naperville: TWO CLOSINGS IN TWO DAYS?
- 12/25/08 09:32 AM
I had a closing on Monday, December 22... And a closing on Tuesday, December 23. Two closings in two days? Two homes sold? Two paychecks for Ken??? Holy poop. Feels good. Very good. Ken A Realtor you can trust. … (48 comments)
naperville: I AM EXCITED ABOUT 2009. I HOPE YOU ARE TOO...
- 12/19/08 11:34 AM
I AM EXCITED ABOUT 2009. I HOPE YOU ARE TOO... People do need to move after all... They do. They always will. They can put off moves. Delay decisions... But eventually, life catches up. And people move. I am starting to get busy. I have been showing homes. People are calling me. People are emailing... New people. I have been marketing hard. Ridiculously hard. It seems to be working... So I am extremely confident. I guess that's why I have been hesitant to post... I am excited about 2009. I hope you are too... Ken A Realtor you can trust.
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naperville: WHY DO I DO IT? DELIVERING KEN'S LAKEWOOD CROSSING VIEW.
- 12/06/08 11:20 AM
The thermometer read 16 degrees as I pulled up in my Jeep Liberty to Lakewood Crossing, a subdivision of moderately priced homes in Naperville Illinois. Overcast. Occasional flurries. Cold. There was snow on the ground. Not deep. Just enough to make walking treachorous... I had 365 of my newsletters stuffed inside of my Keller Williams bag. It would be a long day. Why do I do it? I must say the thought has crossed my mind several times. Especially this week. Maybe I could wait until it gets warmer? I don't do much business in Lakewood Crossing anyway... What a silly business plan! These were my thoughts as … (15 comments)
naperville: MY "COMMUTERS" FROM OUT OF TOWN
- 11/24/08 12:16 PM
They were a nice young couple. I picked them up at the train station on Rte. 59 in Aurora... It was Friday morning. The weather was cold, but the sun was shining bright. A great day to show homes. We would be seeing several homes priced in the low to mid 200's. They were in from Virginia, and considering moving to Chicago. They would be needing a home near the train line for the commute to Chicago. The search was fairly challenging. We would only have two to three hours. The couple did not know the area at all. We started … (7 comments)
naperville: WHY DID I LEAVE FINANCIAL SALES?
- 11/21/08 10:50 AM
After graduating from the University of Illinois in 1990 with a degree in finance, I followed my two brothers into a job as a stock broker. It was fun at first.... Even as a $5 per hour "caller", it was exciting to put on a tie, take the train down to Chicago, and walk into the financial sector working for Lehman Brothers, sack lunch in hand. Just being down in the Loop, you felt like a "player"... The hours were long and painful. Dialing number after number. Our goal was to get a wealthy prospect on the phone. When we did, we would hand off the … (11 comments)
naperville: HAVE YOU HUGGED YOUR BANKER TODAY???DELIVERING KEN'S SPRINGHILL VIEW...PRICE REDUCTION ON ALAN ROAD
- 11/20/08 08:36 AM
I recently made a new contact with a mortgage broker at Chase Bank here in Naperville. New contacts are always good. He was having his first child this November. He was excited. He had called me from one of my newsletters. I had been marketing his neighborhood. Anyway... He was excited to hook up with a Realtor. He wanted us to host "open houses" together at his branch. Sounded cool for me. Me in a branch on Saturday morning serving donuts and coffee? The Realtor of choice? Endorsed by the bank? Sounds perfect. Yesterday I found out my mortgage broker had been laid off...
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naperville: The art of negotiating in real estate. Sometimes less is more...
- 11/18/08 08:58 AM
I currently am working on a few deals as the buyer's agent. I find it interesting when the listing agent I am negotiating with finds the need to tell me how great their home is. Afterall, I know what the house is like. I was just in it... And I am not buying it anyway. I don't care what the seller paid, the improvements they did, how great the neighborhood is, the schools, the comps or whatever else the other agent feels is so important. Because none of that matters... A house is worth only what a buyer is willing to pay for it... And my buyers have made their offer. I … (10 comments)
naperville: CATHOLIC GUILT
- 11/16/08 06:20 AM
Despite a fair amount of Irish blood pumping through my veins, I wasn't raised as a Catholic. Do I have to be Catholic to suffer from Catholic Guilt? I have always felt "bad" for things, even when I haven't done anything wrong. I sometimes feel guilty when I am just doing my job. I feel that way today. I wrote up an offer for a home in Naperville this morning. The listing agent had told me the sellers were "extremely motivated" before I had even showed the home to the buyers. The home was vacant. Nice, but vacant. The sellers were already offering a nice payout for me, … (23 comments)
naperville: KEN'S FEATURED HOME...THE "THANKSGIVING" HOME
- 11/15/08 06:17 AM
So here I am. It's Saturday. 1:23 PM. November 15th. I am at an OPEN HOUSE for my new listing. I took the listing two weeks ago, a short sale on the south side of Naperville. I am pleasantly surprised how nice the home looks today. A few lit candles. Lights are all on. A cold cloudy November afternoon... It feels nice. This would be a great "Thanksgiving" home...
My spirits are high. It has been a productive day. I had showings this morning and an open house in the afternoon. That is a good real estate day... I love open houses. I was available this afternoon, and with a vacant … (16 comments)
naperville: FIRST TIME HOME BUYER? FOUR PROFESSIONALS TO HELP THROUGH THE PROCESS.
- 11/14/08 08:04 AM
First time home buyers are a growing portion of my business. As that number grows, I am always learning. Radon, mold, closing, attorney, inspection, mortgage, down payment, property tax...These words can scare first time home buyers. Buyers should not be scared. Buying a home should be great experience. Not terrifying.
Four professionals will usually be needed during the home buying process:
1. The Realtor The Realtor will fill many roles during the home buying process. They will coordinate the transaction. They can also narrow down home choices, educate on neighborhoods, assist with negotiations, and even provide a shoulder to cry on. A Realtor can show any home listed on their local Multiple Listing System (MLS). The … (9 comments)
naperville: GROWTHLEADER...MY 8 DAY UPDATE
- 11/13/08 07:03 AM
It has been 8 days since my new website, www.ServingNaperville.com, was created by the staff at Marketleader. The website was designed to be simple and user friendly. Designed to attract those interested in real estate in Naperville Illinois. A virtual spider web, built for me, a Realtor... It was created to maximize the chance a visitor will register to the site. When they register, they come to me as prospects. I expected to be flooded with leads. I was expecting 4 or 5 leads a day... I have had two. I am OK with two. It has only been 8 days... But I expected more. Could it reflect current … (19 comments)
naperville: KEN'S 6 MONTH BUSINESS PLAN...THE UPDATE...I AM HALF WAY THERE
- 11/11/08 05:24 AM
At the end of August, I wrote down and posted my 6 month business plan. When I first wrote my plan, I had a solid database of prospects collected over my first three years in the business, but zero listings and no real hot buyer prospects. I had just joined my new office, Keller Williams in Naperville, after more than two and a half years at a RE/MAX office in Lisle. Back in August, I was drowning in all the new systems that I would be using at Keller Williams. They were very different than the ones I was using at RE/MAX. Certainly new to me. I felt … (26 comments)
naperville: "WELL THAT'S WHAT YOU GOTTA DO"...DELIVERING KEN'S MAPLEBROOK VIEW
- 11/10/08 02:19 PM
It was only 32 degrees today. Brrr. Pretty cold here for mid November in Naperville. Just two months ago it was hot and humid and today I am wearing a winter coat and hat! I was in Maplebrook, one of my favorite subdivisions in Naperville. The homes are priced in the low to mid 300's and are only two miles from downtown. Huge trees. Sidewalks. A real neat place. My wife, Nickie and I lived there for 10 months with our daughter, Erin. We loved walking the tree lined streets... As I delivered my 70 copies of Ken's View, I ran into several old neighbors. I spoke … (10 comments)
naperville: WHY DOES MY PHONE KEEP RINGING?
- 11/03/08 06:11 AM
What is going on here? Why does my phone keep ringing? This isn't the way I work. Most of my time I spend keeping busy. You know... Marketing. Blogging. Farming. Reading. Emailing. Learning. Networking. Calling. Smiling... But honestly, very little qualified customer activity. Actually working with real live buyers and selllers of homes. The type of work Realtors get paid for. But now, its November 3rd, 2008, and I have been on the run for 3 weeks. My schedule is filling up with actual client appointments. How strange? What is going on? I'm freaked out. If I am not careful, I will actually get paid. I … (31 comments)
naperville: SHORT TERM LISTING AGREEMENTS
- 10/31/08 06:17 AM
I never hold my clients to listing agreements... Look, I know that we do lots of work for our clients and spend money in advertising. But... That just seems like part of the business. If a client ever wanted to "fire" me? Well, I was probably pretty sick of him too. So I happily tear up the agreement... It is hard enough working for sellers who like us. With that in mind, I only "ask" for short term listing agreements. I generally recommend 6 months. I need to put something in the listing agreement. But it should not take longer then 6 months. And even that … (15 comments)
naperville: WHAT DOES YOUR NAPERVILLE MAILBOX SAY ABOUT YOU?
- 10/29/08 04:30 AM
I enjoy taking walks around the neighborhood with my camera. As a former runner with knee issues, I still enjoy getting out and enjoying the fresh air... Walking is low impact, it can be social, and it doesn't cost anything. It's just nice getting out of the house... I lived awhile back in the Wheatland South neighborhood in Naperville. I would walk those streets with family, and one day, armed with my camera, noticed a nice variety of mailboxes... Now I haven't seen any studies, but I believe one's mailbox tells a lot about who they are... Private? Outgoing? Pet loving? Modern? Classic? So many different types of mailboxes. … (61 comments)
naperville: I LOVE TOWNHOME COMMUNITIES...DELIVERING KEN'S CARROLWOOD VIEW
- 10/24/08 08:03 AM
The weather this morning was damp. 51 degrees and breezy. Very raw. A chicken noodle soup type of day... It was also a perfect morning for delivering my newsletters. Today's target was Carrolwood, a subdivision of about 160 townhomes in Naperville Illinois. The homes are nice and modestly priced. Most sales occur between $170,000 and $200,000. -Picture of Carrolwood Townhome on a sunny day I love working in townhome communities. As a Realtor, the benefits are many: 1. The turnover is higher than in a single family neighborhood. 2. They are generally lower priced, and low priced housing will always … (2 comments)
naperville: KEN'S WISH LIST FOR 2009
- 10/19/08 11:28 AM
We all hope for global peace, clean air, lower crime, etc.. It's OK to have some material wants, too. So here is what I would like to purchase in 2009. Ken A Realtor you can trust.
Ken's Wish List for 2009
1. Portable Hard Drive. Price approximately $100. I need to back up my laptop's hard drive. Soon.
2. Global Positioning System. Price approximately $200. I never want to ask for directions again. I would think a must for any agent.
3. Audi A6. Price approximately $50,000. Style and class. Not too pretentious. Big enough for work. Sporty … (28 comments)
naperville: ARE YOU INTERESTED, OR JUST INTERESTING?
- 10/19/08 04:06 AM
I was reading posts this morning from my growing list of subscriptions. As I was reading several posts, I came across a post from a writer that describes himself as a career development coach. In this particular post, the author asked us to join his "tribes" on facebook, twitter, linkedin, etc. I paused. I am stepping up my own social networking, so I am always interested in connecting with other people. Before I joined his "tribe", I decided to do a little background work. I looked at the authors points summary here on Active Rain... I was shocked at what I found. … (24 comments)
naperville: CAN YOU CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT A CLIENT?
- 10/18/08 07:12 AM
I was just reading a post from one of my favorite new writers here on Active Rain, Andrew Olson. The post was written about ways to impact those around you and make your message be heard. One of his suggestions was to truly, deeply care... Hmmm. Made me wonder, can you care too much about your clients? Can you? I say yes. Seems odd... But I know I have cared too much about clients. I may have freaked them out a bit. I think I got too involved. I don't think that's what Andrew was suggesting, but I think it is very important … (17 comments)
I had a closing on Monday, December 22...
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