Some clients we sold a home to a few years ago called and asked us to come and talk to them about the differences between listing with a company that would put their home in the MLS and our full service company. They had tried being Unrepresented Sellers for a couple weeks and determined not to c
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08/31/2006
Following the comment on paying for lawn service, if we have a vacant property, we'll generally ask the Seller if it would be ok for us to add a few things to the property (note, we're offering a service, not asking them to pay for it) - a new welcome mat outside the door, a colorful plant or two
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08/31/2006
Even though a seller should disclose any unpermitted work or uncompleted permits, when representing buyers we always include a clause (lawyer approved, of course) that the Seller will provide evidence of permits, including completed signoff, for any work done on the property. We order a property
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08/31/2006
Have you ever received a call from someone asking you to help find a rental for their son/daughter who will be attending college in your area? If so, you might also suggest the possibility or purchasing a condo or home for the student to use - the cost may not be more than campus housing, and eq
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08/30/2006
According to NAR, last year nearly 1/3 of all sales were for second homes and investment properties. When you are talking to your clients about FORD (family-occupation-recreation-dreams) or your friends, if they mention skiing or vacationing at the beach, you have the opportunity to ask them if t
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08/30/2006
When talking with an unrepresented seller, in person or by phone, rather than pushing our services on them before they're ready, we might offer to help them. Where are they moving? Would they like to have an agent in that location send them some information? No obligation to them, of course, but
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08/30/2006
Even though our area of St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tampa is often referred to as Tampa Bay (diehards remind us that there is no such place, it's only a dividing body of water), and we are fortunate to share the advantages of a very large "city" with the feel of a comfortable neighborhood, the
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08/29/2006
In Florida we have two acceptable Offers to Purchase - one is a FAR contract (Florida Association of Realtors) and the other is the FAR-BAR (a joint effort between the Florida Association of Realtors and the Florida Bar Association. Each comes with a variety of prewritten addendums - check the le
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08/29/2006
We've talked before about the romance in marketing - for luxury homes, romance comes from the name of a home. A name conjures up an image, a lifestyle. Growing up in Newport, Rhode Island, I was surrounded by estates with names: The Breakers (waves), The Marble Palace, The Elms, Swiss Village (tr
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08/29/2006
Part of marketing a luxury home is romancing it. "Granite" is so common. What about "curved countertops made of Volga Blue granite and Juparana Florence granite. Much more enticing, isn't it? Is the granite full bullnose or reverse bevel or ogee? How about "wood cabinets" or "custom wood cabi
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08/28/2006