Extreme (paper) Hoarding Solved...Just Get a Scanner!

In all likelihood your desk (or someone you know) looks similar to this one.

Paper tends to act like that mythical creature from Star Trek known as the Tribble. Tribbles multiply with reckless abandon - so can paper. Managing paper is one of the banes of the daily grind in real estate and often isn’t managed at all. Most paper simply gets shoved in a file, placed on a stack, or shoved in a drawer; that’s hardly good file management.

As much as we hate all this paper, we also have a strange obsessive love affair with it. We can’t seem to part with it. I want to just throw all the paper away – but then the thought that plagues hoarders and non-hoarders alike creeps up from the depths of our amygdales…. “I may need that someday…”

A couple of years ago, that all changed for me when I purchased a Fujitsu desktop scanner (I have the older model S510 that is no bigger than a small inkjet printer). It scans in color or black and white. It scans double-sided in one pass. It can auto-feed a stack of up to 70 sheets of paper. It has optical character recognition (OCR) so I don’t have to re-type stuff. Quite simply, it is AWESOME. At the time, I was debating whether to get a scanner or a printer and I’m so glad I went the scanner route because scanners eliminate paper. Printers create more paper. Office space and filing cabinets are expensive. Memory storage is cheap.

You may be thinking “A scanner – hah! Old news!” Maybe so. But few things in my daily activity have done so much to eliminate the piles of paper as well as stifle the little voice chanting “you may need that someday”. Instead of filing paper, I scanned it. I scanned everything! Receipts; invoices, contracts, addenda, conference notes, business cards, flyers, mailers, greeting cards… if it fit in the scanner, I scanned it and filed it electronically. I was amazed at how good it felt to clear my inbox; to clean out my lateral file; to clear off my desk! I felt freed from the burden of keeping paper.

I made a commitment to not create more paper. Between using my scanner and the terrific services of DocuSign, I rarely print anything anymore. As a matter of fact, I rarely have to leave my desk when keeping office hours because it can all be handled via email, texting, cloud-based storage, or scanning. Since all the scans are stored on my laptop (with a back-up on an external drive), I have all my 'paper' with me all the time. Brilliant!!

Now, about the filing system on my computer… what did I name that document that says I may have just won 10 million dollars?

For more posts on how other folks have eliminated inefficiencies check out this link: http://activerain.com/blogsview/2988103/eliminating-inefficiencies-in-real-estate-a-contest.

Cache is a Keeper!!

I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our team here in Fort Collins! “Cache” has joined us most recently from the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (GRRR) in Arvada, Colorado (a northwestern suburb of Denver). As you can see, he is adorable and has immediately stolen our hearts. He is probably almost a year old, give or take a couple months, has a super mellow and loving demeanor, and is likely a Flat Coat Retriever mix (Flat Coats are basically smaller, all black Golden Retrievers). His name is derived from Cache La Poudre which is the river near our home in the Poudre Canyon where he will be likely spending quite a bit of time splashing and swimming!

He was surrendered to the Denver Dumb Friends League with a severe hip deformity and GRRR saw him as a retriever mix and brought him into their facility. The Veterinarian on retainer for that organization performed a Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) to correct the deformity and Cache was recovering there when a volunteer called us.

In the nearly 27 years my wife Pat and I have been together, we have always had at least one dog in our house (other than me) but when we lost our 16 year old Wheaton last spring to bladder cancer we took some time off from being Companion Animal Guardians (aka Pet Owners). Evidently, nine months was enough time off. Another agent in our office, Donna Winship, has a gorgeous Golden Retriever named Gabe and knew we were between doggies. She volunteers for GRRR (that’s where Gabe came from) and told us about their web-site. We’ve always used rescues and the Larimer Humane Society for our animals so Pat started “straying” to that site regularly and then after a couple of heart-wrenchingly cuddly puppies showed up for adoption on line, we decided to apply as potential adopters and indicated on our application that we would accept puppies, older dogs, or dogs with mild special needs.

When they told us how the FHO procedure worked we were amazed that Cache could even walk! The procedure basically cuts off the femoral head (the portion at the top of the leg bone that looks like a ball) and then scar tissue forms around the end of the bone creating a kind of ‘false’ joint that will allow the dog to live a relatively normal life. We spoke with our own local vets to see what we might be getting ourselves into and they told us we will need to keep him lean and be sure to keep his shoulders strong as he will likely favor his front legs over his rear legs. Other than that, they were very encouraging. Armed with that confidence booster we drove 70 miles south to Arvada and brought Cache to his new home.

He will never be a champion agility course dog or win any sprinting challenges but he will charm your socks off, chew on them, drag them around the house and bring them back to you with a wag of his tail and an expectation for a pat on the head and a scratch behind the ears.

But really, who wouldn’t want that?

Want More Trust in the World? Trust More, Not Less!

I am trusting and trustworthy. I keep my commitments. I am honest and forthright. I do my best not to lie. I treat people with respect and dignity. I probably could have just pasted the Boy Scout Oath right here (which is worth reviewing periodically – click the link!). What’s more, living in a civilized, well-educated society, I have a reasonable expectation that my fellow citizens will keep a similar covenant with me and likewise, hold me accountable to my covenant with them. The really cool thing is, this ideology works (for me) almost all the time!

It would be easy to write a post about how dastardly deeds diminish trust. Life is flush with examples of how trust is betrayed, co-opted, manipulated, and transformed into skepticism, cynicism and wariness. Just about every reality show on TV has themes of trust/distrust woven into the fabric of the competition or saga du jour.

Here’s the rub: Contrary to what we see each day on TV, I don’t believe trusting less will give me an edge over my peers and help me achieve my goals. Conversely, I fervently believe that trusting more ultimately leads to greater wealth, better health, and a sense of well-being that is priceless.

Trust is in our DNA. We are wired for it right down to our double-helix. Why? Because, we are born completely defenseless and require rearing by parents or guardians far longer than any other species on earth; we have to trust in order to survive. Sadly, it is life (once we begin to fend for ourselves) that teaches us not to trust. So how do we get our trust back? How can we ensure that our efforts to trust more won’t be met with heartbreak and disappointment?

A couple of months ago I watched a compelling video about trust and trustworthiness. It was a TED talk given by Paul Zak, Ph.D, a neuro-economist at the University of Pennsylvania. Here’s the link for you to follow: http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_zak_trust_morality_and_oxytocin.html. It is worth every second of the 15 minute presentation.

Prior to watching this, my thoughts about trust were probably much like yours. At face value, Trust is something that must be earned, can be easily betrayed and betrayal leaves deep scars. But when I really started digging in – I realized that I operate on a trust-first basis and this has brought me a wealth of great relationships with people from all walks of life.

Don’t get me wrong, if you’ve watched the video, I don’t go around and hug everyone I see but I do my best to make a physical connection with people I interact with. In person, you’ll find that I’m a shoulder-pat guy. I wasn’t even aware of it until someone pointed it out to me. It isn’t invasive, effusive or creepy. I just like that level of connectedness with people and it makes all the difference. People know I like them and trust them because they can feel it when I pat their shoulder and shake their hand (or give them a hug).

As I mentioned above, trust is a covenant. It is the often unspoken yet deeply felt acknowledgment that one’s word is one’s bond. It is knowing that you will do the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do, rather than what is expedient or politically favorable. It is an unwavering belief that what you say and how you act is congruent with who you are at your core. And when we go out into the world and present this aspect of ourselves openly and generously, the law of psychological reciprocity will kick in, helping build trust throughout our community, our country, and the world.

This post is a submission to the ActiveRain / Adobe EchoSign Trust Contest. I could possibly win a prize. You can find out about the contest by clicking here

REALTOR Etiquette Tip of the Day: Showing Feedback: Give Some!

This is one of the most overlooked courtesies in our business! Every day, thousands of homes are shown all across America. The Seller knows a showing has been set. The listing agent surely knows a showing has been set. Both wait anxiously for word from the showing agent. And they wait. And they wait. The Seller calls the Listing Agent immediately after the showing and says “Have you heard anything yet?” The Listing Agent says not to expect to hear anything at the earliest before the next morning. The Seller still calls before the end of the day and asks the Listing Agent if they’ve heard anything. The Listing Agent, trying not to sound annoyed says “Haven’t heard anything yet – I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as I know anything new.”

Meanwhile, the Showing Agent, after showing 17 properties, a city tour, lunch, and a cacophony of noise and smells from his back seat is spent. The last thing anyone wants to do at the end of a tough day of showing property is go back through the list of properties and send feedback on how the showing went.

It is all a matter of perspective. The Seller sees the showing as one of the single most important events of the day (since they had to leave the house for it to be shown). The Listing Agent is anxious to provide news - ANY news - to the Seller. The Showing Agent is likely either writing an offer on one of the properties they saw that day or half-way through the first bottle of wine to numb the drudgery of finding another 17 properties to show this discriminating consumer because none of those seen so far have “worked”.

Early on in my career, Linda Norton (a top producing, high volume agent specializing in affordable housing who passed away several years ago) made an incredible impression on me when I had my first listing. She would call, yes, call (after all, this was 2003) and provide verbal feedback on the houses she showed. It wasn’t just a mindless checklist of cosmetic issues and thumbs up or down on pricing. It was solid feedback on whether the floor plan was problematic, did the staging work, curb appeal, did the house smell, and whether you’re in the ballpark on price or might want to tweak it up or down (yes, UP! She was AWESOME). It was actually great info from a recognized expert. Armed with this feedback I could proudly go to the Seller and let them know what we needed to work on to improve the positioning of this property in the market. It made me look good. It made the Seller feel like they had some control, and it sure didn’t hurt Linda’s relationship with me in the event she came back later with an offer.

So here’s my 2-cents:

1. Always give showing feedback.

2. Provide it as soon as you possibly can.

3. Give the kind of feedback that you’d want to receive if it were your listing. Don’t rely on a
meaningless checklist.

4. Be constructively critical AND complimentary of the property but NEVER be judgmental (yes, there’s a
difference between being critical and being judgmental).

5. If you’re the listing agent, deliver the feedback to your Seller in person or via voice. DO NOT simply
forward the feedback email or voicemail from the Showing Agent. This has proven disastrous in so many
cases, I’ve lost count.

Courtesy is the highest form of demonstrating respect and building strong relationships. Providing meaningful showing feedback is a key component to building great relationships with the cooperative brokers in your community and will be greatly appreciated and hopefully reciprocated!

On my way home from the office last night, I was listening to NPR. Specifically, I was listening to American Public Media’s Marketplace. Typically, I really enjoy this program and find the short-form reporting informative, responsible, and objective – you know, journalism.

Midway through the program, on a segment about the latest housing figures, I was reminded why all the banking and finance bozos need a big dose of Dickensian reality-checks complete with Scroogerian visits from the ghosts of recessions’ past present and future. In response to the reporter’s apparent question about when banks will start lending again, the economist says “Banks should be cautious after a bust as scary as the one we saw a few years ago,” says Chris Thornberg at Beacon Economics… “falling prices are good: People don't have to borrow as much. Housing is not an investment. Housing is a consumption good. And on that basis, the cheaper the house, the better off we are as a society. You know, if gas prices are going down, we're all happy about that.” [emphasis added].

I just about drove off the road, spitting and foaming at the mouth. The NAR would be so proud of my knee-jerk reaction to such blasphemy about the sanctity of home ownership and the American Dream. Owning real estate is not an investment? It was the glibness of his statement that really stung. He could have preceded the statement with “As if!” or “Duh!” “Like, everyone knows that home ownership is no different than owning a car!” I felt like all that I have learned and professed over the years as a REALTOR was whisked away like so much dust in the wind.

Upon reaching my home, I immediately hopped on the computer, Googled this alleged expert and found that not only is he the founding partner at Beacon Economics and has a Ph.D in business economics and is regularly quoted in the media and blah, blah, blah – I also saw that he serves on the advisory committee for Paulson & Co., Inc. (a Wall Street darling hedge fund). I realized that perhaps his perspective is a bit skewed as far as what constitutes an investment. I realized that what he was doing was an age-old litigation technique of blaming the victim. The banks (which tripped over themselves to throw money at anyone who claimed to be breathing) surely have the right (sic) to be cautious because now (thanks in part to the banks) housing is nothing more than a glorified consumer good and only the truly worthy should be trusted with such lavish chattel.

I am still of the strong mind that owning real estate is one of the historically best ways for the 99% to build wealth in this country (notwithstanding the real estate portfolios of the 1%). Sure, it is building wealth through the financial leverage afforded by loans and mortgages but it is still widely available to a large segment of our population rather than a select or elite few. Lending needs to be restrictive but not punitive or draconian. While I don’t agree that real estate is a consumer good, I do believe that a struggling economy needs to gain some momentum. The banks could help drive consumerism by easing the cuffs a bit. Who knows? In 10 years or so, let’s see how much those consumer goods are worth!

Here’s the link to the Market Place Report: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/economy/latest-housing-figures-close-bleak-year