With all the flap in the news and NFL about the recent deflate gate, One can’t help but wonder how this effects the sport, team (fan or not), and the overall consumer view of the industry.

This trust or non trust factor is a very real part of being a Realtor, and can add to or diminish the Consumers “take” on the Profession. Buyers/Sellers can tell if u are sincere with your intentions to assist them and having their bests interests as priorities, and I have to say that most of the Realtors I know and work with do just that.

My Personal opinion on a Career of Real estate, is that a person can make a good living at it without being deceitful or fictitious. After all,  Clients are entrusting  their Realtor with the biggest purchase of their Lifetime, and are deserving of sincerety.

Of course, with regards to the NFL, at this point nothing has been proven as far as how the fiasco came about, but none the less it still casts a shadow. Aside from that, I hope it is a good game on Sunday and the commercials are entertaning! LOL

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As we are into Mid Jan already-I have been reflecting on my Real Estate yr. and ups/downs of it.

10 Bullet items that I found important:

• don’t give up no matter what the problem is / case in point, I was ready to throw the towel in with a buyer client, after mutiple viewings of homes,but I stuck it out, and the the next home we put the offer in and eureka! just closed it last week.
• always put your Clients  well being/ wallet b4  your own- I have always had this philosophy and its worked! Zig Ziglar”just help enough people get what they want and u will get what u want”
• Exercise is important to keep the mind clear of cobwebs and juggle all that is needed in the profession
• Be willing  go the “extra mile” sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t, but,either way, people will appreciate the effort
• quick response is a neccesity
• organization is key
• always keep an open mind to try new things
• pause at times to evaluate what your are doing in the biz to see if it works(I’m guilty of this big time) as opposed to keep trudging along without assessment
• Past Client contact/interaction is vital

& Realize that u never know where your next tranaction may derive from!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL FELLOW REALTORS IN 2015!

Realtors run into this situation more than we like to admit. We present our “comps” in the area of homes similar in size and amenities offering, and tell the potential seller what we believe is the List & Sell price.

I like to present all the factors in the neighborhood of solds, competitive, already on the mkt listings, time of yr, positive and negatives of the subject property, avg days on the mkt, etc. I feel the more info the better.

But, of course, the seller being emotionally tied with the home, sometimes believes that it is worth more than the figure we propose. I often get the analysis that if we start to low we have no negotiating room. My rebutal to that is you are in the driver’s seat Mr/Mrs Seller and you choose the price you are comfortable with on selling.

In a short summary, how do u sell an over priced home? Answer- you dont/ At least not without time elapsing, price reductions and sometimes many conversations on why the home is not getting activity on showings or interest…..

I almost always convey to my Clients, if a home shows well and is priced to the condition and mkt- it will sell, its just a matter of when the right buyer comes along for that particular home.

Have a great weekend!

http://www.kgreenrealestate.com                   http://www.rosehavenstables.com

Recently I have been approached by tentative Sellers to possibly List, Market & Sell their home. On more than one occasion, the question has come up about timing of putting it on the mkt.

Now or Spring? Of course, the Spring market is the most active part of the yr with regards to NEW Listings, typically. I like to think that the present is the best answer. Why? It is simply a matter of timing. The sooner on the mkt, the sooner a potential Buyer may come along.

The Spring market Listing finds itself with a lot of competition, Values  may be different, Interest Rates may have climbed, and just from a common sense point of view, why wait? if in fact you are in the mindset/ mkt to sell.         🙂

http://www.kgreenrealestate.com               http://www.rosehavenstables.com

So this past weekend I finally bit the bullet and took a motorcycle safety course to enable myself to obtain my license. It was truly an enjoyable experience!

One of the many things that I got out of the course is the risk vs skill graph.  picture 3 vertical lines, like this:

l                     l                     l

l                     l                     l

l                     l                     l

l                     l                     l

l                     l                     l

risk              skill                results

 Pick a point on the risk line, then a point on the skill line, draw a horizontal line thru to intersect with results/ the higher on the results point the better. Of course, this is to stress the seriousness of riding a bike, but I saw a direct comparison to life in this graph.

Isn’t it true, that in Life we all take risks or we remain stagnant. The higher the skill “point” to handle the risk taken, the better the results! Goes without saying though, that sometimes we take risks that would be greater than our skill level,and in that event, we learn or we simply survive.

Hope all r enjoying the Summer!

www.kgreenrealestate.com                  www.rosehavenstables.com       

In a recent newsletter supplied by Berkshire Hathaway- I found the info there interesting and thought I would share-

Litchfield County-home sale prices up 18.5 % over last yr

Fairfield County-again, sale prices are up 7.8 %

Hartford County-ironically, sale price had same surge of 7.8%

Middlesex County-increase of 16.5% in NUMBER of sales and an increase of 27.3 % total dollar volume

New Haven County-total dollar vol DOWN 3.7 %

New London County-total dollar volume up 9.3 %

Tolland County-total dollar vol up 6% / avg sales price up 1.5 %

Windham County-avg price up 2.9%

all in all, CT seems to be doing pretty well from 2013

other facts:

• 43 % of CT mkt is 1st time buyer
• 56% use smart phone for searches
• 87-89% use a Realtor

& 45% attend Open Houses!

I’d be curious to see how other parts of the country are fairing?? Have a great weekend!

www.kgreenrealestate.com                                www.rosehavenstables.com

In the current real estate mkt, Realtors get approached many times with this question.Auction property, Foreclosures, bank owned, REO(real estate owned),short sales are all out there. 

An investor and or his/her Agent need to do their due diligence to see if the numbers work. My general opinion is that there are opportunities but they are not as plentiful as one might think. My area is Central CT so it might in fact be different outside of that. 

Of course, it is all from point of view, too. One investor/contractor may think $20000 profit over 6-9 months is a good investment, others may not. Ironically, I was just speaking with someone on the ph while writing this, about a bank return investment is 0 or close to it, so it makes sense to look for other  good ROI’s.

Another opportunity in the mkt is fixing homes and renting out. With the current rental mkt being as HOT as it is, this seems to be a viable option. Takes longer obviously for a return on your monies, but may be more feasible, if in fact in an area that will not provide a desire able profit but may do so in the future! HAPPY INVESTING!   www.kgreenrealestate.com                                                                                                                                  www.rosehavenstables.com 

In a recent transaction,  it was expressed by a Client- ” I trust your judgement”- what a great comment! Realtors would like to think that this is the case with their Clients, but to hear it means confirmation.

Trust is something that is earned and once it is lost, it takes a very long time to regain. Consumers sometimes have us “pegged” as Sales People only looking out for our self gain. Because of this stigma, meeting someone for the first time and starting the process of either selling or buying, takes certain steps to earn that trust. 

The Buyer Broker Representation Form & Listing Form are great examples of empowering trust between Client and Realtor. These documents when executed, say to the Professional, I as a Client, am putting my belief,faith in your abilites to do the best for me and my interests. 

I have always believed that what goes around comes around and utilizing the Golden Rule of Life/ treating others as you would want to be treated is the only way it should be done! 

Enjoy the rest of July/ Summer is slipping away quick!

http://www.kgreenrealestate.com                  www.rosehavenstables.com            

 

 

In the many avenues of marketing a Listing for Mr & Mrs Seller, or marketing in general for an Agent, certainly the revolution of Social Media is a very viable option.

I will offer my tactics and would welcome ideas or suggestions from other professionals, out there.

–FB, open house annoucements are probably #1/ but based on a suggestion by a good friend realtor, I try to make the annoucements unique as opposed to/ OPEN HOUSE: stats and pic(s). Just seems more inviting when I put thought into it to obtain the uniqueness

–Pinterest, being “the picture is worth 1000 words” site certainly is an arsenal in mkting, although I have to admit, I probably don’t utilize to it’s full capability.

–Instagram, I tried to use to express that yes I am a #Realtor, but also have other interests, and # r a great way of connecting thru social, on particular topics or wording.

–Twitter, a site I use to just converse with like minded Realtors, consumers, general public, great source of info in general. Also, I will send out a link in a tweet to allow someone to see a property flyer, usually.

–Linked in, Probably the best site to “link” to other Professionals in various industries. Group joining has proven to be a strong ally.

I am a serious fan of Gary Vaynerchuk, and watch his videos faithfully, to keep on top of his thoughts on the topic, and I would suggest anyone to do the same……

www.kgreenrealestate.com                        www.rosehavenstables.com

The ending with a successful transaction comes the ever famous Closing. Realtors have the option to Thank their Client by a Handshake or a Hug given the circumstance of the relationship. Most Professionals take the opportunity to give a closing gift at this time to show their token of appreciation for the business. I have to b honest and say for some time I got away from doing the latter, for what reason, I honestly can’t say. Recently I have re initiated the typical happening of gift giving. I must admit it is a great feeling to do so, in picking out that present that will assist your client in the next part of their Life. Whether it be Home Depot credit, a bottle of wine, or a restaurant gift card for a relaxing night out, it is always appreciated by the client! Let’s face the fact that as realtors, there are many of us out there to choose from, and to be the one that has started assisting someone to achieve their goals, is truly something to be thankful for. I would welcome thoughts from other Professionals on their outlook on this topic……. 🙂 Mid July already! Have a great weekend!! http://www.kgreenrealestate.com http://www.rosehavenstables.com