When they called to inquire about marketing their home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they were understandably concerned.  They had heard the stories about how houses were not selling and were well aware of the large number of homes for sale around them.  They had very different approaches to the process.  He was more methodical and had laid back charm about him.  She was practical and realistic; she wanted to focus on getting things done quickly.

They had been referred to us by their friends who had successfully sold their home with Audu Real Estate. Before I booked the appointment, I clearly spelled out what would be involved in a listing appointment.  My marketing plan is very thorough and the listing presentation would involve a detailed review of their home to Stage it correctly.  They needed to anticipate a 2-3 hour time frame.  They were a little surprised but checked their schedules and we agreed to a date on the calendar.

Today, less than 65 days after that first meeting, their smiles of joy lit up the room during their Closing.  Their home was sold in less than 30 days!   I think in retrospect that 2-3 hours spent at the beginning was worth it's weight in gold....or at least dollars.  

Marketing a home and creating a strategy to Sell and Stage a home is not an easy task. Prior to our presentation, our client specialist Ed Vogt and I spent several hours in painstaking research to determine the best possible pricing strategy for their area. 

After  the listing presentation, we re-toured the house with the home owners to show them how to "put the show on the road" from a Staging Perspective. Our final act before we left, was to ask them if we could ask for the Grace of a Blessing on their home.  We explained that our best efforts could not yield the results that God's blessing would.  We all joined in a simple request for grace.

The home was placed on the market and an Open House scheduled.  The Open House yielded one Mortgage Broker who intercepted a potential buyer and apparently sent her fleeing.  This is a trend that we are seeing more of in Grand Rapids...Mortgage lenders arriving unannounced at Open Houses to solicit real estate agents.  We weren't really pleased by the prospecting tactics of this one.

Thankfully we explain to all our clients that you don't need 100 people to walk though your house to sell it.  You only need one person...the right buyer!  In this case this was especially true.  After one canceled showing...the right buyer showed up and wrote an intelligent offer.  And today, our seller's had solid cash in their hands from the Sale of their home!

After the papers were signed, we gave each Important Participant a box of Godiva Chocolates.  This tradition is our way of saying Thanks for Making it Possible for Us to Succeed in Our Job!  The other Realtor was shocked.  She said that in decades of doing transactions, NO ONE had ever thanked her with a gift!  She immediately began to think of how she could incorporate this into her business. 

Sitting at that table I was struck by how far a little kindness can go.  Simply being polite during a transaction and following through on your word can make a world of difference.  Simply Telling the truth about what it will take to sell a home can save a lot of heartache.  Simply Being willing to go the extra mile in preparing a home owner can make the difference between a sale or no sale.  Simply Responding to professional counsel can determine success or failure.  It's these vital, yet Simple things that make a big difference.  And then again perhaps they are not Simple things at all!

Copyright 2007 Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved

 Click Here to Read More about Grand Rapids, Michigan

It feels as though autumn is making an early arrival in Grand Rapids, MIchigan.  The days are unseasonably temperate for what we have come to expect at this time of the year.  August is usually a steamy, sweltering portion of the summer which chases you to the beach to bear your arms and thighs to the sun.  Altogether the entire summer has been downright pleasant.  But, the later portion of August has played out with calm drizzling rain which has turned parched lawns into verdent patches of green.  My umbrella and a light sweater have been standard accessories for the past several days.

I don't mind this flirtation between the seasons.  Summer deciding to merge with Autumn a little early.  It's fine with me because I love fall.  I love the changing of the color guard that transforms the trees into a glorious profusion of artistry so extraordinary that people drive for hours just to take in the show!  To enjoy West Michigan's best tours for the fall season, you may want to bookmark this site.  Although, conventional wisdom says the best color does not peak until October...nature may decide to welcome the harvest just a little earlier this year.

One of my favorite spots to stop in for a snack while driving around Grand Rapids, Michigan during the temperate fall season is Robinettes Apple Orchard.  (The website is undergoing some major reconstruction at this time, but you can bookmark to check it out later and to view their gift selections on-line)  Robinettes Apple Haus has been in business since 1911 and is family owned. Robinettes is famous for fresh donuts, delicious cider, tasty pies and of course...great apples!  I also love their freshly baked breads.

Fall is also a time for harvesting the contacts made in business throughout the spring and summer months.  It's  a great time to visit clients who have moved into new homes in time for the start of the new school year or to pick up the phone and make an appointment for lunch.  This is the time to dust off old contact lists and write a letter. 

Fall is a time of expectation.  Expect good things to happen.  Expect to see results as a reward for your labors.  And NEVER GIVE UP!  This past week, two calls brought in business deals from sources that were totally unexpected. 

One individual had decided to use another company inspite of having several recommendations to use Audu Real Estate.  Well, unexpectedly she called back, the deal had fallen through and she used us to buy her home!  We also received a referral from an individual who said she had been given our name from a sources that I have little present contact with.  If nature decides to enter the harvest a little early this fall...well, perhaps so can you.  Here's to prosperous Prospecting & Harvesting this Fall!

Copyright 2007 Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved

Click Here to Read More about Grand Rapids, Michigan

It's funny how perception can shape reality.  Pounding it fiercely into a hard mold of convenience, even if the reality it shapes is a mere contrivance or even a blatant falsehood. Recently, I attended a business/networking meeting of the Women's Council of Realtors of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  The speaker for the event was Dr. Bernard Taylor, the Grand Rapids School District Superintendent.  Dr. Taylor, an engaging and interesting speaker gave a speech that totally rocked the core of what many people, including real estate agents, think about the Grand Rapids public schools.

Dr. Bernard Taylor was recently appointed as Superintendent of  the Grand Rapids Public Schools in July off 2006.  Having previously served as the Superintendent in Kansas City Missouri, his perspective on the dynamics in educational offerings for students in the Grand Rapids area was revealing. 

Dr. Taylor opened his presentation by sharing how impressed he was about the level of support for education in Grand Rapids, noting a recent bond issue which has allowed 10 Grand Rapids area schools to be refurbished or renovated.  He noted that his previous district  in Kansas, Missouri had not passed a bond issue like this in 40 years!  He also talked about the Un-Funded Mandates that are a part of budget for the school system.  The largest being 13 million dollars for Special Needs situations for which the district receives no reimbursement but remains committed to supporting and maintaining. 

Many of the attendees were surprised that the Grand Rapids school system faces some unique challenges in educating students for whom English is a second language even as late as the high school level and sponsors programs to educate them at their grade level while learning English.  Additionally, the Grand Rapids School system supports specialized academies like the Montesorri Program & the Coit Creative Arts Academy. 

The audience was intensely engaged as Dr. Taylor spoke.  In 30 minutes he succeeded in rapidly dismantling stereotypes and perceptions that, as he stated , "had more to do with the people who were served by the district than with the reality of what is really going on".  As Grand Rapids has increased in diversity, there has been a proliferation of a variety of models available to parents for the education of their children.  These have included private schools and charter schools.  These options have given parents many options.

One of the unanticipated results of the expanded choice in education has been that classrooms have become increasingly segregated in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  In one block of Grand Rapids which houses 4 schools, the parochial schools are mainly white and the public schools heavily populated by minorities. In a world that is becoming more globally interconnected on a daily basis, students are short changed in a vital component of the educational process when they do not have the opportunity to interact and learn from individuals from different backgrounds. 

Dr. Taylor concluded by noting that in spite of  these significant challenges, the people of Grand Rapids, Michigan remain committed to providing a quality education for ALL children.  They have put their money to work through passing the bond issue to improve their schools even as state funding for education has decreased significantly.  For the residents of Grand Rapids, Michigan, having a leader who exudes energy, optimism and hope about the community and what is possible, is giving Grand Rapids a unique opportunity to transform old perceptions to create a bright New Reality.

Here are some highlights from the talk:

The Grand Rapids Public School serves approximately 22,000 pre-school through adult education students

It is Michigan's 3rd largest School District

100% of Staff members meet highly qualified requirements (HQ)

All Elementary Schools meet Adequate Yearly Progress Standards

All K-8/Middle Schools showed gains in READ 180

ACT Test average is 20, despite the fact that the test is being administered for the first time to many students for whom English is not the first language.

Strong neighborhood schools, Comprehensive Special Education Services, Extensive Second Language Programs

Successful completion of Phase II of bond construction plan on time and UNDER Budget parameters for 10 schools in the district.  Effort involved Local Contractors, Architects and Engineers and was a model of a Successful Diversity Initiative!

Green things that grow have always held my attention.  I'm fascinated, though repulsed by green moldy things in the deep recesses of a refrigerator.  And delighted by the first hint of green peeking up through the snowy earth at the first hint of spring.  Green stimulates my imagination and the passions of my soul.

I remember being given my first packet of seed to plant as a little girl.  I stared at the lovely drawing of the plant that was somehow hidden in that little packet.  I couldn't wait to open it; albeit somewhat disappointed to discover some non-descriptive looking kernels inside the packet that my teacher told me were seed.  Not nearly as exciting as the picture on the front packet.

It was a first grade science project.  My eager hands prepared the tin can which was going to house my seed. I placed layers of soil, carefully mixed with rocks to allow air to move through to create a home for my plant.  Our seedlings carefully blanketed in, we prepared to wait for them to grow.  Until the next morning!  Yes, I was up at the crack of dawn, looking at that tin can amazed that absolutely NOTHING had happened in 24 hours! 

I couldn't help myself.  Curiosity and some apprehension getting the better of me, I dug until I found my seed.  It was still there, as ugly and forlorn as when I planted it.  I put it back wondering if it would ever look like the picture on the packet. Later on my teacher sat us down and told us that growing things takes time.  Apparently, I was not the only first grader digging things up to see what had happened.

Green is an intensly symbolic color. According to Jacci Howard Bear in an article writen for About.com, the color green has positive and negative connotations.

• "On Life and Renewal: Green is life. Abundant in nature, green signifies growth, renewal, health, and environment. On the flip side, green is jealousy or envy (green-eyed monster) and inexperience.
• "On the Nature of Green: Green is a restful color with some of the same calming attributes of blue. Like blue, time moves faster in a green room".

Green is one of the most abundant colors on the planet.  Where it is absent such as in dessert areas, there is a baren harshness that haunts the landscape. Growing green things requires that you adjust your time table somewhat and your level of trust and faith a whole lot!  You see, I kept that seedling packet, because after that morning's disappointment, I wasn't sure if I could trust that the dark brown kernel would actually look like the picture on the packet...but I truly hoped it would.

A lot of time passed, and then one day, I saw it.  A little hint of green poking through the dirt which I had faithfully watered and placed by the window to make sure my little tin can was warmed by the rays of the sun.  Everyday the little green stem grew, until one day, the graceful arch of it's branch flung out a leaf and then shortly thereafter a flower whose graceful beauty didn't look like the picture on the  packet at all.  It was much more beautiful.

Green can also symbolize relational growth.  I am fascinated by the ways in which people interact and grow through relationships. Like growing green things, relationships rarely occur on our time table.  They have an independent mind of their own...sometimes irrespective of the thoughts and stated intentions of the participants. Growing green relationships requires patience, care and perseverance just like growing green plants.

Green is a healing color which calms my soul and relaxes me.  It's different shades and hues warm the palette throughout my home and office.  Green also invigorates me.  After a long spell haunched over a computer screen, stepping outside to simply gaze at my lawn restores drained energy. In color therapy, the energy of green is said to promote harmony. Green promotes harmony in relationships and in our surroundings.

Green is a color that nurtures and demands nurturing.  A growing thing will wither very quickly if you ignore it's need for certain things such as water and light.  It will shrivel up and dry away as though in retaliation for being ignored and marginalized.  Green things intent on growing are bold about being upfront with regard to what they need to survive and thrive. 

Isn't it interesting that Green is also the color of money?  What is money?  Money is simply a function of our means of exchanging resources within the context of relationships.  Money is a symbol of our exchange of our life force in the form of goods and services.  When we take care of the green in our life within the context of nurturing our relationships...Green promotes  prosperity...personally and financially. 

Initially the growth and evolution of green emerging in our lives may not look like the picture perfect marriage, or family or business.  In fact much effort may seemingly be expended with little or no visible proof that anything good is growing.  But  do not be disheartened.  Perhaps the greatest power of a growing green thing is the deep roots that it pushes down deep within the womb of the earth.  These roots support the ability to sway, adapt and maneuver with deft and grace in the face of life's challenging and changing winds. 

I've found that nurturing, caring and passion create green abundance in ways that are much more remarkable and interesting than any picture that I've seen on a seed packet, in a magazine or movie.  So, here's a question. What's your take on Green?

Copyright 2007 Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved