Today's Challenges Impact All of Us

The market today certainly is a challenge to everyone, Realtors®, real estate agents, buyers and sellers. loan officers, appraisers, even home inspectors.  Short sales talk have become a dinner topic along with foreclosures, and bank owned properties.  For sale signs litter the landscape of our neighborhoods.  Is it just me or does the main stream media just delight in putting out every bit of negativity they can find?

One of the things that  is having an  incredible impact on everyone is GAS PRICES.  They are impacting every aspect of peoples lives and I discover something new that is being impacted daily. 

As a Realtor® I need to look at working smarter.  When working with new buyers I need to really ask questions to get their desires down.  All their wants and do not wants.  Use email to send properties and ask for feed back.  Make sure that they have visited a lender of their choice and have be pre qualified so we know exactly what price range we are looking in.  Listing agents this is notice to you put as many quality pictures in the MLS that you can.  When I have my buyers in the office and we are picking out what we are going to look at there had better be pictures. Even better a wonderful video or an excellent REAL ESTATE SHOW©  If we can't see pictures well, let's just say your chances of getting your property shown goes way down.

When I take a listing you can bet I will point that out to the home owner, today more than ever pictures are worth a thousand words and more showings.  It will also behove me to make sure my presentation is such that the seller understands what a good price right up front is most important.  I have to make them understand what kind of competition is out there and why it is different than any other market in recent history.

I am a Survivor and I will survive this market.  Daily I am trying to think of ways I can work smarter and not give less service.   What can you do to make sure you survive too?