Sharon's Blog

Return From Nowhere

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:19:07 -0600

I did what I had been told I shouldn't have done: I took 4 months off from working. No prospecting, no follow-up, no lead generation, phone calls, emails, open houses, appointments. Nothing. I spent the time at home with my family, and giving myself a long and much needed break from the stress I had allowed to enter into my life. I had been hovering on the edge of clinical depression, and hadn't had an honest good laugh in months. But I was also lucky, and smart. I had a busy summer, and everything closed smoothly around the beginning of September. I set up a budget and knew that if I was careful, I would have enough money to get us through for 22 weeks (I made it 17 weeks, probably because I overspent on Christmas).

Was is worth it? Absolutely! My kids grades skyrocketed, my husband is more relaxed, the puppies were housebroken, my laundry was caught up and I learned that I should've asked for help when mixing cement. I got through holiday shopping, wrapping and baking without feeling any pressure (for the first time since I was a child!).

More importantly though, I woke up on January 4th and thought, "I'm ready to go back to work." That is a very telling thing for me, because I had been debating getting out of the real estate business. I spent weeks trying to figure out what else I could do, and what else did I even want to do? With no good answers coming to me, my mind kept going over the possibilities. The ever changing schedule and inconsistent paychecks had taken a huge toll on me mentally and physically, and until that moment in time I didn't want to work at all. I wanted to curl up into a ball and hide. But life moves forward, and I live in a two paycheck household, so I knew I had to do something to earn a living - especially considering my husband's career in the auto industry.

It might sound funny, but one of the things that has motivated me to get my real estate career back into full swing again was my broker's decision to sell the company just before New Year's. Our new company, Hunt Real Estate, has some excellent systems in place that I truly believe will help my business grow, and help me serve my clients better than ever before. But this isn't about Hunt, it's about how I found myself again and started becoming the person I used to be. Happier, relaxed, motivated.

In the face of tight finances and a lukewarm real estate market, I'm more excited than ever to be back to work in real estate. Here I am, days after deciding to get going again, and I'm putting together my first deal after months off. I realize that without making the decision to take the time off, and working to make it happen, I wouldn't have been any good at any job. But with some serious downtime and inflection, I also realize how much I love this job.

Calling Seth Godin!!!

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:52:45 -0500

Just helping out a couple of fellow 'rainers. Hey, the good guys stick together right?

Via Bryant Tutas Broker/REALTOR(R) Tutas Towne Realty, Inc:

Hi folks. My good friend and fellow ActiveRainer, Margaret Rome, is getting close to launching her first book "Real Estate the Right Rome Way". I'm sure most of you know Margaret but if not....stop over and check out her profile.

Margaret and I joined AR at just about the same time, July of 2006. In fact, as far as I can, tell we actually joined on the same day. Her first post and my first post were both on July 8, 2006.

Margaret and I have always had a connection. We are very much alike and handle our businesses the same. I still believe we were separated at birth. Here are a few similarities.

We are both "solo" agents

We both specialize in listings

I have a TLW she has a TLH.

We both have tempurpedic craftmatic adjustable beds!!!

We are both soooooooo good looking.

Anyway....Margaret is really wanting to get Seth Godin to review her book and maybe write a blurb on the jacket. So she decided to have a little contest to see who could come up with a good idea to get Seth's attention. My idea was to get as many Rainers as possible to place this phrase in their next post:

Hey Seth Godin!!!! Come over and review Margaret Rome's new book"

I figure Seth has his Google alerts activated and if enough of us do this he will not be able to ignore us and will have to come over to see what's going on. If you are not familiar with Seth he is a master marketeer and a best selling author. Getting him to review Margaret's book would be HUGE!!

So.....if you would, next post you write, just take a minute and copy/paste this phrase....

Hey Seth Godin!!!! Come over and review Margaret Rome's new book"

.....and place it at the bottom of your post. Or the top. Or the middle. Let's show Seth the power of the Rain. How simple is that?

Yes, Now Is A Great Time To Sell Your House

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:26:04 -0500

Yes, now. You hear about how it's a buyers' market, sales are down, prices are sliding... so why is now a great time to sell?

Stop and think about what the market was like when you bought your house, and how much equity have you gained over the years. Is most of your (assumed) equity because the market has made such gigantic gains in the past five years or so? Did you buy your house in a buyers' market?

If you did (buy in a buyers' market), you're in an excellent position to sell in a buyers' market. Not only are you in a position to still turn a profit, but most likely you can undercut all of your competition. Think about this - you really want to make $80,000 profit, which would price you right along with the three houses for sale up the street and around the corner. You could list at the same price, or a couple thousand dollars lower... and sell in three months, just the same as the neighbors. Or, you could price aggressively, say $7000 - 10,000 cheaper, and sell in a couple of weeks. How much would it cost you to keep your property on the market for an additional 2 - 3 months? It's an old but familiar story that the longer a house is listed for sale, the less money you are likely to realize from it. Factor in any price reductions taken over time, additional cost of upkeep on the property, and potential time lost from work to accommodate showings (hey, you've got to clean and turn on lights before buyers get there, right?), chances are that it will add up to pretty close to your initial price differential.

If your current house sells now, then it also strengthens your position as a buyer. First, at allows you to write an offer contingent on successful transfer of title, as opposed to contingent on the sale of a house (no "recall notice" to worry about). Second, you're buying in a buyers' market, you can be a little picky about your purchase, instead of feeling like you should put an offer in because the property is availalable and generally meets all your criteria (the old feelings of we'd better take what we can get or there will be nothing to get).

Even if you bought your house in a sellers' market, now can still be a great time to sell, if you price aggressively. The trick is finding a balance point between what you need to clear and what's a reasonable price. Mix in some inventive marketing, push your internet presence - heck, those help regardless of when you bought your current house - and you can sell.

The advice here isn't that you should automatically cut your profit. It's that you should understand how the real estate market is fluid. It epitomizes classic free market models: supply and demand determine the price. It's a little tough to sell surf boards here in Syracuse, NY. But if you were to advertise on self-booking travel websites and in local travel agencies, and additionally offer 15% off to anyone with plane tickets to Hawaii, you're going to sell some surf boards.

Remember, this is a buyers' market - more houses for sale than buyers to buy. It is not a dead market. Houses are still selling because buyers are still buying.

259 Bruce St., Syracuse NY Reduced to Only $59,900!

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:20:31 -0500

Excellent owner occupied or investment property located in Syracuse's near east side. Bruce St. is a residential neighborhood convenient to shopping, highways, LeMoyne College, Syracuse University, and downtown with access to Centro buses at the intersections of Salt Springs Road and East Fayette.

This 1949 colonial - bungalow has over 1200 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths. The lost size is 66x115 with a blacktop driveway and detached 1 car garage.

Inside you'll find a charming built in china cabinet in the formal dining room

Wood burning fireplace in the living room

and hardwood floors in most rooms. The second floor full bathroom has been gutted and remodeled, and the home has new vinyl windows.

Call or email Your Blue Jean Agent Sharon Wager or Paul Rolince with any questions. Sharon can be reached at 315/488-2926 x 205 or swager@prudentialfirstproperties.com. Paul can be reached at 315/488-2926 x 236 or prolince@prudentialfirstproperties.com.

Check out Sharon's blog at www.yourbluejeanagent.activerain.com

The Shivers I'm Feeling Are Coming From The Article, Not Market Conditions

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:12:36 -0500

Today's Syracuse Post-Standard has a front page article titled "Sellers in CNY feel a shiver". I'm not providing a link to the article because of what it contains: the address to a house currently listed for sale and disclosure that A) the house is vacant, and B) that the sellers (credited to the listing agent as apparently told to the reported) would consider a low-ball offer.

The article by-line "Tour of open houses across Onondaga County shows sales are slowing down" doesn't seem to be supported by the article as it has been presented in print, but truly that is not the issue I have. I do however have to wonder what several people collectively were thinking in conjunction to the article as it stands.

First, if the listing agent is supposed to be working in the best interest of the sellers, even given that the higher end market in the area is selling more slowly than we'd like, what would motivate that agent to announce that the sellers would consider a low-ball offer? Are the sellers in agreement with this very public disclosure? Additionally, why would the listing agent disclose that the sellers have already left the area? Safety issues aside, both bits of information could be construed as pertinent to the sale of the property and could potentially be used against the sellers when negotiating. Couldn't this be seen as an ethics violation?

Factoring safety issues is another ball game altogether. From the reporter's perspective, it is easily argued that she is simply reporting what was stated to her, and the editor is supporting the reporter's story be allowing it to be printed without editing. However there should be some debate whether or not the property occupancy status should have been disclosed. From a Realtor's perspective, we need to always be on our guard for unusual situations and be aware of taking steps for personal safety. We run the risk of potential problems because of the nature of our business. Meeting strangers in vacant houses on a regular basis is risky business, and we do it alarmingly often. Let it be said though that agents worth their salt know to not disclose occupancy status to a customer. This small step has been taken away from us in this instance.

From my own personal experience, I have had open houses where no one shows up and some where there are so many people you'd think it was a graduation party. I had an open house yesterday in a house that is buried so deep in suburbia that it would be easier to give directions to the north pole than it was to give directions to this house. Yet I still had 6 parties come through, and only one currently lives in the neighborhood. That's a good open house in any market. Although, I will concede that it was just one of an untold number of open houses in the area yesterday.

The headline and by-line of the article gives pause to local real estate agents who have been battling the negative press in regard to the general market conditions nationwide. Our market here has sustained well while other areas have been drowning in a cesspool of lost values. The idea that we would be able to stay above such losses forever would be folly. A very good friend of mine, and real estate addict, posed the possibility to me of such headlines becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you're told enough times the sky is falling, wouldn't you tend to start believing it?

Party Tonight, 9:00 Central Time

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:38:41 -0500

Sherry Scales has agreed to host the Panty Free Friday again this week. She opted for a later start time, as this will hopefully make it easier for everyone across the nation to attend.

Kick the kids, spouses and pets out of the room before you log on. Open a bottle of wine

(although personally I've been thinking of Alabama Slammers for days)

Kick off your shoes, and join in the fun!

13 Reasons to Not Celebrate Your Birthday

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:33:38 -0500

I've been told that I am oddity when it comes to birthdays. I hate celebrating my birthday. I always have. I don't mind celebrating someone else's birthday, just mine. I also hate telling anyone how old I am, and will avoid a direct answer at all costs.

However, I am trying to come to terms with turning a year older... (eeks! I've even admitted to three different people what my real age is!) and I have to wonder if some of my friends and family are planning something as a surprise. Good God I hope not. My birthday is still a few weeks away, and the birthday panic has started to really set in. I don't want anyone to do anything for my birthday!

I can give a list of less than stellar occurrences that have happened on my birthday that generally make everyone understand why I don't like celebrating my birthday (like, burying my father). But the real reason is that I just don't like to. People always expect for me to explain why, and I don't like giving depressing answers, so I've decided to try a different approach. It's called sarcasm. Why 13 reasons? Because it's considered an unlucky number, and my birthday has never been lucky day for me.

I don't like celebrating my birthday because:

1) It means I have to say "thank you" over and over again all day long.

2) I would have to smile. I hate smiling. That's why I never do it.

3) Someone would give me a gift, and I would have to write a thank you card. And mail it.

4) If I went out to dinner the waiters and waitresses would sing an embarrassing birthday song.

5) If I went out to dinner they might give me my meal for free.

6) My kids would want pie, and I would have to be the one to make it.

7) It would give me a reason to eat a whole pan of brownies.

8) People would call me and blow my cell phone minutes.

9) I would be expected to take the day off.

10) My husband might give me flowers, which he only does when things are really, really bad.

11) I would have to come up with new ways how to answer, "So how old are you?"

12) My kids would give me gifts and I would have to take them shopping and pay for them.

13) Someone would tell me I look young for my age

To the two people on AR that I volunteered my age to (what was I thinking?!), if you even remember, I'll pay good money for your silence. In the meantime, a very merry un-birthday to everyone else!

When Is The Right Time To List Your House For Sale?

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:37:55 -0500

That is singularly the easiest and most difficult question to answer. But what about market conditions / holidays / winter approaching? You can't answer the primary question with those questions. So when is the right time to list your house for sale?

The easy answer is when you're ready. But don't give up yet. Market conditions, holidays and seasons can affect your timing in some cases, but it still depends on when you're ready.

The difficult part is knowing when you're ready. There are so many different factors to take into consideration. The single biggest to consider has got to be your motivation. What motivates you to consider selling? Some motivators seem as though they are out of your control, such as a job relocation. In essence, you always have a choice: move with the job, or find a new job and stay put. In a more realistic view, however, that choice doesn't always hold water. The same is also true if you're unable to make your mortgage payments. If you try to stay, are you going to end up in foreclosure?

Once you acknowledge and understand your motivation, you need to establish a time frame that works reasonably well, and has flexibility to it. Real estate transactions don't follow a set time frame, and you need to be prepared mentally for such situations as selling too quickly, or not quick enough, or problems resulting from home inspections and appraisals.

For many people, the main motivation isn't a need, but a want. They want more bedrooms, a bigger yard, less maintenance, less house to clean, a better school district. It's a little more difficult to pin down a time frame because your motivation isn't based on necessity. It's not uncommon to hear this type of potential seller say, "I'm not going to sell my house unless I find the right one to move into."

Hold it, right there for a minute. The next question to ask yourself as a potential seller is, "Am I in the position to be able to buy the next house without selling this one first?" If you can, then great! Move forward to the free parking square and take a breather. If not, whoa! Back up. If you can't buy without selling, and you're not going to sell unless you've purchased... aren't you in a pickle? How are you going to buy, if you can't buy without selling first? Kind of like putting the cart before the horse isn't it? Plain and simple, if you must sell, then you must list first. Otherwise you're not gong to be able to submit a solid, reasonable purchase offer. Sure, you can put one together, and run the risk of being bumped by another buyer. But that assumes that the seller accepts your contingent offer, which many will not. Sellers want their house sold, not "kind of sold". As a seller, would you stop all marketing efforts and tell everyone, "Yes, our house is sold if the buyer can sell his house first?"

Now let's back up to our potential buyer sitting parked. Are you sure you're in a position to buy without selling? There's one simple step you can take to reassure yourself. Call a qualified mortgage rep and make sure. Let them pull your credit, give him or her your financial information, and let them tell you yeah or nay. In fact, all potential buyers should complete this step before going to look at houses. Why? 1) What if you find out that you don't qualify for a mortgage at all? 2) What if you're out looking at $300,000 houses and find out later you only qualify for $200,000? You'll hate everything in your new lower price range. 3) Why would you want to make sellers rearrange their schedule to accommodate your showing when you don't even know if you can buy the house? What if your showing cost them an extra $20 for daycare and $10 in gas while they drive around for an hour with the dogs, or they spent two hours super-cleaning, when they should have been in bed because of the flu? Don't think they should just deal with it because their house is for sale, it's just thoughtless and rude, and I'm sure you would appreciate the same consideration when your house is listed for sale.

Some time has passed, you understand your motivation, have a basic time frame in mind. Now you need to find out how your time frame works with the current market conditions, including holidays and changing seasons. This is when the knowledge and experience of a Realtor is going to come in handy. And, while it may not seem like it, it is one big part of the commission you pay the broker.

"What???" you say. "But they can answer that in under five minutes!" Yes, but how many years did it take them to garner the experience to know the market and its fluidity? You want a straight up honest honor from agents, and his or her expertise can save you time and money, and that's part of what you pay for. You might think that seasonal waterfront property won't sell when there's a foot of snow on the ground. Well, here in central New York I can tell you honestly that yes it will! Why? Because the new owner wants to be able to use it as soon as spring arrives, not two weeks before it has to be closed up for the winter.

What I'm saying is that the answers a Realtor gives you may very well surprise you, and have you rethinking your time frame. This is going to hold particularly true with sellers that don't have a lot of time to work with. If you must sell quickly, you're going to need an aggressive and experienced agent to get the word out about your property, be able to work any offers that come in to your advantage, and have the ability to keep an accepted contract together.

Don't think that holidays, slow market conditions, or poor weather should stop you from listing your home for sale. Holidays and a slow market might mean that it takes a little while longer, but not necessarily. Price and location can help or hinder your time frame, regardless of holidays and market conditions.

So when is the right time to list your house for sale? Only you can really answer that, but don't forget to take in the advice of a local Realtor because you may be surprised at the answer.

Who Are the Bodacious Broads?

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:47:28 -0500

The Bodacious Broads began as the collective brainchild of a group of woman who became friends here on AR. We are open, friendly, encouraging, supportive, loving, loud, obnoxious, and often raunchy group. We don't really have a founder so much as we have mothers who gave birth to an idea. One of our primary goals is to stay in touch with each other.

We are first and foremost a social group, and blogs should be of a social nature. To that end, we will have several running blog posts. Fridays will mark the changing hostess (or host) of the primary running blog, Flying Free Fridays (also known as Pantie Free Fridays).

Be forewarned that by joining this group you will be subjecting yourself to close and intense friendships, along with a fair amount of laughter, profanity, innuendos, and pictures of a questionable nature (i.e., a reflection of our lives). There will be some tears along the way, but I can assure you they will be tears of laughter more than anything else.

Don't be afraid to join in on the fun! If you're new to our style of blogging conversations, it may take a few days for you to get catch on where we're at. But you'll get it, and hopefully make some new friends along the way!

The Party is Here and Now - HumpDay Birthday to Nancy Larson!

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:56:05 -0500

In honor of Nancy's birthday, and her blog Sex and the 60 yr Old, we are having a say it with pictures night. This is also because I saw that Leesa changed her photo, I changed my photo, and we all want to see pictures of Greg's new 'do, or is that without a 'do?

Try to keep your pics down in size, or some people will have problems downloading it.

In 1948, cars looked like , phones looked like ,

but what did Nancy look like?

Have at it everybody, and let's have a good hump day party!

Out of the Mouths of Babes (and Teenagers)

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:57:30 -0500

My 13 year old daughter just announced that she knows how to make millions. Solar powered motorcycles. Wind powered cars. Lawn mowers that run on grass. And she doesn't want me to post this on the internet in case someone steals her ideas and makes money from it before she gets a chance to. So this is a formal announcement that the ideas are hers. She already has a name for "it" (whatever "it" is), but won't tell me because it's stupid. Personally I think she just doesn't want it posted on the internet, in case someone steals that from her too.

Which has drawn the attention of my 8 year old, who truly believes that wind powered cars already exist... Of course, he also believes that my 16 year old reads. Books. Which has drawn the attention of said 16 year old, because he wants to know who we are making fun of (him, of course).

I've been declared EVIL, and even my 12 year old is closely watching the monitor as I type. The 16 year old is bored and wants to know if I have any heroin (his idea of a fun time/joke). And he's trying to make my 12 year believe that he dreams up ways to kill people.

You have to understand, he has a very dry, warped sense of humor. Last week we needed to go to the social security office to get him a new card. As we were leaving, the girls were just arriving home. After telling them that we were going downtown and would be back in a while, 13 year old asks where are we going. I said, "The Federal Building." When the 12 year old asked why, the 16 year old's response was, "I have a hearing." Why??? Because he'd been arrested in school for drugs. The only problem is that the 12 year believed it!!!!

Going to the federal building was an experience in it's own class. We stopped to go through security, and when the guard asked me if I was carrying any metal objects, my son points out the chains and hooks on his pants... I set off that stupid metal detector over and over again because of a belt buckle. 16 year old walks through and they just wand him down and let him go! Hmm... I'm an adult, clean, in a suit, acting respectably and responsibly. He's in all black, tee-shirt, hoodie (with the hood up), pants with chains that are about 3 sizes too big around - plenty of room for an automatic machine gun or two, and they let him through??? And all he can say is, "I can hardly wait to tell Eric that I set off the alarms in the federal building."

We've come a long way from the days when I was so proud to hear them say "mommy" or "daddy". The first words my 12 year old ever spoke were, "may I have more spaghetti please?" That should have been a tip off to me that I was going to be in for it. Now I'm wondering why I taught them to speak at all!

Tonight's Blcok Party, Wednesday September 24

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:02:47 -0500

Tonight's party is "HumpDay Birthday to Nancy!" We're going to have a sub-theme tonight, and that is "say it with pictures".

She looks gorgeous, doesn't she?

I'm not sure what everyone's schedules are, but what say we start around 7:00 eastern? I'll put the party post up a few minutes before that if you want to get started without me. I just have to run out and get Nancy some flowers, but I don't mind everyone hanging out here without me. There's only one rule, have a good time tonight.

I hope to see a lot of people show up to Nancy's birthday party later!

Sarah Palin or Sharon Wager?

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:40:12 -0500

In light of the seemingly endless remarks about how I look like Sarah Palin, I've decided to have a little fun with it. Here's a little quiz to see if you can figure out if it's me or Sarah Palin.

Question 1) a, has five kids; b, has 4 kids

Question 2) a, hockey mom; b, hockey mom

Question 3) oh wait, I guess we have that hockey mom thing in common

Question 4) a, is at the forefront of politics; b, doesn't publicly discuss politics

Question 5) a, has a pregnant teenage daughter; b, has a teenage son that had better not get anyone pregnant while he's a teenager

Question 6) a, is a scorpio; b, is an aqaurius

Question 7) a, is the third of four children; b, is the third of four children. Drat, that's another thing in common.

Question 8) a, married her high school sweetheart in 1989; b, married her high school sweetheart in 1988

Question 9) a, captain of her high school basketball team; b, captain of her high school tennis team

Question 10) a, wears the same shoes as Paris Hilton; b, wants to know where to get those shoes on sale.

Happy election season (and to Jeff K. and Bill S., so there! =:-p )

I Haven't Gone Anywhere (Except a Little Insane)

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:47:49 -0500

I've been "spoken to" twice today about why I haven't been blogging much lately, so I'm here to explain. Having an unknown person email... well that sort of pushes me into a response.

I was off. I took some time off, and it's been okay. I had a very good month in July, and as the deals started closing, I realized that I was in a good position to take a couple weeks off. It's not that I didn't want to work. I wanted to spend some time with my kids before they went back to school, and then I wanted to clean my house while they were in school and couldn't mess it all up behind me.

That's what I wanted. It's not what I got. I did get to spend several stressed out days with the kids before school started. Mostly we were fighting our way through jam packed stores, avoiding potential fist fights over the last green two pocket folder available for sale in the county. Dodging pushy cell phone sales reps and twinkies who swear they can make my nails look better than ever ((not possible - I have awesome fingernails, all on my own, thank you)). Personally, one of my least favorite back to school experiences, trying not to slug the idiot blonde. In an attempt to get me to try and buy her products, she proceeded to spray my eight year old son in the face. I just have to wonder - is the Carousel Mall to Destiny project so short on funds that they have to rent center aisle space to just about every ridiculous vendor known to infest Syracuse? Destiny may end up the second biggest mall in America, but in my mind it's going to take some time and overhauling before I think of it as anything more than a "destiny-tion" to avoid.

My apologies, I've digressed. School started with few problems, and my sister and I celebrated by spending the day in Skaneateles. We had a great lunch at the bakery (their bread is incredible!), and did a little early Christmas shopping. On the second day of school, everything was going along fine until 9:30 in the morning, when I got a phone call from the middle school. I had to go pick up my 8th grader, who had a migraine. Who also ended up home again on Friday. Which led into the weekend, and my oldest came down with a nasty cold. That he shared with everyone else in the house, including me, and the dogs.

Speaking of the dogs, should you ever have need of an all night animal hospital in central New York, I highly recommend the one in Baldwinsville. One of the pups and I were there last week after she ate Asiatic lily and tulip bulbs. It was a lot of fun, leaving the house at midnight with a sick puppy (ooo! Sick Puppies, Welcome to My World!), particularly the next day when I got to clean up my car. My wonderful car has now been christened "the pukey car."

So now a month has gone by and it feels like I only had one day off, that one day in Skaneateles. I returned to the working world today by going out on tour, even though my 8th grader was home from school again. I don't feel rested or relaxed, haven't spent very much quality time with the kids, and my house is not clean. I did manage to tackle some landscaping with my sister's help. It is an accomplishment.

I think I may actually get more done now that I'm back to work. I will work hard now, get caught up on some blogging and market reports, and maybe I'll even pick up a few listings along the way.

Tag! You're in the Scavanger Hunt! 9/10 Block Party

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:02:57 -0500

It's Wednesday Humpsters!!!! Time to gather up a little cheer and pull ourselves through the rest of the week.

If you missed my earlier blog, tonight's block party is Tag Scavenger Hunt. I'll start things off by giving everyone the first thing to look for. First person to "return" with it chooses the next item. I've got some ideas to share if you can't think of something.

First things first, though! I'm waiting by the door here to greet everyone, and one of these has your name on it

, or perhaps you'd prefer some and there's also some

So here's your first Go-Get-It: Find three different pictures of our very own founder, Greg, the King, Nino

Tonight's Hump Day Block Party

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:58:02 -0500

Okay humpsters! I know things are a little slow out there for most of us, so find some time tonight to stop by tonight's block party. We'll be starting at 7:00 p.m. eastern, and going until we make the Late Night group wish they were humpsters also. If you're running a little late, or have to leave early, that's okay. Just because you can't stay for the whole party doesn't mean you can't stop by and have some fun.

Tonight's theme is a Tag Scavenger Hunt. Yup, you got that right. At 7 tonight, I'll post the first thing for everyone to find. The first person to return with it gets to pick the next item to search for. Make sure you stop in and say hello to everyone before you start looking - we want to know who we're partying with!

If you want to cheat and bring some things with you to the party so that you don't have to go searching around, that's fine. You never know which one of us will be asking for purple pig,

or want to know the name of the character in the Princess Bride who was searching for his father's killer (My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die).

As usual, will be served. I'm thinking about some

or maybe some . However, I do have to ask that we limit the to areas without any carpet, and should be mutually agreed upon.

Now go get some work done so that we'll see you all tonight!

Shh!!! They Aren't Listed Yet, But....

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:17:20 -0500

I've heard of several possible new listings in old Fairmount coming on in the future. Just because it's not in the MLS yet doesn't mean the seller isn't willing to sell yet, though...

One is a real gem. A four bedroom cape in top notch condition and honestly, probably over-improved. Once it goes on the open market, it's sure to catch a lot of attention. This might be a good one to try to pick up before it goes into the MLS. I won't give you my exact price opinion on this one, but it'll be over $100k.

At the other end of the spectrum is an older ranch that's been on the market before. Bummer it has no basement, and it could use some work to spruce it up. This one would be a great first time house for someone who's handy, or even a good flip house. I understand it's been foreclosed on, and I know for a fact several neighbors are interested in buying it.

Third is a cute little bungalow with tons of privacy. I haven't seen the inside of this one (yet), and I'm not sure what their time frame is, although it would make sense to me if they listed it sooner rather than later. If they list and sell before winter then they won't have to winterize. I'm guessing that it's probably going to need some updating inside. It could be the most adorable cottage with the right landscaping - the kind of house that would draw your eye toward it.

Fourth is a four bedroom raised ranch with a finished family room in the basement and two full baths. Good size yard is pretty flat, which is always a bonus in Fairmount. The owner's have been putting some effort into the house recently, and it's looking pretty good.

Last is a colonial. I believe it's three bedrooms, but I haven't been in it in quite a while and my memory could be faulty. I understand the owners have been doing a little more than just casual window shopping.

And the Winner Is....

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:54:21 -0500

The Hill family of Geneva, NY has won the Extreme Makover Home Edition! Yeah!!!

Slight differences, but basically the same story:

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/we_find_out_today_wholl_get_an.html

http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=319320b8-f864-40b4-ab37-0a19c00d4d22

I was pretty happy to hear the family's story. Apparantly Tim was an aspiring boxer when he broke his back in a construction accident. In the years that followed, he began training kids in the community how to box, working primarily with kids in need.

They seem to deserve it, and it will be an interesting week to see how the house changes. I hope the Hill family has a nice week in Cancun. I am sorry about the other families in the area rumored to have been finalists as well, I'm sure they were all deserving as well. Perhaps now central New Yorkers will come together to do something as a community to help them out as well.

CNY 2008 Parade of Homes

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:26:39 -0500

The central New York 2008 Parade of Homes is just around the corner, September 6 through the 21. The Parade represents many things to many people, and has become an anticipated event.

For the vast majority, it is an opportunity to dream a little. They are beautiful houses, typically done up "full tilt", and are impressive to see and experience, even if you don't think you'll ever own one. They also present some of the latest trends in decorating and, although less visible, latest technology in new construction. For some, this is the chance to walk through a house that has a floor plan you might be considering. You also get the chance to meet and talk to the builders directly and find out what they can do for you (and where).

For Realtors, it is an opportunity to catch up with each other and socialize, meet prospective new clients, soak in the new trends and tech themselves, and figure out how the different designs, set ups and floor plans might work for their existing clients. For builders, there is the added bonus of showing off a little bit, strut their stuff. Those are some top notch builders going into there. I think they deserve it.

But for everyone, even if they don't realize it at first, it is an opportunity to give to an organization that gives to the community. The Parade raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and I can't think of any better reason than that to attend.

For details, check out http://www.hbrcny.com/parade.html

Is the CNY Housing Market Good or Bad?

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 22:10:30 -0500

Making Sense Out of a Media Mess

Did you catch Tim Knauss' article in today's Home & Real Estate section of the Syracuse Post Standard? Here's the link if you're interested in reading it: http://www.syracuse.com/poststandard/stories/index.ssf?/base/living-0/121870416692560.xml&coll=1

The article states NYSAR (New York Association of Realtors) as saying sales in Onondaga, Cayuga, Madison and Oswego counties as down 10.4% year to date. Being the kind of person who questions statistics (statistics are only as good as the person interpreting them, right?), I naturally sought to data to confirm or refute this claim.

My first check was to cnyrealtor.com, our local board of Realtors. Reading "Syracuse Real Estate Market Watch", posted on 8/6/08, I can't quite tell if I'm supposed to be cheering the board on for their show of faith or booing their pass the buck style. But what it doesn't clearly say is whether this is a good market or not.

I figured the next place to check is NYSAR, get it from the horse's mouth so to speak. "New York housing market remains solid through first half of 2008" starts out by saying that from May to June of this year single family home sales . It's not until you read the next to last paragraph that you read about a state-wide drop of 19% when comparing January 1 - June 30 of 2007 to 2008 (and the last paragraph doesn't count toward the article in my opinon) What gives more information, yet leaves the reader to analyze independently, is the NYSAR monthly sales chart.

So what does it mean? NYSAR and The Greater Syracuse Board of Realtors to a certain extent have to be an agent's cheering squad, while still presenting to facts. The Post Standard, as an entity relatively independent of the real estate market is more like to just present facts. I say relatively because to a certain extent the paper has to be dependent on all those ads agents and brokers place. However, no matter how well the reporter can interpret the data, he's still not on the inside track.

So maybe GSAR has it right when the say to ask your local Realtor. Real estate is all local, and even around central New York there are huge differences between towns and neighborhoods. All in all, the most accurate indicator I know is reflected through my open houses. Some listings will pull in a dozen or more potential buyers, some will pull in none or a couple of tire kickers. Most, however, will bring one or two fairly interested parties to the open house. Things are moving, but it's hard to compare after we all got used to "Sold in 3 days!" market.

I particularly think it's a great market to be a first time home buyer. You don't have to worry about selling a house before buying, there are some incredible deals to be had, and even though mortgage rates have crept upward they are still very good (and no where near double digits!)

Some Agents Really are Idiots

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:38:09 -0500

Some Agents Really are Idiots, present company excluded, of course!

Jack, an agent in my office, had his home listed for sale. The expired listing showed up on my hotsheet this morning. Naturally, that meant I had to ask him if he was looking for a new listing agent. ;-)

I was expecting Jack to say how he's already heard the same line from half the office, or even for him to say he's got a new listing agent (his wife, who is also licensed). But no, Jack's response was not what I expected at all.

An agent with another company (that is known for their aggressive cold calling) called his house at 8:15 this morning to ask if he was interested in relisting his house. I guess Jack's answer was something like, "You're kidding, right?" and the other agent said NO!!! He was serious! Jack proceeded to ask this other agent if he'd looked at the listing sheet - aside from the phone number, I'm assuming.

Our MLS does several things right, but one thing I love is that we are required to enter in the property owner's name **right below the listing agent's name** no less. We are also required to disclose any personal relationships between agents and clients. Clear as can be on Jack's listing sheet are the words "Agent is owner. MUST Call owner to show". Add to that the fact that Jack and his wife Ellie have been real estate super stars for more years than I can remember.

I just have to observe a couple key points. First, regardless of what they say, not everyone does their homework. Second, what was this idiot thinking?

Quite Possibly the World's Most Boring Video

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:00:09 -0500

I was checking things out online, when I stumbled across a link to this youtube video, NY5 - Camillus Bypass. I, like an idiot, actually sat and watched the whole thing. Driving. Just driving. Maybe I don't drive the bypass enough. Maybe I'm so bored that I couldn't think of anything better to do. Maybe I forgot to pay everyone to be my friend this week, have no life, and couldn't resist the temptation of possibly seeing their cars in the video (didn't happen). Now, there is a moment of humor when the type across the bottom of the screen questions why the speed limit going into the village is only 30 mph, on a four lane road, going downhill. I'd kind of like to know the answer to that myself. I usually just avoid that section of road by getting on the bypass! That's why the bypass was built, right? To pass by the village, instead of having to slow down and go into it? The big question, really, is WHY? It's just a highway, and not even a particularly pretty one at that. It's not even difficult to drive. All I know at this exact moment in time is it's Wednesday afternoon, I've got no appointments later, the kids, cats and puppies are all taken care of, and if I follow the bypass into the village it will take me to MaNamara's Pub. I think I'll call my friends and go meet them there. Then I can pay them their required friendship price (one round should do it), and claim to have friends for another week. LOL - it's 5:00 somewhere!

One Lucky Family in CNY Gets to Meet Ty! Winner Announced!

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:43:12 -0500

The winner was announced today!

Straight from Syracuse.com, one lucky family in central New York will be getting a new home for free, through the very popular ABC television show "Extreme Makeover:Home Edition". The seven day project is set to begin August 18, and the winning family will be notified that day.

Naturally, the thoughts running through my head are pretty transparent: Is it anyone I know? Could it be in my neighborhood? Where might I bump into Ty Pennington? I understand volunteers are needed. What are they looking for in volunteers? Am I more likely to see Ty if I volunteer?

Now, don't get me wrong here - it's not that I think he's such a hottie nearly so much as I'd like to find out how smart he is. Yes, that's right - how smart he is. I read a bio on him years ago, and I was impressed. In the bio he came across as a pretty pulled together guy, and I just want to find out if the author was spot on, or if he's really just a bunch of tv fluff with a cute --nevermind!!!

Anyhow... as I was saying... how cool that the show is even going to be in town! We don't get a lot of celebrity action around here. Syracuse really is a pretty awesome town, if you take advantage of what we've got to offer. I think we could use the positive publicity, to help counteract the "automatic question". If you live here, you know what I mean. Whenever you talk to someone from another state, what's the first question you always get asked as soon as they find out you're from Syracuse? "Don't you get a lot of snow up there?" It's like if you leave New York state, the first association most people have with the area are blizzards that last for months on end. The inability to walk out your front door, little dogs frozen in place because they went outside to pee, we all wear plaid flannel underwear and chop our own wood to heat up the stove. How lucky can we be that the show is being filmed in hot and sticky August, but being shown in November? A little mental association here... hmm.. it's November, and there isn't snow on the ground in Syracuse... I wonder if Ty wears plaid flannel underwear...

Well, I can honestly say that I am excited about the whole thing. As much as I'd love a cup coffee with Ty, I'm really pretty glad to hear there's a family nearby that is going to get a fantastic and well deserved gift. I'd like to start driving all around the county to see if I might spot some clues as to the location. And if I see Ty in his plaid flannel underwear, you'd better believe I'll get a picture and blog about it. That would be way cooler than my friend Michelle seeing Alec Baldwin in Target!

The Truth About Open Houses

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:13:49 -0500

Open houses are either a lot of fun, or a complete pain in the backside, depending on your perspective. For every pro, there is a con. It's fun to go check out houses. It's a nightmare to prepare for. Open houses only sell 2 - 7% of all houses sold. Your house might sell. The weather is bad. The weather is too nice!

As a seller in central New York, yes, you should probably have some open houses. I say probably because they really don't work for all listings. It depends on your neighborhood, the property itself, and who your target buyer most likely is. If your property is a multi-unit in a high rental area and your most probable buyer is an investor, I really don't see how a Sunday public open house would benefit you much. But I'm also saying some open houses, not one every weekend. Advertising the same open house too frequently will quickly turn your house from a hot new listing to one buyers perceive as tired and/or overpriced, or the dreaded, "there must be something wrong with it". That is particularly true if the ad repeatedly states you are a motivated seller.

Yes, you have to clean the whole house, thoroughly, and make sure there aren't any pet or smoke odors . Yes, you should leave (and take Fido and Fifi with you), as your presence could make potential buyers feel uncomfortable. You definitely want buyers to feel comfortable in your house.

But buyers, by comfortable in the house, I am not saying it's okay for you to open dresser drawers or the refrigerator door! And be honest with the agent - if you're under an exclusive buyer agency agreement with another agent, say so. More often than not the agent sitting the open is not the listing agent. He or she is there to make new contacts, and with any luck, pick up some business. If your business isn't available, let him or her know, and try not to take all their attention away from other people who might be shopping around for a buyer's agent.

To be perfectly pessimistic, there are days I have thought that potential buyers should be required to attend "Open House Buyer's Etiquette" classes. I could run down a list of do's and don'ts, but it's so much easier to point out the simplest factor: treat the property, and the people in it, with respect and courtesy. I've had buyers verbally abuse other buyers, yell at another's kids, wet mud across white carpets, snoop through drawers.

Probably the toughest to deal with as an agent are the parents that don't parent. I'll make a long story short, and relate a two hour open house nightmare as briefly as possible. Children from hell. All right, I can expand on that. Inattentive parents, two young siblings, toys, especially a purple baton with streamers (well, not by the time the kids were done with it), pale yellow walls. 45 minute post open house clean up included vacuuming, scrubbing walls, replacing water in the fish tank, and resetting two bricks in the front walk. Then, I spent another 30 minutes calling to apologize to the other potential buyers who made the mistake of stopping by.

I was ready to scream. The kids had a ball (literally and figuratively!). See, it's all a matter of perspective.

What Was Private Isn't Always - Living in Fear of Localism

Sharon Wager "Your Blue Jean Agent" (Hunt Real Estate) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:37:52 -0500

Activerain has given so many people the platform to expand business, network, find answers, seek support both professional and personal, vent our frustrations, and get to know others, and ourselves, a little bit better. The entire concept of Activerain with its tie-ins to Localism, and now our outside blogs, can only be applauded for the forum and opportunities provided to both members and consumers.

Recently, problems have cropped up where members' blog posts and/or comments to private Activerain groups have been made public through Localism. Personally, I have to admit that this can be pretty disturbing because the private groups I belong to were set up as private for valid reasons: members can share their thoughts, blow off some steam, or kick back and relax without worrying over offending other people. While I don't believe I've posted anything offensive, I'm sure I've made more than few wise-cracking comments that would not present me in the best professional light possible.

With some trepidation, I searched through Localism looking for my comments. I reset the settings on my Activerain home page. I googled myself. Attempting to figure out whether or not I needed to do some major league damage control over comments I assumed would remain private. I started reading other posts to see if anyone else was doing the same.

And then, sanity set back in again. What's done is done, and even if my posts and comments aren't currently on Localism, there's always the heart-stopping thought that they've already been cached. I can't do anything about that. To the best of my belief, the worst of what I've said simply presents me in a less than flattering form professionally. They are a small insight into what I'm like when I'm just being me, not trying to nail a listing or pull together a sale. It is not who I am as a whole, and I am still just human.

All said and done, things could have been much worse. It could have been my social security number, credit history, medical records, or worse - my real age. I think I can weather this, and wait patiently while the 'Rain gods work this problem out. In the meantime, I might not swear like a truck driver quite so much, but I will keep on posting.