Stephanie 's Blog

Finding the Balance- Mega-agent or Mega-Mommy?

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:49:03 -0700

I've been a little out of the loop lately. OK- for like a year or so. But Labor day weekend will mark one year from my finding out that I was about to embark on the all-consuming, life-changing event called Motherhood. As a career-focused top producer, seeing those two little pink lines left me hyperventalating on the bathroom floor. (OMG! What am I going to do? How will I raise a baby and still keep my production levels?? YAY! OMG!!!) Now, a year later, I have a happy, healthy 4 month old boy who is already well on his way to being a top-producing agent by 2029 or so.

Seriously, he has been on listing appointments, shown houses, and helped Mommy write contracts. He also enjoys talking on the phone to clients. Agents in my office have commented that he will probably have his real estate license before his drivers license. And if it were possible, would probably happen. However, Mommy is a little stressed over the situation. I am finding it more and more difficult to get the work done that needs to be done. And how am I supposed to answer the phone or make calls when there is a screaming infant in the background? I know the obvious answer is DAYCARE, but I am balking at letting someone else essentially raise my child. I know there are lots of you out there that do it, and I am not judging! I'm just so afraid that I will miss his first steps and first words and so much else because I am not with him. I feel really guilty about thinking of putting him in a daycare program, but at this point, I have to do something. As an agent used to producing 8M a year with one hand tied behind my back, finding the balance is a bit stressful. I always thought it would be easy to balance being a mega-agent with being a mega-mommy, but I have found it to be the biggest challange I have ever faced.

Tomorrow, I am calling around to see if I can find a mother's morning out program. Maybe if I can at least get 15 hours a week, I can get so much more done and have more quality time to spend with my wonderful, precious baby boy. In the meantime, I will just work in spurts, as he is sleeping or watching his baby einstein videos!!

It's halftime baby!

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:29:52 -0700

In the movies it is always the same- the team is down in the first half and they all go in the locker room where the coach gives them a rousing speech that works everyone into a frenzy and then they go out and win the game.

Well people, it's halftime now and we should all be giving ourselves that motivating speech that will propel us to victory in this crazy Real Estate game. If you can't give yourself a speech, have someone else do it!

Now is the time! Don't listen to all of the gloom and doom out there!! WE make our own market! Thats right- WE do. If your houses aren't selling- reduce them! If buyers aren't buying- then you aren't closing them! Stop whining about how bad everything is and GET TO WORK!!! Call your sphere every month! Knock on doors! Meet new people! The simple truth is that those of us that come out the other side of this mess will be STRONGER, BETTER AGENTS because of it. We will have more marketshare and better habits that will continue to propel us to stardom!

So quit yer bellyachin' and show the world what you're made of. Just remember that there are only two types of people out there- Tiggers and Eyeores. Be a Tigger and go win the game!!!!!

Great Starter Home!

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:03:48 -0700

Stephanie Hylton | Keller Williams Greenville Central | 864-525-5055

104 Carrollwood Lane, Spartanburg, SC

Great Starter Home

4BR/2.5BA Single Family House

offered at $110,000

Year Built	1983
Sq Footage	1,573
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	2 full, 1 partial
Floors	2
Parking	2 Car garage
Lot Size	Unspecified
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

Great starter home in established neighborhood just needs a little TLC all cosmetic to sparkle again! Spacious great room with fireplace, formal dining room, kitchen with breakfast room and snack bar. Large 2car garage with yard door, storage cabinets and room for a workshop. Large wooded lot on a quiet street close to downtown Spartanburg. Home sold ASIS!

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

Central A/C	Central heat	Fireplace
High/Vaulted ceiling	Family room	Breakfast nook
Dishwasher	Stove/Oven

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Seller contact info:

Stephanie Hylton

Keller Williams Greenville Central

864-525-5055

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Jun 26, 2008, 8:55am PDT

French Country Style Home in Greenville, SC

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:51:42 -0700

Stephanie Hylton | Keller Williams Greenville Central | 864-525-5055

2 Alderberry, Greenville, SC

French Country Style Home

4BR/3.5BA Single Family House

offered at $599,900

Year Built	2007
Sq Footage	4,137
Bedrooms	4
Bathrooms	3 full, 1 partial
Floors	2
Parking	3 Car garage
Lot Size	0.66 acres
HOA/Maint	$0 per month

DESCRIPTION

This Gorgeous 4 Bedroom, 3.5 Bath all brick French Country Style offers fantastic style for the discerning homeowner. From the elegant entry, you will find an open and flowing plan that consists of Formal rooms, a large Great Room open to the gourmet kitchen with granite and stainless, screened porch and luxurious Master-on-main with oversized closets, sitting area and private deck. All of this is encompassed by 10 ft. ceilings and 8 ft. doors, heavy crown and elegant wainscoting. The butlers pantry with it's wine chiller and cabinetry is a treat and there is plenty of room in the oversized laundry with sink and counter space. The second floor offers 3 more oversized bedrooms, a play room and two more baths. Additionally, there is a 23x21 unfinished bonus space that can be finished at the buyers discretion to add another 400+ SF or to just use as storage!

see additional photos below

PROPERTY FEATURES

Central A/C	Central heat	Fireplace
High/Vaulted ceiling	Walk-in closet	Hardwood floor
Tile floor	Family room	Living room
Bonus/Rec room	Office/Den	Dining room
Breakfast nook	Dishwasher	Stove/Oven
Microwave	Granite countertop	Stainless steel appliances
Laundry area - inside

COMMUNITY FEATURES

Garage parking

Swimming pool(s)

OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES

Wine chiller

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Seller contact info:

Stephanie Hylton

Keller Williams Greenville Central

864-525-5055

For sale by agent/broker

Equal Opportunity Housing

Posted: Jun 26, 2008, 8:49am PDT

When it rains it pours.

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:27:43 -0700

Confuscious say- "Be careful what you wish for!"

Well, I've been wishing like crazy for the market to pick up. Not that our market in Greenville is bad... it has just been a tad bit slow first quarter. Probably has to do with all the doomsday reports on the news- but that's a whole other subject. So it's been a bit slow- so I've been doing some positive thinking and sending my wishes out to the universe at large for the market to pick up and be super busy again.

And suddenly, voila! Now, it actually is starting to feel like spring market and off to the races we go. Bye, Hubby! See ya in the fall!

Not that I'm complaining. I'm NOT. NO HOW NO WAY. But why is it that this business is so very much feast or famine? Yes, yes, I know. If you have all your systems in place and do your lead generation everyday and blah, blah, blah. It all sounds good in theory. But the reality is that our business is a constant rollercoaster and there is NOTHING that will ever change it.

Hey Confuscious! I refuse to be careful! And I'm just gonna keep on wishin' cause I'm a rainmaker and I love it when it pours!!! HA!

Being Busy

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:26:11 -0700

What constitutes being busy?

I ask myself this question frequently as my husband (even after 8 years in Real Estate) still thinks that if I literally do not have buyers in my car that I am not busy. He seems to think that all I do is just sit around in my office talking to the other agents and going to lunch with my friends. Now, I know that what I do everyday is definately BUSY because I am lead generating, marketing, and servicing my clients. Yet, somehow in the spouse world- those things don't constitute 'being busy' or 'doing work'.

What gives? I swear I have tried to explain it a thousand times and now the conversation just goes something like this-

"Hi Honey, how was your day?'

"Great!" I say, "I got lots done today."

"Yeah? Like what? Did you sell a house?"

"I got stuff done. Paperwork and stuff. No. I didn't sell a house."

"so, what did you do all day?"

"Absolutely nothing. I went to lunch. Chatted with Crystal and went shopping. Thats it. Thats all I do ever. OK?"

I know I can't be the only one that has this problem. So even now- as I am writing my blog listening to Nine Inch Nails and eating popcorn (yes, in the middle of the day at my desk in the office), I am doing NOTHING. Maybe now I'll go log onto MLS and do nothing some more. Ha!

Unrealistic expectations

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:38:33 -0700

I love it when Sellers think they can get full price for their homes. I mean, really. Although it's not a bad market, It's not a Sellers market either. Scenario- the house has been sitting on the market for 3 months with very few showings- I have asked for price reductions- we finally get an offer- it's low to start but then the buyer comes up to within 3% of the asking price. And yet, my Seller wants to hold out. Now, I have some pretty good scripts for this but what I really want to say is "Helloooo! Don't be an idiot!!!"

I know people get attached to their houses and such but it is so hard to maintain your professionalism, represent them fully, and yet still make them understand that this may be the best offer they get!

I would love to know how other people handle this. What kind of scripts do you use? I know that agents all over the country are experiencing the same thing so gimme some feedback!!!

Moving to Greenville

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:32:54 -0700

Five years ago, I decided I needed a change of venue. Like so many families before and after me, I felt that where I was currently living just wasn't the place to be and that I needed to move. So I started doing some research. And my hubby says, "Hey! Check out Greenville, SC. It's a really cool place and there is a lot of growth there!" and I thought, "Hmmmm. I'm a Realtor- growth is good! People moving in and out, things happening...hmmmmm." And so I started researching Greenville as a place to move to. See, my husband has lived here before. He graduated from Mauldin High School and knew quite a bit about the area. But, alas, I was ignorant. And not too sure about this small city tucked in the foothills just off 85. But the research looked good- and the city looked appealing- so we made a trip down. It was love at first sight.

When I first moved to Greenville, I was totally amazed by the underlying sophistication. Like so many of those that come here thinking of Greenville as just a backwoods town, imagine my surprise when it was not only not what I was expecting, but in fact so much more. Even in the 5 years since, G'ville has continued to grow and expand- and attract so many new industries, companies, and ultimately- people. It's amazing, really. Maybe that's one of the reasons I enjoy working with relocation so much.

I like to fancy myself as more tour guide than Realtor when I have relocatees in the car with me. It is so much fun to show them all the things that attracted me to Greenville as well as all of the cool stuff that has popped up since. The parks and green space- Heritage Park in Simpsonville, the water park in Mauldin, Falls Park downtown, all surrounding an abundance of arts and culture that is amazing for a city this size. Sometimes, if I know the clients are big fans of the outdoors and such, I will even take them all the way up to Table Rock State Park just so they can see how beautiful (and close) the mountains are. I love showing Greenville off to newcomers! It is probably that enthusiasm for the town that makes me such a good relocation agent. When you have passion for a place, it shows. And I am definitely hot for Greenville.

This Blogging thing

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:02:00 -0700

OK- I'm really trying to catch up.

See, even though I am considered a gen x-er, I am comfounded by the internet. Yeah I love to use it and surf around and look at cool stuff all the time, but when it comes to blogging, google ad-words, pay-per-click and the like I am just stupid. I don't even have a my space page- which is really wierd to all my friends.

So in the world of Real Estate, all I hear is how over 85% of buyers are now beginning their searches on the web and how I need to make sure my website has HTML code to insure that I rank well organically or I can pay a gazillion dollers to buy my pay-per-click but I can also blog alot to get there as well..... OMG!!!!! My brain is on overload and I have NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING!!!!

I would love it if there was a class that really taught you how to do all that stuff and put it in plain-speak. Yes, I have been to classes and they talk about doing it, but don't ever actually explain what HTML code is, or how exactly to determine pay-per-click. They are all such general overviews that leave me excited about the prospect of internet lead generation, but no idea how to actually do it.

So here I am, fumbling along, trying to blog.

Hey Crystal- I blogged.

Blog on bloggah!

Real Estate Market in Upstate SC is Great!

Stephanie Hylton, ABR (Keller Williams Realty) — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:52:13 -0800

We've all seen and heard the latest Real Estate headlines- all about how the market has taken a nosedive and houses aren't selling and foreclosures are at an all-time high- right? Well, it's true- at least in parts of Florida, Las Vegas, California, and the Northeast. In those places the nay Sayers are all correct. Not in the Upstate, however.

Having a "Real Estate Expert" come on to CNN and talk about a slumping market is much the same as having a weather expert come on and state that the National Weather Forecast is a 50% chance of rain. How silly would that be? We all know that for someone to say the entire Nation has a 50% chance of rain is completely absurd. And yet, the majority of the American public believes that we are in a housing slump because CNN said so.

See, the Real Estate Market is a local market driven by the local economy. Here in the Upstate, we have lots of people moving here for jobs, a better way of life, the climate, and a myriad of other reasons that I have heard over and over again while driving people around looking for their new home. We have low taxes, great schools, an awesome downtown, tons of shopping, and so much more to offer that when families begin their search for a new place to live, the Upstate invariably places at the top of their list.

So, what does that mean to you- the homeowner? Well, let me break it down for you. While in other parts of the country homes are taking up to a year or longer to sell, our current Days on Market average (DOM) for everything that has sold this year is 86. That's right, 86 days. Less than 3 months. In fact, this is the lowest DOM average we have had in years! 2006 was 88 DOM and 2005 was 96 DOM! That means that not only are houses selling in Greenville, they are selling fast. Oh, and by the way, South Carolina has the LOWEST percentage of foreclosures in the Nation right now.

So don't believe the Hype! Now is a GREAT time to sell your home! People are moving to Greenville in droves and they need a place to live. If you have any questions about all of this, or just want to get an idea of what your home is worth- please feel free to call me at (864) 525-5055 or e-mail me at seestephsell@charter.net. I'd love to hear from you!

Happy Selling!

Stephanie Hylton

Keller Williams Realty