Transparency and Honesty

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I lost a potential listing the other day. They decided to go with someone else which is totally okay. You can’t win them all, right?!

In this market it’s incredibly hard to price property. Homes are regularly going for over asking and often with multiple offers.

Sometimes I feel like an agent turned fortune teller, trying to predict the future for my clients.

I am a data freak. In other words, I rely on the data to guide me. So when you ask me to list your home, I am coming prepared with the facts.

What are homes selling for?

How long are they on the market?

What’s the price per square foot?

What’s the available inventory?

How much more can I add to the list price knowing the current market conditions?

At the end of the day, I told these sellers a list price they didn’t like.

I want all my clients, both buyers and sellers, to feel heard, not pressured and above all respected. But part of my job is delivering professional advice.

I can promise you I won’t blow smoke.

I will tell you the straight facts.

I value transparency and being honest.

I will give you my honest opinion on price but ultimately the list price is up to you and I will likely support it even if its over what I think is appropriate.

And I will advocate for you every step of the way. With gratitude

Multiple Offers

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This house, these sellers.

Okay a little back story here. When I first met with this lovely couple they said “we don’t want to list our house, we want to sell it”.

So we discussed the market analysis I had prepared for them and they decided to list their home below my suggested price with the intention of getting multiple offers.

And that’s exactly what happened. 6 offers to be exact and 37 showings!

We hit a couple bumps in the road along the way with inspection items but since they were under contract for WAY over their asking price, the sting of repairs wasn’t quite as bad.

And on the day of closing it was smiles, excitement and gratitude all around. As a professional in my field I can’t ask for anything more.

With gratitude.

What Are You Great/Terrible At?

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Jobs that I’m not cut out for.

Baseball umpire. Seriously, who has eyes that are that quick? I can barely get it right in slow-Mo.

TV newscaster. They have mad skills. They can have someone jabbering away in their ear and still have intelligent and clear sentences come out of their mouths.

Equipment operator. The hand and eye coordination has to be perfect or else you end up with a real mess.

Things I’m pretty good at: listening, problem solving and marketing.

What’s a job that you would be terrible at?

What’s something you are great at? (Hopefully it’s what you do!)

I Don't Want To Mess Up

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I have a deep, innate fear of “messing up”.

Whether its breaking something, forgetting something or missing something, I do what ever I can to make sure I don’t goof up.

This probably comes from being the oldest child of four and having a highly cautious personality to begin with.

From time to time, Bill will need me to operate this thing, which literally makes my heart start to beat faster.

What if I crash into the house?

What if I put it in the wrong gear and break it?

What if I can’t stop the darn thing?

“It’s just like driving a car” he says. Ugh, not even close!

But, as time has gone on, I have gotten a little more comfortable with the basic operation.

What’s something that makes you scared and nervous to try or do?

Questions About Buying A House

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All the “I don’t knows” about buying a house.

When I meet with buyers and sellers I get lots of questions.

How will you show my house?

How much money do I need down?

Who orders the appraisal?

Do I have to have a home inspection?

These are just some of the things people wonder about when buying and selling real estate.

There are so many questions; and you might even feel like you don’t even know what to ask. When you have a trusted and experienced agent to assist you they will be able to anticipate your needs before you even know you have them.

Go in eyes wide open and remember no question is a dumb question!

Mixed Tapes

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REMEMBER MIXED TAPES?

I found this when I was decluttering the other day.

One of my besties made me this mixed tape in high school.

I tried to explain this to my kids but they just don’t get it! They are still trying to figure out where the tape (think Scotch, painters, duct) fits into the equation.

I love this tape. So many great songs that really bring me back.

Remember the intense labor in making a mixed tape?

You had to plan it out so that you didn’t leave too much at the end but also didn’t cut any of the songs short.

You had to really think about the order of the songs not only for aesthetics but for time.

You had to “tend” to the tape player and not wander off for more than a 2-3 minutes for fear of messing the whole thing up.

But it was so much fun. It was a way we showed our friends how much we care for them. Hand picking songs that were representative of our friendships.

What do we do now that is equivalent to making a mixed tape?

Earnest Money

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Show me the money!

Let’s talk about earnest money. When a buyer makes an offer on a property, earnest money is tendered shortly there after.

If everything goes as planned, the earnest money is applied towards the purchase price at closing.

However, sometimes the wheels fall off the bus! Sometimes a buyer might decide to cancel their contract, typically this is because of inspection items.

If this happens, and the buyer cancels before their specified deadlines, their earnest money is 100% refundable.

So, when might the earnest money be non-refundable? Only if a buyer passes their loan approval deadline and cannot or will not close.

This is very rare and in 700+ transactions have only had a handful of buyers end up losing their earnest money.

Questions? Please leave them in the comments or DM me.

Going All In

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This might come as a surprise but I love to play poker.

Strategy, bluffing, betting, holding and sheer luck - it has all the hallmarks excitement.

Poker is full of analogies.

“Know when to hold them”

“Going all in”

“Calling their bluff”

These are analogies that people understand.

So, when the GameStore story broke, I went right to my favorite game of Texas Hold Em to see if I could break it down. After all, the stock market is just legalized gambling.

At first I couldn’t understand the outrage from the hedge fund managers. Its the nature of the market, it goes up and down, deal with it.

But then I remembered sitting at a locals table in Vegas. These are people who play poker for a living, strange, I know.

They discourage rookies from joining just based on their demeanor, but every once in awhile an unknowing tourist with deep pockets will join their game.

On this one particular day, an older man had kept betting all the way to the river with a seasoned pro.

The older man had some so-so hand, a pair of threes if I remember and the pro had King and Ace.

Well what should show on the board but a King, an Ace, one three and two sevens.

The rookie ends up with a full house and the pro has two pair.

Well the pro was all bent out of shape, yelling at the guy, telling him he should have folded at the turn. But rules is rules and the rookie raked in a VERY big pot.

Moral of the story

The pros don’t want you in their game.

They have their little fiefdom to protect and they don’t want you messing it up. And that’s exactly what happened with GameStop. The little guys messed it up for the big boys.

You should also understand that there are two sets of rules in this world, the ones you have to play by and the ones the establishment elites play by.

And truth be told, they laugh in the face of rules and do want they want. If anything, GameStop made that glaringly obvious.

But we all know the stories of the great underdogs in history. Don’t count the little guys out - feels like the tide might be turning in our favor.

In The Zone

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Do you ever have days that you are IN THE ZONE?

These are the days that everything is clicking. You are feeling confident, your hair is looking amazing, your outfit is on point and every conversation is flowing with tangible intelligence on your behalf.

You are ON TARGET This is how you want to feel when you go for a job interview!

I love these days because I feel acutely aware of how blessed I am. Everything is vibrant and full of life. There is a new swing in my step and I feel so much love for those around me.

There’s so much contrast in life. Ups and downs. Back and forth. So the good days are especially sweet, and literal life preservers in the seas of bad days.

With gratitude.

When in doubt, DISCLOSE

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Did you know the number complaint with the division of real estate is non-disclosure by sellers?

What does this mean in plain English?

“We bought a house from Mr and Mrs Seller and they never told us about the roof leak, the cracked foundation, the flood in the basement, you get the picture”

So how do sellers avoid this unpleasant situation?

There is this handy form we use in real estate called the Sellers Property Disclosure.

This form is your opportunity to air all your homes dirty laundry.

Sometimes I have sellers balk at this form, they feel reluctant to fill it out.

But think of this form as your get out of jail free card.

The save your bacon form.

The keep you out of hot water form.

You can’t hide things from the new buyer of your home.

Just picture this....

The new buyer moves in and who should saunter over, but Karen from across the street. “Oh welcome to the neighborhood! I was just saying to my husband that I didn’t think anyone would buy this home with the moldy attic and all.”

Your neighbors know everything! And if something is wrong with your house the buyers are going to find out eventually.

It’s best to be as thorough and accurate as possible with the disclosure. It will protect you in the long run and keep you out of trouble.

Yes, you might have to make some repairs, but I can promise you it will be a lot cheaper than a lawsuit and attorney fees.

When in doubt, DISCLOSE

WOW Factors For Buyers

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The but factor. Not the butt factor, the but factor.

This is the thing buyers say when they decide not to buy your house.

  • I love it BUT, the master bedroom is too small.

  • I would make an offer BUT my payment will be too high.

  • I think it could work for me BUT it needs too much work.

Okay so what’s a seller to do? Time to bring in the WOW factor.

  1. Master bedroom is too small? With correct staging and appropriate furniture even a small bedroom can be workable. P.S. Home styling and staging is included with my listing package

  2. Payment is too high? Sellers can help buyers buy down their interest rate to make the home more affordable.

  3. House needs too much work? Correct pricing for condition is critical.

Choosing An Agent

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“I just called the agent on the sign.”

I hear this all the time.

Buyers that end up with the agent on the sign because they didn’t know they had a choice.

Here’s the deal.

You should interview and hire an agent to help you buy your home just as a seller interviews and hires an agent to help them sell their home.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the “agent on the sign”. I just believe you owe it to yourself to make a CHOICE about the matter versus someone you ended up with by CHANCE.

With gratitude.

Have A Team Of Superheroes

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Team work makes the dream work.

In order to have a great experience when buying a home you need to have a team of superheroes on your side.

  • Real estate agent. Someone you trust, who has your back and understands the market and area.

  • A rock star lender who understands mountain properties, is easy to communicate with and delivers on time.

  • An experienced home inspector who is knowledgeable and takes the time to explain the findings in your inspection report.

  • A title company who is responsive, accommodating and precise.

You don’t have to do this alone.

Things To Consider About Selling A Home

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Hold or Sell.

Should I stay or should I go?

Here are a couple of things to consider if you are thinking about selling your home.

  • If you’ve bought your home within the past 12 months you might not have enough equity in your home to end up ahead.

  • If you’ve not lived in your home for at least 2 years you might be subject to prorated capital gains even if it was your primary home.

  • If you’ve had a significant life change (divorce or death of a loved one) most experts would say not to make any changes to your living situation for at least 6 months if possible.

  • If the market is trending downward (not the case in today’s market) and you can stay put it might be a good idea to do so.

  • If none of the above apply to you and your home no longer fits your needs give me a call, I’d love to help.

Importance of Lender Required Repairs

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What??

LENDER REQUIRED REPAIRS

These words are NOT what you want to hear when you are buying or selling a home.

So what does this mean you might ask?

Lender required repairs are repairs that must be completed in order for the buyer to get approval for their loan.

It doesn’t matter if the buyer (or seller) care about or want these repairs, they are imposed by the lender.

Common lender required repairs are; peeling paint, broken windows, missing hand rails or anything that falls under health and safety.

As a homeowner what can you do to avoid this situation.

Ask your agent for a do-it-yourself checklist for home inspection preparation. While this is for preparing for a home inspection, it will cover most anything that a lender would be concerned about as well.

Our Emotions

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We orbit the gamut of emotions like the earth orbits the sun.

Sometimes we hardly notice our feelings, they are light hearted and fun or run of the mill and mundane.

But sometimes an emotion, like grief or anger, can grip us. And the orbit becomes tighter and faster, like a dying star being drawn to a black hole. Until we reach the event horizon and there’s no turning back.

A black hole is shaped like a funnel in the fabric of space and time. And the dying star gets sucked into the mouth of the funnel never to be seen again.

But scientists are still not sure what’s on the other side of the black hole. What if there’s peace and redemption on the other side? What if there is light and love?

Think of this - even if the caterpillar could comprehend the transition to butterfly, would she even dare to dream that she would go from belly crawler to flying beauty? And as a side note, the caterpillar turns to actual goo during its miraculous transformation.

So if you find yourself in a season of anger or grief that seems never-ending I urge you to remember the mystery and miracle that surrounds transformation. That hearts that are shattered or hardened can beat again with the life blood of rebirth and forgiveness.

Do you believe?

With gratitude.

Magic Number

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Hunting for unicorns.

I’m having lots of conversations with both buyers and sellers about pricing these days.

The market is feeling strange right now and I think the level of uncertainty has some of my clients feeling a little off kilter.

But there is no reason for confusion.

Even in a crazy market like this there’s still the “magic number”.

What’s the magic number you might ask? Its the price that yields a number at or above market value in the shortest amount of time.

Sometimes sellers will tell me that they want to price higher because someone out there might “just have to own their home” and will pay over market value.

Buyers will tell me that just maybe there’s a seller out there who would be willing to take a 50% discount off their asking price.

Sounds like hunting for unicorns if you ask me!

Here’s the truth.

The MARKET will determine the value and homes that are priced right will sell very quickly to buyers who are thrilled to be purchasing.

Sounds like a win-win for everyone.

I'm Horrible At Math

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I’M HORRIBLE AT MATH, AND OTHER LIES I’VE TOLD MYSELF.

I remember it clearly. Handing my mom my 9th grade report card and telling her, “Mom, I just suck at math. I’ll never be good at it.”

That year, I took Algebra 1 and it was torture! Honestly, I didn't understand anything the teacher was writing on the board. I'm not sure how I even passed that class.

Fast forward to my sophomore year and my first day in geometry.

My teacher was kind and thoughtful and she knew how to teach artists and poets (also known as non-mathers like me). Suddenly math didn’t seem like a foreign language.

For once, I was excited about math and my confidence went through the roof. I finally felt like one of the “smart” kids.

I often think about that statement I made back when I was just 15 years old:

“I'm horrible at math”

And how I truly believed that (and sometimes still do) about myself. It’s made me realize that we can be our worst enemies when it comes to the lies we tell ourselves.

What if I would have said instead; “I'm awesome at math!” I might still have struggled in Algebra 1 but maybe I wouldn't have felt so down on myself.

I’ve learned that sometimes it's worth it to try again. Soooo…. you aren’t good at writing or drawing or public speaking. But what if you allowed yourself to try again

We would never do that to our children. “Oh, you tried that once and you’re just not good at it. Time to give up!” NEVER We would keep encouraging them to try and try again.

So I challenge you to do the same.

What’s something you’ve always told yourself you are “no good at”?

I'm here to cheer you on!