I love wine. This is not news to those who know me. I love trying new wines, visiting wineries and orchestrating wine pairings. Over the years of some unfortunate purchases of cases of desert wine I have developed the three winery rule. That means that no matter how tempting I will not purchase any new wine if I have already visited three wineries on any one day. The reasons for this are pretty obvious. After three wineries our judgment begins to become impaired. The tasting, sights and sounds become blurred and what looks and tastes like a good idea can prove to be poor choice for your lifestyle.
The same can be applied to house hunting. When looking for a home try to limit your previewing to a few homes a day and in the same area. Take notes and get a feel for the community. Take some pictures, if you like the home talk to the neighbors. Savor the process and with the help of a knowledgeable agent you will find the perfect match for you and your family.
Note: Speaking of wine be sure and check out Hawaiian coffee and wine shop in Prescott Lakes. Clyde Woods has done a phenomenal job of assembling terrific reasonably priced wines from some of the finest boutique wineries in the world.
Dec. 14, 2007 - Waiting for the Perfect Time To Buy
There was an article in the Daily Courier Real Estate section today entitled “Mortgage Rates Rise Disappointing Would-Be Home Buyers”. The article says that interest rates increased this week from 5.96 to 6.11. 5.96 are the lowest rates have been in two years.
Today’s buyers seem to be completely paralyzed as they wait for that “perfect time to buy” which they seem to think will come and be clearly recognized. What are they waiting for? Well, the lowest price and the lowest interest rate. These two items very rarely coincide and how do you know what the lowest price is? You know it when the prices start to climb. It’s all hindsight. Right now interest rates are low and most sellers are willing to negotiate. Do your homework by finding an area that you love, get a good mortgage broker to find you the loan that fits your circumstances and make an offer. Five years from now we will look back on this time as the best Real Estate market for buyers that we have ever seen. That is the perfect situation.
Nov. 29, 2007 - Clients are Cutting Off Their Nose To Spite Their Face
Well it has begun in earnest. The seller/investor/developer…you name it has begun blaming the listing agent for their dilemma. My team associate was informed today by a long term partner whom he had made a heap of money over the last few years that he was giving the commercial listing that he had worked for over a year and a half to another agent. Never mind that he had, at the first sign of the slow down, worked creatively to split and sell pieces of this property and marketed it with the same urgency as if it was his own. Another agent not affiliated with our team but representing a neighboring subdivision from ours was fired and replaced. I could go on with several other examples but if you are an agent you have your own stories. I happen to know that each of the examples cited were wrongly dismissed. These agents had poured considerable time, effort and money into these projects and felt that they would be treated with professional courtesy and respect. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year you certainly know what is happening in real estate. No one saw the extent of this problem and we still don't know what is going to happen. But what is an agent to do when the seller is ready to shoot the messenger. I have tried to reason with my clients regarding the realistic price and the length of time selling their asset is going to take in this current market. Some listen and some don't. I am spending about 30% of my expected commission up front on marketing.
This turn of events gives me pause. My philosophy has been that I am a partner with my clients. I don't sugarcoat and continually feed them facts. It is important now more than ever to establish ourselves as not some interchangeable entity that can be discarded without cost but as a professional partner who has as much at stake as any other partner. Maybe it is our own fault in how we have presented ourselves in the past but that time is gone and we have to reinvent our image or we will be nothing but a car salesman on a generic lot, interchangeable and not important in the scheme of things. We will become obsolete.
Vicki Brannock is a Real Estate agent in Prescott Arizona. You can email me at Vicki@Prescott-re.com
After reading an excellent book on career development for the 21st century entitled Personal Distinction I performed an
anonymous survey of peers, clients, friends and past relationships to understand how people see me. Prior to sending out
the survey I took it myself in order to compare how people saw me vs. how I THINK I present myself. The results were
aggregated together to give me a profile. It was a little scary to send that out. Sometimes you think you know what people
think but do you really want to know for sure? Well, I held my breath and did it. Working successfully in the real estate
profession requires certain brand attributes and it was important, although potentially painful to see if that is how I
come across.
What I discovered was something quite different than I thought. For starters I was more critical of myself than other
people were of me. Some of the attributes I thought were quite strong did not even show up on my feedback list.
Still the areas I scored high in were attributes that one would look for in a Realtor. For instance, my high score was in
confidence followed closely by a tie In Dependable, Devoted, Experienced, Forward Thinking, Leader like, and Sincere.
Respondents saw my greatest skill as Communicating followed again by a tie with Managing Projects, Seeing the Big Picture,
Solving Problems and Team Building.
Going forward, I can build on the strengths others see in me and try to diminish weaknesses. Working in a profession that
does not have the strongest level of confidence among the general public requires diligence in understanding how we are
perceived by others.
Testimonials and feedback are becoming more important than ever in running a successful business. I would be interested to
hear how you get feedback and how you use it.
This seems like such an over discussed topic but my business partner wondered aloud this week, after yet another delay on a project by someone he hired, “I wonder how much money businesses lose just by being sloppy”. We both came to the conclusion that it had to be potentially millions when you add up referral business from a client that you have successfully serviced. Then why do businesses fail to meet deadlines, proactively communicate and practice active listening?
If there was ever a formula to achieve success that is it. But not all businesses achieve success. Many fail even with a superior product or service and some limp by just barely making enough to keep the lights on.
There has been the notion that clients are fickle and will jump ship regardless of how much service you provide. That will always be the case with some people but most clients just want three things from you, 1) Customer Service 2) Good Prices 3) Good Product or Service. They need all three. If you don’t provide these you may hold on to them for a while but they will always be ready to jump if someone else comes along and is willing to provide them with these basics. I know right now my partner is looking for a good company to make our signs…
Dishing it up- information and opinons on market trends, issues, technology and advances in Real Estate and related industries by Vicki Brannock, e-pro, ABR.
Comments are Encouraged! Please note comment area below each post.
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