Colleen Lang Woodward

Okay, so the nurse told me it was a broken pelvis, but in technical terms it was a "seperated pelvis", but that really didn't make it hurt any less. It went down a little something like this...

I went undiagnosed for 2 pregnancies with Diastasis of Symphosis Pubis; And I suppose when someone tells you that what your experiencing is just normal aches and pains, then you kind of feel like a wimp. I did very little complaining, but really I was dying just to have to walk, get up out of a chair, and turn over in bed, or any other movement ones body requires throughout the day.

And so, this 3rd baby was the biggest of all. Everyone that saw me, knew I was not comfortable to be carrying such girth. My husband and I went in for false labor and the nurses made us feel like, well idiots. It did not help that my husband accidently put his hand on the Code Blue alarm to boot...Yeah, I'm pretty sure they just wanted us to go, which was heartbreaking because I was pretty certain I was ready to have that baby out.

So when the real thing did happen, we took an extra long time to be sure...Too long...As in, walking in to the hospital room and being registered while they prepared for delivery. Thus, out came a 9 lb 9 oz , pudgy baby boy without a drip of medication running through my veins. Ouch!

Except the worse of it is that the soothing and comforting words my midwife had been trying to talk me through the labor with was how great I'd feel not having drugs. I'd be up walking around before anyone with drugs would ever do...And it was soothing. Until I got up to stand and couldn't support myself. Crash.

What entailed was a 24 hour ordeal of me lifting my own legs with my arms to move them, pleading, and showing them I couldn't move my legs without extreme pain. Help me, I was pleading verbally and with my eyes to gain sympathy. Help me move my legs, something is wrong. And vindication came as the humbled nurse came to tell me the grim diagnosis and express her apology for not doing something sooner for me.

"You just had a big baby, " they would say,"he was almost 10 pounds, you will have a little recovery time needed..." and I was devastated...But not so devastated, that from my hospital bed, mere hours after giving birth and "breaking my pelvis" was I on the phone trying to convince an interested buyer and soothe my sellers that indeed this old treatment of termites was not going to be a deal breaker.

Did I have to make those calls myself? No, of course not...I have an entire qualified team to delegate to if I truly needed...But I suppose it's that little extra care. I know my clients and care about them. They trust me and my voice wasn't broken after all. I wasn't going to let some possible buyer walk away from their property on uninformed, bad information. It would be a disservice to my clients. And I can't live with myself if I make mistakes that cost them showings, buyers, or any other obstruction to selling...Even if that means making some phone calls from a hospital bed after I birthed a 10 lb baby without drugs and broke my pelvis in the process.

One profound thing that people never quite realize in my secret life as a killer real estate agent is that my passive, laid back self is very competitive, controlling, and I take it very personally to serve my clients not as a decent agent, but one of the best. ..With the touch of Gold personal attention that I would want myself... I care about them and go the extra mile for it. If I can make the calls myself I do. I hope that I never get to a point that I don't feel close enough to my clients to feel like making those personal calls.

My big bruiser is now 18 months and looks something like a little man! I will always have this wonderful story that I am sure will haunt him for many years to come.

Let me go the extra mile for you!

Colleen Woodward (.com)

RE/MAX The Producers

I was putting together my listing presentation and did some perusing through Youtube to see if there was anything funny or worthwhile that could add a little humor to it.

There are definitely some odd ones out there. Here are my top 3 picks:

1. This is a hilarious song and cartoon about the housing bubble:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivp4YqGCI-s&feature=related

2. This next one is the ups and downs of the market from the 1900s on set to a roller coaster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUldGc06S3U

3. This last one is my favorite. A little risque and probably represents every persons worst nightmare of an agent. That's why you gotta trust who you choose and who you let into your home ; )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HANTJ1JlNbc

Enjoy! -Colleen Woodward (.com)

Forbes has compiled a list of the strongest housing markets, which comes at a perfect time as I just got into a heated discussion with someone who had heard that the market was predicted to plummet another 20% still, so they were justifying why they were still going to sit on the fence to buy a home. This is true that this is predicted as a whole on national news, but local markets are what matter and this is a national average, which completely skews the numbers and has no real application to our local Omaha Area real estate market.

Omaha is a very stable economy and area compared to others around the country that climbed much higher in the boom and therefore has so much farther to fall in the bust.

By no means does this mean that prices still won't fall a bit, but we are fairing far better in this terrible state of affairs of this economy than other locales. And to be fully informed on the local market is more important than listening to those that are spouting predictions for the national outlook. There are many homes to be found undervalued and getting in on a good interest rate would cushion anyone from the decline that may or may not still happen.

Interest rates were below 5%, hitting at 4.5% and now since Obama has taken office we have seen an increase in the rate, which was not the predictions of most. Sitting on the fence does not pay off...You have to make a decisions when the opportunities present, not base it upon speculation. This is unprecedented territory we are in, so even the experts can get it wrong. Making sound decisions based on what is, that's really where you have to go from...

I realize that since the inception of people owning their property, everyone, agents included think that their own home is worth more...Even when they know it needs a little work or updating...Someone will see its inherent beauty and love it as much as they do, so they think.

It's this terrible problem with being emotionally attached to the home you own. I am guilty of this myself. I can't see my own home and its contents for how others perceive them to be. I didn't realize the hideousness of this big antique gold frame, you know the one I meant to paint to make it cool and hip but never found the time, until my sister came by and told me how ugly it really was. It was like, ya I knew that, but I just got used to it. I lived with it and no longer saw it for what it really was... And so we all live with nicks, dents, scratches, stained carpet...

By now, unless you have been living under a rock in Paris, Texas, I assume every seller knows the sad state of affairs of the economy (and particularly the housing sector). Yet when it comes to pricing their home every seller thinks their own home somehow doesn't apply as much and they still want the price they could have got 3 years ago, or even one year ago...Or they may think, ah yes, I will be fair and I know I can't get that, so let's go down 5% from that. It hurts, but shucks, I know the market isbad afterall...But the reality is that the market has dropped 20% not 5%, so while they think they are being smart and conceding the point, it's sadly still far off the mark. And trust me, it is not fun being the person to come in and tell them how far off the mark they are and crush their hopes. My job though is to get the home sold and sometimes the truth hurts. Not all agents will be so blunt with the truth and thus, a home lingers on the market...

So for every seller or agent reading this: I use the method of literally showing them the amount of inventory in their neighborhood. Print off the inventory for the year, then show them how many sold each month...If there are 8 on the market and only 1 has sold each month roughly...Well then that is a 8 month supply...Where do they want to be positioned to sell? Month 1 or Month 8? And of course, others will join the brigade in the meantime to compete with them, so that month 8 keeps getting shoved back.

And to every seller who gratefully reads this message. We agents want the most for your home. Heck our paycheck is based off the percent, so trust us when we tell you the price we recommend. We know the market. We know the realistic value of your home because we are in the marketplace everyday, reading every report, keeping tabs, and you are our clients, we want to make you happy...

So of course we want to give you a number to make you happy...However, if your home doesn't sell, then we haven't done our job. And in this tough market where realistically, your home is against all the other homes with not enough buyers, some homes will NEVER sell. It's simple fact. So it's time to have a coming to Jesus about price if your home is lingering on the market month after month. All agents have had 'challenging, unique' properties and trust us, everything no matter how awful or unique sells for the right price. If you have the nicest home on the block and its not selling. The only reason is price....(***Assuming you have a good agent marketing it to all the best outlets! If not, call me immediately because then we have a far bigger problem to remedy ; )

Colleen Lang Woodward

Omaha Area Real Estate: RE/MAX The Producers

www.ColleenWoodward.com

Seller/ Agents Beware of This Person While Doing Open Houses: Slender, brown haired, nice looking lady has been going to Open Houses, asking the person holding it to keep an eye on her kids in the car, while she takes a quick look around...Then medications have come up missing...

My friend and I were at a party together last Saturday. She was telling me about how she was doing For Sale By Owner and had this strange occurrence with this woman coming to her home, asking her to watch her kids out in the car while she looked around. What was this lady in a Lexus SUV doing looking at her $140,000 home she wondered? The lady claimed she was looking ahead for a friend coming from out of town. Then she came back the next day and asked to use the restroom. Later, Sara was giving her kids a bath and opened a drawer to find all the pills missing, but the bottle was left. Then 2 more bottles of pain medication were missing from her cabinet.

She called her other friend doing FSBO and shared the story. This lady also hit up her house the same day. This home was priced at $400,000 and out West.

This was all very interesting to me since this summer, the lady fitting the same description, car make/ model, and shpeel of watching her kids for her had visited my open house that was a 2 bedroom (not fit for kids) and was priced at $150,000...So it seemed strange and stuck out to me, but I had no reason to believe she took anything.

Sitting there with us, listening in on the conversation was Jolene Hall, Duane Sullivan's assistant. She mentioned to him and he gave me a call to collaborate on the incidents as he too had the same experience with her.

Nonetheless, Sara and I both turned it into the news station. I can certainly get the information to agents, but not to every seller selling by owner and this is a safety issue. WOWT did a story on "Seller's being wary of holding open houses" and shared Sara's story.

It is a reminder to us all that...

1. We cannot get complacent with the inherent risks that come with letting strangers into your home or seller's home, and while we all practice our safeguards, nothing is fool proof.

2. When you get that twinge of something 'not being quite right' there is a reason for it, and sometimes you'll never know why, but luckily I got my reason several months later.

3. Since we all know as agents that Open Houses don't sell homes, it becomes even more reason to convince our sellers that the risk is not worth that small, tiny chance that someone happenstances upon the home. If someone really wants to see the home, they will call... If they are waiting for an Open House, it's because they aren't ready to buy and don't want to put any displacement on the seller just yet.

4. If Open Houses are something you feel you must do, take these steps:

a. The first thing when putting your house on the market is to get all valuables/ medications

locked away in a safe place...Prevention is the best step!

b. Be sure to have a sign in sheet and watch that they sign it fully

c. Walk around with them if you can (although we know some will come together and split up)

d. Take down the license plate of each visitor

e. Have a partner with you

f. Do not let them leave their kids in the car OR use the restroom, simply say you'd rather not.

g. Be aware, stay on guard while strangers are going through your home

I know some agents want to do open houses to reach new clients that are just starting to look, but it really isn't benefiting your sellers, so while once in a blue moon a home sells off an open house, even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while. Open houses is not statistically an efficient way of selling a house (3% or less). It may be best to simply not do them. If as an agent, you choose to, be sure to cover all the risks involved with the seller of opening their home to strangers.