Sizzling Steak and Magic

I love dinner. I love eating out. I love to eat dinner at Flemings Steak House.

I live in Houston Texas. Steak Houses are everywhere. They all cook Steak and serve cocktails.

What’s the real business of a Steak House? Is it to cook steak and sling drinks?

NO.

Their real business, if they crave raving fans, Yelps and profits, is to serve “Emotionally Evocative Experiences”, “Visual Delights”, “Tongue Tease” and “Feel Good”. It’s not ALL about cooking steak, it’s about the entire dining experience.

What Business Are We In?

[FYI: This share was inspired by content and comments contained in twos posts authored by Erion and Lani. Check'm out: E = ONE and L = TWO.]

I hear, ” I sell houses”. I say, “WRONG”.

Selling a house is the result of what WE DO. A myopic focus on selling houses leads to survival, short term success and finally, Burn-Out. Want to open a can of Break-Out Thrival? Read on.

We live, work and play in a Trust (Consistent, Accurate, Timely, Honest, Safe), Experience (Evocative and Engaging) and Entertainment (Fun, Interesting, Unique, Provocative) society.

Serving true Trust, emotionally evocative Experiences and Entertainment leads to loyal fans, perpetual referral recommendations, closed sales, big-bank and Break-Out Thrival.

IMHO, Our Real Business Is Communication. Presentation. Solutions. Inspiration and Leadership.

Communication: How we broadcast and share.

If you're UP for it, you can READ the rest of the post HERE.

Real Estate Market Report For The Woodlands TX - Listing Inventory and Written Sales / August-September 2009 - By Ken Brand from Ken Brand on Vimeo.

Hello Friends,

Wondering what's going on in The Woodlands TX real estate market?

It's been an "interesting" year. Year To Date there have been 1,501 Contracts Written (all brokers combined) compared to 1,848 in 08'. That's 18.7% less. No big deal really. We can all be thankful that our market is the opposite of all the market horror stories we hear about.

Sales prices have remained stable. Yea!

In August, according the HAR Multiple Listing Service, there were 173 Contracts Written. 7.4% fewer than August 08'.

For the first time in months, Listing Inventory fell below previous years inventory. Current For Sale listings = 863. Last year at this time = 880.

Average Days On Market for Active Listing Inventory = 106 Days.
Average Days On Market for Sold Listings in August = 71 Days.

What does all this mean?

Look at the trend lines. Seasonality is about to kick in. There will be fewer sales and fewer active listings through the end of the year.

Seller's - Consider adjusting your price. If you have merchandising/staging things that can be done to enhance the perceived value and your competitive position, act now. Re-examine your marketing. Now is the time to take action.

Buyer's - Selection is good. If you're a 1st Time Home Buyer, time is running out on the 8K Tax Credit, get a move on. Mortgage rates are still at historic rates, which means you can buy more house for your money. No doubt, as the economy improves rates will rise and most likely home prices too. Act now, or?

Real Estate Agents - There will be fewer listing and selling opportunities in the last quarter. If you'd like to keep your success steady, you'll want to increase your personal contacts, conversations and networking.

I'll be publishing more market data in the next few days. Till then, if you need anything or have questions, give me a call: Ken Brand - 832-797-1779.

Cheers.

Related Stuff: Should You Reduce Your Listing Price = http://www.brandcandid.com/2009/08/29/should-i-reduce-my-listing-price-how-much-what-should-i-do-first/

What's up with the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: http://www.brandcandid.com/2009/08/10/when-does-the-8000-first-time-home-buyer-tax-credit-expire/

Who Picks The Title Company That Will Issue The Owner’s Policy Of Title Insurance As Part Of The Closing Of A Real Estate Transaction?

by KEN BRAND on AUGUST 2, 2009

It's not real estate heaven, but the real estate market in The Woodlands TX is an oasis. Don’t take my word for it, study these statistics yourself and see if you go, ah-ha, ut-oh or um-hum.

There is a 3.8 months Supply Of For Sale Listing Inventory in The Woodlands. Real estate economist believe that 6 months of inventory represents a balanced market. 3.8 is excellent. But, before we get all giddy, let's remember that the Months Supply Of Inventory will vary dramatically by price range. By Wednesday, I'll have a blog post up that breaks it down by price range.

The Average Number Of Days On The Market for active listings is 95 Days. Keep in mind, this is the overall number for The Woodlands market. Real estate is hyper local in nature, the relevant number will most likely be different for your specific property, in your specific neighborhood, in your specific price range.

The Average Sold Price for closed sales in June 2009 was $343,129. In June 2007 it was $$347,674. The June 09′ Median Sold Price was $270,000. In June 07″ it was $257,100. Generally speaking home prices are stable. Included in the report below is a month-by-month, two year study of Average Sold Prices. Again, prices are stable, the number of sales is weaker than last years.

Average Days On The Market for Sold properties in June 2009 = 72 Days. In June 08′ it was 62 days. Remember, the Average Number Of Days On The Market for current active listings is 95 days. If you’re a seller and your home has been on the market for longer than 70 days, you might want to adjust something; the marketing, the merchandising or the price.

Average List Price To Sold Price % for the time period - April l 1st - July 5th = 94.7%. I’m proud to report that our Prudential Gary Greene agent icons achieved an Average List Price To Sold Price % of 97.9. That means our marketing generated an average of 3% more for our seller clients. At an average sold price of $343,129, that would be over $10,000. That’s a bid deal for sellers, right? Choose us, net more…sweet.

Here's a picture of what The Woodlands monthly active listing inventory and contracts written look like. What we are experiencing is positive. Listing Inventory is not growing wildly and the velocity of sales is improving month over month. We are supremely lucky to live in The Woodlands.