is just one more reason why I feel Coldwell Banker is the right choice whether you are buying or selling.. We have the #1 Rated company website at ColdwellBanker.com. We offer the the best Seller Service Guarantee and the best Home Buyer guarantee in the business. We have a network of offices that span the globe. Our agents are offered the best training available to keep us abreast of the market as well as provide the best in service to our clients.

I am here to help. Let me know if you have any questions regarding Buying, Selling, or evn retaining your current home. I work with several of the major lenders as a Home Retention Consultant to help people keep their homes. There are already too many foreclusures out there and the foreclosed homes are hurting the values.

Give me a call. I promise to treat you the way I would like to be treated. --
Brent Link, CRS, e-PRO REALTOR
Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt
Office (231)737-4004 Fax (866)334-2775 Cell (231)206-2772
Mailto:Brent@LinkRealtor.com
http://LinkRealtor.com
Your West Michigan Real Estate Link

Commission Not Earned

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:07:25 -0500

A few weeks ago on a late Sunday afternoon I was mowing the lawn and a friend stopped by. When he left he said there was something up with the bees in the hive by the garage. I went over to looked and got a warm fuzzy feeling. They were swarming. There were ten of thousands of honey bees flying around and around like a tornado, going higher and higher. They were collecting on a branch of the oak tree about 30' - 40 feet up. It was pretty cool. Cool enough to give just about anyone a warm fuzzy feeling. I probably should have went in a got the camera to take some pictures but I didn't. I went back to mowing and thinking about how to get them into a new home. Maybe it is the Realtor in me.

About 5 minutes latter I went back and they were pretty much settled on the branch. Kinda always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when I see them hanging there. That is how they multiply and make more colonies. When the hive gets crowded, the worker bees pick a few fresh eggs and put them each in an individual Queen Cell, which is a bit larger and is vertical instead of horizontal like the rest of the cells. They feed these eggs Royal Jelly. After a few days they cap the cells off like all of the the other cells and in 3 weeks from start to finish, the queens begin to emerge. The first queen out goes around and seeks out the other queen cells and kills the other queens before they emerge. I know, Not so warm and fuzzy.

Just before the first queen emerges, the original queen leaves the hive and about 60% of the worker bees follow her. She usually lands on something near by and the Scout Bees are out looking for a good place to call home. I believe it takes about 30,000 bees to make a pound. 6 pounds of bees would be about 180,000 bees. That is a lot of little golden bodies clinging together. It always gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling when I see a swarm.

Back to getting these bees into a new home. I have a telescoping boom for my loader. It is rather short. Years ago a friend wanted me to lift a windmill for him. He got me a deal on a 24 foot steel tube that would fit in my boom then I could reach considerably farther. Since I am quite safety conscious, I also have a basket that fits the forks of my loader so I can work off it in a safe manner. I began thinking that just maybe I could put my long extension on my boom, hang the basket and set right there and scoop the bees into a hive.
The mowing was getting boring and all of those poor homeless creatures were still giving me warm and fuzzy feelings. I let Cindy take over the mowing.

I hooked up the boom and put on the long extension. Then I slung the basket from the boom. After careful inspection, I decided it might work and I began getting that warm and fuzzy feeling as I maneuvered the loader/cherry picker over to the swarm. I eased the basket up through the branches to where the swarm was hanging. Now the loader will reach about 10' or 11' feet high. The boom base adds another 3 or 4 feet and the extension 24'. I was about 10' short! I was bummed. I do have a nice 32' extension ladder and I am pretty good with ropes, knots and lashing from my Pathfinder Days. I began to get that warm fuzzy feeling again as I devised another way to get those bees into a suitable home that they could enjoy for years.

I collected the ladder and Cindy brought me a couple good strong ropes. I lashed the extended ladder to the boom adding another 12' feet or so. Looked a little springy to me but if I leaned it on the branch, it would be fine.

It was getting late. Bees are NOT nocturnal. Bees like sunshine and bees don't like to be messed with late in the evening or when it is looking like rain. I was scheduled to be on Floor the first thing in the morning so waiting was not an option. I began to get that warm fuzzy feeling again as I maneuvered the Stairway To Heaven toward the swarm. Cindy brought my bee veil, jacket, gloves, and a bucket with a lid. I was all set.

I laid out on the bottom rungs of the ladder and Cindy got in the loader and I began my accession. Now I have been on a few amusement rides in my life and most of them don't scare me. I found a new one! There is NOTHING like being flung into the air as you hold on for dear life and then it suddenly STOPS! What a RUSH! I can't wait to patent it! I would have liked to enjoy it a bit longer but the sun was setting faster than normal and I didn't want those poor homeless bees to be out in the cold dark night. Who knows what could happen to them? More warm and fuzzy feelings.

My expert operator eased the ladder into position next to the limb as the sun set over Lake Michigan. I climbed the ladder to the swarm. Lo and Behold, I could see the sun again! I couldn't believe the bucket had stayed on the end of the ladder during the amusement ride but I was in luck. I took the lid off the ladder and tucked it into my jacket so I didn't drop it. As I reached out and scooped several thousand bees into my bucket with each pass, I was having a warm and fuzzy feeling that didn't quit. I took my bee brush and gently swept them off the limb and into the bucket. Of course, at this time there are about 50,000 bees flying around thinking I am disturbing them when I am just out to help them find a suitable home. About then I noticed one of the bees was a little too perturbed and had found a vulnerable spot on my chest. I was a bit sad since a honey bee leaves it's stinger behind when it stings and then it dies fairly soon. As I snapped the lid on the bucket and began my decent, I realized there were a few more bees a little upset and had found the place in my jacket where I had stored the lid. They weren't going to live very long either. It was sad. As I was looking down to see if I could see any landing lights, I noticed that a few more bees had found where my jacket was unzipped and were following that up into my veil. The buzzing seemed to be getting louder. I climbed a little faster and Cindy began to let it down a bit. With the bucket full of bees I had that warm and fuzzy feeling, once again.

I had already set up a hive body with a bottom board, inner cover and cover so I just dumped them in and put the cover on. They were no longer homeless.

Now, I have been stung before and I am not allergic to bees stings, but sometimes, when I have been stung in the head a few too many times, I get this warm and fuzzy feeling. Well, I knew this was a good opportunity so I did not stick around for the house-warming party. I headed inside. Sure enough, I wsa gttineg a wram fzzuy fleenig. I akesd Cdniy to rnu me smoe cool bahtwtear and I clmideb in. It wsa too wram. I wnaetd CLOD wtaer. It wsa clod adn flet good. I was felenig wramer and fzzeur all of the tmie. I eevn truend on the swhoer haed for a bit. Taht flet good too. The wram fleening was laevnig but not the fzzuy. I bgean to get clod so I ran wram wtaer. Taht hlepd to wram a bit but I was sitll fzzuy. Atfer a wihle the fzzuy fleenig strated to sudbise but I was slitl clod. I sat on the cucoh for the rset of the enevnig udner a blkanet and s,s,s,shv,ierd. I was beginging to tahw by teh tmie we wnet to bed but I was still a bit fzzuy. I woke up in the morning warm and just a little fzzuy. There were still a few bees on the branch and the box was buzzing. Even though I was still a little fzzuy, I was happy. This family had a suitable home and we went to the office.

It was an interesting day to say the least but that is another story. We got home in the evening and I looked at the branch. They were all gone. Cool I thought, They found the queen and had settled into their new home. I took a peak in the hive. They were ALL GONE!
Guess I didn't earn a commission on that one!

--
Brent Link, CRS, e-PRO REALTOR
Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt
Office (231)737-4004 Fax (866)334-2775 Cell (231)206-2772
Mailto:Brent@LinkRealtor.com
http://LinkRealtor.com
Your West Michigan Real Estate Link

Even The Kitchen Sink!

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:26:32 -0500

I was on Floor and got a call to show an REO that needed a lot of work. Someone had taken the kitchen cabinets and sink. It was listed at $19,900. and he told me there were already some offers on it. (It's in a small town where everyone knows everyone) We showed it, wrote an offer and got it accepted. The next day a neighbor called to ask if he wanted to buy the kitchen cabinets and sink! She wanted to buy the house so had broke in and stole the kitchen!

He informed her that he would pay 5 times as much for cabinets elsewhere before he gave her one thin dime for them.

Beekeeping in Michigan

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:16:24 -0500

Well, it is that time of year when it is time to start collecting the honey.

I started the spring with 2 nucs and one colony that wintered over well. This is the first time I have used nucs and am very satisfied. The bees were ready when the blueberries blossomed.

I set one of the hives I lost over the winter up by the house so I could extract the honey when I found the time. It never happened. One day I came home from work and there was a swarm waiting to get in. It took about 15 seconds. I lifted the cover, slid it back a bit, and shook it. Put the cover back on and they moved right in. Seems to be one of my stronger colonies this year. It swarmed a couple weeksa ago but that is another story in itself.

A week or so later there was a swarm on one of my apple trees up near the house. I found a hive and shook them in. The next day there was a swarm on my peach tree! I had to scramble to find a hive for that one!

Last year I had an empty hive setting by the patio in the back of the house. A swarm found it and moved in. I set it in the lawn mower trailer and started moving it a little at a time to get it across the pasture to the area I keep my other hives. I realized I couldn't move it across the pasture with out my mules extracting some honey so I stopped for a better time. They seem to like the front yard but now I have 4 hives within 30 feet of my house and one is less than 10 feet from the garage door. They don't bother anyone, but then many who happen to stop by probably don't realize what they are parking next to. My plan is to set them on a trailer after I take off the supers and move them for a few days and then relocate them where they belong. I think this weekend will be spent creating a better apiary than I have now.

I extracted about 85 lbs. Tuesday night. Not quite as light as last years honey but still very good color and flavor that can't bee beat!

Could there be such a thing as too much training?

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:15:58 -0500

I have begun to wonder if there could be such a thing as too much training.

Why do agents settle for the minimum? I want to be at the top of my game, not competing for Last Place. Now don't take me wrong. I am not greedy. I just feel I can serve my client the best when I have spent the extra time and money to attend the classes that will give me the knowledge I need to stay on the cutting edge.

Many times, when I get into a discussion on agency or fiduciary duties, I find that some of these agents who have been at it forever, sit back and listen. They don't have any input and it makes me think maybe they are not sure of the answer. Sometimes I feel like they may not even be sure of the question. It scares me!

I look at the state website and see that many agents have 6 hours con ed each year for the last umpteen years. It is almost embarrassing to see that in a little over 3 years I have acquired just as much training as agents that have been in the business for 12 or 13 years.

I realize things have been slow the past couple years but what better time to get an edge on the competition than when things are slow! Yes. It cost a few bucks but don't you think it will put you in a better position when the market turns around? You certainly won't want to take the time off during a HOT Market!

A good place to start is e-Pro. I learned a lot form it and found a lot of resources from this class. You can use it for requirements on several designations. I used mine toward my CRS designation. It is an easy class to take. The only place you can take it is online. You can work on it any time of day or night. I got up a did a section or two one night when I couldn't sleep. Here is an easy link to check it out and sign up when you are ready. http://brentlink.internetcrusade.com/

At Home With Diversity is another good class. It is interesting and very informative. You can apply it to other designations as well. I used it toward my CRS designation as well. I took the class live but I believe it is available on line now as well.

Do I feel like I have had too much training? No. I am looking for more classes to take. I appreciate being confident when I get into a discussion with another agent. Yes, I may make a mistake now and then, but I certainly make fewer now than if I had not spent the extra time and money to take the classes. Besides. I ENJOY LEARNING!

Permanent eMail Address

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:29:16 -0500

Tired of buying new cards because someone changed your email address again? Would you like a permanent email address you can print on everything and never have to change it? Would you like an email address you can take with you when you change companies?

Want a domain name that will be easy for your clients to remember? Would you like to advertise your domain name on each email you send? Would you like your domain name to point to your your own site or a page on the company site?

I can help. It is absolutely painless and not very expensive. Go to http://BrentLink.InternetCrusade.com/ They understand the internet and are excellent to work with.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Brent

Trans-Plans by Gary David Hall

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 08:25:32 -0600

You may be interested in Trans-Plans. This is a set of plans Gary David Hall wrote. They work with several of the database systems. I have only used the Listing Plans so far. Once you launch the Listing Plan it will schedule many many activities that could possibly be required for that particular transaction. Of course not all will apply to each listing but they are easy to delete. They are very thorough. I am axious to implement both of his plans for a contract. One plan works form the contract date and the other works from the projected Closing date. For a while he was offering these plans at a reduced rate if you purchased an update from him. I don't know if he is still offering a discount or not. You can probably find out by going to his website at http://garydavidhall.com/

I will try to answer any questions you may have.

AgentOffice advantages

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 12:40:02 -0600

I have been using AgentOffice for over a year now and I still find new things it can do for me.

After trying to get Outlook to print some labels I bought an older version of AO and fell in love with it. I like programs that think like me and don't have a long learning curve. I figured this one would work. I used it for several months and kept finding new areas and capabilities. Finally I broke down and took a class from Gary David Hall. WOW! That was money Well Spent! Gary knows his programs and is a good teacher. I learned a whole lot and was able to put it ot good use.

One example: I used to print out my mailings and then I had to sort them by zip code. AO will sort them for you. The printing process is about as simple as it can get. I was very happy how easy and quick it goes.

Another: Listing Plans come with the program. Gary Hall wrote a set called TransPlans. They are Very Thorough. I was suprised at some of the things he came up with to remind me to do. Some are not relavant to my practice but most are and it is very easy to delete the ones you don't need.

Feel free to post any questions or tips of your own here. I certainly don't know it all and am hoping to learn.

The Northside Market

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 16:18:14 -0600

Curious about the market? Here is a graph showing the market activity for the the last 1/2 of 2006. This covers the Northside area. basically Cedar Creek, Dalton, Laketon, and Muskegon townships north of the Muskegon river.

The 100-125 = $100,000 - $125,000. price range the $125,000. - $150,000. price rqange is next.

The numbers beneath each price range are the number of homes sold in that area at those price ranges.

A couple examples:

13 Homes in the $100,000. - $125,000. price range Sold in Dalton Township between June and December 2006.

3 Homes in the $200,000. - $250,000. price range Sold in North Muskegon between June and December 2006.

The Variety of West Michigan

Brent Link (Coldwell Banker Woodland Schmidt) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 15:37:10 -0600

I have lived in West Michigan all of my life. I enjoy the changing weather and the varied topography.

Sometimes in the summer time, it gets up to 100 degrees and is usually very humid. It makes a trip to the lake almost a necessity. It seems the Big Storms form further west and, a lot of the time, they approach Lake Michigan latter in the day. That usually cools them off a bit so we seldom get tornadoes.

Lake Michigan is about 80 miles across where I live. It is so far that you can not see either side when you are in the middle of the lake. It warms up to 70 to 80 degrees and we have some of the nicest beaches on Earth! We also have numerous inland lakes and rivers. Some are navigable from Lake Michigan. Usually good for a cruise or just to explore.

We get a lot of snow in the winter. The average for Muskegon is about 120 inches a year. Seems like we have been cheated the last few years but I am sure that will change also. We seldom have more than 1 1/2 or 2 feet of snow on the ground at any given time. We are also one of the cloudiest places on earth. Sometimes we don't see sunshine for weeks. Some get depressed but I guess I am used to it. The Weather At My House link is a direct link to the weather station I have set up at home. There are also links to other weather stations from Grand Haven, Norton Shores, North Muskegon, Twin Lake, Whitehall and Montague.Check it out!

I mentioned our beaches. We have the nicest sandy beaches you could ask for. It is all sand in this area on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. From about Muskegon south to the state line it is mostly nice clean sand! A ways north there is some clay now and then. Further north you will find some rocks mixed in but still mostly sand.

The Muskegon River is Michigan's longest River. It starts at Houghton Lake about 150 miles to the NorthEast. It was instrumental in making Muskegon the Lumber Capitol of the world back in the 1800's. Michigan used to be covered with massive White Pine trees. These were cut down and loggers floated their logs down the rivers to the sawmills. There were several sawmills on the shores of Muskegon Lake. The boards were shipped out from here. Many trees that floated down the Muskegon river were sawn into boards to re-build Chicago after the big fire destroyed most of the city. the first Millionaire in Michigan made his fortune owning sawmills in Muskegon.

There are many smaller inland lakes. Some just a few acres in size and some that are many miles long. We also have many small streams and creeks. When you are in Michigan, you are never more than 6 miles from a river, stream, or lake.

Our terrain on this side of the state has nice hills and valleys, forests and a few prairies. My wife is from the Saginaw Valley on the east side of the state. She enjoys having hills and valleys.

I know the lakes and rivers since I have canoed or power boated many of them. This gives me an advantage selling real estate whether it is lakefront, riverfront, or hunting property. Muskegon is in the process of completely rebuilding downtown. Now is the best time to invest in Muskegon. You can't go wrong whether it is commercial or residential real estate. Give me a call. I would be happy to discuss the potential of this great area.