Deborah Fisher

On Monday I flew into Las Vegas (yes, that Las Vegas) for the National Association of Home Builder's 2009 International Builder's Showcase.  I had been invited to share my insight on marketing to other building professionals by fellow AR member, Steve Hoffacker, so I spent Monday making the trek from Jacksonville to Vegas.  There were a few delays getting me here: foul weather up north keeping planes on the ground, and people trying to save the cost of checking their bags at the check-in counter or curbside by attempting to get luggage the size of refrigerators on board as a "carry on", which, by the way, is a BIG no-no on the airlines today.

I ended up getting into Vegas at 12:30 AM, checked into my hotel at 2 AM, and at 2:30 AM, having not eaten since a light breakfast since early morning . . . I went in search of breakfast at the hotel. I think I got to bed about 4 AM, and after about 2 hours sleep I had to start my day.

Last night my crazy schedule caught up with me. It also didn't help that yesterday I walked 'for a little light exercise' the complete length of the 'strip' and back again. I think I walked for about 5 hours, but I shopped along the way so it was all good. Oh, and the day before I ran 4 miles. 

I wanted to watch a movie . . . but I am wiped out. It's light out for me. My room is pitch black and cool and I am buried under covers, just the way I like it. When my head hit my pillow . . . I was gone!  

At some point during my z's, I am awakened to shrill short blasts from something in my room.  Dazed, I leap up thinking it is the alarm clock on my mobile phone or my laptop computer going off and creating a disturbance for the rest of the guests.  Frantically I turn on the light by my bed wondering what the source of the racket is, only to realize it is the hotel's fire alarm going off. Sleepily I think it is only in my room . . . so I call the hotel operator to tell her that there is no fire, but who upon answering and before I can get a word out informs me that security is checking into the source for the fire alarm.

Fire alarm??? I am on the 15th floor - the top floor - and I am not too crazy about heights.  I throw on shorts and running shoes, grab my leather jacket, stuff my cash, ID, and laptop into my backpack and head out down the hallway looking for the fire exit.  All of the doors on my floor have automatically closed . . .  and I am wandering the floor alone . . . clearly I am the only one taking this seriously. Either that or everyone else is already out.

I trot down metal stairs on tired muscles thinking to myself: great, your bloody exercising is going to be the death of you after all since you won't be able to RUN from the fire.  I may be the first person in history to die as a result of exercise.  But I am not taking a chance. Fire?? I'll trot down the stairs and wait outside until they figure it out, thanks all the same. Better safe than sorry, that's my adage!

As I wearily pass each door at each level, I think to myself . . . Where is everybody? and My God, I am NEVER going to get to the bottom! As I approach the door to level 3, I hear a voice over the fire system's loudspeaker . . . an automated voice, a calm deeply masculine voice designed to instill calm in panicking guests running for their lives . . . and I pause to listen . . . "There is no emergency.  Repeat. There is no emergency. Security has everything under control."  

To be perfectly honest, I am not sure what else the voice said because I turned to look back up the stairs . . I am going to have to trot all the way back up to the 10th floor to grab an elevator since the elevators to my section of the hotel only run from the tenth floor to the 15th . . . 

I sigh, go the distance, and I return to my bed . . .  keeping my shorts, socks and t-shirt on just in case.   I hope they have a wheelchair here in the hotel. I'm going to need it today.

 

 

 

I recently shared in a (private) blog with other Real Estate professionals around the nation that I recently had the most complicated closing of my thirty-year real estate career. Even the real estate attorney closing the file said it was the most complicated file he had ever closed.

At the end of the day everyone was ecstatic that the house was sold and closed, from the buyers and seller right down to the closing coordinator in the attorney’s office because everyone felt as though they ‘got’ what they wanted. That is the happy ending that each of us was striving to achieve, especially the professionals handling the transaction. Most importantly, I have a very happy and loyal seller who realizes that he would never have been able to close this home on his own.

I've closed a lot of homes over the past thirty years, closing more than a thousand homes a year as a senior-level executive in the homebuilding industry. While this sale may have had more than its fair share of challenges ‘opportunities’ to overcome, most home transactions are not the ‘lay downs’ that the buyers and sellers perceive.Someone is making the process look easy, and that person is often a real estate professional (with the much appreciated help of an equally professional closing agent). Real estate closings are the dog show at the circus: there are hoops and someone has to be jumping through them.

Every day buyers and sellers try to go it alone, but buying and selling real estate has become more and more complicated with new lending laws, obligatory disclosures, and a maze of legal documents. We live in a litigious society, and ignorance is no defense in court. Even in new home closings between builder and buyer things "pop" up that have to be overcome.

After everything had been satisfactorily resolved, which by buyer account appeared smooth, I sat at the closing table wondering why anyone would want to put themselves through the aggravation of buying and selling a property without professional help? After this transaction, I needed professional help: help from Jack Daniels Captain Morgan, or Jim Beam.

I know people who have sold multiple homes, done it themselves, and all has gone (by all appearances) well. I know others, in fact one of my current sellers, who said that they would never do it alone again.

If the sale to closing process is so complicated, why do buyers and sellers choose to go it alone?

The main reasons:

1. The parties have not personally experienced ‘the’ closing from hell

2. The buyer hopes to get a better deal from the seller since there is no commission involved

3. The seller hopes to save the commission (which is in opposite polarity to number 2. above, thus both 2 & 3 occurring simultaneously are against all laws of physics and mathematics)

The truth of the matter is:

1. Countless unbiased studies show that FSBO homes are typically over-priced. Real Estate professionals use data collected on sold homes, current market conditions, knowledge of inventory levels, and more to fairly and more accurately predict what price the market will bear, and more importantly at what value the home will likely appraise.

2. Buyers tend to pay too much for FSBO homes and probably could have gotten a better ‘deal’ on a home marketed through a professional in a comparable neighborhood if not the very same neighborhood. Homeowners, and I admit to this personally, believe their home to one of the best in the neighborhood and therefore worth more. Unfortunately, this perceived value is typically based on emotion. If the home doesn’t appraise the contract will need to be renegotiated, and, if negotiations fail, the buyer will have to look for another house, starting the home shopping process all over again. Sellers who have a firm price in mind, and many do, will have to either wait for the market to catch up to them or wait for an unsuspecting buyer with some cash to offset the difference between the appraisal and asking price.

3. Often things go awry between contract and closing that creates added stress for and between both parties, ruining the joy of the transaction for each party.

4. FSBO transactions often fail to make use of the proper inspections to both the buyer’s and seller’s disadvantage. Why bother with the added expense of inspections? No longer do the courts have an attitude of “Buyer Beware”. Other than some lender required inspections, inspections provide peace of mind to the buyer, and Sellers benefit by having documentation that the home is as represented thus adopting a proactive approach to avoid potential future litigation.

5. FSBO ‘contracts’ often lack clarity in the terms, thus opening the door for ‘misunderstandings’ and discord between the parties (Buyers and sellers have been known to not even be able to sit in the same room at closing together. Can you imagine moving into a home that ended in a bitter purchase?)

6. Federal, state & local laws require mandatory disclosures that protect both the buyer and the seller. Ignorance of the law is no defense when one of the

parties discovers something they don’t like and uses a missed disclosure as a legal out or cause for action.

7. Both parties may end up paying ‘non-customary’ fees and expenses. While all fees are negotiable, learning that they have paid for something that is not customary to the area can create ‘hard’ feelings between the parties, opening the door to suspect throughout the transaction.

8. Sellers and buyers often end up using valuable vacation days as days off to facilitate repairs, appraisals and inspections required by the lender. Professionals are used to juggling these items and often have a carefully selected team of professional trades and vendors on speed dial. As any homeowner knows, it is not uncommon to take a morning or afternoon off to wait for an inspector or repairman, only to have no one show or experience lengthy delays.

9. FSBO sales often have ‘contract’ breaches to the detriment of one party or the other. Professionals ensure that deadlines are met and the terms of the contract enforced.

10. Real estate professionals often sell a home faster than the FSBO. Agents are able to properly price and expose each home to a wider audience than the FSBO. It takes time, money, and effort to expose a property to a wide audience. The most likely buyer for any home is likely already working with a real estate professional. Real estate professionals don’t show homes that they don’t know. The professional’s agent’s role is to sell that home to other real estate professionals before it is sold to a buyer.

Fisher’s Law # 1: It is mathematically impossible for both the buyer and the seller to save the commission.

Fisher’s Law # 2: Every real estate transaction is within one challenge of never closing.

This morning, my seller called to wish me a Happy New Year and to thank me again for coming up with the numerous solutions to get his home sold and closed. What a great guy. It's nice being appreciated and I appreciate people who recognize how hard I work and how much effort I put into my work. You know, it really isn't just about the money. This is a job just like any other, and we all want to feel appreciated and feel good about each day's performance. When you are an over-achiever, good is never good enough. That's what's so great about real estate: every day there are new challenges and new opportunities, and on just about every transaction we get the opportunity to make it all happen.

I still don't understand why someone would want to buy or sell real estate without a real estate professional. All of the legal documents and disclosures aside, selling a personal residence is often emotional. On every personal 'homesteaded' residence I have sold, with the exception of one property, I have sold the property using another Realtor so that I can step back and let them deal with the sale to closing process. I want to move on from each property with as little inconvenience as possible, plus I want the highest dollar I can get for each, and I know that another agent who is not emotionally tied to the property will do a better job of negotiating on my behalf.

In October 2008, the National Association of Realtors released a recent study and profile of home buyers and sellers from data collected between July 2007 and June 2008. Their findings indicate that more than ever sellers and buyers are relying on professional Realtors to assist them in their home and sale purchase. In fact, the study showed that eight out of ten home buyers are using a Realtor to help them with their home purchase. (Consumer names and addresses were obtained from Experian, a firm that maintains an extensive database of recent home buyers derived from county records. Information about sellers comes from those buyers who also sold a home. )

We have this amazing tiny little poodle with the heart of a lion who looks more like a Bichon. Her hair is straight and fluffy, and her snow white coat is set off by two button black eyes and a tiny black nose. At ten, she is as frisky as a new pup and loves to run and chase across our expansive yard, claiming her territory and letting us know that she has all five corners under her control.

"Cheyenne" ended up with us quite by accident. Born on St. Paddy's day in 1998, Cheyenne was from a puppy mill, and beneath the tangles and mats of a twelve week old pup I knew that there was something special about her. We didn't need another family pet. We already had two cats, fifteen fish, a pomeranian and two poodles, so the last thing we needed was a fourth d-o-g. Still, she ended up going home with us, so smelly and dirty that I had to put my foot down for her to be allowed to ride home in the cab of our truck.

From the onset, she picked out the younger of our two poodles, Taylor, as her favorite. This was a good thing since Taylor was a third wheel to pomeranian Bradley and poodle Whitney. Cheyenne immediately set about making certain that Taylor had all the puppy love she could handle, and the bond was set. A few years later, Taylor had to have surgery, and Cheyenne dutifully protected her and stayed by her side during the long recovery process. When our pom passed away, Cheyenne stepped in to help fill the hole he left in our lives. She now joins me in the kitchen when I am cooking, a "little chef" assisting and reminding me that I have something in the oven or on the stove. When her "Nana" was staying at our home recovering from surgery, Cheyenne sat beside her patiently each day, allowing "Nana" to pet her and talk to her during her convalescence, keeping a watchful eye out as the home therapists and nurses paraded in and out of our home daily.

"Chey" has never had to be on a lead. She has never "pottied" in the house. There was quite a bit of separation anxiety in the beginning, but we worked through it and we replaced the comforter more than once or twice, but she finally understood that I was coming back to her. Clearly she had some issues from her days in the puppy mill, which we suspected were beatings around feeding time, but we have pretty much resolved those issues and she knows that there is plenty of food to go around, and more if needed. Over the years, she has become a most dutiful companion, a small warm lump at my feet during the night who seems to know the precise moment I leave my office to head home even though my schedule is varied and unpredictable.

About a month ago, Chey suddenly started coughing and she quickly grew listless. We dropped everything and took her to our favorite and most trusted vet 75 miles away although there are numerous other vets much, much closer. Even if he is a "Gator", we know our family vet is exceptionally bright, exceptionally caring, and we trust him to make the right call for us as he cares for our pets, so we drive from Jacksonville to Ormond Beach because we know he and his staff loves our pets and, quite frankly, our pets love them back.

Mark did what he could in his office: xrays, blood tests, etcetera, and he diagnosed Chey as having pneumonia but there were other complications. We had no idea how a "pup" that lives inside and is so cared for could get pneumonia, and we set about combing our house and yard for anything that could have poisoned her. For several days she was hospitalized there as Mark fought the illness with antibiotics, but Chey was not making any progress. Finally, Mark suggested that we go to a specialty practice of internists and oncologists in Jacksonville, but warned us that it would be pricey. It was her only chance.

The initial office visit to the Internist was a staggering fee just to walk in the door. By chance, we ran into a couple we knew who had their two Burmese Mountain dogs there. One of the d-o-g-s had been diagnosed with inoperable cancer and the 'family' was spending a few more moments together before a sad goodbye. We were speechless at the news since another friend of ours had brought these two pups back from Quebec with him for this couple just a few years earlier. We had seen the pups and played with them even before the new owners had. Seeing them as a family of four together for the last time pressed upon me even more that our own situation looked pretty bleak.

We spent the weeks leading up to Christmas taking Chey back and forth to the internist for a battery of blood work, pathology studies, x-rays, sonograms, cat scans, and more. Finally, we sat in the consulting room and got the news: Cheyenne was not responding to any medicine, the middle lung lobe was diseased, and the only cure was to remove the lung. We questioned the oncologist on whether or not it was cancer, but no cancer could be detected in any of the tests. What caused the lungs to collapse was unknown. The oncologist and surgeon agreed that removing the right middle lung was her only chance. The alternative was to . . . well . . . you know . . . and since it appeared that she would have a full recovery if we did the procedure we were sent home to consider the surgery as an option.

By now I had spent way more than I had planned. Thousands more. Good grief. It sort of snuck up on me, a thousand here, a thousand there . . . The surgery was going to be all that I had already spent again.

On December 23rd., Chey had her surgery. All went well. They found a few tiny spots on her other lungs, which were visible only when they opened her up. Had I known of this in advance, I probably would not have let them do the surgery. The surgeon sent them off to a pathologist so we don't know the outcome. Over the Christmas holiday we visited her daily, taking turns holding her, wondering if we had done the right thing, questioning if she looked better than the last time we saw her.

We were able to bring her home three days after surgery, a remarkable testament to her determination to live and the skill of the surgeon. Although she was always trim and lean, post-surgery she was a shivering bag of bones. Today, a mere six days after the surgery, Cheyenne looks more like her old self. She is home and following my every move throughout the house, sleeping beside me at night, wolfing down food as though she hasn't eaten in days, which she probably hasn't, and we are observing more and more glimpses of the 'puppy' in her.

We have no idea how all of this will play out. It seems unfair to cry over a d-o-g when so many people are suffering with serious illnesses. Having been through a major medical crisis or two myself and losing loved ones and friends to cancer I can understand how some people would react to the commitment we have made to this little girl to give her the chance to get well.

But what were we to do? How do you say "Thank you and I love you back" to a warm and furry shadow that loves you even though you are really not quite as wonderful as she thinks you are? Sometimes words are simply not enough.

To pet lovers everywhere: May each of us be the people our pets think we are.

I can tell a lot about someone from the greeting card I receive, can you?

No, I am not checking the back of the card to see if it is a genuine Hallmark brand card. I am looking at the picture and the sentiment, and the title greeting if there is one. And no, it is not my marketing background that causes me to scrutinize each card.

Somewhere along the way I became more aware, more sensitive, of the real meaning of Christmas, and when I did I stopped purchasing cards with wintry scenes, baby animals, Santa in his sleigh, and cozy home scenes. I also stopped buying cards that say "Seasons Greetings" and "Merry Xmas" because I am a Christian and I wanted to keep the Christ child in Christmas.

Many Christians and Jews are caving in and sending cards with generic holiday greetings.

I have a longtime friend who is Jewish. When we meet by chance during the holiday season he always greets me with "Merry Christmas" and I greet him with "Happy Hanukkah". I appreciate his commitment to his faith, and I think he appreciates mine. I recognize that he and I believe in the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but I embrace Jesus Christ as the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament and he doesn't.

Do I see him as being wrong? Actually, I don't. I feel as though he just doesn't know the rest of the story . . . he stopped reading at the 5th book of the Old Testament. And there is so many more stories, all building to the story of the birth of the Messiah.

And what a story it is! From the beginning God knew what a bunch of skunks and rascals we are and that we couldn't do it on our own. We needed a saviour, so he sends His son in His place. But, what is so fascinating to me is how, over and over, God uses the most unlikely people, the most ordinary of people, the most ordinary of situations.

Instead of sending His son, a king, off to live like a king and be raised by other kings, he sends him off to be raised by an ordinary family. Carpenters. Tradesman. Not exactly the upper crust of society. Biblically it is suggested that as a man, Christ is unremarkable in appearance, possibly short, not quite the rock star we would expect the son of God to be.

Yet thousands followed him from place to place, hanging on His every word.

If my friend sent me a Hanukkah card, by no means would I be offended. In fact, I would welcome the card as a reminder that, like me, my friend is a faith based person celebrating his traditions, each of us journeying through life trying to follow our rabbi and live the scriptures to the best of our ability. And I would reflect that in a way we have travelled on the same spiritual path . . . we share the same God, the same creator, and together we look to Him for guidance.

So, to my Christian friends, Merry Christmas. To my Jewish friends, Happy Hanukkah. To both, may the blessings of God flow down and cover you and your family this season and may He bless you richly!

To those of you who are non-believers, well . . . Happy New Year.

In your mind, what are the biggest challenges faced by Americans today?

Ridiculous health care costs? 

Outrageous prescription prices for the very same drugs that are made available for far less to other nations, including Canada?

Cost of fuel?

Cost of groceries?

Quality of education in the public schools? 

Violence and crime?

Fair taxes?

The fact that everything we buy is made in China?

Judging by the amount of time and media play they are getting, Congress seems to think it is the carbon footprint we are leaving.  Do the folks in Washington not understand that there are things further up the list that they need to be worrying about and acting on? Families are trying to figure out how to pay their medical bills, feed their kids, and still have money left over for rent, fuel, and all the other things that eat up a weekly pay check. Is anything of real value currently getting done up in congress?  I seriously think that our elected officials, all of them, are seriously out of touch with the American people.  

Here is a fascinating monologue from CNN's Glenn Beck. It's hard to believe that the far-left news organization CNN actually ran this piece.  For those of you in the "right", this is worth watching.  The piece is nearly ten minutes long, but the treat is at the end as GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin speaks out on why she is suing the federal government.  Seriously. 

 

 

 

 

 

This is just my humble opinion, but Congress needs to point the fire hose at the blazes that are burning the highest and brightest first, get those issues under control, and then work to become more proactive and less reactive.

We need less lawyers and more business people in congress. Business people are used to effectively juggling multiple tasks and projects concurrently. Effective business people learn to be proactive and less reactive. They are also used to being held accountable to produce results or else, something of which seems to not be required of Congress.

 Why is that?