Jackie Henry

Here in Hershey, PA we just got done getting pummeled with almost two feet of snow overnight. It always amazes me how it takes just a few hours to accumulate, but SO LONG to move/remove! We're bracing for another hit around Wednesday of this week, which made me think how happy I was I decided to spend the extra money and put up post signs for my listings. Since we have a brief break, I wanted to give a few tips to all the sellers on how to bury your competition while trying to sell your home in the middle of winter.

I'll be the first to admit that nothing can really replace the beauty of a lush green lawn and sprouting pansies surrounded by fresh mulch in a thoughtfully and artistically planned landscape. Even if you do have this, nobody will notice it for at least another 8 weeks in the Northeast so your job has to be to get those buyers to envision it and fall in love with what they might be welcoming come March/April.

These tips are very easy to do, and require very little effort on the seller's part but have huge impact on the buyer when viewing your property. Take the time to stand out from the competition, and you'll be happy you did when you're at the settlement table and the others are watering the flowers they wish they didn't have to plant to begin with.

1. Break out the photo album and find those pictures of the summer BBQ or the new tree you planted. Not many of us take pics of the house for no reason, but think ahead this summer: this might be you next year! Give these to your realtor to upload into the virtual tour with a comment depicting a relaxing summer day, ease of maintainence or just beauty of the garden. Lay the photos on the coffee table in a nice scattering with a few notes of what's planted where and what colors to expect. Buyers like to know they're buying more outside than just weeds!!
2. Please CLEAR your driveway, sidewalks, overhangs and gutters of snow, ice and icicles! Make it safe for the people coming to your home. It tells them you care for your home, care about their safety and really, who wants all that slush and muck trampled into their home anyway? You shouldn't---so make the effort and clear it out. You never know when your next showing will be so don't put this off. They can't look at your home if they can't get to it. Pay someone to plow the driveway if you must. $50 is a small price to pay to get your home sold! (Don't forget about the mailbox if it's on the street!)
3. Put out a good rubber mat with the cloth top to trap all that slush from coming into your home. It makes your job easier and keeps things safe for everyone.
4. More than ever, now is the time to stage your home. Bring out the candles (why not invest in some flameless for safety?) to set the mood of a warm, cozy and inviting home. Right before the showing, bake some chocolate chip cookies--they smell wonderful for a few hours after and will help warm up both your home and the buyer. Bring out the blankets! But please, only the nice, decorative ones to casually drape over a chair or sofa with a good book. Leave the worn out ones in the closet or better yet toss 'em.
5. Turn up the thermostat a degree or two. A chilly home translates into a poorly operating heating system and lack of insulation or drafty windows/doors. Additionally, put away all the portable heaters, electric blankets and snuggies.
6. Light it up! If you don't have adequate light, beg, borrow or buy some new lamps or brighter lightbulbs. A dark home appears to be a dirty and small home so shed some light on all your hard work.
7. Buy some fresh flowers, divide them up into a few small vases and place them in the kitchen/dining area, bathrooms and living area. Even a few brightly colored, nicely arranged flowers warm the room and make everyone forget about wintertime blues.
8. Clear the snow away from basement windows. Especially if you have a finished basement, you need all the light you can get in that "Man Cave" and it lessens the risk that sudden melting would leak into the basement.
9. Mittens, hats, scarves, boots and all snow gear should have a home. Buy a big basket for a closet shelve, or a hanging closet organizer. It's OK to have, it just needs to have it's own home!

I hope these tips help you to get through these winter months with showings and remember that homes sell all year round so don't allow yourself to use the excuse of poor weather from getting an offer on your property. Go that extra step and set yourself apart from the competition. I guarantee you that we always remember the home that gives chocolate chip cookies first.

Good luck (now go start shoveling)!!

So today my 9year old daughter said "I always knew when I grew up I'd be a House Seller, but today I figured out how much work it is. I'd rather work at Zoo America and clean up POOP." WHAT?!?!?!

OK, I realize I put in a lot of hours, get stressed every now and again and Hello-some days I make WAY too little money.... Not to mention how many times I would seriously like to smack some other agent upside the head for just being--well--a pain in my rear. And the sleepless nights! Does she hear me typing at 1am? Yikes!

But, despite all this, I thought I was enjoying this being a real estate agent. How could she not see how much fun meeting new people is and how truly exuberant I am when one of my clients (who often become friends) finds the perfect home and actually gets to call it theirs. And the learning, I just can't get enough info into this brain of mine! There's the mandatory continuing ed requirements, but so much information that goes through the real estate network on a daily basis, I just can't keep up. But try I do!

Perhaps it's this lifelong learning that bothers her so much. She can't be done with school quick enough, which has it's problems since she still has 81/2 more years to go. I look at it as though I still have about 50 (or hopefully more!) years of learning ahead of me.

Once she realizes that life is all about continual learning, maybe she'll have a change of heart. Hmmm. Well, if that doesn't do it maybe taking a little trip to Disney in October will (courtesy of the real estate earnings, of course!). We will, however, have to bring the homework along--both hers and mine!

Everyone needs to market themselves...but few of us really truly want to. It's costly, time consuming, wrought with legalities and quite frankly I find it to be a huge energy drain. There's branding yourself and finding your niche, both of which could easily take YEARS to accomplish. There's that fear of "what if" my niche changes or I want to brand myself in a different way? Perhaps a little fear of commitment adds to the mix in this case. Even after you figure out those two items you have to find the target market and the best form of advertising and the right consistency. Don't forget to settle on a slogan and the perfect color combo for all your marketing materials that will just scream "Efficient. Moral. Dedicated. Knowledgeable. Quick. Friendly. Absolutely Perfect.". Could somebody let me know what that is?

But the silver lining is this: it doesn't have to be this hard. To all those agents caught up in doing the "right" thing or the giving "perfect" answer I've got some advice: STOP. Save your sanity, time and money and just do your job. Next to your hairstylist and maybe your mechanic no other profession has a word-of-mouth connection like real estate. Everybody knows someone who is a realtor, but not everyone would want that person to be their realtor. And if you live your life with integrity, consideration for others, have a solid work ethic like I know our Mama's taught us to have, then it will all be OK.

And remember: things take time. So give yourself a break and go volunteer somewhere and coach your kids soccer game and help out at the Church festival and have a few nights out with your spouse and some friends. Real estate isn't really about real estate: it's about relationships. Maybe that's what makes it so hard since there are so many different types of people out there that means we have to become chameleons in how we approach and solve each situation. But what makes real estate so hard is also what makes it so much fun: never the same thing twice!! Always a new day!

In closing, if you're a new agent just starting out I hope this helps to save you time and allows you to focus your energy more appropriately. If you're a seasoned agent reading this to keep up on technology, I hope it reminds you to always do the right thing--even if you might not make the most money on it. And, for me, well, it's given me the freedom to stop agonizing over my niche market and launch some massive marketing campaign. I think I'll just market myself to help as many people achieve their goals as I can, get back to coaching my little gymnast and future football pro and having fun. Yep: that works for me.

Good luck to ALL and I hope the fall is your best season this year!