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This Buyers' Market is No Laughing Matter!

By Margaret Woda

Real Estate Agent with Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.

March 23, 2008 12:06 PM

Buyers' Market - Copyright MWoda. 2008

Inspired by my Hidden Gem in the Rain, Baltimore's Audrey Hoffman. and her Staging Girl comic strip. They say "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", so consider my first few attempts at using a comic strip or cartoon to be a compliment, Audrey, although they don't hold a candle to yours.

My first effort wasn't very entertaining, but it did add some color to an otherwise dreary real estate market report. A few of you even commented that you liked it. Hopefully you weren't just saying that, because your encouragement lead to today's cartoon, representing today's real estate market with many home sellers trying to catch the same elusive buyer.

In fact, Crofton Maryland's absorption rate is 8 home sellers for every buyer; the numbers are much more dramatic for many other areas across our nation, and even our state and county. It really is like a pond with more people fishing than fish in the water! Life isn't very pretty for today's home sellers in this buyers' market, so I plan on using cartoons like this instead of photos in my upcoming series for home sellers - just to lighten things up a bit.

I know you're going to ask how I put this together, so let me refer you to Recipe for a Custom Graphic on Your Blog. Licenses to the images used here were purchased online (sources such as bigstockphoto.com, istockphoto.com, realestateclipart.com, stock.xchng.com, and others). All the other steps are in that post.

Stay tuned because a vertical version of this is probably going to be the cover-page for a series I'm working on titled, you guessed it, "Making Home Sellers Smile in 2008!"

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Buyers, Find a Home and learn about Real Estate Market Conditions in Maryland; Check out Today's Rates, use the free Mortgage Calculator, and watch a brief video about the Power of RE/MAX. These consumer-friendly real estate tools are provided by Margaret Woda for you to use at your own pace.

When you're ready to go from "just browsing" to "let's get serious", contact Margaret online or call her at RE/MAX Vision in Crofton Maryland. 410-451-1900

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Fran Gaspari

Patriot Land Transfer, Inc. - Limerick, PA

"The Title Man" - Title Insurance - PA & NJ

Margaret,

Too many fishermen...too few fish...finding the right 'bait'...!!! Thanks, Fran

Mar 23, 2008 01:21 PM

Patricia Kennedy

RLAH@properties - Washington, DC

Home in the Capital

Margaret, love your cartoon! And it is so on point!

Mar 23, 2008 01:34 PM

Lisa Heindel

Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA

New Orleans Real Estate Broker

You are just tooooo creative, Margaret! Wonderful job on the cartoon.

Mar 23, 2008 01:36 PM

William Johnson

Retired - La Jolla, CA

Retired

Followed the instructions and seems quite clear. I left a message on the other post as well. Thanks Margaret

Mar 23, 2008 05:05 PM

Doug Fritchie

DOUG FRITCHIE-Silver Legacy Properties,Inc. - Portland, OR

The market WILL get better...We just need to weather the storm. Those without protection will get wet !

Mar 23, 2008 05:09 PM

marti garaughty

garaughty.com - Montreal, QC

a highly caffeinated creative type...

I love how your graphic illustrates your point Margaret, very cool and very appropriate!

Mar 23, 2008 05:25 PM

Mary Warren

Las Vegas, NV

Very nice Margaret! I think you did a GREAT job on it and I'm not just saying that! I'm envious - wish I could put together stuff like this.

Mar 23, 2008 05:39 PM

Margaret Woda

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD

Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation

Christine Bohn, ABR, e-Pro, GRI~Gainesville, FL Realtor® - Thanks for the compliment, Christine. I checked out your blog, and saw that you're thinking cartoons, too! Very funny.i
Team DiMuria, Katy Texas Realtors - First, we need a Sellers Market. LOL.
Bob Jakowinicz Northville Michigan Real Estate - I posted this to some different groups than usual, and I'm meeting lots of new (to me) agents. Thank you.
Nestor & Katerina Gasset, Realtors® Wellington Florida Luxury Homes - Katerina, Glad you like it (and I'd be glad to customize it for you for Wellington - just send me an email.
Tammy Lane & Terry Coleman - You're welcome.
Larry Bettag Illinois FHA Specialist - I love it when a plan comes together.
Fran 'The Title Man' Gaspari TitleInsurer-PA&NJ Patriot Land Transfer - You get it, you really get it!
Patricia Kennedy - Your graphics are always so on point with your posts. The right one can really set the tone, and I'm hoping this avenue will help "lighten up" the tough topic of selling in today's market. Some sellers ARE succeeding!
Lisa Heindel, New Orleans West Bank Real Estate - I'm afraid that Audrey has created a monster... who knows what I'll come up with next.
The Real Estate Text Book authored by William Johnson GRI CRS e-PRO - This "custom graphic" process takes a little longer and you couldn't use it all the time - but there is a time and place for it. Thanks for commenting on the other post, as well.
Doug Fritchie - Doug, that's so true... and they won't catch any fish either.
The Art Of Marketing You - marti garaughty - Glad you like it!
Mary Warren, Las Vegas Real Estate - I would have been saying the same thing a few weeks ago. Didn't know I could do it 'til I tried. lol. May the cartoons I compile from available illustrations improve the way my blogging has over the past few months.

Mar 23, 2008 11:25 PM

Karen Kruschka

RE/MAX Executives - Woodbridge, VA

- "My Experience Isn't Expensive - It's PRICELESS"

Margaret, That is very well done and some well thought out humor can usually do well in making a point better than a lot of copy, Karen

Mar 23, 2008 11:30 PM

Gary White~Grand Rapids Home Selling Pro Call: 616-821-9375

Flexit Realty "Flexible Home Selling Solutions" - Grand Rapids, MI

Real Estate Services You can Trust!

Hi Margaret, that is one great cartoon and the post just sums it up from a professional point of view. Very nice.

Mar 24, 2008 02:36 AM

Donna Yates

BHGRE - Metro Brokers - Blue Ridge, GA

Blue Ridge Mountains

What a creative touch and I just love the cartoons. Really grabs a reader's attention.

Mar 24, 2008 09:42 AM

Cynthia Tilghman, Realtor® Onslow County NC Home Specialist

Kingsbridge Realty, Inc - Hubert, NC

Margaret,
Creative, clever and very appealing. Now you have me thinking about what I can do. You are always setting the bar a notch higher!

Mar 24, 2008 11:10 AM

Celeste "SALLY" Cheeseman

Liberty Homes - Mililani, HI

(RA) AHWD CRS ePRO OAHU HAWAII REAL ESTATE

Now that was entertaining and creative....what a wonderful side of you here Margaret!

Mar 24, 2008 12:06 PM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

Hi Margaret: You just have a way of continuing to come up with such awesome and distinctive posts. This is great... a really nice change of pace. And I think the idea of sending it to RE/MAX is a good one. Question, though: How come no girl fisher-persons ? You know that sometimes the best man for the job is a woman... LOL.

Mar 24, 2008 05:54 PM

Roland Woodworth

Blue Cord Realty - Clarksville, TN

Blue Cord Realty

Margaret.... This is a really cute add... where did you make this one ? Keep up the good work.. I agree with Cynthia....

Mar 24, 2008 05:57 PM

Margaret Woda

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD

Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation

Karen Kruschka - One of the most experienced agents in Northern Virginia - Thanks, Karen!
Gary White~ Grand Rapids Real Estate, FLexIt Realty, a call or click away! - Glad you like it.
Donna Yates, Georgia Realtor, N GA Blue Ridge Mountains Real Estate - It was fun to try.
Cynthia Tilghman, Realtor® Onslow County NC Home Specialist - Can't wait to see what you come up with...
Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman -Hawaii Relocation, Century 21 Liberty Homes - ActiveRain has brought out all kinds of things I never considered before!
Fort Worth Real Estate - Karen Anne Stone - While that's true, I had to go with with available illustrations for licensing since I have no artistic talent of my own.
Roland Woodworth "Ft. Campbell Area Realtor" - Just follow the steps in that link I mentioned earlier, Recipe for a Custom Graphic on Your Blog

Mar 25, 2008 04:39 AM

Carolina Ruiz

My Real Estate Pro - West Covina, CA

This is great. I was just telling someone yesterday that the day of the fish jumping into the boat so long as you owned a boat are over, and now we have to actualy lay out the net. This is a great depiction of the same sentimant. I just wanted to stop in and let you know that you are included in my thank you to supportive active rainers on my new blog.

Mar 27, 2008 12:18 PM

Audrey Hoffman

VoteAudrey blog - Columbia, SC

VoteAudrey

Margaret, just getting back from SC and seeing this. CUTE! I'm pleased. You're not a cartoon monster yet....but watch out, you could become one!! (If you suddenly have four fingers instead of 5 on each hand, wear the same outfit EVERY day and always look absolutely the same, have call-out boxes above your head and/or theme music.....you might be a comic!)

Mar 28, 2008 09:08 AM

Margaret Woda

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD

Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation

Audrey - No one ever accused me of being very funny - but this started a movement. Now I have a whole series of little illustrations turned cartoons to use in my presentations. You created a monster!his
Seth - I did check out your post and thank you again for the mention. Yep, this may not be funny, but it is a light-hearted look at what it's like out there in today's real estate market!

Mar 28, 2008 09:51 AM

Nancy Kent

RE/MAX Hill & Valley - Granby, MA

RE/MAX Hill & Valley, Western Mass

Thats awesome Margaret!! You have to send it to RE/MAX!

Mar 28, 2008 10:21 AM