palm coast homes: LITTLE THINGS COUNT A LOT!
- 05/17/11 02:13 PM
As I was looking over the fourth letter we were sending to an expired listing hoping to sign them up, I realized that I had misspelled the owner's name in two of the previous letters. The sinking feeling that resulted from this discovery got me thinking about how important the little things are in our business. What sort of chance did we now have of convincing this seller who just completed a six month listing with no sale that we were the answer to his prayers when we couldn't even spell his name right? We had a great listing booklet, offered … (4 comments)
palm coast homes: OPEN HOUSES ARE LIKE LABOR
- 05/09/11 11:54 PM
Open houses are like labor-they're painful and while you are going through it you say you will never do it again. After some time goes by, you say to yourself, that couldn't have been as bad as I thought and you hold another open house. Guess what? It's still just as painful! You have to be an optimist to work in real estate and doing open houses is a prime example of that positive outlook. We advertise in papers, walk the neighborhood, promote to other realtors and put out signs. We have tried broker's open houses. We've done full lunches, desserts, … (2 comments)
palm coast homes: NO IS NOT A FOUR LETTER WORD!
- 04/29/11 05:19 AM
Saying No is not always easy. We know that if it is illegal, immoral or will hurt someone, we will say no. There are other times that it is not so clear. I recently attended a meeting where Richard Flint was a featured speaker. Mr. Flint is a highly regarded motivational speaker. I bought his tapes as well as his daily "morning minute". The other day, Mr. Flint's message was on the "power of saying "no" and not be afraid to use it". He went on to say that "as much as most know when they should say "no", most are … (1 comments)
palm coast homes: I FIRED A CUSTOMER--AND IT FELT GOOD!
- 04/23/11 09:49 AM
With market conditions being what they are, sometimes it is hard to hold your head up, maintain your beliefs and be proud of what you are doing. When doing this becomes difficult, it is important to step back and decide how important a sale is. Recently, we had a customer who was demanding everything including the kitchen sink. We were in the process of setting up appointments to see several foreclosed condominiums in a gated resort community that ranged in price from $53,000-$119,000. Showing there is difficult and, as we hadn't worked there before., we were trying to do everything we could … (7 comments)
palm coast homes: PLAN ON BUYING A HOME IN 2011?
- 04/15/11 06:03 AM
If you are planning on buying a home in 2011, or any year for that matter, preparation is the key to getting the best deal when shopping for that new home. Here are some tips to help the potential homebuyer get started:
Define Needs vs Wants: Make a list of your needs versus wants in the new home. For example, if you have a large and growing family, then four bedrooms might be a necessity, while a pool might be a negotiable. Select A Location: Spend some time driving around town, researching schools and local amenities, crime rates, … (0 comments)
palm coast homes: ARE OPEN HOUSES WORTH THE EFFORT?
- 04/09/11 03:37 AM
We have tried to get excited about doing open houses for our listings but seem to always end up disappointed with the results. Our Sellers tend to expect us to do them for their homes but we are finding ourselves more and more explaining that open houses just don't do what they are supposed to. Getting a half dozen people to come on a weekend is a major success but one that usually does not result in Buyers nor is it the turn-out we hope for. We dutifully advertise the open house in the local newspaper, make attractive flyers describing the … (5 comments)
palm coast homes: THAT FIST PUMP MOMENT
- 04/05/11 01:59 PM
Being a Realtor in today's market is not easy. Whether it is dealing with the buyer who wants something for nothing or the seller who thinks his home should be listed at 2005 prices, the real estate profession is hard work and often frustrating. However, sometimes something special happens that truly makes us feel that our efforts are worthwhile. Last summer, a couple who receive our mailings contacted us about listing their home for sale. We met with them in the fall when they returned to Palm Coast from their northern home and discussed the current market conditions as they applied … (2 comments)
palm coast homes: GET FACE TO FACE!
- 04/03/11 05:39 AM
I like to get in the car and make personal sales cold calls on perspective new listings. Many of my fellow Realtors think I'm crazy for liking this sales tool, but I've been pretty successful with it and highly recommend it for more listings. Getting face to face with a potential new listing customer offers lots of positive things mailings and phone calls don't. I use personal sales calls mostly for expired listings and FSBO's that I target as especially good ones to have. Showing up at a potential listing's front door armed with my pre-listing booklet is totally unexpected by … (6 comments)
palm coast homes: FUN STUFF OF NO VALUE
- 03/28/11 12:21 PM
Someone sent these three items to my e-mail the other day and, while they don't have much value, they were fun to read: 1. In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters then were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are "limbs," therefore painting them would cost the buyer … (3 comments)
palm coast homes: SINKING WATERFRONT VALUES IN PALM COAST, FL
- 03/23/11 02:02 PM
In July 2008 we listed a beautiful home on one of our salt water canals for a little over $700,000. It sat on a tip lot at the convergence of four canals, had 2,600 plus feet of living space, a heated pool and a spectacular view. It sold in a cash transaction 119 days later for $660,000. The new owners immediately put another $100,000 into the property. Two years later the house went back on the market but this time for under $600,000. It sold quickly but for a price closer to $500,000. Such is the sad state for salt water … (0 comments)
palm coast homes: SEA CRUISE REVISITED
- 03/18/11 08:19 AM
I want to share a home showing experience that we had a while ago that stands out as one of the great seller showing failures. It's comical but illustrates some things not to do as a seller. We were new to the area and had buyers that were looking for a home on a fresh water canal. We dutifully researched for perspective homes to show and came up with what we thought fit the bill for our clients. Shame on us for not pre-viewing the homes we wanted to show! We arrived with our clients at the first house and were … (0 comments)
palm coast homes: IF YOUR HOUSE JUST WON’T SELL...
- 03/13/11 03:05 PM
Here's an article we put in one of our recent newsletters that we thought would be interesting and helpful to lots of people selling their home today: Wondering why your home hasn't sold yet? Is it due to bad marketing or the economic crisis? Probably not. According to experts, the real reason your home hasn't sold is probably a lot less complex-and easier to fix-than you might imagine. PRICE: The number one reason most homes do not sell is that they aren't priced competitively. It's important to price the home right when first putting it on the market. The right price … (1 comments)
palm coast homes: THEY CAN ALWAYS MAKE AN OFFER
- 03/07/11 04:51 AM
We are constantly in front of people wanting us to sell their home but list it at a higher price than the market dictates. The logic, which isn't bad on the surface, is that a high list price will enable buyers to make lower offers and negotiation brings an acceptable sale price to the seller. Human nature tells them that this makes sense and would be a good sales approach. Unfortunately, as experienced realtors, we know that things don't work that way with buyers and we have to convince our sellers that there is a better way.
The truth of … (1 comments)
palm coast homes: LOOKING FOR LUXURY FLORIDA REAL ESTATE?
- 03/02/11 10:38 AM
Our county real estate multi-list service is overflowing with cut-to-the-bone short sale and foreclosure listings. In between these listings you can find a limited number of luxury properties that seem pretty out of place with the rest of the offerings. There is a place, however, that you can get to easily that deals only with the high-end luxury home market. The Luxury Portfolio Fine Property Collection, www.LuxuryPortfolio.com, puts the luxury home buyer right where he or she needs to be.The Luxury Portfolio is made up of home listings in the high-end dollar range and marketed through its exclusive website and luxury … (0 comments)
palm coast homes: LOST LUXURY OCEANSIDE GATED GOLF COMMUNITY
- 02/19/11 02:59 AM
Palm Coast, FL is home to a luxury gated oceanfront golf course community that remains little known to much of the luxury housing market. The Hammock Dunes Club sits between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean and operates two magnificent golf courses and a luxury lifestyle community that rivals any in Florida. The Club is a financially strong member-owned equity club that is one of the few to have earned the Platinum Club Award for financial strength and stability. It sits on the eastern side of Palm Coast, FL which is located conveniently between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach on the … (3 comments)
As I was looking over the fourth letter we were sending to an expired listing hoping to sign them up, I realized that I had misspelled the owner's name in two of the previous letters. The sinking feeling that resulted from this discovery got me thinking about how important the little things are in our business. What sort of chance did we now have of convincing this seller who just completed a six month listing with no sale that we were the answer to his prayers when we couldn't even spell his name right? We had a great listing booklet, offered … (4 comments)
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