Michele Lundgren, Royal Oak Realtor, Oakland, Wayne and Macomb Counties

I am having an argument in the office about Dress Codes. My Team Leader has requested in writing, at our weekly meetings and through emails, that agents coming to work in the office should dress appropriately. He has asked us to dress for success and and has requested NO JEANS. This request went over well for about a month, and now a certain group of young gun agents and even our front desk receptionist have slipped back into their bad habits and are showing up to work like they are going to a beer party...or worse! Not only are they wearing blue jeans, but they are tattered, ripped and frayed at the heels. The receptionist wore hip hugger jeans today and her BELLY was sticking out. She lamely attempted to cover it up with a short jacket! The older agents in the office were pretty shocked!

This mid-November weekend in Metro Detroit the weather was absolutely beautiful. A balmy 60 degrees and sunny. It was nicer than most days we had last month in October! I thought I would go out for a drive through my local northern suburban neighborhoods to see what was going on. All of the trees were empty and the streets were filled with raked leaves waiting to be picked up by the big sweeper. Fat little squirrels scampered about, burying their nuts and hunkering down for the cold winter ahead. Families with their kids and dogs played in the local park. Golfers in the Red Run Golf Course were taking in one last walk through the greens. I decided I was on a quest for FSBO'S...and I thought I'd look for all the For Sale yard signs too. I started the count as I drove west on a popular street and I looked to my right and to my left...I drove about 12 blocks and I counted about SIX yard signs that I could see. That was it. SIX YARD SIGNS! There were absolutely no For Sale By Owner signs and only a few For Rent! It's not to imagine that maybe there were more signs elsewhere in Royal Oak, but there were hardly any in the immediate area of the popular Red Run Subdivision.

My thoughts were that all the good inventory had just sold and almost no inventory was left. I had a list of "expireds" that I was going to visit and I actually drove over to one on N. Wilson, just south of 13 Mile Road. The yard sign was gone, but there were two cars in the driveway and the front door was open. I approached the house and knocked and a nice person answered it. When I asked her about her expired listing she said that they had decided to stay because they couln't sell and winter was coming so they would try again in the spring!

Sellers! Don't do it! Don't follow the other migrating SELLERS! Don't take your house off the market now! Now is the BEST time to keep your house ON the market. Be a part of the herd that doesn't disappear! The BUYERS aren't going anywhere and they need to buy houses NOW! Your house will stand out in the depleating inventory. In the spring, it will get lost again when the migratory houses come back on the market! Doesn't this make sense? Don't let the HOLIDAY season get in the way of selling your house either! Only really SERIOUS buyers are out looking at this time of the year!

I am your local economic expert! Call me to get the numbers of actual listings on the market in your community NOW! Let me provide you with the actual number of PENDINGS and SOLDS too! I have actually listed and SOLD my last 6 neighborhood listings in less than 90 days each. I can do the same for you.

GET THAT YARD SIGN BACK UP AND GET ON WITH YOUR PLANS TO SELL!
MAKE THAT SIGN A KELLER WILLIAMS SIGN!

I am feeling great, looking great, and feeling optimistic about my business and career.

I am working really hard trying to figure out technology and trying to keep up with it all! Every day is a learning experience. Yesterday, with the help of an associate in my office, I figured out how to add stuff to the home page of my template website...it may sound easy for YOU but I'll be 60 in a few months and I didn't even own a computer until about 12 years ago! My next big challenge is to master all the nuances of ACTIVE RAIN! I want to post pictures on this blog but I keep messing up, even though the instructions are pretty clear!

I am still investing in my business and myself. I upgraded to the new AR blog system and I hope it helps make me look more professional to the outside world! I'll give it some time.

I am loving my FACEBOOK page!

I love my BLACKBERRY! I love my Sony Cybershot camera! I love my new Garmin NUVI!

I plan on being around for a long time and the excitment of today is keeping me young. Those in my generation are really having a blast with it all!