By Monika McGillicuddy

Where has the time gone?  I have to ask myself that, as this year I enter my 23rd year in real estate!  Sounds scary doesn't it?

I must be feeling  nostalgic...don't really know why but I am.  I can't help but think of all of those that have come and gone as the Lure of easy money is a mighty pull...and for them the reality really does bite.

I've been a real estate professional for nearly 23 years now.  I've been through many ups and downs...good markets and bad ones....been there... done that and got the T- shirt!

So I can safely say that over the years I've seen many agents come and go...the lure of "easy" money and then the reality of having to really work hard to earn that easy money sets in and poof their gone!

Years ago at a former company...I trained an agent who after sitting through 2 weeks of our company's new agent training program thought he knew it all. I thought to myself...I'll give him a month. His first customer did him in...he showed her four houses and refused to show her more...he thought she should just buy one of the four he showed her and she should be grateful that he had taken the time to show her those four.
  What did she expect that he would cart her butt around until she found something??? He lasted 3 weeks.

Another agent didn't understand why he had to be available to show homes during the customers schedule...he wasn't wasting his weekends with Looky Lou's. 

One guy told me point blank that he couldn't stand real estate agents...he had all sorts of degrees and certainly knew how to sell real estate...he didn't want to waste his time participating in training.  After all he had sold many of his own homes without the help of an agent...what was it that I could teach him that he didn't already know...I wonder what he is doing today? Not selling real estate thats for sure!

Then there was the nurse who left a highly stressful career to do something "easy"...she needed to  remove all the stress from her life and real estate sounded like fun! 

The guy that takes the cake was in his late 50's, he sat through training...a good student, watching everything I did. This was the days of the floppy disks...Bill Clinton was president...remember those days? Anyway after training was complete, he came up to me and gave me a floppy disk labeled "Monica" and told me I left it at his house. I had never been to his house and reminded him of that and that my name was not spelled Monica with a c but Monika with a k. It didn't matter he insisted it was mine and left it on my desk.

Much later I decided to play it and see what in the world it was. I was pretty grossed out as it was full of pornography... an X rated spoof of Monica and Bill Clinton.  It really grossed me out and made me wonder what he was thinking about all those times he sat in class watching me. Yuck!
                                                                                                                                                                                     
The list is endless...and it always bothered me to see someone spend $1,000 plus just in start up money just so they can do real estate and last less than a month.   They were clueless about the reality of being a real estate agent.

What does it take to be a good real estate agent? What would you look for if you were to hire an agent to represent you? Can you describe you ideal agent?

Often I've wondered what special attribute do you have to have...to love this business.

I've never been lucky enough to get rich in this business.
I've missed more family time than I care to remember.  My kids had to learn to accept that mom might jump in the middle of dinner or laugh when they cut into their birthday cake in front of all their friends to find somehow the table spoon got baked into the cake...mom must have had a real estate call in the middle of mixing the cake and forgot about the spoon. 

Just what is that makes us a good agent?

I may not financially be rich but I am rich in many ways...I've helped shape the future for many people...helped them be able to create memories and achieve the American dream of home ownership. I'm a damn good agent...I know my stuff, I'm ethical even when no ones looking and I love what I do.  Is that enough?  I think so.

What makes you a good agent?   What sets you apart ?                                                                                                                                       

Serving Southern NH
Jay and Monika McGillicuddy
Prudential Verani Realty
Hampstead NH

603-548-7728

Trying to figure out where buyers come from?

By Monika McGillicuddy

It can be frustrating selling a home in this market and wondering just where all the buyers are...so if you're a  home seller this information will be helpful to you.

That National Association of REALTORS® publishes a yearly report on Home Buyers and Sellers, they also break this report down to reflect the individual states.

This typically reveals some very interesting facts about today's New Hampshire home buyers, and since Jay and I sell real estate right here in Hampstead NH this type of information is fascinating to us and we thought to you as well.  Southern NH is typically a hot market due to it's proximity to Boston but like the rest of New Hampshire this market has cooled.

Some of the details from this report:

For example did you know that the average buyer purchases a home 15 miles from their previous residence... I didn't know that!  That means that people really don't move very far and that the potential new owner of your house could be living in the same town as you do.  All the more important is that yard sign of yours. Make sure especially as snow approaches that your sign is clearly visible from all angles. Please...please keep shrubbery trimmed around the sign...nothing is as frustrating for the REALTOR® professionals and potential home buyers as a hidden for sale sign! You want your house to Pop...don't hide the sign!  While I'm on my rant about signs make sure yours is in good condition and clean...nothing irks me more than a dirty faded yard sign or one that is falling down. If your home is on the market currently take a good look at your yard sign...does it need some sprucing up? Call your REALTOR® Professional and have them come take care of it.

Did you know that 89% of New Hampshire's home buyers purchased their home through a REALTOR® Professional? 89% now that's a huge percentage if you ask me...of course I'm probably a little prejudiced since I am a REALTOR® Professional..but I still think that's a huge percentage! Hey don't get me wrong, I'm not saying don't try to sell on your own if that's what you want to do but consider the facts...89% that means that 11% came from some other source...maybe from your For Sale By Owner sign or maybe not?? Oh by the way out of that 11% something like 4% are people you already know.

So now think about this...28% of the home buyers learned about the home they purchased through a REALTOR® Professional and 47% learned about it through the Internet...that means that you need to be sure your REALTOR® Professional has a strong company website...47% of your buyers found their home on the net and then contacted an agent! Wow!

Folks you need to check out your real estate companies website...don't let anyone fool you about this one. Yes the personal touch is still needed..Thank goodness for us...remember 89% bought their home through a REALTOR® Professional BUT 47% found their home on the Net! You betcha...a solid web presence is crucial to your success!!!

Lets look at the rest of the story.
We know that:
28% of the buyers found the home they bought from a REALTOR® Professional.
47% found the home they bought from the Internet.
12% found the home they bought from a yard sign.
AND get this 2% from print newspaper advertisement.
6% from a friend, relative or neighbor.
3% directly from the sellers.
1% from the home builder or their agent.
1% from a home book or magazine.

So where do you think your buyers are? I bet their surfing the web, watching and waiting but I do think that while this market has been very slow here in New Hampshire...2007 will  be a good year in real estate.

Prices will be much more affordable and that means that maybe your children will be able to afford to buy a home in the town/area they grew up in and that I think is a very good thing! 

Need more information about New Hampshire's real estate market e-mail me or search homes available.

Monika and Jay McGillicuddy

603-548-7728

copyright Monika McGillicuddy 2006