Gary White~ Grand Rapids Real Estate, FlexIt Realty, a call or click away!

What is your most frequent item that needs to be addressed when inspections are complete?

For the last 10 years, mine has been furnace issues, specifically the CO2 readings. This happened again just the other day on a listing. I received offer and inspections are next! Inspections were complete and the report was in....the furnace! CO2 was at a high and needs to be checked and reinspected. I asked the same questions I've asked throughout the years.... Did they test the furnace when it was up to temp, was the furnace on and running, etc. etc.

I use a licensed heating and cooling company to reinspect every time I get this type of repair report. First before you inspectors start sending me a rash of hate mail I think there are great inspectors out there doing a fine job. I also think like in real estate there are inspectors and agents under trained and skills are less than professional but they have a pen and must justify their costs.

Right now I am 15/15 meaning out of 15 times I have been told the heat exchanger was cracked or the chimney was clogged and not drawing properly, the licensed heating and cooling contractor has not been able to duplicate the problem. This does not mean homeowners should not have inspections! I will make you sign a wavier if you decide not to have an inspection because I think they are that important.

Choosing your home inspector is just a critical as choosing your Realtor. Knowledge and experience come with training and time.

Thankfully, I have a seller who understands these issues, and after explaining the findings of the inspection is immediately calling a heating company to have them perform a service call and see what their findings are, and if anything, correct so we can continue and close. He has even gone a step further and turned the furnace off and is staying with family till he knows for sure the results. Better to be safe than sorry, both for himself and the new owner.

Since the results were so elevated I recommended he stay away until the heating and cooling contractor can inspect the unit. This unit looks like new, as if it was just installed. The hot water heater is in superb condition...but like many things on the surface it can be perfect on the outside and inside can be a whole different story.

My safety concerns are always protect the sellers and buyers and confirm. There is always the first time even a new stove, furnace, hot water heater or dishwasher can fail. This unit is about 15 years old and looks perfect. I have my doubts but I never expressed them just suggested confirmation by a licensed contractor.

These are the sellers who make transactions smooth..they listen and an understanding of what needs to be done and do it.

We will see what the results of his service call are when the heating company comes out. I've had several inspections performed over the years that all say it's the furnace and CO2 readings are high, and it's been because the inspector did a quick test without the furnace being up to temp or even on and received a false reading.

What's the most frequent item that comes up on your home inspection reports?

Live in the Grand Rapids or West Michigan area, not under contract? Like to sell or buy a home....give me a call. It could save you thousands in your next real estate transaction. Always confidential, Never Pressured.

"Help is only a Call or Click away!"©2006-2009

Call Toll Free: 877-667-4699 Local: 616-784-2360
Email: garywhite@FlexItRealty.com

Every year in the fall squirrels get into people's homes.

They are looking for that ideal warm spot to store their food supplies for the winter. One of my clients has been invaded!

The pesky little critters ate through the trim on the muti-unit home and were in the attic. The tenants were calling, the kids were laughing and the landlord was not smiling!

Owning multiple rental units can keep you busy but add squirrels and you might be in for some not so nice nature fun.

For the most part trapping and releasing squirrels is pretty simple. The local hardware stores sell small animal traps.

The next step is the bait...pretty easy this time of year when the squirrels are storing winter supplies. An apple, peanut butter and a few nuts sprinkled on top and you have the perfect bait. Squirrels might chew another hole to get at the bait! I think catching is the easy part of the task.

The move and release step requires a bit more caution. Typically these traps have little lift-up doors. The last thing you want to happen is be bitten by a frightened squirrel. That is why some folks think a pellet gun is the best option. I personally think the live catch and release is the right way to handle these persistent little intruders.

I wear leather gloves make sure I don't put my fingers where little sharp teeth can chomp and place my trapped little intruder in the back of my pickup. I do put a cover over the cage so it tends to calm the animal down.

My friend liked my suggestion and captured the first of a small family that had set up home in the attic. Transporting to a friends farm with land to roam and tall trees was a pleasant and satisfying release option. They arrived released the squirrel and it immediate ran for the barn and has a new home! The farmer friend was less than thrilled that he has a new tenant. He said, "well it won't be long and the squirrel will find the woods...the cats don't like to share very well."

So squirrels can be destructive to property and a bit of a task to catch and they can offer an adventure too!

Remember the peanut butter and those leather gloves! Do you have a squirrely story?

Live in the Grand Rapids or West Michigan area, not under contract? Like to sell or buy a home....give me a call. It could save you thousands in your next real estate transaction. Always confidential, Never Pressured.

"Help is only a Call or Click away!"©2006-2009

Call Toll Free: 877-667-4699
Local: 616-784-2360 Email: garywhite@FlexItRealty.com

We have all seen the ads....Act Now, Act Fast, Limited Offer sometime they are true!

I priced a property extremely competitive because the sellers wanted to sell. It wasn't a short sale, foreclosure or a distressed property. We were marketing the property so other listings helped sell my clients property first!

It was part of our listing strategy. It worked and we sold fast. The seller was all smiles and some buyers were less than happy when they called.

They had become accustomed to the "Come On" or the proverbial "Bait and Switch".

If the brokerage wants long term growth, performance is the issue, not deceit. I explained we sold quickly and the combination of marketing and price was designed to do exactly that.

The number one issue is marketing and pricing property correctly. This weekend I sold one home and had offers on two other listings, as proof that when done right good things happen. Clients smile and buyers ask if I have any more properties like the one they missed.

Buyer conversion is another benefit, your properties generate calls, leads and closings.

Looking to sell faster use career professional, the right marketing methods, and price to sell you will see results in any market.

Live in the Grand Rapids or West Michigan area, not under contract? Like to sell or buy a home....give me a call. It could save you thousands in your next real estate transaction. Always confidential, Never Pressured.

"Help is only a Call or Click away!"©2006-2009

Call Toll Free: 877-667-4699
Local: 616-784-2360
Email: garywhite@FlexItRealty.com

Crossroads happen, how they are handled is the key.

Everyone has crossroads in their life meaning, it is decision time, and everyone will handle it in a different way...some good, some not so good. The bottom line hasn't changed, it's all about attitude...positive and negative. There isn't a middle of the road only mediocrity.

It doesn't matter if the crossroads are in your personal life or real estate, the bottom line is the same. Will you handle your decisions based on a positive approach or a negative one.

Do you take the negative or the dead end approach? Do you have the why me attitude, this always happens to me, life sucks, I can't deal with this outlook anymore personally. They used to use the analogy of the glass of water being half full or half empty....to simulate life attitudes. When deals go bad, clients can't get pre-approved, you lose the listing, or everything falls appart at the closing, is it just the way your life goes? Then you get home and your wife or girlfriend tells you the toilet is leaking! One more thing to a crappy day.

I have talked with more agents that think they are the only ones that have things go wrong. The truth is we all have things go differently than you plan everyday. I was an hour late for an appointment...I shot onto the expressway and one mile down the road was a parking lot with no exit ramp! I called my next three clients adjusting my schedule. I worked on other options from my car with my laptop and mobile technology. I wasn't happy but made a simple adjustments and completed that same tasks in a different sequence.

Do you take the lead, follow or get out of the way approach? Do you make changes or adjustments to make sure the same issue isn't repeated to catch you again?

Business and life are constant adjustments. I like to think of myself as "Mr. Adjustment". You can do anything with the right attitude. If you don't have the skills you can find someone that does to help you. You win buy using their knowledge and expertise to complete your goal. Take the time breath and work through the issues with an open mind and persistance. You'll meet your business goals and life goals with the right attitude. It isn't money that makes a winner...it is attitude, it isn't knowledge either...it is knowing where to get the knowledge when and from where or whom, it is being honest with yourself.

The next time things go wrong smile....you can handle it. With the right attitude you may not like the distraction or circumstances but you can do it and move on to what you really want to do or be.

If you don't mind sharing give us some examples of how your right attitude made the difference in your life or lives you touched.

Live in the Grand Rapids or West Michigan, not under contract? Like to sell or buy a home....give me a call. It could save you thousands in your next real estate transaction. Always confidential, Never Pressured.

"Help is only a Call or Click away!"©2006-2009

Call Toll Free: 877-667-4699
Local: 616-784-2360 Email: garywhite@FlexItRealty.com

The local cable channel stops broadcasting the real estate channel.

Our local cable channel has dropped the real estate channel service. It has a viewer-ship of about 25000 to 30000 per day. It was a great way to promote properties and agent services.

The cost to showcase a property was only $25.00 per week.

I showed an average of 8 to 10 homes per week for months. Many people would say to me that they had seen me someplace before when we first met.

This was only one of two locations in the country to still have a real estate channel hosted by Comcast. The other location was Indianapolis. It seems the marketing dollars for many local Realtors® had dried up with fewer sales. The cable channel made a fiscal decision to stop broadcasting based on lack of revenue generated for the bandwidth being occupied.

This means other forms of marketing properties will have to be utilized.

I have already made changes to increase listing exposure through added website listings, expanded direct mail and direct Internet marking. I have also increased my magazine coverage.

A sign of the times....change.

Live in the Grand Rapids or West Michigan, not under contract? Like to sell or buy a home....give me a call. It could save you thousands in your next real estate transaction. Always confidential, Never Pressured.

"Help is only a Call or Click away!"©2006-2009

Call Toll Free: 877-667-4699 Local: 616-784-2360 Email: garywhite@FlexItRealty.com