Jodi King

The best Prescott AZ tire shop, in my opinion, must be Ponderosa Tire Pros on White Spar Road. A family owned operation that makes their customers feel like part of the family. These guys have gone above and beyond for us. I would like to share my little Christmas story.

My husband took his truck in just before Christmas because it was making a noise. Ponderosa does more than just sell tires, they are a fully certified repair shop as well. The source of the noise was found to be his tires. Now, he had known for awhile that his tires needed to be replaced but for one reason or another just didn't take the time to get new tires. While my husband was at work and his truck was in the capable hands of Ponderosa Tire Pros, my Dad found out that the truck was at the shop. Well, with Christmas coming Dad decided what a great gift idea - a new set of tires. I think only men can identify with what a great gift tires would make, but that is not the point of this story. Dad heads down to Ponderosa and asks to buy a gift certificate to use towards the new tires. My husband already expects to pick up his truck at the end of the day and yet Dad wants this to be a surprise for Christmas morning.

Without skipping a beat, Louie calls my husband and tells him he needs new tires to fix the noise, "but don't buy them this week because next week some tires go on sale." Successfully stalling my husband so that he can open his gift certificate on Christmas morning and be surprised.

Now, you're probably saying to yourself 'that was a nice thing to do, but hardly above and beyond what someplace else might do for a customer'. This story isn't over.

The current tires on the truck were not road safe, so Ponderosa Tire Pros switched them out with new tires. "Come back next week and get the sale price." My husband didn't even notice the new tires when he picked up his truck at the end of the day, until he got home. Then he was worried because the new tires weren't the exact tire he planned to put on the truck. Here is where Ponderosa Tire Pros really out did themselves. He calls them the next morning concerned about getting the tires he wanted. Ponderosa assures him that he can bring the truck in the following week, they will order the exact tires he wants and they will swap out the tires.

My hats off to Ponderosa Tire Pros for taking interest in the people that are their customers and not just looking at the bottom line of profit and loss. I know very few businesses in this day and age that would go to such lengths to help facilitate a surprise, get the customer exactly what he wanted, and send the customer home with inventory that will be coming back in a week.

If you are in the Prescott, AZ area and need tires or auto service stop by Ponderosa Tire Pros. They really do care about the customer, you are not just a number. Our vehicles have all of their service performed at Ponderosa Tire Pros. Evenmy 2010 Chevrolet, because they are authorized warranty providers. You can find them at 801 White Spar Road Prescott, Arizona 86303 or call 928-445-4203.

Thank you for letting me share my Christmas story and the reason why I will always call Ponderosa Tire Pros the best tire shop in town.

Jodi King with Keller Williams Check Realty is a native to Prescott Arizona and has been assisting home buyers and sellers for over 10 years with their Real Estate goals.

My observations from a year of listing short sales in the current market. By now we all know that you can't avoid short sales, whether you represent sellers or buyers. The short sale is here for awhile, so we must learn to adapt. I started accepting short sale listings this year and here are my observations for handling short sales as effectively and positively as possible.

1. Align yourself with an attorney who is current on real estate and lending laws in your state. Be prepared to provide your clients with a legal resource to consult. I have developed a working relationship with Thomson Law PLC, they have generously offered a no cost, no obligation consultation for any of my potential short sale clients. Network with lawyers in your area and be prepared to offer referrals to your short sale clients who may not have an attorney relationship of their own. Impress upon them the importance of a legal consultation to help them to fully understand the process and potential future implications. There are times when a short sale will not be in their best interest and they need the tools to determine what is best for them.

2. Team up, don't try to do it all by yourself. This year I began to co-list everything with a fellow agent in my office. We feel that we can offer more consistent customer service by providing our selling clients with two agents who are familiar with the property and work to market it for sale and are prepared to answer questions from buyers or their agents. In addition I have teamed up with a large real estate team who had far more experience with short sales than I did going into 2010. Homehelper Consultants brings a level of experience and first hand knowledge that all the classes in the world would not provide. As licensed agents they are bound by fiduciary responsibility to our clients. As professional negotiators they have the time, tools and skill level needed to communicate with and negotiate on behalf of the homeowner with the Lender.

3. Take classes and learn all that you possibly can about the short sale process. Knowledge is power that ultimately benefits your clients, so attend classes, seminars, and read articles online from reputable sources. Not concerned about having more letters after your name? Think twice about the benefit of taking one of the short sale designation classes offered. It's about far more than adding another designation to your list of accomplishments. I earned my Short Sale Foreclosure Resource(SFR) designation this year. It was the best thing I have done for my real estate education since attending the GRI course. Many short sale myths were dispelled and the ongoing resources available from SFR are truly beneficial to keeping up to date with industry changes.

Short sales are not to be feared. They are a challenge that offer the opportunity to increase your knowledge, help a client and provide you with more than simple monetary rewards. The relief I have seen on my short sale sellers' faces makes it all worthwhile. These are my 2010 observations for short sale listing success.

Jodi King is a native to Prescott Arizona and has been assisting Buyers and Sellers for over 10 years.