About Kanawha County, WV

This blog is more of rant towards the practices of other Realtors in the Huntington and Charleston,WV Real Estate markets than it is for educational purpose. With that said, I'm going to rattle off a few practices that certain Realtors do that just get under my skin.(well, it used to get under my skin but the longer I have been in the business the more I get amused and just sit back and wait for karma to catch up. Then the book comes out with who got fined in WV for ethics violations and there are never any surprises)To keep from "Rambling On" like a Led Zepplin jam, I'll just make a list of the top 3 acts of knuckleheadedness that I see from time-to-time(feel free to use that word at your discretion).

1) Putting your cards or magnets at your listings.~ Are you serious? Perhaps I am missing the logic in this but the only reason I can see for an agent to do this is in hopes that another agent's client picks it up so they call you. Now what does that say about ones integrity? What's amusing is that I develop a strong relationship with my clients, aka friends, and they've been the one who pointed the cards out and noted it wasn't a good practice. One even tried to grab them all and throw them away but I convinced them not to for the agents actions speak for themselves. Another funny one is when agents show your listings and leave a magnet..Some will leave their cards to show who has been there but that's fine. Bottom line. How many agents would this offend and could this be a deterent from showing your listings? Remember your duty is to your cleint

2) Agents website address or phone numbers where they shouldn't on the MLS form~ Another deceptive tactic that is a disservice to the client. You are supposed to be selling that person's house not yourself. I wonder how many potential buyers the sellers may miss because an agent won't send the listing when another agent puts their contact info where it should not be. I just point it out to my clients and let them make their own judgement. Bottom line. How many agents would this offend and could this be a deterent from showing your listings? Remember your duty is to your cleint

3) WE WILL SALE YOUR HOUSE FOR $19.99***** or MY DAYS ON MARKET IS 45 DAYS***** ~ Anytime I see an asterisk, I get nervous. I think anytime you are not honest with people up front and need small print and asterisks to sell something, then that's a form of deception. Let's be real people**********

As I have mentioned before, the vast majority of Realtors are great people and practice ethically as expected. However, there are always a few bad apples in any profession that tend to give a stink more so than others so this blog is dedicated to the few to entertain the many!

***As Thomas Jefferson says, " Honesty, is the first chapter in the book of wisdom" and as Mr.T says, "I pity the fool!"

Selling your home in the Charleston, WV. real estate market or Huntington,WV. real estate market during the fall and winter months is a great idea! Conventional thinking from the average seller may think otherwise but let us analyze why listing now, rather then later, could ensure a quick and painless sale. For one, every Tom, Dick and Sharon wants to wait until spring to put their house on the market which means your competition is going to be flooded. Sure, the logic is that buyers are coming out of their winter slumber and ready for a change but keep in mind that in our area there is a constant stream of buyers so there is always a need for a place to live. With that in mind, should you decide to list in the fall or winter then your home is going to be very fresh. The average listing period is 6 months so by the time fall or winter comes around, buyers have seen a lot of the homes that have been on the market for awhile and are ready to pounce on something new. This could lead to a very quick sale and most likely more money. How is that you ask? The longer your house sits on the market (with all the competition you would have if you listed in the spring) the lower the offers you are going to get on your property. So, if your ready to sell but thinking of waiting until spring, you might want to think again!

Forgive me for not running around in the Rain this week.  My grandfather, D-John(which is short for Daddy John) passed away after a long illness with Alzheimer's.  My grandmother asked for me to be the family spokesperson at the funeral! Wow! What an honor.  My grandfather was an incredible human being - someone I admired dearly.  Here is the eulogy I delivered - If I have a chance I'm going to upload the video that played while we were at the funeral. 

My beloved grandfather, John F. Santrock, was a man of many talents, and his sphere of influence reached far and wide, as can be verified by the number of people here today. How could you not like John Santrock? If he had an enemy, I never knew it. When one reads his obituary, the question to be asked is, "How did he do it?" He has left us a legacy of good works so grand that it is hard to comprehend where he got the energy. Yet he accomplished all this with such gracious humility. 

First he was a war hero.  My grandfather served his country with pride in WWII.  As a kid I vividly remember D-John telling me about the WWII invasion that followed the attack on Normandy beaches just a month after D-Day.  I was absolutely fascinated with the fact that D-John had been shot (9-11-1945), captured by the enemy, marched through the streets of Berlin, and still managed to escape by walking through Russia to safety in Poland. D-John received a Purple Heart for his bravery.  

D-John lived his entire life in Nitro, WV and was a patron of the community.  D-John loved his small town and loved the people of West Virginia.  D-John would often tell stories about his alma mater, Marshall University, talk about the great athletes from WVA, and of taking dad and Shauna to tennis tournaments in Wheeling, WV.  As a life long teacher and educator D-John's students and teachers all benefited from his talent, vision, and caring. He loved to be around people from all walks of life to, teach them, learn from them, and to share his life's experiences. Everyone in town knew my D-John - his kindly manner, genuine caring, and good natured attitude.      

D-John was a man of few words and a wonderful listener.  He never interrupted the flow of a person's thoughts, and when someone was speaking he gave his full  attention. He made everyone he came into contact with feel important, because he gave the sense that he valued the input of even the least person in the world, because he believed in the worth of others, and saw no reason for placing himself above them.  Towards the end he really didn't say much, but when he did say something it was always something of true meaning.  

Most important of all D-John was a devoted family man.  My sister Jennifer and I were lucky enough as kids to spend a lot of quality time with our grandparents. We lived in Texas in the winters and would spend the summers in WVA.   It was like a great vacation for my sister and me.  We always felt at home with Mama Ruth and D-John.  We still do.  

D-John, a man of incredible coordination and gifted athletic talent, he was skilled at golf, bowling, tennis, ping pong, pool, and just about every sport he picked up.   I remember going to the club with D-John and having him play tennis with me day in and day out.  The way he played tennis exemplified his approach to life in general. He was consistent and kept every ball in play. His greatest strength in tennis was his determination to get every ball back no matter how hard it might be to get to it. Once when we were playing I hit a strong shot down the line and was so confident that I had won the point that I raised my arms in a sign of victory. As I did this, the ball came flying back crossed court for a winner.  I'm considered to be a pretty decent player but I never beat D-John.  On another noteworthy occasion D-John visited our family in Texas and we decided to go bowling.  D-John downplayed his success at sports in general and told me that he hadn't played in over 10 years.  At 70 years old D-John beat us all with a score of 180+! Now that's what I call talent!  

D-John was always there for us.  As my sister and I were growing up in Texas D-John devoted time to his family and taking my sister and me to countless tennis tournament's to help us be the best we could be.  In the summertime we played in the Western Open in Ohio and stopped at the Football Hall of Fame.  Each year we played in two big tennis tournaments in Texas - the Texas Sectionals in the Fall and the Houston Coca-Cola Open in the Springtime.  Mama Ruth and D-John came to every match and patiently watched us play - always supportive, encouraging, and confident in our success.  When we were down and out he told us to get back up and keep on trying. It wasn't the end of the world - we would live to play another day.   

D-John also had a love of flowers and gardening.  Each summer I visited I would admire how D-John carefully tended to his beautiful garden.  He patiently explained that the flowers didn't flourish magically, that they required a daily effort of nurturing, watering, and caring for them.  Since I showed interest, and D-John being the consummate educator, he told me all about the Hydrangeas, Chrysanthemums, daylilies, and other varietals.  To this day I remember the things he taught me and use them in my own garden.    

I'm sad that D-John's no longer with us. But I am grateful that he's not suffering any more and I'm especially grateful for all of the years I had with him.  After surviving the war and coming back to the states he lived such a bountiful life.  To be able to see his children flourish, his grandchildren grow up to have families, and even to see his great granddaughter preparing for college.   I believe he was truly blessed. 

So as we commemorate his life, we celebrate the legacy he has left us. His legacy is in his family and his friends. His legacy is the people that he has helped, and in the lives that he has touched. He has left us his legacy as an admired war hero, community servant, athlete, and a family man.  And now this history is in our hands to carry on where he left off.

 May he rest in peace forever.

 This article ran in the Charleston Gazette on 9/14/2008 about my grandfather.