Jay O'Brien : Kansas City : Social Media Guy

OK, you guys know I have a baby boy due any minute now so I have babies on the brain. So let's tie that into real estate and see what happens! (You can see how Babies and Buyers are similar by clicking HERE it's a funny read).

So your listing is just sitting there. What can we do it INDUCE a sale? Typical advertising isn't working. What else can we do? BREATHE.... Deep breath and here we go!....

1) Tighten up staging. If it's been a few months there may be some staging items that have been changed or not maintainted (because you DID have it staged at the beginning, right???) Review the initial notes from the stager and make sure it still pops when its shown.

2) Respond to feedback. Have you seen consistent comments about a fixable item in the home? DO IT!

3) Door-knock the neighborhood. There are some of your best advocates so let them know your sellers are ready to get this over with. Enable and engage that local neighborhood market!

4) Agent lunch. Get some energy in there by hosting a mid-week lunch for the agents to come have a look. They have buyers, and if your home is in a saturated market with lots of competition, maybe that will let yours rise to the top!

5) VIDEO! Is there a video presence on YouTube with a walk through tour to grab some SEO?

Be sure to stay on top of the SOLD activity to see if your price is still in the right place. Sometimes, it just comes down to price. If the home has had traffic and no offers, then the VALUE is the only thing to adjust now.

*** Do you have any other tips too add?? ***

Good luck and remember to BREATHE to get this done! Deep breath now and push!! SOLD!

Welcome and thanks for taking a moment to learn about these two twin-subdivisions in beautiful Liberty, Missouri! (Did you know that Liberty was recently voted #7 Best Places to Live in the U.S. according to CNN Money? Click here to read more about it!)

Huntington Ridge and Liberty Run are two of the most sought after subdivisions in Liberty, Missouri with a great family atmosphere and homes in the low $200s. These are "twin" subdivisons because there are no barriers between them and the homes all have the same feel.

Approximately 160 homes make up the two subdivisions. One yearly highlight is the annual July 4th Neighborhood Parade, where all the residents gather with their bikes, wagons, skates and walking shoes to march through a one-mile celebration through the streets of the subdivisions! There are hundreds who gather and then enjoy snacks at the start/finish line when it is all done!

Huntington Ridge and Liberty Run are directly across the street from the Liberty Community Center, allowing easy access to their full gym, multiple pools (both indoor and outdoor) as well as fitness classes and functions in their meeting rooms and amphitheater. The twin subdivisions do not have a pool of their own, but the proximity to the Community Center more than makes up for this. Further, as of this writing there are no home owners dues for Huntington Ridge and a minimal amount of $150/year for Liberty Run.

Proximity to key attractions is also a big plus. You are within walking distance to the U.S. Post Office, Mid-Continent Public Library, a grocery store, as well as many restaurants and two city parks.

Access to the highways also make this location great for commuters. Interstate 35 (I35) is less than 5 minutes away and a typical rush-hour drive into the city is 20-25 minutes.

For information on what homes are currently for sale in these twin neighborhoods, click here for a real-time list, updated daily.

Or call Jay O'Brien at 816-785-4223 to see them in person!

CURRENT HOMES FOR SALE in
LIBERTY RUN and HUNTINGTON RIDGE

INFORMATION MAP for LIBERTY RUN and HUNTINGTON RIDGE

Click here for the
DAILY LIST OF Homes for Sale in LIBERTY RUN and HUNTINGTON RIDGE

It's amazing how your personal life mirrors your work!

We are expecting our first baby boy in a couple weeks, and I was thinking how much this "baby process" is like the "buyer process." (OK, go with me here...)

BABIES vs BUYERS
Before you come up with that comment (cry-baby buyers!) there is actually much more!
-- Both are exciting processes with a great reward at the end!
-- Both require lots of supportive people to increase success and enjoyment!
-- Both results can be expensive, but are TOTALLY worth it!

DUE DATE
Hopefully the Buyer will meet their baby house sooner than the 9 months it will take us to meet our baby (but there have been those very particular buyers, right?)

PREPARATION
Are we preparing our Buyers for this process properly? There are lots of people to get to know (me, lender, inspector, etc) and lots of NEW things (PITI, interest rates, HOA, escrow, unacceptable conditions, blah blah blah).

Seems like when I was a new dad: Desitin does WHAT??, receiving blanket, mushy peas in a jar, etc. Hopefully we have been good counselors to our clients to prepare them for what they are getting themselves into!

THE LAST FEW WEEKS
It's the waiting. And waiting. And doing that one thing over and over again. (Am I talking addendums or stocking the diaper holder??)

"Oh, honey... the nursery looks so cute! You finally got the changing table put together! Wow, that car seat DOES fit into the car that way!"....

"What was the measurement of the living room wall? Does that thing in the garage actually stay with the home? When does the trash pickup happen?"....

THE FINAL PUSH
Yes, pun intended. This is where we dads/agents earn our stripes. Seems that Mr. God likes to throw a curveball at our births/deals just to see how we will react to it. Do you have plans that are flexible? Have you thought through what COULD happen? Stay aware, stay energized and finish strong!

WELCOME HOME!
This is what we've been waiting for and working toward all these weeks! Despite the bumps, the struggles, the challenges and unpredictabiliy of it all, WE ARE HERE! Take those hugs and high fives.

But most importantly, take a minute and just take it in. It will be a memory before you know it. Good job, well done, see you next time.

Baby Boy is due March 5, 2012 but dad is hoping for a leap-year baby. Here we go!!

I was at a listing appointment the other day and Mrs. Seller tells me that I will be the 3rd agent to "try to sell their house."

In this seller's mind (and MANY other sellers out there) it's the poor agent's fault that their house isn't selling. I feel bad for these past two agents, since this home was initially priced $25,000 OVER market value. (the good news is that they have dropped the price $10K with each new agent, so my odds are good that they will be at market value FINALLY after over 6 months on the market).

It's like me wanting to fit into size 34 jeans...

I can keep trying different BRANDS of size 34, but NONE OF THEM ARE GOING TO FIT!!!

The problem is butt-size, not jean-type.

So here's my point: with a properly priced home, THEN it comes down to the skill, knowledge and expertise in marketing of the agent. All things equal on a well-priced home, a QUALITY agent will get the job done in a faster and more efficient manner. Our primary goal is to put the seller in the right pool of buyers, so our marketing will work and get the home sold.

So, Mrs. Seller, let's trim the fat and get your home in the right game, then I can fit you into your skinny jeans. Pass the rice cakes, please!

(PS... I think it may be worth a new topic for a listing presention called "The problem is butt-size, not jean type." Oh yeah!

The eternal question: to meet or NOT to meet the appraiser. What is your process and expection (I'd love to hear from all you APPRAISERS out there too!)

CAMP A: "LEAVE THEM ALONE!"
This group often says "let them do their job." Appraisers have their OWN comps, often more in-depth than agents can pull because they have access to the FSBO homes. All you crazy Realtors try to "sell the house" to the appraiser, which just gets on their nerves. Get out of their way and let them do their assessment.

CAMP B: "YOU MUST MEET THEM!"
This group feels it is our professional responsibility to meet the appraiser and make ourselves available to point out any items of the home which may be overlooked. Also, it may be good for the agent to be on-site in case there are any requirements that come up or any discrepencies which need to be discussed.

Every agent is different and every appraiser is different. I'm curious what your personal thoughts are. Please comment and share with the audience!