home staging: Perception is Reality.
- 11/15/07 05:48 AM
On Wednesdays we gather together, the agents in our office, for a few slices of pizza and brainstorming. Pizza - especially sausage & mushroom -- is an essential ingredient for brainstorming. There's an enzyme it in or something that releases a thought-production hormone. Hey, it's my story, okay? So, we're throwing ideas around about how to get listings sold, how to get price reductions, get sellers to hire home stagers, painters, landscapers, whatever. Then this agent pipes up and says, "It's just the media. The media is so negative it's making the buyers believe it's such an awful market they can steal homes. … (6 comments)
home staging: Must We Really Allow Political Correctness to Replace Good Sense?
- 11/15/07 04:10 AM
Forgive me for what may border on a rant, but please, can we all stop being so careful? Can we stop taking ourselves so seriously and try laughing at the nonsense instead of getting caught up in it? In today's news it was reported that a department store in Australia has prohibited its Santas from using the phrase "Ho Ho Ho!" because it might scare little children and it could be perceived as derogatory towards women. The store actually suggested the Santas replace "Ho Ho Ho!" with "Ha Ha Ha!" Can you imagine some old guy in a red suit and beard … (9 comments)
2-story living room with lots of glass to let the sun shine in highlights this home's contemporary floor plan and decor. The lot is larger than other lots in Bailey's Grove and is heavily wooded (see photos). Open floor plan provides a large kitchen perfect for entertaining. Master bedroom suite is large enough to accomodate a king-size bed comfortably. Professionally landscaped with underground sprinkling. Stove, refrigerator, washer & dryer stay. For more information visit http://www.donphelan.com/ … (3 comments)
home staging: Most Businesses Have Loss Mitigation Departments. Do You?
- 11/14/07 05:07 AM
For those of us who approach this business as a business, a successful career in real estate depends on loss mitigation. Have you ever asked yourself how much money you spend on each listing, whether they sell or not? What is your total marketing and self-promotion cost PLUS total cost of advertising your inventory for a year? Make your total marketing costs for a year and divide by the total number of listings you take in a year. Let's say, on average, you place 5 ads per week at a cost of $50 per ad. You do it 50 weeks a year. … (0 comments)
home staging: It’s not a Want-to Market, it’s a Have-to Market.
- 11/14/07 03:17 AM
Remember a long, long time ago - in a galaxy far, far away - when homeowners would say, "I'd like to sell but I don't need to sell" and we took their listing, put it on the MLS, wrote some ads, scheduled couple of open houses? That kind of motivation just doesn't cut it in today's market. As one of my agents said in a recent meeting, "It's a Have-to Market, not a Want-to Market." If a seller is not in a must-sell situation, they may not be motivated enough to do what it takes to sell a home in a … (3 comments)
home staging: For Moms and Dads of Teen or Tween Girls ONLY
- 11/09/07 01:44 AM
Yesterday, a lender walked through my door and saw the following piece on my wall. I'd written it back in 1998 when my now-college-freshman daughter was nine. the lender said, "You should share that. All of us parents have experienced those moments and it's nice to remember them." It has nothing to do with real estate but, for what it's worth, here it is: ______________________________________ Dear Jennifer, Today I watched you run. You came out of school as you always do -- your head upright, back straight, shoulders square. Your eyes scanned the rows of cars, their motors idling, all with parents waiting for their … (3 comments)
home staging: SOLD!!!!
- 11/08/07 05:44 AM
KENOWA HILLS WALKOUT RANCH UNDER $200,000 Kenowa Hills Walkout Ranch -- One-owner home shows pride of ownership. Cul-de-sac, brand-new deck, fully-fenced, professionally-landscaped backyard and sidewalks make it perfect for spending time outdoors. Underground sprinkling, too! Elegantly maintained and ready to move into! 2,400 square feet finished, open floor plan and cathedral ceilings, living room with fireplace, large kitchen with plenty of cupboard space, pantry, built-in desk, true main floor laundry, mud room, full bath off mud room. New furnace in 2003. New microwave, vinyl flooring, hot water heater, dishwasher all within the past 5 years. Immaculate! To search for other homes, … (0 comments)
home staging: When will the Fed wake up? Part II -- a Piece of the Solution?
- 11/08/07 05:03 AM
Our legislators and the Fed are prescribing remedies that have worked historically to control inflation and avoid recession. But what they don't seem to recognize is today's economy is dangerously flawed, and it appears to me they continue to treat the symptoms rather than cure the cause. What's the answer? I believe we must spur manufacturing of products made in the U.S.A. and sell them globally. I believe we must create a national program to help buyers with bad credit 1) buy homes and 2) repair their credit (in that order). I believe we must loosen credit requirements and make loans available … (0 comments)
home staging: When will the Fed wake up? Part II -- the Cause
- 11/08/07 05:01 AM
CONTINUED FROM PART I The Fed recognizes we are in a housing slump. The Fed recognizes our economy is on the brink of recession, in large part because of the housing slump. So, they cut interest rates in an effort to spur the economy and give the housing market a shot in the arm. There are two fundamental problems with their strategy: •1. People don't jump into the housing market and start buying when interest rates go down. They may start shopping, but they don't start buying until interest rates hit bottom and start moving up. Why? Because they fear losing the lowest … (0 comments)
home staging: When will the Fed wake up? Part I -- the Problem
- 11/08/07 04:58 AM
Back in the mid-70's, we were living through an "oil shortage" thought to be the worst in U.S. History. I remember riding in a car, passing gas station after gas station, all of them advertising their price for a gallon of gas. All of them had signs on the pumps saying "Out of gas." My buddy, the driver, laughed and said, "They can advertise gas for 5 cents a gallon till the cows come home if they don't have any to pump." His statement wasn't all that profound; it was pretty obvious, in fact. I‘ve always remembered it, though. Apparently, our Federal Reserve … (0 comments)
home staging: Good News? Bad News? Who Knows? -- Part II
- 11/07/07 06:49 AM
As I mentioned in Part I, good news can come cloaked in bad news' clothing ... and vice versa. Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul and its sequels) has an equation for life: EVENT + RESPONSE = OUTCOME We have a choice about how we respond to any event in our lives and the choice we make is a factor in the outcome. Some people believe this idea is simply the power of positive thinking; that if you believe the outcome will be good and put all your energy toward a positive outcome, you will achieve it. That's not quite accurate, however. Sometimes the … (0 comments)
home staging: Good News? Bad News? Who Knows? -- Part I
- 11/07/07 05:49 AM
Charlie and Bill were best friends for life and loved baseball. Played together in high school, college, and well into their seventies. One day, they pondered whether there would be baseball in heaven. "Wouldn't it be great?" they thought. "We'd feel young again -- no aches, no pains and we could play baseball for eternity." A few days later, Charlie died. Months passed and Bill missed his lifelong friend. He often wondered if Charlie was playing second base again, able to wing the ball from short-centerfield to first base like he did in his youth. Once morning, sipping his coffee, Bill heard … (3 comments)
2-story living room with lots of glass to let the sun shine in highlights this home's contemporary floor plan and decor. The lot is larger than other lots in Bailey's Grove and is heavily wooded (see photos). Open floor plan provides a large kitchen perfect for entertaining. Master bedroom suite is large enough to accomodate a king-size bed comfortably. Professionally landscaped with underground sprinkling. Stove, refrigerator, washer & dryer stay. For more information visit http://www.donphelan.com/ … (3 comments)
home staging: Wyoming Rogers Open Saturday! Price Reduced!
- 11/06/07 06:58 AM
Wyoming Rogers Open Saturday, November 10, from 12:00n noon till 2:00 p.m. Now $109,900 613 Cricklewood SW (South on Clyde Park off 28th St. to Cricklewood, East to home) Totally redecorated from top to bottom and inside & out. New carpets, new paint, laminate floors, new vinyl -- even a new work room space. New carpet in family room, laundry room. Den/office with closet on lower level. Central air. Now $109,900. For more information and to see additional interior photos, visit http://www.donphelan.com/ To schedule a showing, call me at 616-648-0800 … (2 comments)
home staging: KENOWA HILLS/ALPINE ESTATES -- OPEN SUNDAY 2 - 4
- 11/06/07 06:55 AM
1372 Texas St. NW in Alpine Estates (South off 1300 3-Mile Rd. NW) -- Great Schools! Great Neighborhood! Under $140,000! 3-Bedroom, 1 1/2 bath, 2-Stall Garage, Family Room with Fireplace, Central Air. Roof is eight years new. For more information, call me at 616-648-0800 or 616-791-0110 ext. 2121 or visit my web site at http://www.donphelan.com/ and click on "Preferred Listings." Hurry, this one will sell quickly! … (0 comments)
home staging: Have You Hugged Your Web Site Today?
- 11/02/07 06:32 AM
How much money did your web site make you this year? Last year? The year before? If you have owned a web site for three years or more and you are not earning at least $25,000 per year as a direct result of your web site, you should a) try something different or b) stop spending your energy and money on a web site. Most real estate agents are disappointed with the amount of revenue they generate from their web site ... and they should be. If your site is buried on the 14th page of search results, consumers will not scroll until … (6 comments)
home staging: Price Reduced! Grand Rapids West Side Ranch!
- 11/02/07 06:25 AM
NORTHWEST G.R. CHARMER (Covell/O'Brien Area) Price just reduced to $128,500 Extremely well-maintained and ranch near the Mines Golf Course. Great area, 3 bedrooms, 1 full baths, 2 half baths, 2 stall garage, finished basement. Central Air. For more information, visit http://www.donphelan.com/ or call me at 616-648-0800. Don Phelan RE/MAX of Grand Rapids, Inc. e-mail: donaldrphelanjr@ameritech.net … (0 comments)
home staging: Think Inside the Box.
- 11/01/07 03:06 AM
For those of you who read my post "How to Write Good," you know how overused jargo-techno-buzz makes my eyes blur and start to water. You can imagine, then, it was nearly impossible for me to control myself when an agent waltzed into my office and said, "I think we need to think outside the box." I paused for a moment, trying to find a happy place, resisting the urge to grab him by the throat till his eyes bulged, before it dawned on me that this particular agent spends great deal of time "thinking outside the box" and not nearly enough … (1 comments)
Articles and Discussion about Grand Rapids and West Michigan Real Estate, Preparing Homes for Sale, Choosing a Realtor, Information about Grand Rapids Area Schools.
On Wednesdays we gather together, the agents in our office, for a few slices of pizza and brainstorming. Pizza - especially sausage & mushroom -- is an essential ingredient for brainstorming. There's an enzyme it in or something that releases a thought-production hormone. Hey, it's my story, okay?
;)
;)
