My personal business model includes clients by referral.   Yes, lots of gurus out there but the basics are all the same and the principals are all the same.

Consider:

1. Compentency
2. Work Hard
3. Care About Client Interests
4. Care About Client Interests
5. Do the Right Thing

DOs:

• Referral Business
• Former Clients
• Friends and Family
• People Who've Purchased Your Listings and Felt you were Competent
• Open Houses
• Referrals from Other Agents
• Referral Business
• Referral Business
• Referral Business
• Patience, Patience Patience

Don'ts:

• People You Don't Know
• People You Haven't Met
• General Advertising Leads
• Leads You've Purchased
• Floor Duty (although for some very good business)
• Internet Leads

Work with People You LIKE AND TRUST and make sure they are the same = GREAT CLIENTS WHO REFER YOU BUSINESS

The secret to closing 6 transaction in six days!

 Persistence

•·      Working with people and never giving up (even for a year or more)

•·      Staying in touch with your clients - so other agents aren't

•·      Staying in touch with agents and pushing to get things wrapped up

•·      Call back that missed call - they might be the one who really matters

•·      Educating yourself and your clients about the market

•·      Seeing Inventory - A MUST!!!

•·      Pushing and Pulling to Bring Deals together

•·      Get it done - before someone else does!

In my opinion a bedroom has....

• A Window or Door:
  • that is low enough that a child can escape
  • That is big enough for an adult to escape
  • Is actually in that room and not adjoining room
• A Closet:
  • Not a closet with the furnace
  • Individual Closet with Doors
  • No Closet? It might be a Den!
• A Door:
  • That closes
• Space to fit a bed
  • Can be a small bed - but needs to fit a bed

So what do you call a bedroom? 

Is it frustrating for you to see a house advertised as four bedrooms to find it only has two?

What do you tell your clients about staging a "non-bedroom" as a bedroom?

Tell me, what is your bedroom ettiquette - I'd like to know!

What is the Inter-County Connector?

The intercounty connector otherwise known as the ICC project is moving swiftly along and giving homebuyers (albeit not home sellers) a sense of relief as the areas where it is being built are becoming much more obvious.  This road is a major east-west toll highway being built in Montgomery County, Maryland from Interstate I270 (at the intersection of I370) and extending to meet I95 and end slightly beyond in Prince George's County.  This controversial project has been on the books for more than 50 years - yet in the recent hot real estate market - many home buyers who gave up their rights to review the master plan had no idea....and unfortunately, many of the "hey it is really easy to sell real estate" new agents - didn't know either.  I won't rant on ethics and being competent...although tempted.

This road will provide much needed relief to unbelievable traffic in the Washington, DC corridors.  It is shocking for people to realize that 10 miles can equal an hour or more of commuting time in this area.  When people wonder why the real estate market is so stable inside the beltway...look for the obvious - LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

Reports are indicating that while there is still litigation pending on some segments.  The first segment will open in 2010 connecting I270 and Georgia Avenue in Olney, MD.  This is tremendous as the first segement started construction just last November.

For those practicing real estate in Montgomery County, disclose, disclose, disclose - even if it doesn't seem close - remember there will be shifting traffic patterns to accomodate the new roads.

It is almost vacation time!   That means that my favorite sister will come and pamper and spoil my two dogs and 19 year old kitty.  They hate to see us leave...but they are so well cared for that sometimes, I think they forget that we are gone.  Sometime my husband's parents take care of them too...and you can tell that they have had a great time.  For me, I can relax knowing that they are in the best and most capable hands of my family.  I am pretty lucky that they will do this - we often take a three week vacation...sadly for all of us...this time it will only be a two week trip to California. 

We have taken them on the family vacations...to the beach...to Maine, etc.  They like the change of scenery - but are just as happy to be at home - I think they like being pampered!

We were very excited to upgrade to Top Producer 8i - but the going hasn't been easy.  So many of the features from earlier versions are just not intuitive or not there.  I know it is always a big trial and error to make changes (LOL-like changing your brokerage)....however, the process has not been as smooth as it should be.  Some of the simplest things like why can't they have a search by subdivision...there isn't even a good field for it that is easy to use and find.  Oh, and why can't you print out the name and contact information from the contact record...not really that hard...but they make it hard.  It would be nice to be able to cut and paste contact info - like for a lender to an email.  Alas, I feel when I call customer service it falls on deaf ears.  Don't get me wrong I love TP8i....but it could be a lot easier!

QUESTION:  THERE ARE SO MANY SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES?  HOW DO I CHOOSE?

The How:

• Pick the one your friends participate with
• Figure out which ones attract your collegues and competitors
• Which ones represent you the way you'd like to be represented
• Which ones are easy to use

The Downside:

• After you've given that some thought, realize that people who you don't want to interact with - will invite you and want to interact with you. 
• You have to spend time working at it - it is not overnight
• You need to reciprocate and invite others
• It is important to give testimonials to great service providers

The Power of Networking:

• Work with People You Like and Trust
• People Can Find you when they need you
• You can find people you are looking for
• You can keep in touch with folks without having to "get involved"
• You can refer and get referrred

They might look alike....but inside they are different and you have to find the ones that meet your needs!

Well, as I get ready to go on vacation, I am posting my first blog post in quite some time.  I've had a number of distractions and am finally ready to get back to the bascis and my blog. 

I am going to explore a couple of different formats and go through some of my favorites so that I can get back to a good routine of posting and communicating with my fellow colleagues.

I am thinking about going with a Q&A format...such as what I learned today.   As we all learn something everyday...and the blog is a good way to learn from other people's mistakes...and a good way to review the paths taken moving forward.

Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions.

Real Estate 101: Price, Location, Condition

Even if the house is listed at a great price...it is all about how the potential buyer "feels" in the home.

There are a few basics that we can all understand about selling a house.  Clutter doesn't make it sell.  The sellers don't see it as clutter...they see it as their beloved personal belongings.  We need to help them see that the potential buyer needs to see themselves in the house - and even if their own home is cluttered they'd like to believe that the new home won't be cluttered.  It is also an indicator that the home doesn't have enough storage - even if it does - the new buyer won't feel like it does...with a lot of choices...this can be a faint memory as the buyer says to their agent...NEXT!!!

I advise the sellers to go ahead and pack it up...the buyers expect to see boxes...not clutter.  Clear the clutter or hire someone who can! 

Light is important in selling a home - not just that they are on...but that the fixtures are not out of date and the blinds/curtains/shades are open and letting in the light.  People don't like dark homes, they want them to be full of light.  Leave the lights on as often as possible...the huge difference in what you get for the house in comparison to the extra that you pay on the extra electricity bill is certainly worthwhile.  Additionally, you might know the light switch is behind the "thing"; on the other wall; or behind the door - but the buyer and the buyer's agent doesn't...the room that might make the difference...might not get the appreciation it deserves.

BTW, leave the a/c turned up or the heat on...nothing turns a buyer off more than when they are feeling uncomfortable temperature wise in a home. 

And yes, color is important - neutralize whenever possible.

 Before:                                                                                                                                                After:

Okay, and did I mention clean, clean, clean...nothing sells like clean.  You can sell almost any home with cleanliness...clean can be another word for SOLD in a challenging pre-owned home market.  I once listed a home that was so clean it looked brand new...the buyer ran a cleaning service and she said she purchased it because it was the cleanest home she had seen and she didn't want to deal with anyone else's grunge.  Do you? 

Would you buy a car with a carpet allowance?

Staging is very important to selling a home.  I recommend hiring a stager - it is like detailing for a car...but, even without a stager...these are soooooo basic...go back to basics.

Buyers have choices...you need to make the list.