My team has always believed in strong advertising. While it is wonderful that people blog, and have a cool website, one cool website, it is not enough. Our clients deserve more. Plus, our community deserves our best efforts, and promoting and growing our team's business is very important, both on a local scale, and nationally.
Here are our initial summer ads and efforts:
Keyword Website Page Placement
Sandpoint Real Estate www.SandpointID.net 2
Sandpoint Realty www.SandpointID.net 1
Sandpoint Realty www.RealtySandpoint.com 1
Sandpoint Realty www.RealEstateSandpoint.net 2
Realty Sandpoint www.RealtySandpoint.com 1
Real Estate Sandpoint www.RealEstateSandpoint.net 2
Sandpoint MLS www.SandpointMLS.net 1
Sandpoint Realtor Top of page, bottom of page and www.SandpointRealtor.com on page 1
Sandpoint Realtors Top of the page, and www.SandpointRealtors.com on page 1
Sandpoint Homes www.RealEstateSandpoint.net 2
Sandpoint Waterfront My ActiveRain Real Estate Blog 1
(By the way, according to ActiveRain, I am the fifth highest ranked REALTOR in Bonner, and Rick is #2, and am 48th in the state)
Sandpoint Waterfront www.SandpointID.netN.Idaho-Waterfront-Blog.html 2
Sandpoint Waterfront www.WaterfrontHomesSandpoint.com 2
North Idaho Waterfront www.SandpointID.netN.Idaho-Waterfront-Blog.html 1
North Idaho Waterfront www.WaterfrontHomesSandpoint.com 2
These are our efforts on how we are promoting our business, and helping to make our Sandpoint Real Estate market grow.
As usual, my promise is to work 24/7 for my clients, and always be available, not only in areas of real estate, but in mentoring new businesses, finding the right schools, and helping with your job search in this place, your new home.
Gary Lirette, REALTOR® Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty
208-610-1384
800-282-6880
gary.lirette@sothebysrealty.com
To learn more about our area, visit one of our 50 websites:
www.WaterfrontHomesSandpoint.com
This Sandpoint real estate agent believes knowing your community is the most important thing, & as host for many years of the N Idaho Business & N Idaho Arts radio shows, I have that knowledge.
About Me:
Sandpoint real estate professional and avid community supporter. As the host of two radio shows - North Idaho Business and North Idaho Arts and Adventure for many years - the position of interviewing hundreds of native Idahoans and transplants has given me a unique perspective. Having owned several homes and properties here gives me a view from your side, as a home owner and buyer. I owned two restaurants in town, and work with over a dozen charities. Certainly real estate is my job, but if you really want to have a guide for your life in North Idaho, with my experience, I hope you find me a resource for you and your family for life.
While certainly one can lament that this fantastic place has changed over the years, it is still a quaint, high quality of life small North Idaho town with a population under 10,000. Year after year the national media has awarded great accolades to Sandpoint: Best Small Town in the West, Top 10 Resort Towns, America's Dream Town, Top 10 Adventure Town. The NY Times, USA Today, Sunset Magazine, AOL Travel, National Geographic and many, many more all have touted this place as a dream town, undiscovered and hidden from the rest of the world. Right above the city of Sandpoint is Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort, and similarly, over the last few years, Schweitzer has also garnered national attention, being named for the first time in 2008 to Skiing Magazine's Top 25 Ski Resorts, and #3 for Tree Skiing. Lake Pend Oreille, gargantuan with its 111 miles of coastline sandwiches Sandpoint on one side, with Schweitzer on the other. Manufacturer and national businesses have made the area home, with companies such as Coldwater Creek, Litehouse Foods, Quest Aircraft, Encoder Products, Thorne Research, and many more finding great employees and a quality of life few other places can offer.
With growth has come growing pains, yet the essence of this part of the North Idaho Panhandle has remained. It is a great place to live, raise a family, and enjoy what nature offers. Festivals and events pepper each season, and the people are friendly to a fault. Certainly if one looks, we find issues that are troubling, such as the cost of living, traffic, and attitudes the newcomers bring that differ with the local populace. Many believe, however, that these are comparatively minor aberrations; our slice of North Idaho heaven is still better than most of the places any of us have been before.
Our economy is suffering much like the rest of the nation, yet we still have good unemployment figures, optimistic future job growth, and are tackling our issues with fervent community involvement.
We are so, so proud of our little community, and while we worry about growth, we are also proud, and welcome more than we turn away.
Sandpoint is truly what they say about us. Perhaps Cabin Life, Cabin Living said it best calling our community "the quintessential Western outdoor lover's town."
Areas of Expertise
After spending several years in commercial real estate, I found selling waterfront and view homes in Sandpoint to be my forte.
Neighborhood knowledge and my participation interviewing hundreds of people and businesses over the last several years has given me a unique insight to the inside scoop in North Idaho.
I also speak fluent German, and basic French and Spanish, and work with many Europeans every year. As one of the most successful agents in Hope and Priest River, as well as with intrinsic knowledge of Sandpoint and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort gives buyers and sellers the confidence to make the right decisions.
My promise is to work 24/7 for my clients, and always be available, not only in areas of real estate, but in mentoring new businesses, finding the right schools, and helping with your job search in this place, your new home.
Gary Lirette, REALTOR® Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty
208-610-1384
800-282-6880
gary.lirette@sothebysrealty.com
To learn more about our area, visit one of our 50 websites:
www.WaterfrontHomesSandpoint.com
There are few things as important as explaining agency to clients, but it is one of the things we REALTORS® often don't explain well. It is as easy as remembering OLD CAR.
Obedience:
As an agent of our clients, we must obey their instructions. That's only if their instructions are not illegal and are in accordance with the contract.
An example would be a transaction in which I am the agent of the seller. I have two offers to buy their property and they're almost identical in price and contingencies. My seller instructs me to accept the offer from Agent B without going back to both buyer agents for further offers because my seller "doesn't like Agent A". Though I may feel that it is unfair to Agent A and their buyer, I must obey the instructions of my seller.
Loyalty:
As the agent for my client, I must be loyal and keep their best interests ahead of those of any other party, including myself. How much commission I might make, particularly in competing offer situations, should not be a consideration and would be disloyal to my client.
Though confidentiality is discussed separately, it is also a component of the loyalty piece. Disclosing anything about my clients without their express consent would not be in keeping with this loyalty requirement.
Disclosure:
In many states the law requires a real estate agent, whether in an "agency" capacity or not, to disclose material facts to their client. Material facts are those that, if known by the buyer or seller, might have caused them to change their purchase or sale actions.
Beyond that, the fiduciary duty of disclosure would include just about any knowledge the agent had that might benefit their client in the process. If working for the buyer, and I knew the seller was in a financially stressed situation, I would disclose that to help my buyer in the negotiation.
Confidentiality:
My fiduciary duty of confidentiality means that I do not disclose anything that I learn about my client, their business, financial or personal affairs or motivations. This duty survives closing and lasts forever. Only a court instruction to disclose can relieve you of this duty.
Accounting:
Accounting for all documents and funds in the transaction is a fiduciary duty. Accurate reporting of the whereabouts of all monies pertaining to the transaction and their ultimate disposition is a fiduciary responsibility.
Reasonable Care:
This duty is one to be very careful of. The words "reasonable care" are only finally fully defined in many cases by a judge or jury when it's too late to change your actions. As a licensed real estate professional, I am expected to have a certain level of knowledge and be able to advise and guide my clients through the process without harm.
Whether on the buyer or seller side, I am expected to advise on price, inspections, negotiations, repairs and many other facets of the transaction. If it's not something I'm expected to know, I am expected to advise my clients in how to get the information.
Gary Lirette, REALTOR® Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty
208-610-1384
800-282-6880
gary.lirette@sothebysrealty.com
Gary is the host of the North Idaho Business radio show, and specializes in waterfront and view properties in Sandpoint, Idaho.
To learn more about our area, visit one of our 50 websites:
There are many good Sandpoint, Idaho area REALTORS®. Some advertise well, others are good at communicating, some network with the best. Some do it all well, and still the market has made sales very difficult. One of the most disappointing events in our lives is not selling a home.
Consumers have a general idea of what REALTORS® do. Still, the picture is often of a leisurely lifestyle, part-time hours, and big paychecks. What if I told you that successful REALTORS® work an average of seventy hours a week, work weekends, nights, and find little time for a round of golf. And the big paychecks? Well, it is heartbreaking to know the number of homes our fellow real estate agents are losing. What is the part that the seller plays in selling their own homes? Of course, we expect them to keep it clean, and to be ready to show, even on short notice. Does this really happen? Not as often as you would think.
Here are some things that every REALTOR® and home seller should consider before taking the step of listing a home for sale.
If your REALTOR® did everything right, what would you expect them to do?
If they did everything right, and the home did not sell, what would you think the reason(s) would be?
If one of the reasons was the price was too high, do you think that chasing the market could ultimately hurt the home getting sold?
How much effort are you willing to put into this process to achieve your goal of selling?
It has been our experience that sellers know more about their house and the selling points than any other person, including sales people. How do you feel about being part of the team when creating the marketing for selling your home?
If someone calls any REALTOR® about your home from some kind of advertising, what are the chances according to the National Association of REALTOS® that they will buy your home?
Let's say your home is selling for $500,000. If you had a business in Sandpoint, would $500,000 gross sales be significant?
Are there many businesses that gross $500,000 to $1,000,000 that have a staff of one?
What is your opinion of our current market?
What do you think can be done in a down market to sell homes and property?
What kind of advertising do you think is the best to market homes?
Is it important to you to stay in touch with your REALTOR®?
Would you find it intrusive to get calls and e-mails, as often as daily, from your REALTOR®?
There are many parts to the sales process, such as the inconvenience of showing the homes, dealing with difficult people, etc. Are there any things you don't care for in the process?
We operate from many of the tenets of Dr. Stephen Covey. One of our most important beliefs is the Win-Win. Do you think it is best to have both sides come as close as they can to getting what they want, or do you prefer in a transaction or deal you come out ahead?
We will work at times with clients we do not have a close and personal relationship with. How do you feel about really getting to know each other very well in order to sell your home?
We spend a lot of our time and dollars with our families and working with community events and charities. How do you feel about our taking time away from selling your home to devote to these things?
We as REALTORS® tend to talk way too much. I have two most important goals in helping buyers and sellers to achieve their goals. Can you guess what those are?
If you would like to know the answers from another perspective, please give me a call or e-mail me. The answer to the last question is first to communicate better with my clients, to keep them apprised of what is happening with the market and their homes. Second is part of that communication, and that is to listen better. It ain't about me. It is all about what I can do to help you.
Gary Lirette, REALTOR® Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty
208-610-1384
800-282-6880
gary.lirette@sothebysrealty.com
Gary is the host of the North Idaho Business radio show, and specializes in waterfront and view properties in Sandpoint, Idaho.
To learn more about our area, visit one of our 50 websites:
No long ago, I interviewed an adorable little girl, Grace Coughlin, on my radio show, North Idaho Arts & Adventure. See, during the art show I put on last winter, Betty Billups, a wonderful painter that lives in Sandpoint, related this story. (To learn more about the artist, visit BettyBillups.com) Seems while Betty was on duty at the Schweitzer Art Gallery, a young girl approached her asking to purchase two paintings on display. It just so happened that Betty was the artist that had produced the art, which was tagged for $800. Being touched that this adorable little girl would want to buy these paintings, Betty offered them to her for half price. That is when Grace began making her wonderful hand-made cards, selling them for just a dollar each. Within months, she had enough for the paintings, and thus began a boutique industry of personalized Cards by Grace that continues to this day.
They both came on my show, relating the story. Big hit! What is more remarkable is the story behind the girl. Several years ago, Ann Coughlin decided to adopt. Ann traveled to China, and adopted Grace. The two of them are like peas in a pod, never far from one and other. Ann is a wonderful mother, with her own boutique business in the healing arts, plus is HR Director of Boundary Community Hospital. Grace is a top-notch student, and is learning to play piano.
Still, it is her daughter's Cards by Grace that we are talking about here.
You can buy one of Grace's Handmade Cards for $1.00 and some are $2.00.
For more information on how you can order some of these super sweet thank you and birthday cards, plus other selections, please e-mail Ann on behalf of Grace at hrassets@sandpoint.net
Here are some more pics of Grace's Cards, and our interview:
Grace rolls her eyes at my foolish questions
To learn more about our area, visit one of our 50 websites:
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This Sandpoint real estate agent believes knowing your community is the most important thing, & as host for many years of the N Idaho Business & N Idaho Arts radio shows, I have that knowledge.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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