Broker Bryant calling all "Peeps"!

Home : Blogs : Bryant Tutas Broker/REALTOR(R) Tutas Towne Realty, Inc : Broker Bryant's Real Estate Ramblings

Broker Bryant calling all "Peeps"!

I had a home inspection done on one of my pending listings yesterday afternoon. It's a 20 year old frame home, which for my market area is ancient and a little out of the ordinary, since most of our homes our concrete block. I was a little bit nervous and hoping there weren't going to be any major issues to deal with. We are scheduled to close the 30^th of this month so I don't have much time to sort things out. As always, I had helped the Seller negotiate repair limitations of $500.00 for termites(WDO) and $500.00 for structural/mechanical issues, just to be on the safe side.

Anyway, this morning I get the e-mail from the selling agent to let me know we have serious inspection issues. She also sent me a copy of the inspection report and the WDO report. Darn it!!! We have termites!, wood rot and major AC issues. Well, being the good little REALTOR® that I am, I pick up the phone and call my "peeps", Wendal, my HVAC guy, Dan the Termite Man and Khan, my handyman and wood rot specialist. They all return my call within 5-10 minutes and stop what they are doing to go by the house and check it out. Within one hour, I have estimates from all three and time set aside on their schedules to get it taken care of.

OK, now I'm prepared to call my Sellers. So I give them a call, explain the situation, go over the estimates and within 10 minutes I have authorization to move forward with the repairs. Fortunately, we had spent time during the listing presentation discussing inspections and repair issues and the Sellers were educated. Even though the repairs came in about $2,000($1,000 over our negotiated limits) they understood that these were serious issues and would not just go away. So, they agreed, let's solve the problem and close the transaction.

Now, a little over an hour after receiving the report and e-mail from the selling agent, I give her a call. Folks, for some reason she seemed to be surprised that I called back so quickly, not to moan and groan about a problem but to let her know the problem had been solved. Repairs had been approved and scheduled and the signed repair addendum is on the way over from the Sellers. I think this REALTOR(R) will be anxious to show and sell my listings in the future.

What could have been a deal breaker was not even a bump in the road. It was just a couple of calls to the right "peeps" and a well informed Seller and we are back on tract.

Folks, it's all about educating your customers/clients and having people, that you have worked with for years, that are willing to drop everything and help you out when you need them.

So, have you built and nurtured your business relationships("peeps")? Are you in a position to solve problems this quickly? Are your Customers/clients educated and well aware of issues that my arise during the contract period? I hope so. There's a lot more involved, with being a listing Broker, than marketing.

By the way, here is a link to a great discussion on Home inspections, by John McKenna, that was posted a few days ago. It wasn't a featured post and kind of slipped through the cracks but it does have almost 100 comments on it. The comment thread is awesome. Give it a read.

***OK, the photo is of baby mocking birds(peeps) taken by me last year. They had nested in the bush by our front door.

Customer Testimonials

Tutas Towne Realty has already successfully negotiated Short Sales with the following Lenders and Investors.

Chase Short Sale,Sun Trust Short Sale, GMAC Short Sale, Wells Fargo Short Sale,Bank of America Short Sale,USA Bank Short Sale,PNC Bank Short Sale,Citi Short Sale,HomeEq Short Sale,Fifth Third Bank Short Sale,ING Direct Short Sale,GreenTree Short Sale,Capital One Short Sale,ASC Short Sale,First Horizon Short Sale,E-Trade Short Sale,Transland Financial Short Sale,US Bank Short Sale,IBM LBPS Short Sale,
Nationstar Short Sale,BAC Florida Short Sale,Real Time Solutions Short Sale,Fannie Mae Short Sale
FHA Short Sale,Selene Finance Short Sale,DTA Solutions LLC Short sale,Flagstar Short Sale,IndyMac Short Sale

******************************************************************
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc handles Florida real estate sales, Florida short sales, Florida strategic short sales, Florida pre-foreclosure sales, Florida foreclosures in Kissimmee Florida Short Sales, Davenport Florida Short Sales, Haines City Florida Short Sales, Poinciana Florida Short Sales, Solivita Florida Short Sales, Orlando Florida Short Sales, Celebration Florida Short Sales, Winderemere Florida Short Sales. Serving all of Polk, Osceola and Orange Counties Florida. Florida Short Sale Broker. Short Sale Florida.

Posted by Bryant Tutas Broker/REALTOR(R) Tutas Towne Realty, Inc on 03/22/2007 01:35 AM

Comments (58)

home inspection, termites, problem solving, peeps

Generate short URL

58 Comments on Broker Bryant calling all "Peeps"!

MAR

2007

Reserved Parking For "The Lovely Wife"...TLW...ROAR!

Hubba! Bubba! Wink. Wink. Yo. Blog Boy. SVVW...

You posted my peeps both human and animal :)

I am going to pass on commenting on the home inspections.

I could write a blog post about that myself. I'll let ya have this one :)

By the way the peeps are building another nest in the exact same spot.

Did you know they do it every year? You need look around outside once in awhile :)

TLW...ROAR!

I wholeheartedly agree with you! I also preach the team concept to my clients. I certainly believe that most obstacles can be overcome prior to encountering them. Another great educational piece!

BB: We built our business by being ready to jump at our Realtor's® call. By making time to respond, we earned more referrals than we could handle.

Jay

It also helps when the other agent is a problem-solver instead of a problem creator. No wonder other agents want to sell your listings.

I love my tight knit group of peeps. They keep my business running smoothly and I, in turn, support them. Real Estate is not a lonely business.

One day when I grow up, I want to be able to do real estate like you do.

Great story BB. Fortunately the sellers "were educated" and agreeable, rather than putting up a fence and saying they would not go beyond what had been agreed to. Had that happen a few times. Good example of how having the business relationships within the industry can make for success.

Jeff

I love to be proactiver over reactive every time... it is always a better outcome - great job

BB... I can't even imagine how happy the buyer's agent was to have the entire situation resolved in an hour. That is pretty amazing. I need to work on finding reliable "peeps." That has been a huge obstacle for me - sometimes they return the phone call and other times you never get a response. It is really frustrating and it makes me look unorganized.

I know this is going to sound shallow but nice post BB. :) Sorry I have no been around much I miss you guys. They keep me crazy busy and don't even let me out on the internet except to make trouble. :)

Bryant, nothing like preparing sellers from the get go - it makes all the difference! We just sold a liting that I thought would fail every inspection imaginable and to my surprise the inspections came out great! The sellers were sooo surprised as well because they were willing to go the extra mile and it wasn't necessary. I lOVE when that happens.

Great Post! So much is said in this post on many topics yet while not at the same time - now that is talent. The problem solving done up front is great - cut the problem off at the pass before it becomes an issue of deal killing ability. Thank you for the post.

Bryant,

Glad to hear that you held one together here, particularly after having a string of 3-4 buyers fall thru in recent weeks.

I love a roll up his sleeves guy and I include a roll up her sleeves gal too (she knows who I am talking about :-) This is how it's supposed to work!

Bryant,

I use my own guys for most deals that need repairs.

My roofer has saved me on many deals and many of my clients thousands of dollars, and he answers his phone whenever I call, as my number is programed in and he knows it is me.

I have referred him to atleast 15 other realtors, after Wilma, I was desperately in need of his services on a Townhome that every ridge cap was gone, the problem was,he could not get the tiles due to the limited supply, since I sold the unit to the sellers and was also on the buyers side after they needed to sell, I needed to get the work done, but no tiles in site, i managed to get enough tiles from the construction crew as they were still finishing other units, Client paid $100 for the tiles, $400 for the work.

It could have been a deal killer if we went with the original estimate from the inspector.

TLW, I loved watching those little "peeps" grow. What a great opportunity. Don't forget to let me know when they are big enough to fry:)

John, It sure makes our jobs easier when folks are on the same page. Teamwork is the only way to go.

Jay, having a good handyman is a must in this business. I keep Khan real busy. He also rehabs our personal properties as well. That keeps him motivated for the little nit picking jobs.

Sharon, the other agent in this case is also very good. It's a nice change.

Mariana, my job would no doubt be a lot harder without my "peeps".

Rich, you do know I make all this stuff up right? I'm really not even in RE. I an 80 year old bored retiree. Oops! Sorry Jay.:)

Jeff, It helps to have great sellers. The reality is the termites and wood rot will not just disappear. Better to keep the buyer we have and move forward.

Thesa, Being proactive is always the best way to go. I also have running accounts with utility companies so I can have power and water cut on with a phone call instead of waiting for out of state sellers to send deposits.

Heather, I would make finding reliable "peeps" a top priority. It will make your life easier.

Teresa, Good to see you. You look good for someone who has been through the mill.

Ines, I LOVE clear inspections. Actually most of the homes in my market are only a few years old so I don't really have that many inspection issues. I knew this one would have some issues.

Shane, thanks for reading. There is a lot of info in this post. Glad you noticed. The best time to solve a problem is before it becomes one.

Ron, It ain't closed yet. It IS a subprime 100% deal with Countrywide. They have assured me we are good to go BUT.......we'll see.

Carole, Where you been??

Neal, got to love a good "peep". I keep my handyman real close. I don't give his name out to often because they are sooo hard to find. I'm selfish when it comes to my handyman. I do keep him real busy though on my own properties.

Wow Bryant, I always thought you had it together but now I know you got it together! You mentioned that you educated your sellers at the listing appointment about the inspection. Being a little green still I can't say I've heard anyone in the company I work for talk about doing this at a listing appointment. I guess maybe there's fear that the listing maybe lost if we get into that section.

Now I've heard it said that when the inspection comes back, you have the sell the owners on the purchase agreement again so that you can get them to go through with the important repairs. So I guess I'd love it if sometime you could talk more about how you present this in your listing presentation.

Thanks for your post and putting a new idea in my head. Glad that everything is working out for your sellers and the buyers of this deal.

Cynthia, When I go on a listing appointment the listing is already mine. How do I know? Because I've already spent time with them on the phone discussing pricing and their motivations. I know they are going to list with me. Therefore the majority of my presentation is talking about getting offers, negotiations and what happens when we are under contract. The listing and the selling is assumed and I've moved past it real quick. I probably need to write a post about this technique. My goal is to always have them thinking about the end result, closing and getting their money.

I WILL do a post on this this week.

Bryant,

I just finished posting a blog that included "It has been my pleasure here on AR to be associated with more good real estate people than I've known since leaving the Farm and Land Institute of the NAR over twenty years ago." You just proved it again.

Where were you when I had to deal with listing agents?

Bill

William J Archambault Jr

The Real Estate Investment Institute

http://www.reii.org

http://activerain.com/blogsview/61606/What-Evil-Lurks-In

B - Now that was funny. I thought Jay was only 72.

MAR

2007

A great idea that I am going to "borrow" from you. I wish I had prepared some of my sellers in advance. I'm sure they would have reacted better if I have prepared them when they listed. I could have saved my ears some abuse----don't you know that if any thing has to be repaired, it is the Realtors fault!

Bryant,

You made a great point on educating your seller's. I have worked mostly with buyer's and have learned that the agents on the listing side that are like you, don't get flustered, focus on what needs to be done and do it, are the most enjoyable to work with. There are three top performers in my office and working with each of them is a great experience most of the time. I have noticed that they educate their seller's right from the get go, a lesson you just confirmed with your post.

Fran

BB, Prepared sellers keep the lid on a transaction, smart move blog boy.

It is great when we can work with Professionals like you who have the network in place to accomplish the desired end results and make it all look so easy.

Well done!!!!!

Preparing your seller in advance for potential issues is so valuable. Having a great working relationship with venders, priceless.

Broker Bryant, I'm always learning good stuff from you. If I had to pay you for all the learning I'd be broke.

As always, good blog and great advice. I have a plastic card holder page in the back of my sellers communication binder (hmmm I think I'll blog about that). I keep all my peeps cards in it for any home inspection issues that come up. In honor of you, I am now calling it my Peeps Page.

Having 'people' you can get to quickly is a major asset for any real estate professional.

For instance, in our new house we were installing a dishwasher. There was an existing GE and we were replacing it with a Bosch. Not surprisingly the appliance guys couldn't install the new one because there was an old plumbing drain pipe protruding from the wall that had to be removed.

I called my favorite plumbers and they had someone over within two hours, removed the offending pipe and installed the new dishwasher on the spot.

I also pass on a list of my 'people' to both buyers and sellers so they can get things done quickly, economically, and best of all, CORRECTLY.

I also usually give buyers a couple hours of handyman service on me as a housewarming present. My handyman loves it because the 'free' two hours I pay for usually turns into a lot more work for him.

Broker Bryant great advice. Yes you need to have people who are willing to help in a pinch. I make sure to explain ahead of time what or some issues that could come up; then I point out that the issues are fixable, so if something happens the buyer is prepared and we deal with. On the other hand some agents fail to do this so, therefore the buyer get scared and the deal dies.

Bryant, this is a great example of you the Broker doing your job for the seller. Preperation and then having resources to handle an issue when it occurs. I never understand when I receive a call from a Buyers agent with their panties in a wad over something in an inspection report. More times than not it is something that can bee easily corrected with a call or two. Perhpas the prep that we put into Sellers , Buyers agents need to put into buyers as well... Now that's a novel thought... educating a buyer or previously occupied property that there might be issues.... hmmm...

Bryant,

It not only saves the clients money and hassels, it saves our sanity!!!!

My guys work on our own properties as well.

Best!

Neal

Team? We all know being a Realtor is like being a boxer. We have trainers, coaches, equipment managers but when it comes right down to it Bryant we're in that boxing ring alone my friend.

MY HERO ! ! ! THAT IS THE way things should be handled.

I love it when we have a termite inspection and there IS an infestation. I call my buyers and say:

"GOOD NEWS! ! The termite inspections shows a termite infestation".

Why is that good news??? Because better to find it now on the seller's dime than on the buyer's dime after settlement. Lenders don't require termite inspections around here any more, but I SURELY DO.

If only more listing agent would treat these matters as something to be disposed of rather than be avaded, argued about or worse, ignore.

it actually looks like some little yellow flowers in a nest of pudding

Hi BB,

Love the pic and how nice of you to provide the link to the post by John McKenna. It's so very true that education is where it's at in real estate. Going that extra mile can not only preserve the transaction but give your client the representation that they so deserve. Heading problems off at the pass is what we like to call it. Thanks for another great post.

First of all, love the photo! How great to have an opportunity to see your little "peeps" grow. Very fun.

Secondly, I'm envious of a 20 year old house being cosidered old. In my market, anything that was built in the 70s or later is considered relatively new. Most of our homes have been built in the 20s through 50s.

During listing presentations, I encourage my sellers to get a physical inspection before we put the home on the market. This allows us to take care of some of the issues up front, provides a forum for discussion with the seller to set expectations and gives information to the buyers up front to avoid any issues in escrow.

Thanks for the great post! It's always important to have "peeps" you can count on!

Well hello! I've been a little busy this morning conducting business and trying to make some money. Don't you hate it when work interferes with AR? Oh well, got to pay the mortgages.

Thank you everyone for all the great remarks. It sounds like we are all in agreement that having "peeps" we can rely on, is very very important. Also, it's important to not let a negative inspection derail you. Did you know a negative inspection is not our problem? It's the seller's problem. The mistake a lot of REALTORS(R) make, is making our customer/client's problems our problems. They're not. We are hired to find the solution and to keep folks on tract. When you get a negative report the very first thing to do is get estimates. If this is going to take awhile then make the seller aware of the issues but then tell them the first step is to get estimates. Repairs can look a lot worse in writing than they really are. The sellers and buyers cannot make a decision on the way forward until we provide them with ALL of the facts. This is our job. Then when you have estimates and have discussed the way forward with the customer/client PUT IT IN WRITING and have both parties sign off on it.

At the request of Cindi Sloop, my next post will be about how I conduct my listing presentation and the things I concentrate on. Since I don't waste time with marketing techniques and how good I am, it may be a little out of the box. But hopefully it will help you in your business. So stay tuned!!!

Couldn't agree more with your statement that Realtors (and, I'm guilty of it sometimes) make a mistake of thinking that our client's problems are ours! You are so right!!!

Can't wait for your listing post!

Now, go make some money! :-)

Great Post...and lots of great comments. I learned a LOT just sitting here on my "duff" reading today!

It got me thinking about a discussion we had at the CRS class I just attended;

Home Inspection by the SELLER at the time of listing. Thought it was a GREAT idea to help identify problems quickly, allow for either factoring those items into the price (along with their disclosure up front) and potentially a more economical resolution (for those of us not having 'peeps' that can jump that quickly...its always less expensive to give contractors a little time to help you solve problems rather than make it an emergency, right?)

The other question that came to me...and I'm fairly new to this crazy b'ness...so I'm asking here: Liability!??? I've been told that I should always be recommending multiple people (lenders, inspectors, etc...) to avoid a liability on my part. Does having 'peeps' like this fall into the same cateogory? ***I understand that you have a long term relationship with your peeps that has grown over time, but for us rookies who don't have them YET...it could be a bit risky, eh?

Thanks again...I think AR is awesome!

Dave, a prelisting inspection is a very good thing to do. If I have properties where I feel inspections are going to be an issue I always recommend them. It's always easier and less expensive to fix things before going on the market. FYI most termite companies offer a free pre-inspect. The liability issues with my "peeps" is a risk I'm willing to take. I've done business with these guys for years and can depend on them. IMO it is one of the advantages I bring to the table. Being a "newbie" yes it could be a larger liability for you and not only you but your Broker. So this is a question you may want to seek your Broker's advice on. I am the Broker so it puts me in a different position.

Irina, I hope this post helps reiterate what you already know. It's NOT our problem!!!!

Great post and thank you. It's great to have those people you can rely on in a pinch as well as anytime. Most of us REALTORS have those kinds of people and know how to contact them and get results quickly.

Patricia Aulson/SEACOAST REALTOR/NH & ME

Broker Byrant to the rescue! Great job and what an example of "keeping the deal together". Way to go! : )

Truly inspiring Broker Bryant. It just goes to show what a REALTOR® who has his clients best interests at heart can accomplish.

Very impressive BB. And I thought Peeps were those little marshmallow chickies and bunnies in the stores now. <GRIN> I have a few Realtors in my area that need a BB lesson like this, so they are each getting their own e-mailed copy along with my gentle "READ THIS! " request.

Thatnks for the object lesson!

It makes a huge difference when you know who to call, and how to solve the issues!!! My "peeps" are well treated (occasional gifts, gift cards and lots of thank yous!!!) and treat me well in return. My clients are always glad to know that I can solve a problem with a phone call!!!!

Excellent job! I love my little book of people that I can call and have quotes immediately- they know they are loved and apprieciated.

thanks for the advice and for the nugget! (can't find my nugget image, so insert image here.)

gonna build my 'peep' list up. good tip BB.. good tip!

i may move to Poinciana to sell property and deal with the likes of you!

my current peeps got a lotta love for me.. or at least i hope!

great post Bryant.. still catching up. :)

i think nick needs an air-card..

Hey Bryant.. i was thinking that this post is JAMpacked with knowledge, or k-no to us cool people. didn't mean to slaughter it with such a silly comment. so i went back and read it again along with the comment thread. then decided to repost my comment and dare i comment with other comments in mind. (this is really SEO'd for the word 'comment'.)
Solving problems is fun when you have the peeps.. right?
let me clarify that i mean "BB" as Broker Bryant, not blog boy.
I loved Luke's analogy. Nick's picturing a boxer with two black eyes. yikes! and Rich killed me with the 'when i grow up line'. what a classic! David and i both see yellow flowers.. and some where in there I learned me something about reeeel estate.
seriously, thanks. but are you charging just Maggie for this?,. or are we supposed to pay? well i'm gonna go read that other post and its comments. later gator.

Bryant,

Thanks for the post. Clearly, the relationship we develop over the years help to keep deals alive and all vested parties happy. Its what we do!

Great example for the rest of us. Instead of focusing on the problem, you focused on the solution - and Surprise! You solved the problem and are the hero to everyone involved.

Bryant, That is a great Example of a True Professional, You can not learn that on the State Exam! Just Experience and a Can do Personality.

MAR

2007

The real thanks goes to the Home Inspector.....Just think what could have happened when the buyers discovered all of these problems in the next month or so. It shows we need each other and we can ALL work together and help keep the real estate profession a strong and honest one.

Way to go!!!!I bet she was surprised, not used to an extremely competent realtor.

Bryant, your clients are lucky. The reason the other Realtor seemed so surprised is because you are one of the minority... the ones that do things as they should be done, rather than how most do it. Great job!

MAR

2007

Hey everyone, Sorry for not making it back here. That darn work is getting in the way of fun again!

You know I never knew those little marshmallow chicks were called "peeps" until I did a Google search for peep photos and all I got were those little Easter "thingies". How could I NOT know that?

I've found that by solving problems quickly it frees up so much of my time. Make the decision, solve the problem and move forward. By doing that I have more time for Blogging!!!! And that really is what it's all about. Right?

I really appreciate all the great comments. Thanks for stopping by.

MAR

2007

I was given good advice from Colleen Kulikowski to read your blogs. It really was good advice. Does peeps stand for something particular, an acronym for something? Great post.

Judi, "peeps" stands for people. Just a term the kids use. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy.

This blog does not allow anonymous comments

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

Poinciana, FL

More about me…

Bryant Tutas-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc

Address: 628 Grand Canal Dr, Poinciana, Fl, 34759

Office Phone: (407) 870-9003

Cell Phone: (407) 873-2747

Email Me

Bryant Tutas

Create Your Badge

Delivered by FeedBurner

Visit Short Sale Superstars

All original, all the time. Broker Bryant's ramblings on Real Estate in Poinciana, Fl

Florida Foreclosures and Short Sales

Buy A Florida Retirement Home
Visit TTRealty Network

Listings

Links

Archives

Find FL real estate agents and Poinciana real estate on ActiveRain.

Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.