Alamogordo, NM

This report from "The Buyers Rep" is good news for real estate agents across the country. I know that real estate is always local but national trends, especially those that are published, have always helped buyers and sellers in every location.

To quote the article:

As the primary reason for moving, No. 1 on the list was to live in a bigger/better home (26 percent), followed by living in a better neighborhood or area (24 percent); to be closer to family/friends (12 percent); living in an area with a lower cost of living (9 percent); or a move that was sparked by a change in marital status (6 percent). Moving because of school, job loss, retirement or foreclosure each garnered 3 percent or less.

These facts indicate that more and more people are seeing the benefits and rewards of buying a home now. If the new tax incentives that congress is considering pass, $1500 tax break for any home buyer not just first time buyers, I believe we will see an even greater increase in home buying.

We still need to keep in mind that finances always play an important role in any decision to buy a house. The report continued:

While finances still factor into the moving decisions, the survey indicates that fewer people were feeling the need to move due to job losses, foreclosures or downsizing to cut costs. The people who looked to improve their living situation were a mix of those buying a home or renting that were seeking to take advantage of lower rents and home prices to move smart.

Moving can be very stressful. But with the right attitude and the right agent every transaction can be smooth and enjoyable.

When working with buyers my patience is sometimes tested to the limit. Some are so picky! They want a three bedroom, two bath, 2000 square foot home with a two-car garage, large back yard, new appliances and all for less than $150,000! Oh yeah, don't forget the nice neighborhood, close to schools, shopping and the hospital, not to mention that they also want the seller to pay their closing cost! Wouldn't it be great if we could act like this guy! Check out the video and watch a real pro in action.

I know ethically we can't intimidate people or force them into deciding what house to buy but can we pressure them just a little or maybe tell them that we have already seen 20 houses in this price range and they all look like this one, SO DECIDE NOW! OK, I know, I will continue being patient and kind while showing houses to my clients. I will continue to listen to all their negative comments on the homes in their price range. I will continue to help them see the value of buying a home now. But maybe, just maybe, someday...

I just completed by ABR training and am an Accredited Buyers Representative now. The training was good. I can now add three more letters to my title along with my GRI. I have enrolled in the e-pro course and am currently taking those courses on line every morning for an hour or so before I start work. I love the fact that there is so much information and eduction available. I have taken a few CRS elective classes also and am amazed at how much a person can learn from the experiences of others. I don't believe you can have too much education. The GRI courses included different aspects of the real estate business, from pricing property properly to crunching the numbers for investment property. ABR dealt with buyers mostly but re-enforced my belief that a buyers broker agreement with every buyer is a must. E-pro is really enlightening me to the technology available. I am so excited about learning everything I can about this business. I really believe the purpose for Continuing Education should be to better your understanding of the business of real estate and to better help your clients, not fulfill an hour requirement.

I recently held an open house (sellers idea) on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I had three couples come through, all "looky-loos"! These couples are career open house visitors. We see them every Sunday making the rounds. They usually criticize the home. They will nit-pick every little thing about the home, including the price, and then thank you for allowing them to visit. It is getting to the point where I will not encourage an open house for my sellers and explain that there are better ways to market the home. It is hard to convince some that there is a better way, especially if they visited several open houses before they bought their home. I explain to them that the majority of open house visitors do not buy the homes they are visiting but are simply comparing floor plans, price and neighborhoods. I also explain that there are a lot of "looky-loos" out there.

We lost a true artist and genius this week in Les Paul. Growing up in Alabama, Les Paul was an icon. With the invention of the electric guitar and multi-track recording, he established himself as a pioneer in the rock and roll music industry. He was from humble beginnings and kept that attitude and trait throughout his life. I saw him in an interview recently where he said he was truly amazed how famous his guitars have become. He never expected to be as popular as he was, even though he was real talented. His work and ideas will live on.