About Cape Girardeau County, MO

Chances are that you have never had a house winterized, unless you are an REO agent. You may, however, have SOLD an REO property. Knowing a little about winterization and de-winterization is a must in the current market. Knowing a "little," however, does not preclude needing a plumber!

Winterization is not simply turning off the water and pouring anti-freeze in drains. Proper winterization also involves forcing pressurized air through the pipes to clear out any standing water. Not all water lines will drain when water is turned off.

Lateral lines, for instance, often do not drain completely; and a frozen lateral line can do more damage than a vertical line running through an exterior wall. The lateral line may run all across the ceiling in one or more rooms. An example of such a line is one that goes from the hot water heater on one end of the house to upstairs bathrooms at the other end of the upper level. Imagine the collapsed, water-soaked ceilings that would follow, if such a line bursts. Forcing pressurize air through the line is the only way to be sure the water is out of the line.

De-winterization is best done by a qualified plumber familiar with the process, NOT THE NEW HOMEOWNER. Just this week, I received a phone call from a distraught agent whose client had been told by the water department that all she had to do in her winterized home was "turn on the cut-off valve in the house." BAD ADVICE.

Here's why: All faucets are opened when the pressurized air is forced through the system during winterization. That allows the water to escape. Though the system's ability to hold pressure is tested first with faucets closed, the faucets MUST be open during the final step. They are then left in the open position to minimize damage in case the water main drips additional water into the system. The main shut-off valve is then left in the closed position. NOTE: You cannot count on that valve still being closed, however, because sometimes agents or buyers will open the valve in an attempt to turn on the water in a winterized house. Before you have the water department turn on water, be sure the valve is off.

Two areas often over-looked by homeowners trying to do their own de-winterization are the laundry area and the hot water heater. While most folks can tell right away that the faucets in sinks are running, they may not think of the laundry faucets that are spraying horizontal streams of water directly into the house, rather into a sink. The hot water heater has two parts that need to be closed--the drain faucet at the bottom and the pop-off valve at the top. It's best to wait until the heater is full before closing the top valve.

And then there's the icemaker line to the invariably-missing refrigerator. Those innocent-looking little plastic lines can spew a lot of water, and they are never capped off.

Joints, seals, and valves that have been waterless for months often have leaks. Once water is flowing through all parts of the house, it is also a good idea to test the water-tightness of the drain system. A leaky tub drain, for instance, is only obvious when water is going through it.

You NEED a qualified plumber, so make the appointment!

Agents: I'm not a lawyer and not pretending to be one, but I am an REO agent who learned some lessons the hard way (cleaned up a flooded laundry room once; had an agent and an inspector leave the hot water heater's pop-off open one time; cleaned up a basement because a toilet failed to shut off). Never advise a client to go it alone. Your client considers you to be an expert, and you may get the blame when a homeowner damages their new purchase. You should have known, and now you do know. Knowing a "little," however, does not preclude needing a plumber! Have I made that point clearly?

Dear Agent: Don't email me every time you get a price reduction, a new listing, or your seller decides to offer a selling agent bonus (unless--maybe--if it's enough to finance a family vacation).

I pay MLS dues. That means I get updated information through MLS. Your email notices to me are spam, and they clog up my email. The MLS HotSheet works just fine for me. During this very busy end of the year, holiday time, I received the following email announcements today from local agents:

Hello fellow Realtors,

We have a new price on our listing ...... Great home, great location on nearly 1.5 acres..lots of updates and space.

If you have a buyer looking for style and land this home could be it. NOW $273,900 They are ready to move.

Happy New Year

Of course, that email inspired another agent to mass email everyone. She, however, just did a "Reply all" to the first message, and then added her own sales pitch without having to type all those pesky email addresses:

Then there was the New Year's e-greeting that I received from a fellow agent, obviously the one he sent to all of his clients, thanking me for choosing him as my "REALTOR for life."

It's past closing time now on Dec. 30, and the holiday weekend has officially started. Hopefully, the other 253 agents in MLS are too distracted by the impending New Year to send out such meaningless mass email updates on their listings.

Come to think of it, I'm still working. I have 22 active listings right now. One of them just listed today. Several of them have had changes in the past week. I also have several pre-lists in the works. Maybe I should get busy with my own mass email! It would be so easy to just "Reply All" again, following the lead of the second agent. Or maybe I should just send 22 emails to the three offenders...

PS: If you are interested in either of the two properties mentioned above or in receiving information about Cape Girardeau area listings and/or foreclosures, please feel free to contact me. I promise that I won't SPAM you, but I will be happy to be your "REALTOR for life!"

• You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. ~Wayne Gretzky

I first heard that slice of wisdom from my daughter's church league basketball coach nearly 20 years ago. He put it on hand-written signs for every girl to post in her room. I thought then that it was a basketball quote, but also I know it's a life philosophy. Today, while trying to find the author's name, I discovered that hockey great Wayne Gretzky is responsible for those wise words.

Turns out, Gretzky quotes apply to real estate decisions and even to a real estate career.

• I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been. ~Wayne Gretzky

Don't you know lots of buyers and investors who wish they had known in 2007 where the puck was going to be just one year later? A whole new crop of investors is now trying to discern the future. The market is going to turn, that's for sure. When and where?

• The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it. ~Wayne Gretzky

As agents are faced with paying dues for 2012, I'm betting that REALTORs whose reputations meet that standard will be the ones who go forth into the new year.

• A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be. ~Wayne Gretzky

I know that this quote is much like an earlier one, but I like the distinction it makes betweeen good and great. I need to know what marketing tools WILL work, not merely what is working now or what has worked in the past. I'm good right now. I'm working on great!

• I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. ~Michael Jordan

We have to learn to learn from failure, get back up, and get back in the game. Now if only the market will learn its lessons as well as Michael Jordan!

The caller wanted to see one of the company's listings, but she wanted an appointment that day, 30 minutes after our office closed. The floor agent did not want to work that late and offered the phone call to me. I now have a very nice listing, another deal under contract, and the prospect of yet more business--all from that showing.

The listing the caller wanted to see was not mine, but I knew that the owners needed to sell. The caller was impatient and even demanding, having already left unanswered messages for the listing agent, who was out of town that day. More than anything, I did not want the sellers or the listing agent to lose a potential sale, and the floor agent was about to put the caller off again.

I showed that first house to the caller sort of as a personal challenge. Could I change her mind and convince her to choose me as her agent, rather than the one she had in mind (she did not have an agency agreement)? You know, I was exercising my persuasive muscle a bit. This is a sales business, after all.

If a salesperson never has to face a sales challenge, she will not grow; so I decided to take a chance and lengthen my work day that rainy day back in September.

At first, you see, she just wanted to "look at" a specific house and made it very clear to the floor agent that she already had another agent in mind if she liked that house. I understand the floor agent's reluctance, but the fact remains that the caller represented a business opportunity.

I did not sell that house, but I became acquainted with the caller. The person with whom I am under contract is a family member of that "looker" who sounded like a dead-end floor call. Not only did I eventually list the caller's house, but I also was able to meet other members of her family, two of whom have real estate needs. I will be getting a commission check in January because of it. As I continue to work with the extended family, more commissions may follow.

I put on my bright, cheery face and went out on a cold lead that day. Try it, every once in awhile, instead of waiting for the perfect lead. You might strengthen your own persuasive muscle and dampen your inner diva.

This real estate business is about serving client needs, but first you have to sell yourself, if you are going to get the business. A lead is a precious thing to be valued and cultivated. That's the sales aspect of the business, so put on a smile and challenge yourself.

The office was closed for the holiday but the phone was ringing, so I answered it. Actually, the phone rang three times while I was in the office for a short time today. The first two callers asked for their agents. Both already had their agents' cell phone numbers, so those calls were quickly dispatched.

The third call, however, was a property inquiry; and I answered several questions for them. They agreed to let me set them up on auto-notify and gave me an email address, as well as some specifics about their search. Now, THAT's what I call a productive phone call.

Because I decided to answer the phone when I dropped by the closed office to complete a few tasks on a national holiday, I might have a new client going into the new year. The callers, by the way, are from out of state, and they were in town visiting family for the holiday. They are serious about their search, and time will tell if they end up being my clients. It just so happens that they are from Flint, Michigan, where I was born, and I believe that we bonded a bit over the phone.

My hat is in the ring, because I decided to answer the phone's ring on a day when I just wanted to slip into the office for a few minutes.

2011 December Blogging Challenge Day 26