Lynchburg, Roanoke & Danville Area Nannette Saunders ASSOCIATE BROKER

I am getting in the twitter mode. Finding a little time to play at it and learning the business promotion possibilites. At first I just didn't get it. I still don't undertand why folks follow me without any clothes on. But, I've learned how to block them!

The Second Central Virginia tweetup is scheduled for Thursday August 28 at 5:45 p.m. at Hilton Garden Inn, Wards Road, Lynchburg. RSVP by Tuesday August 26th via Twitter to Cheryl Smith or Lee Graham. Call or text 434-258-2449. I hope to see ya'll there!

Buyer's remorse, everyone gets it from time to time. Once all parties have agreed to the terms of a real estate transaction in the state of Virginia than it is a legal binding contract and the penalties of default could be very expensive.

Well, I sold this cute little lady a house. It was a great corner lot with new windows, new air and heat systems, new laundry room, new roof and updated plumbing and electrical. She got a great buy and a wonderful front porch to sit on. It was an older home and had a lot of charm too!

She was excited the day we made the offer and it was accepted! She had looked at many homes and she had finally found the one!

The next day she calls me. "Nannette, I've been doing some thinking and I just don't think this house is for me. I think this is the wrong house."

"What? What about the house is wrong?" I asked.

"Well, Nannette, it is a corner lot and I just don't want to live on a corner lot."

"Gloria, (Not her real name) the house was sitting on a corner lot when we first pulled up to look at it and when we walked through the house and around the yard it was apparent that it was a corner lot and you made an offer on it which was accepted. Nothing about the house has changed since we first saw the house."

"Yeah, I know but I told you I didn't want a corner lot. And I just got all caught up in the emotional stuff and I made a mistake." She said.

"Wait a minute there Gloria, you are right you did tell me you did not want a corner lot however, everything about the house was exactly what you wanted. It had the large closets, the old charm, and all upgraded systems not to mention a great price. When you first walked into the property, you said to me, ‘Nannette, this is the perfect house for me.' I didn't twist your arm or pressure you to make an offer. It sounds like you are scared. Moreover, this makes good sense to me. Sounds like you are experiencing buyer's remorse."

She agreed that she was feeling very emotional and she was terrified. Perfectly understandable with a first time homebuyer.

This is why working with a professional is so important. We were able to work through her emotional crazies and today she is the proud owner of this cute little home on a corner lot. In addition, could not be happier.

If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing or selling real estate in the Central Virginia area please call me at 434-546-3078 or email me at nannette@liveinlynchburg.com. Alternatively, you can stop by my website at http://www.nannettesells.comfor a complete search of homes in the Campbell County, Bedford County, Lynchburg, Roanoke or Danville Area.

I have a listing that has been quite a bit of traffic today. I have probably gotten 15 calls today to show this property and there are currently three offers on the table. (I think this house is going to sell!).

A buyers agent called me and said that she is unable to bring buyers to show the property until Monday but the buyers really want to see it would I mind opening the door for them. I live about eight miles from the property and I agree to open the door. I know this is what my seller would want me to do. Give as many people the opportunity to see the property as possible so that the seller can maximize the sale.

So I show up, and the buyers are already in the house. I open the door and ask, "What are ya'll doing?" They said the back door was open and we just came on in, "we didn't know if this was breaking and entering or not." I said, well yeah, technically it is. "Just because there is a sign out in the yard and the door is open does not give anyone the right to just come on in". Technically folks it is called trespassing, and I guess you could actually go to jail.

Being that this is a rural area it is not unusual for folks to leave the back door unlocked. But that does not mean you can just walk on in! If I had been the seller, heck they could've gotten themselves shot!

Seriously folks, don't go into another property that is not yours, unless you are licensed to do so, or are being escorted by someone who is licensed. I'm just telling you for your own safety. You see if something were to happen, you could have been the last person in the house and could find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For more information on buying or selling Real Estate in: Central Virginia or surrounding areas please call or email Nannette Saunders, Associate Broker, Licensed Virginia Real Estate Agent, Bradner Farmer Towler & Associates at 434-546-3078 or email me at nannette@liveinlynchburg.com

For information on property for sale in Central Virginia, Campbell County, Bedford County, Lynchburg, Roanoke or Danville please visit my website at http://www.NannetteSells.comwhere you can access your FREE relocation package, take an advanced property tour and read more about Central Virginia.

Attorneys practice law. Doctors practice medicine. Realtors practice real estate. Practice, lets see what Webster says:

1 a: carry out, apply <practice what you preach> b: to do or perform often, customarily, or habitually <practice politeness> c: to be professionally engaged in <practice medicine>2 a: to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient <practice the act> b: to train by repeated exercises <practice pupils in penmanship>3obsolete : plotintransitive verb1: to do repeated exercises for proficiency2: to pursue a profession actively3archaic : intrigue4: to do something customarily.

This is what I do, real estate transactions. Quite a few every month on a regular basis for several years now. Granny use to tell me "Practice makes perfect." Well, some transactions are perfect. However, if I am honest with you, not very many.

Real estate transactions are customized. That is a euphemism for each one has it's own craziness. (Euphemism: the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant;) There may be some cookie cutter homes, however, there is no such thing as a cookie cutter real estate transaction.

There are so many variables and obstacles which must be over come in order to get an offer of purchase to settlement. There are the basics, qualified buyer, home inspection negotiations, appraisal and title work. But finding a qualified buyer when the mortgage industry changes daily in of itself is a feat. Appraisers are having their own difficulties getting properties to appraise with a volatile market. In addition, getting a clear title is a problem I've been dealing with more and more lately. Lien releases not being filed properly especially on home equity lines seems to be a regular occurrence.

Just like an athlete practices and gets better and better so does a real estate agent. Even though we practice real estate just like a brain surgeon practices medicine. I'd rather have an expert brain surgeon practicing on me rather than a novice.

For more information on buying or selling Real Estate in : Central Virginia or surrounding areas please call or email Nannette Saunders, Associate Broker, Licensed Virginia Real Estate Agent, Bradner, Farmer, Towler and Associates @ 434-546-3078 Direct or email nannette@liveinlynchburg.com

For information on property for sale in Bedford County, Campbell County, Roanoke, Danville or Lynchburg or surrounding areas please visit my website @ www.livein lynchburg.comwhere you can access your FREE relocation package, take an advanced property tour and read more about Central Virginia, Danville and the New River Valley.

It should have been evident to me but sometimes I just want to help so I am blinded. Got a call from some folks out of town that had been emailing for several months that they were coming to see some property. Plenty of notice in advance so I wrote this in my calendar. I would show them property on Tuesday & Wednesday.

When they got in town it was only Mr. Buyer. Mrs. Buyer did not come. Mr. Buyer can not make a decision about a property without Mrs. Buyer, however if Mr. Buyer did find something interesting Mrs. Buyer could fly up.

Well, okay I take Mr. Buyer out to show property. Within the first couple minutes Mr. Buyer tells me that he and Mrs. Buyer have been looking for property for THREE years. (SINCE 2005)

Well, being the good Realtor that I am, it is just a few hours, I've been able to determine which properties currently on the market meet Mr. Buyer's needs. Wonderful, let's get a plane ticket for Mrs. Buyer right?

I spoke to Mrs. Buyer she agrees she should come look at this property. In a private conversation with Mr. Buyer later that evening together they decided that is not how they want to do this. Mr. Buyer will return and Mrs. Buyer will then come up to see the property separately two weeks from now.

To the average Joe this may seem like a reasonable way of doing things. But I now realize at least one of the reasons these folks can not make a decision about home ownership. It is really important that all decision makers go "shopping" at the same time. When all parties go shopping they can actually help each other. There are compromises to make and questions to be answered and worked through. Everyone has to see the good the bad and the ugly in order to know when a good deal comes around. In order to use your time and efforts the most effective way it is most productive when all parties go looking at property.

If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing real estate or selling real estate in the Central Virginia area just call or email me.

Madison Heights is on the northern side of the James right across the river from Lynchburg City. The locals know it as Hog Town. In the late 1800’s Mr. Madison had a pig farm and slaughtered pigs. If you ever been to a pig farm you would know slaughtering pigs has quite an odor. Folks decided that they would enact a law stating that no hogs could be slaughtered inside the city limits. So Mr. Madison was ostracized to the other side of the river, Madison Heights/Hog Town. Many a hog was slaughtered on the flat rock along the James River and then ferried to Lynchburg to be put on the train to be shipped to other markets.

Today one of the selling points of Madison Heights is the low tax rate. In the past, this has drawn many retired persons to Amherst County. Madison Heights has seen some growth recently. Wal-Mart and Lowes employ many of the locals.

In this market it really helps to have someone to inspire you. I search for inspiration as I work through some of these transactions these days. And I can't help but think of some of the real fighters of our time.

One of the greatest fighters of all time no doubt is Muhammad Ali. He remains the only man to have won the linear heavyweight championship three times. And he was also the winner of an Olympic Light-heavyweight gold medal.

One of the most famous quotes he is known for is: "Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see. I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." No lack of confidence there. Even if he had a weak moument he would never let on that there was any shift in his confidence.

This is a quality that is important in a sucessful agent. Having the confidence and never allowing anything to shake it. Even when the market gets a little shaky or a transaction gets a little shaky.

He was a masterful self-promoter, and his psychological tactics before, during, and after fights became legendary. It was his athleticism and boxing skill, however, that enabled him to scale the heights and sustain his position for so many years.

As a professional real estate agent you must be able to toot your own horn. Establishing your own way of promoting yourself with your own unique marketing ideas so you stand out amoungst the others over the long haul.

My favorite quote from Ali was: "Inside of a ring or out, ain't nothing wrong with going down. It's staying down that's wrong." Although that was not the most famous it means a lot to me. It means someone as big as he is, is not afraid of going down. Because he knows he can get back up. That is a real fighter. That is the spirit a real estate agent in this market needs in order to make the difference in this market and real estate in the future. These are the things that determine whether you are in real estate for the long haul or not. I continue to look for inspiration from fighters like Ali and I am in it for the long haul.

Watching the discovery channel I learn more about real estate. I saw the alligator wrestler prepare to take this huge gator out of an area that made it dangerous for humans to be near, in order that everyone could be more safe.

You see the people in the area thought it was cool to feed the alligators and then it soon got to the point that the alligators thought this was a food source and well it does not take an Einstein to figure this out. So they had to call in the professionals to remove the alligators and resume a normal way of life.

Prior to going into the pen with the alligators, the alligator wrestler, made sure that all the innocent bystanders were safely out of harms reach. Then he went in there with his team and they made it look easy, even entertaining to those watching. After all they were on the discovery channel! Before long they had the alligator roped and in the truck, and everyone was happy.

That is kinda like my job. A professional sure can make marketing and selling real estate look easy and even entertaining. A professional takes the necessary precautions to make sure all the right documents are filed and buyers are qualified and sellers interests are protected throughout the entire transaction and everyone can resume a normal way of life once the transaction is over. A professional has a team that works with him/her that each person does their specialty in the most professional manner and makes the transaction as smooth as possible.

Being a real estate broker is kinda like being an alligator as well. Did you know alligators have a very strong immune system? They are fighters. They tend to get into a lot of tussles even with each other. Of course this means they could get seriously hurt in these fights but because they have such strong immune systems they don't get infections in their wounds.

As a professional I have to have thick skin and a strong immune system. I definitely have to be a fighter because I sometimes have to fight for my clients best interests and I not only am willing to but have the know how and am equipped to.

If you or anyone you know are buying or selling, please leave it to a professional. It isn't as easy as it looks on T.V.

Pawnbrokers have a reputation like a used car sales man or some folks might say a real estate agent. In my other life (prior to a licensed real estate agent in Central Virginia Lynchburg area) I was a pawnbroker. Yep a woman pawn broker. I had many customers that thought they could take advantage of a woman pawnbroker, after all this is the south and a small conservative town. What does a woman know about guns and gold and electronic equipment?

Little did they know I have a concealed weapons license and I pack. I can actually shoot a gun pretty darn good and enjoy a little target practice every now and then. I find it very therapeutic. (Don't mess with me!)

However, I got use to it and took it with a grain of salt. I learned more about people during those 13 years and it really has prepared me for my real estate career.

As a pawnbroker I had to learn I could not wear my feelings on my sleeve yet I had to temper that with compassion since some folks really did need my help at least temporarily and sometimes the fixes they got themselves in was not entirely their fault. Sometimes that is.

Of course, there are always the folks that want to defraud the system. They will lie, cheat, steal and then try to sell you the stolen property. Look right at you and tell you it was their grandmother’s diamond and that she gave it to them on her deathbed and they do not want to pawn it but have to buy diapers for the baby. Meanwhile it is obvious, they are shaking like a leaf just about ready to go into convulsions if they do not get a “fix” quick. Yep, I have seen it all. Not much surprises me.

That is how being a pawnbroker prepared me to sell real estate. I am use to people thinking they know more than I do about my field of expertise. I am use to people looking down on my industry and thinking we are lower than whale you know what. In addition, I am not surprised at the length people will go to try to swindle the system.

So when you tell me I have the ethics of a used car sales person or that you can watch a tv show and be an expert at marketing real estate or that I am a real estate agent because I couldn't get a real job I just, consider the source and thank you for your time. Next...

I don't have a cynical attitude in spite of this. I still look for the good in people and will continue to try to help people if I can. I am not going to change the way I feel about you just because of your wrapped ideas of the professionals in this industry. I know deep down there somewhere there is some good and I wish you the best in the search of the buyer of your home.

However if you are a seller who is looking for a professional who will team up with you in the marketing and sale of your home in the Central Virginia real estate market than I am definately the agent for you. I am prepared to watch out for the folks that are waiting to take advantage of sellers that do not know the true market value of their home and I have a keen eye for detecting buyers that are not really qualified but say they are. I have the compassion to understand your frustration in this market where there are more homes than there are buyers and it is not easy to find a qualifed buyer. My skin is thick and I don't get easily shaken by a challenge. Give me a call or if you know someone who needs someone like me call me with their name and number and I promise to follow up right away.

When we first bought our home on Myrtle Lane in Altavista I had no intention of living in it. Due to the market changing we ended up moving in, in May of 2007. By then we had done over $100,000 in renovations on the property and actually I started liking the area.

So many people have asked "Where do you live?" and I say "On Myrtle Lane." They say, "Oh.... you live on Myrtle Lane...." It seems that the locals seem to have a high respect for the street. I admit that it is probably the prettiest street I've ever seen. There is a median that runs down the center of the street and the street is lined with trees. Folks walk their dogs and kids ride their bikes in the evening. Neighbors come out to chat and be neighborly. It is the kind of street that everyone knows each other. They even have block parties and neighborhood barbecues. One would not think of driving down the street without waving and saying hello to the neighbors as they sit on their front porch or walk down the sidewalk.

I have heard say that many folks have waited for a house to come on the market on this street just for the opportunity to live on this street. I am proud to live on Myrtle Lane