Brian R Kelly

Category: Real Estate

Real Estate

  • What is Legal Shield?

    What is Legal Shield? Legal Shield is the old Pre-Paid Legal. Pre Paid Legal was started in the 70’s by Harland Stonecipher of Ada, OK. Legal Shield LogoHe was involved in a car accident. He had auto insurance but another party sued him even though he was not at fault. He had to pay thousands of dollars to defend a lawsuit. Most home owners and auto insurance policies do not cover legal fees. You certainly do not have to be at fault to pay thousands of dollars to defend yourself. So Pre-Paid Legal was begun.

    What started out as a type of “legal gap insurance” has grown into many services that protect you and your family.

    I originally purchased a Legal Shield policy because my son was headed to Connecticut to college over 4 years ago. Legal Shield covers you and your minor and college children. You have the ability to call an attorney for any legal matter as many times as you want for a small monthly fee. If you are involved in a car accident (or any violation of law) in any state in America you can call an 800 number and have legal representation 24 hours a day!

    The service includes will preparation at no additional fees, unlimited phone calls, letter writing, legal defense for lawsuits, and so much more. 55% of Americans will die without a will! I have been encouraged in my heart to not only update my will for my wife and kids, but also write a letter expressing my wishes and love for my family if I die. ((LOL,,, reading this afterwards, realized I wrote “if” I die… well, I am a believer in Jesus… so “if” the Rapture happens or I get an “Elijah” fiery chariot ride out…it needs to say “When” I die)) Your family deserves good communication. What better to leave knowing the ones you love do not have to worry about details after your death.

    Check out the wikipedia on Legal Shield here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LegalShield

    Legal Shield also has a popular Identity Theft product that is serviced by Kroll. Kroll is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kroll_Inc. the world’s largest security and consultancy company. With Kroll and Legal Shield they offer the most robust services to monitor your credit, and identity via the internet as well as restore your credit if ever stolen with the Legal Shield legal teams.

    Yes, Legal Shield is a multi-level marketing “type” company. and Yes, I signed up to sell or make money from selling the services. But I joined as an individual because my son was going out of town for college, and then I signed my real estate company up for the small business legal plan because you have incredible research and unlimited questions during business hours. So, I was a user of the services before I signed up to sell.

    Full disclaimer: this is an “insurance type” of product and they have a lot of small print in their policies. And they have frustrated me on several occasions by “not” covering claims. But, not because I make so much money from selling it, (I made $700 in 2012), I keep my personal family policy and my business policy (at $75 monthly) because they offer real value.

    The basic legal plan is $17.00 monthly in Tennessee. They provide so much for this small amount, that if you truly do use them a few times, the policy pays for itself many times over for a lifetime.

    If you are a landlord, small business owner, teacher, etc. Any job where you deal with the public and have a decent chance of being sued, then you truly need to consider the service. There are no contracts, it is a month to month service.

    I know many attorneys in town. Most of the lawyers I know specialize. One great benefit of Legal Shield is the ability to call about “any” legal matter and if the issue is not covered by the plan then Legal Shield will refer your matter to an attorney near you at a discount to their “normal” hourly rate. I was recently referred to an attorney in Chattanooga for a lawsuit that was not covered by our plan. The attorney did a fantastic job and the discounted costs were covered by my Errors and Omissions insurance company.

    So, to recap… a service that covers, A.) IRS audits, B.) moving violations, C.) Real estate law, D.) Estate planning, E.) Family law, Divorce F.) Online legal forms, G.) Contract reviews for cell phones, rental agreements, home purchases, etc., H.) Wills, I.) Bankruptcy, J.) Credit, lending and banking law, K.) 24/7 phone support to attorney (pulled over at 2am in a rental car out of state?, call your attorney!)

    Goto www.kellybr.legalshield.com for details about the service. Call me to talk about my real life experiences with Legal Shield and their strengths and weaknesses as a service. I have found them a valuable service for my family and small business. What is Legal Shield? It is a valuable service helping protect you and your family.

  • You have a 62% chance of selling your home in Hamilton County, TN When You List With A Realtor

    Marketing Home for Sale
    Marketing Home for Sale
    You have a 62% chance of selling your home in Hamilton County, TN when you list it for sale with a Realtor. Real estate agents who belong to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) use a system called the Multiple Listing System (MLS) to help each other market and sell homes. As of middle August of 2013, 62% of all the listings taken (Hamilton County, TN only) in 2012 have sold. The number as of April 1, 2013 was 54%. Perhaps we should look later down the road? Not necessary, the number of listings that were taken in 2011 was 6,278 and the number sold as of August, 2013 is 3,512 (or 56%). Why is this important? A few reasons are as follows:

    1. You need to know that you have a 38% chance or better of failing. Your baby is … well your baby! Home is home and it stings a bit when you see others getting Sold signs when yours is not. I remember the feeling of getting chosen last for kickball, or getting red marks on English papers. The market can be a harsh judge.

    2. If you want or need a 95%-100% chance of selling then you need to make sure you are working closely with your Realtor. There are characteristics of a winning campaign. Bottom line is A. Getting willing and able buyers into your house, B. Staging and pricing to attract an offer, C. Building and nurturing an agreement to closing.

    3. If your real estate agent is getting people into the home with showings from other agents but there are no offers then A. price is too high, or B. condition is lacking. Period. It is that simple. I was cutting the grass the other day and a neighbor stopped to talk. She said she would be placing her home on the market soon. I asked her where she was moving. She replied that she received an email from an agent regarding a price reduction for a nearby town home and decided to buy it. She had been thinking of moving out of town because prices were so high locally. She is a former real estate agent. She would not “offend” the seller by offering what she was willing to pay for a home she wanted. The discount for the asking price compared to the sales price is 4.5% ! So a $300,000 will sell for $287,100 on average. If that house is listed for $325,000, then many buyers may simply make an offer on a more “affordable” house. If you are a house seller, please consider.

    4. Feedback, Feedback, Feedback – breakfast of champions. What are buyers and agents telling you?

    5. If you are getting offers but no agreements (contracts) then A. Price still may be too high for market, B. You and or your agent may need good coaching/mentoring, C. Property condition may need changing.

    6. Many sellers do not “have to” sell and use the “free” services of a listing agent to “try” the market. Why not? Many agents are eager to “take” listings”. Many others have borrowed to much against their real estate and simply cannot sell for what they owe.

    7. Staging and stories matter. Fresh paint, vignettes that spark imagination and the “ability” to “see” yourself living there… are critical emotional hooks.

    Choosing the correct real estate agent for your property and situation does make a difference. Hunters and fisherman pay guides well to achieve success in their endeavors. Whether a seller or buyer (with or without anPrice reduced sign agent), decide on what chance of success you want and make it happen!

  • Moving to Chattanooga, TN and Buying a Home

    So you are thinking of moving to Chattanooga, TN and are new to the area. Keep a few things in mind as you explore and research the Choo Choo city and what it is like to live here.

    1. Region: The influence of media encompasses Cleveland, TN to the north, and Dalton, GA to the south. We are on the border with Georgia. Georgia has a state income tax, but has generally lower property tax and sales tax. You reach roughly 500,000 people quickly when you add up the surrounding counties in both states. The entire region is hilly and green. People moving here from Texas are excited to see all the trees. Like Davy Crockett says, “Greenest state in the land of the free.”

    Hunter Art Museum Chattanooga TN
    Hunter Art Museum Chattanooga, TN

    2. Weather: We have a humid, warm climate. People that move here from Western US are welcomed with a large dose of liquified air. Southeastern Tennessee is blessed with lots of water, vegetation, and critters. We may get one to three snow events during the winter, but generally we have mild winters compared to our Northern neighbors. Word of caution here: Folks who have lived up North most of their lives are shocked when the city is shut down from ice and and sleet. The municipalities do a good job of keeping us safe, but we do not have lots of equipment for large snow events. We also live in hilly terrain, and regardless of your snow driving skills, there is no controlling your vehicle on an icy steep road.

    3. Government: Hamilton County, TN has a government with a leader Mayor, and the city of Chattanooga has it’s own Mayor. We do not have a central unified Metro government. This makes for exciting politics and power struggles. Hamilton County is also home to several smaller cities (some with their own property tax and services). The cities are Apison, Bakewell, Birchwood, Chattanooga, Collegedale, East Brainerd, East Ridge, Fairmount, Falling Water, Georgetown, Harrison, Hixson, Lakesite, Lookout Mountain, Lupton City, Middle Valley, Ooltewah, Red Bank, Ridgeside, Sale Creek, Signal Mountain, Soddy-Daisy, and Walden. Hamilton County is adjacent to 10 other counties. We are a quilt work of townships that have their own unique flavor and character. They also have different tax structures and services.

    4. Education: Hamilton County has nearly 30% of its K-12 students attending private schools. My judgement on this relatively high percentage is that the private schools are very good and provide stiff competition to the public schools. There are several excellent private boarding high schools in Chattanooga. Ted Turner attended McCallie, a school for boys only.

    5. Industry: Chattanooga, a river town, has always been a transportation hub. It has a manufacturing past history. When I was a child in the 70’s I can remember being sleepy and in the back seat (returning from vacation) but knowing distinctly the “smell” of being home. Chattanooga has transitioned well through the decades. We are a hub of insurance, (Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee, Unum), sugar/food (Little Debbie, Coca Cola, Moon Pie, Double Cola), Manufacturing and Assembly (Volkswagen, Alstom, Komatsu, Wacker).

    6. Topography: Time is relative to speed, distance, roads and elevation. When someone from Kansas or Florida looks at a map, they could easily think that the distance between two points, given a paved road means similar travel times. But, even a bird is challenged with obstacles of height, we affectionately call mountains and ridges. A Rocky Mountain native hardly thinks of the Appalachians as “real” mountains, but trust me, your car brake pads know. You also quickly learn that there is a small neat grid of square blocks in a tight space known as our business district downtown. But once you venture a few short blocks, the roads follow mother nature’s conventions of ridges, streams and ditches. Consider commute time traffic patterns in this context. (Example: There is “north of the Tennessee River” and getting to the south or eastern part of the county means you cross one of five major bridges.)

    7. Homes: When people move here from Northern states, they frequently ask for all brick homes with basements. Our water table, rock, and soils do not lend digging out a “traditional” basement. There are plenty of basement homes in the area, and they generally come with a sloping lot. Of course many lots in our area are sloping. So if you are from a flatter part of the world, read with caution the seller’s notion of a “level” lot. “Chattanooga level” is different than “Florida level”. Our builders mostly build on crawl spaces because we have a history of elevating our homes above termites and water flow.

    Another article I wrote about more general things to think about as a buyer of real property.

    Chattanooga is absolutely wonderful, eclectic and beautiful. We have the culture of a symphony, to the mountain opry bluegrass. Museums, aquariums, outdoor water sports, rock climbing, civil war parks, and caves. From Gig City to grabbling. From gnomes to alien homes, Chattanooga has something for you. If you don’t believe it, take your shoes off and sit a spell. People have a tendency to move here and stay. Move to Chattanooga and buy a home or two, you’ll be glad you did.

  • How to Do an Open House as a Realtor or Seller

    Open House SignHow do you hold an Open House? If you are the owner or if you are a Realtor, some similar steps apply.

    1. Marketing and advertising: Gone are the days of calling the newspaper and placing one ad. The newspaper directory of Open Houses is still a decent value in Chattanooga, TN. If you are an owner then use Craigslist, Zillow and Trulia to your list. Realtor’s add http://www.Realtor.com to your list. All the online venues are no charge and can be very effective.

    2. Directional signs and balloons: Get people off the main roads to your open house. You may think that home purchasing is not an impulse buy, but it is emotional and I have had folks trade homes over open house visits. Make sure you are not blocking the view of traffic getting out on main roads. You do not want to be the sign that causes people to curse while turning into traffic.

    3. Preparing the property: Don’t forget to spruce up the place and make the walk from the drive to the front door as welcoming as possible.

    4. Involve the senses: This is retail. So best you can, involve good smells (cinnamon sticks in water on stove), or take a sheet of cookies to bake in the oven. Music, appropriate to the space and target audience. Make sure all the lights and accent lamps are on.

    5. Register: Tell your guests that the owner prefers that visitors sign in. You want to follow up with these folks in an appropriate way. Paper registers work fine and there are some iPad apps (one is Open Home Pro $14.99) out for real estate agents that even engage shoppers after the fact. A key question should be “how did you find out about the Open House event?”

    6. Security: Real estate agents must be aware of risks both personally and for the seller. Owners of property, please know that some predators and thieves are looking for jewelry, and medications in bathroom cabinets. A ploy may have you distracted with one member of the party while another goes to another un-watched room. Real estate agents may want to partner up for safety, and remember your local mortgage originator may want to help for their business as well. Your cell phone can be your friend. Apps such as Real Alert and Moby offer 911, recording features, alarm, location notification, and creeper recording info to help you.

    7. Brochures: Buyers like to have something in hand to help them remember what they have seen. Having a page with pictures help them to remember the property as well as you.

    8. Attitude: Open house events are for the convenience of home shoppers, not yours. So I prepare to work and bring my laptop and notecards prepared to get things done between visitors. When a guest comes in, time to bring your smile and charm. Think about your favorite restaurants and hotels and the greeting you receive. Time to dish out copious measures of warmth to these folks that have taken time out of their busy lives to see this home.

    9. Time: Open houses are for the seller and convenience of home buyers. Many open house shoppers will buy a house within 6 months of their visit. Follow up is a key. Jim Weichert has built a large real estate company in the New England area on measured activity. One huge activity is 4 hour open houses on Saturday and Sunday. One and two hour open houses allow some marketing punch, but to me are more for the real estate agent or seller who is interested more in their own free time. Why not schedule open houses during the week or evening?

    Open houses are a great way to engage with people and help to create an environment promoting “fear of loss” and activity, and helps the seller keep a spirit of welcome hospitality. A genuine welcoming spirit doing the discussed above activities is how to do an open house as a Realtor or a seller/owner.

  • 7 Things for Home Buyers to Consider

    Buying home at Village Green
    Buying home at Village Green

    7 Things for Home Buyers to Consider

    are as follows:

    1. Construction matters: Types of homes have much different costs to build and the value is not reflected equally by sales prices. One example I always give my first time buyers is a one level home that has 2,000 square feet costs much more than a two story 2,000 square foot home. The 2 story 2,000 square foot house has only a 1,000 square foot foundation and 1,000 square foot roof. The one level that is 2,000 square feet has 2,000 square feet of roof and foundation costs. Regardless of the style of home, I want my buyers obtaining a good value. After all, I want to help them sell when they are ready, so having equity is a strong plus.

    2. Architecture matters: When you are young the multi-level with master upstairs and basement on a hill is a great way to maximize room for money. When you go to sell the property just realize you are limiting your buying audience to the same type of buyer and not the boomer post knee surgery buyer with loads of cash. The split-foyer design is very efficient for a buyer, but not the most desirable or valuable for the seller.

    3. Location matters: Think about and drive your commute from where you are considering your purchase. How much of your precious time do you really want to spend in your car? Generally I am selling homes to 4th and 5th home buyers that are ready to spend more to shave cumulative hours from the road to be closer to their family and friends.

    4. Nature matters: In a word “water”. I am not talking running water versus out house. I am talking water from the roof, drainage fields, underground springs, basement water proofing, landscaping issues, etc. In east Tennessee, we get a decent rainfall annually and the hilly terrain and varied soil types take a toll on unsuspecting home owners. Buyers with me today went into a beautiful home that just did not pass the “marble test”. The marble test in my mind is if we put a marble on a hard wood floor without a push, does it roll. If it does then the water may be compressing the soil in certain places and the foundation may be sinking in certain areas. We do not have sink holes like Florida or the pan clay like Texas, but we certainly see crawl space foundations moving where water has compressed the ground over years.

    5. Inspection matters: Tennessee law requires ALL residential sellers to disclose known defects. Problems with a property that are not disclosed or known by the seller, can be discovered by your inspectors. A good written agreement should allow for all types of inspections prior to purchase. Recently I helped a young couple place a contract on a home. The house had a fairly strong cat odor. We explored possible solutions prior to inspection. Once the carpet was peeled back, we found that the urine was not just in one or two spots in the middle of the floor, it was in multiple corners of rooms. The urine had soaked into the supporting wall timbers and joists and to truly mitigate the issue by replacing the wood instead of encapsulation was estimated at $6,000. The seller not wanting to make up the difference we decided to back out of the deal at no expense to the buyer.

    6. Ownership matters: True “ownership” is not having a mortgage. Your money is your business, but in the last 6 years I have seen the reality of people thinking their deed gives them rights beyond the lender’s. If you have mortgaged your property, remember you are being a steward of the bank’s property. If you are not “feeling” that, try missing 4 payments. Keep some cash reserves for maintenance and payment emergencies. ALL properties, even new homes require money for maintenance and repair. New homes may require window coverings, sometimes shower and towel rods, additional landscaping, etc. Slightly used homes may require repairs not covered by home warranties.

    7. Evaluation of value matters: Do not get caught in the $ per square footage trap. They are good for “rules of thumb” but, A. Not all homes were created equal, B. Deferred maintenance is very expensive, C. Location, location, location

    If you are considering a move to Chattanooga, TN, then read this article more specific to the area.

    There are so many more than these 7 things for home buyers to consider. Take your time, be patient, realize that emotions do play a big part in choosing home. That is great! You should be “emotional” when considering a huge investment that will be your “Home” and where you choose to live life. Enjoy buying your new home!

  • Sell your home with video

    Video Helps Sell Homes
    Video Helps Sell Homes
    Sell your home with video.  Video tells a story.  The story can take you on a journey.  The trip should engage your senses and curiosity to cause you to explore the question “Can I see myself living here?”

    The purpose of the video below is to help the viewer understand the neighborhood and then tell the story about the home itself.   My thought in this first effort was to focus on creating a desire to visit.

    The video is professionally shot and produced. This makes a huge difference!

    As I am writing this August 17, 2013 there are over 7,100 views in two months of the video. I am paying for Google adwords to get the video seen by people in the area or relevant viewers like regional golfers.

    The home as of the writing is still for sale but we did have three interested parties come take a look today at an Open House.

    There are several points to highlight regarding video:

    1. 7,200 views on limited budget (less than $300 in 2.5 months) to mostly local traffic is worthwhile viewership. Exposing local Realtors to video is also good because they have 80% chance of bringing our buyer.

    2. Seller is well served because we are getting more targeted exposure to property. (In this case, males make up 55% of viewers and ages 35-54 makes up over 50% of viewers)

    3. The cost of views for Facebook advertising is more expensive but far higher engagement! On my business page http://www.facebook.com/brianrhodeskelly I experienced a great number of comments and feedback on the video.

    4. Mobile devices like iPads, and smartphones are driving video consumption. Over 138 million in the US alone. I hope they are not watching the video while driving to work.

    5. Realtors get to project their personality to others and establish some rapport. This is a professional agent’s selfish perception, but if that agent has credibility to buyers and other agents then the seller is well served as well.

    6. Some agents are asking their sellers to get involved and tell the story of “why” they purchased the home and hidden aspects and features some folks never realize until they live there a while.

    Video to sell your home will be with us until hologram marketing comes out. Time to engage and do it!

  • Why pay a real estate agent versus flat fee listing?

    Flat Fee ServiceA “For Sale By Owner” recently asked me “Why should I pay you a percentage of the sales price to put the house in the MLS when I can pay a few hundred dollars for a flat fee listing?”  Isn’t the Multiple Listing System or MLS the way you sell your property?  The MLS does provide a valuable platform in which to market, but it is just the start of a journey to the closing table.  Here are seven reasons you may want “full” listing service.

    1.  Security:  I recently previewed a For Sale By Owner or (FSBO, pronounced Fisbo) as Realtors call them.  The owner left work on lunch break and she was meeting me.  Her husband was going to meet with me as well, but he could not leave a work meeting.  So she left him connected on a cell phone call while I looked at the house.  It is a very limiting factor to be present at each showing.  You may even put a lockbox on your door.  But which potential buyers do you give the code to?

    2. Showing:  A buyer needs to see the “house” as their “home”.  They need to be able to say “I can see myself living here.”  When the owner is present there is a shift of mind that goes into hospitality and an underlying respect of “oh, you really like that Barney purple wallpaper and chose it for your living room, ….how lovely…”  If an owner is present it adds an additional emotional layer to the walk through.

    3. Time:  There is work involved getting people to visit spaces to make the buying decision.  Gas is burned, meetings are missed, Open Houses need hosting, etc. Your time is valuable.  How many ballgames are you willing to miss to save some money?

    4. Marketing:  The MLS is a great start and is a gateway to many sites like Realtor.com, but it is just the start.  Relationships and trust are the value that your listing agent brings to your table.  Reaching out to other real estate agents is vital to your sale.  Your credibility is unknown to the the other agents.  The agents bringing a buyer assume that they will have to do ALL your work that a “typical” listing agent would do to handle all paperwork, closing arrangements, and scheduled inspections, moving, etc.

    5. Staging:  How many houses have you been in lately?  Your winning the next buyer means that your pad trumped all the others.  This is competitive.  The buyer has choices.  A good listing agent has seen lots of houses and knows how to make yours stand out.

    6. Pricing:  Are you leaving money on the table? or are you pricing so high that few people bother to schedule a showing?  Constant monitoring of the market and seeing many places is knowledge.  Knowledge is power when pricing to sell.

    7. Success:  4,120 homes sold in Hamilton County that were listed in 2012.  37 of them were marked as MLS Entry Only listings.

    I met recently a retired couple at their home in East Brainerd.  They had recently experienced success with a MLS Entry service.  He told me that on average they spent $78 monthly in newspaper advertising for the better part of three years and really had not added up the cost of time for Open Houses and showings, etc. The couple said they were surprised at how people “lied” to them about following up, etc.  He looked a little surprised when I asked him if he had considered getting his license and using his new skills to help others.  Selling your own home is not rocket science (thank goodness, I would not have a job), but it does take work, patience dealing with the public, and some experience is a good thing as well.

  • One North Shore Condos in Chattanooga, TN is "Newer" Home Sales Leader

    Corner at 200 Manufacturer's Road
    Corner at 200 Manufacturer’s Road

    One North Shore condos in Chattanooga, TN 37405 at 200 Manufacturer’s Road is the number one selling neighborhood for homes built after 1999 in Hamilton County to date in 2013.  Twenty three condos have sold as of this post with the top price of $374,000 for a 2 bedroom 1,161 sqft seventh floor unit.  The homes sell for more than $220 per square foot.  Some of units overlook the Tennessee River, Chattanooga, river front parks and the downtown bridges.

    The amenities make the complex very popular.  One North Shore has a penthouse Club Room, resort style pool with Cabana, fitness facility and concierges services.  Lauren greeted me at the Concierges office as I waited for inspectors and contractors for a condo I recently sold.  She was coordinating helpers sending packages to owners and food and beverage preparation for a party at the pool Cabana.

    (Confession of an old real estate agent) The lack of imagination in the exterior design was a detraction for me.  What did impress me the most by helping buyers making a decision for downtown living at One North Shore is the owner’s care of building a community with common areas and good services.  The location adjacent to grocery, parks, commercial, and convenient to downtown is a great draw as well.

    Downtown Chattanooga is becoming a draw for home owners.  The second place sales winner goes to Black Creek Mountain in Lookout Valley.  They scored 14 sales so far in 2013.   Black Creek Mountain (former Cummings Cove) is less than 10 minutes from downtown.  Chattanooga is becoming a place to be after work and weekends.  Being close to the city as well as providing “newer”  homes gives the neighborhoods an edge over the competition.

    Kudos to Fletcher Bright and their management and sales team for trumping all Hamilton County neighborhoods for “young” home sales.  One North Shore is realizing it’s potential place in Chattanooga, TN real estate history.

  • Foosball, Zillow and Trulia are not of the devil

    Foosball, Trulia and  Zillow are not of the devil.  The post title is a play on the quote from Mama in the 1998 movie “The Waterboy”.  (Don’t worry if you did not catch the quote, it is one of Adam Sandler’s intellectual type flicks)  {Telling on my movie taste here:  if Adam Sandler or Jackie Chan are not in the film, it could be suspect}  Some real estate professionals may think organizations such as Trulia and Zillow are “bad for business.”  The real estate business as we know it is live and well and God bless Zillow and Trulia for joining the fray.   Here are five observations from this grizzled real estate broker.Zillow App

    1.  Home buyers and sellers love Zillow and Trulia:   Regardless of your opinion of data integrity, value accuracy, etc., there is no disputing that millions of buyers and sellers are using the apps.  They must have some type of value, otherwise people would not download them.  Judging from my experience it is not entertainment value.

    2.  Robots are robots:  Regardless of the power of third parties to influence our customers, they do not have the relationship with local people.  Licensed real estate agents do.  Hint to agents: focus on relationships.

    3.  Zillow and Trulia provide value:  Recent friend of mine used “Make Me Move” application with Zillow.  The buyer that responded had agent representation, so he called wanting me to represent him.  Zillow is not representing anyone regarding their “guess” to square footage, or their “Zestimate” of value.  My license is still on the line with my measuring tape in hand and on the “ground”.

    4.  Agents provide value:  We are paid well for our knowledge,  skill, and trust in relationship in context of fair dealing.  My most recent listing is 12 years old.  The owners purchased a new 2,400 square foot home for $300,000 in 2000.  Over the last decade the owners finished the entire second floor, which added space to a new total of 3,800 square feet.  There is no data that Zillow can pick up that “justifies” a price of $465,000 for the original 2,400 sqft home.  That is local product knowledge delivered by a licensed pro.

    5. Whip’em fair and square:  Groaning agents over competition bore me!  Trulia is a huge wordpress blog that strategically uses agents across the country to add value to it.  Stop!  Build your own blog and put a hurtin on Trulia and Zillow.  Reclaim your territory and bring the fight to your neighborhood.  One million Realtors or two million licensed real estate agents far out number the assets of Trulia and Zillow.

    Zillow and Trulia are not of the devil.  They are products of what current consumers are demanding in knowledge about real estate.  Start a blog, get a Twitter account and let’s serve our customers well!

     

     

     

  • Seven Easy Steps To Sell Your House

    Sell Your Home
    Sell Your Home

    Selling your house can be done in seven easy steps.  The hard part is there are 12,931 difficult and annoying things you have to do between the 7 easy ones.  Ok, so I made up the 12,931, there may be more.  Seriously though you can help yourself with these 7 following things:

    1.  Emotionally move.  The difficult part is emotion heart strings.  This is your home.  Your crib, your baby.  Your colors, your nest.  Stand in the front yard and look at your “baby” and emotionally move to your next home.  Imagine seeing your property as another house.  After all you will be the one that carries the memories of this place with you.  Your home is in your heart not in those walls.

    2.  Consider competition.  Size up your opponent.  It’s game time.  Who are you up against and what are their weaknesses and your strengths.  Try to objectively look at your competition as a buyer just moving to your area.  Yes, you have better neighbors and you planted tulips in the front bed, but your house is used and built in the late 80’s.

    3.  Clean.  Give your place a bath is the best thing.  Scrub walls, baseboards, pressure wash the walk and drive, windex the light fixtures, let’s get this place looking sharp!

    4.  De-Clutter.  You are moving anyway.  Rent a storage space, pay for a dumpster, time to donate clothes, furniture and items to charity.  Open up the floor plan!

    5.  Consider time.  While on a trip last week , I watched the Pawn Stars on cable TV.  People brought in items that they could have sold on their own with effort, but many sold for much less because it was easy and fast cash.  Many times the pawn store operators would not purchase a valuable item because they thought it would take too much time and floor space to sell.  Moving is ranked as one of the stressful events in someone’s life.  What is your expected time frame to get this done?

    6.  Advertise your property.  Trulia, Zillow, Craigslist, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Newspaper, Open House, Flyers, Homes.com, YahooHomes.com, …. you get the idea.  Ted Turner said it best “early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise”.

    7.  Put it in writing.  Got the buyer?  Great, put it in writing and call your nearest title attorney.  If you have a spare moment I encourage you to visit a court room near you that is working real estate transactions.  The judge asks for and only considers the “meeting of the minds” in agreement before him/her in “writing”.  All the ‘he said”, “she said” matters not in a court of law.   Protect your time and money and get the deal in black and white on paper.

    Selling your house is easy, if you can follow some of the suggestions above.  My observation is we under value our time and we are very emotional creatures.  If you can put yourself in the buyers shoes then you will be well on your way to letting go and selling your house with ease.