Debbie Reynolds

Recently I was out showing some new homes in Clarksville, TN in the $225,000-$300,000 price range. It seemed like every home we went into had similar light fixtures, faucets, cabinets, countertops, hardwood and carpet colors and paint colors. The accents were all in the oil rubbed bronze finish which became popular a few years ago.

But have we gone over the edge with every builder doing the same things? I say yes, that there really is very little choice in looks because the builders are trying to keep up with the Jones's and are playing the "Copy Cat" game. My client even made the comment that everything looked like it was built by the same builder and it was actually four different builders.

So I say maybe it's time for a change. Builders need to make their product different and stand out and that means don't necessarily do what the builder down the street is doing. With so many of the same type of product being built, no wonder the buyers are confused and ask to see most of the choices out there. Could it be they no longer want what has become the same old same old and are looking for something that gives them a little different feeling?

I am recommending to my builders to go against the grain a little and offer a different look to capture those buyers wamting to be a little different. I think the product that is so prevalent out there now is going to definitely date the home in a few years at resale time.

I am willing to help any builder looking for some sound guidance and a new fresh idea agent to work with.

Have you noticed how short tempered and rude people have become? Not only have buyers and seller become so impatient with their high expectations but other agents as well do not extend common courtesies of saying please and thank you.

I have been in this business for 30+ years and have seen a huge change in this one area of business. It used to be when you spent time with someone on the phone or in person they really appreciated it and thanked you for your time. Now it seems that if you are not available at exactly the time the other person wants you to be available (which is usually right this minute) then they let you know that it isn't good enough and sometimes just plain hang up on you.

I say it is time to go back to using our manners, saying please and thank you and being considerate of others people's time and schedules. Gone are the times that I will drop everything to rush out and meet someone to show them a property when they won't even take a few minutes on the phone to tell me a little about themselves and their needs.

This is a service business but not a doormat business. Kindness needs to go both ways and it will smooth the way for more troublefree and pleasant real estate transactions. The agent is not responsible for everything that goes wrong just because she is receiving compensaiton. So ease up out there and give us a break and just treat us with some old fashion common courtesy.

You deserve it and so do we agents.

The news media has been playing with all the reasons that the real estate market is not rebounding and why existing mortgage holders are not refinancing at record low rates. Well it really is a no brainer... The downturn in the economy put millions out of work. Many of those are still unemployed or went into other jobs at much lower salaries and benefits.

So while they are out of work what are they doing? They are trying to hang on, taking from savings, borrowing from family, giving up luxury items and generally just getting by so as to keep a roof over their heads. Meanwhile their credit payments might get delayed or they are forced to borrow more on credit lines to keep things afloat. And many have been unsuccessful and lost their homes.

Meanwhile our overreactive market, and I am talking about the lenders and the secondary market and underwriters, tightened up qualifying criteria. Credit score minimums were raised substantially, property appraisals were scrutinized and buyers/borrowers had to justify about everything in their credit history for the last few years. No wonder they can no longer qualify because even those with the best of credit and job histories have felt the sting of these new guidelines.

Forget about the government saying we will help you keep the house you are in and save you from foreclosure. I resell lots of foreclosed properties and the former owners tell me that they got very little help or just didn't qualify because the rules were set by politicians and lawmakers that have no idea how these things really work.

These lawmakers and politcians need to influence the secondary markets to ease up on the underwriting criteria some so underwriters can use their heads (that's a novel idea) to evaluate the potential borrower. Many of these people are paying rent amounts a whole lot higher than the mortgage payment would be and guess what they are paying on time. And because times have been tough, they have begun to use cash and not buy everything on credit.

Come on folks! Let's put some pressure on the powers that be and get things changed a bit. I am not saying we need to so lax as were were 5 or 6 years ago but how about some good common sense which there is not much of in Washington DC these days.