Nova Scotia

Hello fellow AR'ers!

I've been mulling over ways to keep in touch with my contacts/prospective clients on a more frequent basis and, at the same time, not 'wear out my welcome'. ;-)

We all know that what matters most to the consumer is 'what's in it for me?' So with this in mind, I'd like to send emails which will help educate the consumer about the world of real estate, but in an informal way. Perhaps this could take the form of 'today's tip for sellers' and a similar one for buyers; that way I can keep in touch more frequently by giving contacts something of value. [in addition to market updates]

That's where you all come in......if you would be so kind as to share an important tip, word of advice, common pitfalls on topics such as home staging, choosing a realtor etc! And hopefully we will all gain some helpful advice which we can then pass on.

If any of you have tried this approach, I'd be pleased to hear your feedback!

Wishing you a wonderful day from Nova Scotia.......the home of Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins! :-)

Melva

One of my clients called me and asked to have a meeting. They are truly dream clients and so of course I made myself available at their request. Their listing was coming up for renewal so I mentioned this and they told me to bring the paperwork with me and of course they wanted to relist.

Turns out the meeting was about just that, relisitng. They wanted to assure me they thought I was doing a wonderful job and were happy with the numerous showings they have had thus far. They have a very difficult property to sell and they are very realistic about this fact and are not under a false assumption that it will sell quickly.

They called me because they received a solicitation from another agent and they wanted me to see it. This was not just a random solicitation that just happened to end up in their mailbox. It was a letter addressed to them and it went on to state how many days their home had been on the market and that this particular agent could do a better job and if they had used him it would have already been sold. They were furious. They were more insulted than I was. I explained that while this was not a very ethical thing to do on the part of the their agent it was not the first time I have seen it and it wouldn't be the last.

I thanked them for showing it to me and then proceeded to direct their attention to their property and our next course of action. I was quick to get the conversation away from the other agent and act like it was nothing. Of course as an agent, you know the truth. I was boiling inside. How dare this agent behave this way and basically insult me to my own clients!!

My next course of action was to contact that agents BIC, which is a company that I used to work for and I know the BIC on a personal level. The BIC explained it was probably just a mass mailing and there was no harm meant. I corrected him pointing out the fact that he had listed their address and the exact number of days their home had been on the market. This was not a mass mailing, this was a very deliberate effort to solicit my listing! I ended the conversation by thanking the BIC for taking my call and then explained I was very disappointed that his firm had resorted to such low level tactics in a down market. I lost all respect for the company.

I write this today to get a message out. If we ever want to gain the respect of our communities we must ALL act with integrity. This other agent angered my clients and gave his company a bad name. I also realizer however my clients now thingk that real estate agents are cut throat and will do anything to get a sale. In the end this reflects poorly on me as well.

TO ALL AGENTS! ACT ETHICALLY AND RESPONSIBLY OR GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS!! WE DON"T WANT YOU!

I wanted to thank everyone for their advice

Funny thing happened when my clients decided that wanted to terminate the transaction.

Informed the other realtor that my clients had had enough and she called me right back saying the buyers were willing to extend the closing. I guess they needed to realize that we were done being pushed around.

Now all we have to do is finalize a right of way.

Ashley Marlin, Exit Realty Inter Lake

I'm in a bit of a connundrum today. I have this beautiful property listed in Cherryfield NS with just over 57 acres of land. I was under the impression that the couple who are in the process of purchasing it really wanted to property. We have had a few complications main ones being winter, a right of way, and agreeing on the final closing. The buyers are now willing to walk instead of agreeing to an extension of three weeks so we can get everything done for them.

I'm sure everyone has had more complicated deals than this but I was hoping to get some advice on how the best handle this.

Ashley Marlin, Exit Realty Inter Lake

Its a great time to make your next move the move to your own home.

Don't miss the historic interest rates and government programs that you can take advantage of.

• The First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit means savings of up to $750 on the closing costs of a first home.
• The Home Renovation Tax Credit means savings of up to $1,350 on renovations completed before next February.
• The ecoEnergy Home Retrofit Grant provides up to $6500 to make your home more energy-efficient.

For a free list of properties with pictures available in your area visit www.novascotiahomesales.com