Jane Macken

I am still seeing short sales and bank owned properties as a result of foreclosures. Buyers are sitting on the fence because the market is so volatile...most are saying that they want to wait until after the election, six months or Spring because they believe the prices will go down further. Sellers are letting their listings expire because they are not getting the price that they want...they say they will re-list next Spring because they believe the home values will increase. If you have worked in this kind of a market before, I would greatly appreciate learning from you two things: What you are telling buyers; and, what you are telling sellers. Our inventory is getting smaller and smaller. How is the inventory in your area?

This year I met Lorna Hines who is a Real Estate Consultant who teaches and coaches effective and efficient dialogues for buying and selling homes. She said, "The power of negotiating is the ability to walk away; and, the skill of negotiating is never having to." What a profound concept. I learned long ago that the best negotiators are those who do not damage the relationship between the parties. In August 2007, I had the opportunity to talk with Coach Bill Walsh who told me that his success came from the fact that he maintained relationships throughout his life, even when negotiating with others. Who has influenced your negotiating skills? Does this concept ring true with you?

I have so many Buyers sitting on the sideline waiting to see who is elected President in November. I am not sure what the impact will be if the next president is a Democrat or Republican. I would love to know what your thoughts are on how you believe the presidential election will impact the real estate market. For example, what do you believe will be the impact on the housing market, including the lenders if the Republicans who have McCain for President and Palin for Vice President are elected into office; or, if the Democrats who have Obama for President and Biden for Vice President are elected into office?