Brett Richman New Orleans Louisiana Real Estate

Please allow me to vent.

Today I have been setting up showings for a buyer client of mine, for tomorrow. She wanted to see six properties all within close proximity. So I called six listing agents. Of the six, four of the listings listed a different phone number for appointments, other than the agent's cell phone number. Of those four, every single one went to voice mail, and an hour later I am still yet to hear back. In fact, the only agent who picked up the phone at all was Eric Bouler, an AR superstar in my area. Kudos to you Eric.

It's a shame that Thanksgiving only comes around once per year. Often times, we have so much in life that we take for granted. No matter where you are in life, love, and fortune we should all take time and look at our lives from a distance. Realize that it is the journey through life that we must enjoy and embrace. The destination is often inconsequential. This year I am thankful for my loved ones who make life worth living. I am thankful for my wonderful friends who fill my days with joy. I am thankful for my colleagues that helped propel my career to where it is today. And I am thankful to be a Realtor, who gets to wake up and work his dream job everyday!!! Happy Thanksgiving Active Rainers, Blogsters, and everyone else!!!!!!!!!!!!

God Bless America, our Troops and our Veterans! Let's bring our men and women home safely to their families as soon as we can. Remember, even if you don't support the wars, it is important to support our troops. There are no political affiliations in a fox hole. This is the time for America to truly be united. A great big "thank you" goes out to all of our men and women in uniform both at home and abroad working daily for our freedom.

Well, anyone who has been in the real estate business for at least the past five years have seen things turn a complete about-face. When I was first learning to survive in the harsh jungles of the real estate community, I was trained and drilled on three basic industry rules to keep my career from the jaws of some hungry carnivore:

1. Listing Appointments

2. Listing Appointments

3. and more Listing Appointments

And, that is no exaggeration! My first year in the business, I might not have known the tax millage rate for a particular area but, I sure could wow you with a heck of a Powerpoint presentation. The mindset for the years spanning 0 - 2005 was "get inventory", quite simply, obtain as many listings as possible and rely on the law of large numbers to make a living for you. Now don't get me wrong, we all know plenty of work goes into each and every listing appointment but, my how the times have changed.

In this market, not a month goes by that I don't turn down a listing! That's right, the same guy who would jump over hot coals to sit down over the dinner table and explain my "unique marketing plan", now has "no availabilities for your listing". This is not because I am the busiest Realtor in the south (sometimes I feel like it), it is because I do not have time for "the incurable unrealistic seller". Or as my grandfather used to say, " life is too short, I don't have time for green bananas".

My advice for other agents out there who may be struggling, spend your time showing qualified and motivated buyers anything and everything they want to see. I know, I know, I know, but seriously I am not kidding. It is more rewarding, given the current economic circumstances, to follow a buyer all around town, rather than putting a sign up in front of a property that will never sell.

Once you have a buyer client (signed buyer's agent agreement), treat them like a delicate newborn baby. Nurture their every need, Watch over them and spoon feed them until it is time to release them into the wild adventures of home-ownership. By then, you have closed a deal , earned a commission, and developed a return client, who will surely recommend you to their friends and colleges.

It seems like every day that Real Estate industry data will be released on a nation-wide basis. Sometimes, it is NAR reporting existing home sales for the month. Other times, it is CNBC report anouncing "new home starts" for the fiscal quarter. And yet other times, it some "market report" from one obscure data-collection service, or another. But, what can really be taken from these so-called "industry-wide-snap-shots"? To the average homeowner, buyer, or seller the answer is simply, not much.

These reports are based on information gathered on an extremely large sample size. This is normally to assure an accurate result of any empirical data. Unfortunately for us, this completely nullifies the accuracy of this data to the individual.

Real Estate markets are so localized, homeowners should consult a R.E. professional who specializes in their neighborhood. You will notice, that I did not say, "your city" or "your town", this is because factors that affect the property values of house on the other side of town, may not have any bearing on your property at all!

National R.E. statistical data should be taken with a grain of salt. Trends that critically affect the value of a condo in Miami or Las Vegas, may not have any significance at all to home-owner in New Orleans. The same can be said for trends that are prevalent in different sectors of the Real Estate market (i.e. Commercial/Industrial-vs-Residential).

So in closing for this week's post, I am asking you to please do not panic when you hear scarey data spewing from the mouth of a talking head on T.V. Instead call your local agent or broker, and ask him/her, "what's going on with the value of MY property".