Karen Feltman, Relocation Specialist

The age old question of whether to answer the phone when you don't know who it is. Whether it is blocked purposely, unknown as in a telemarketer, or from an area code that you don't know, how do you determine whether or not to answer the call?

Wait....let's add another factor to the decision....what if you are sitting in the office with a customer or client in front of you.

Do you have exceptions to the rule?

Do you only answer if it is someone that you know?

What if you are expecting a call back on a counter offer or offer?

Do you give your customer or client the backstory and apologize in advance?

Seems to be a hot topic....whether to excuse yourself and ALWAYS answer the phone or the NEVER answer the phone when you are with a client. Or somewhere in between where there are acceptable reasons to answer the phone provided that you have gained permission from the customer or client in front of you.

Is is common courtesy to set these expectations when you first meet a client? Let's face it, the phone rings and never stops some days. Clients that are in front of you have a reasonable expectation that they should receive your undivided attention. Wouldn't you expect the same of them? What if your client was distracted and texting the entire homebuyer consultation? Would you feel like you were wasting your time? Would you feel like they listened to anything that you just told them?

On the other hand, what if this customer or client has had frustrating experiences with a previous agent or broker that never seemed to give them that needed attention? Is it a case by case basis, or a business practice?

To answer or not answer.....that is the question of the day.

There are those people that will tell me that the reason that they stay in business is BECAUSE they answer the phone when no one else does. Okay, I can see the point. But how about the client that is sitting in front of you? If you are wanting to build a business of referrals, do you think that this client will refer you to others at the end of the transaction? Have you asked them what their preferences are as far as their time and your communication strategies? If they have been told that you will always answer your phone, you need to show them that when you are with them.

The opposite is true if you tell them that their time is important to you and you will give them your undivided attention. You need to demonstrate exactly that or you will not get referrals from those clients either.

So which is better? Answer the "stranger's" call or your full attention to the client in front of you? Two birds in a bush, one in the hand? To me, I think that building a reputation that people can trust is more important that how you decide to run your phone.

Do what you say you will do and there will be happy clients referring you more business than you can ever handle.

Do the opposite of what you promise and prepare for unhappy clients and ALWAYS needing to answer the "stranger" call to get your next possible client!

Keep smiling!

Karen

Dear clients and fellow REALTORS,

I have decided that I want more from myself...and my business in 2012. So back to school I go! I am going to take the initiative to take the broker classes and obtain a broker's license. I have no excuse, all the courses that I need can be taken in the first half of the year and all are held within 20 minutes of my office. Yes, it will take a 3 day commitment once a month for the next three months, but it is worth it to me.

Let me tell you why it is worth it to you:

I will be more knowledgeable about the way that brokerages are managed and maintained. In the security of being an associate, I have no risk and I have been oblivious to the everyday workings of running an office.

If I decide to be an instructor or an office branch broker someday, I have 8 years of salesperson experience to back me up. There are already many agents that look to me for answers to contract language and contingencies already, so this is the next logical step.

Since I am renewing my salesperson license this year, it makes sense for this to be the year that I become a broker associate. I may never decide to open my own office, but I may want to leave the door open for managing an office....someday.

As for my clients, I will have even more knowledge regarding the law surrounding their real estate transaction. You can never have too much knowledge, and I am always learning.

So please be patient with me in the coming months. For those of you that know me well, I am always accessible. But three days out of each of the next three months, I will not be able to take your call and answer your questions immediately. My voicemail will reflect those days and times when they are upon us, and rest assured that I will respond to you as soon as I possibly can. I appreciate your support and look forward to serving my clients in a new way this year. Just don't be surprised that you don't see me hanging out at the office too much. Not that I do anyway! :)

2012 will be the best year ever!

Keep smiling!

Karen

A popular misconception may be that all homeowners are desperate to sell their home if they are on the market for the holiday season. An even greater misconception perhaps, may be that buyers that are looking during the holiday season must be desperate to buy!

Either way that you look at it, you may be thinking that there are not a lot of homes on the market after Thanksgiving. After all, if it was you, you have way too much going on during this time of the year to make time to keep the house neat as a pin or to scoot out of the house for those mid day showings.

Keep in mind these simple tips on buying during the holidays:

1. There is not as many homes to look at during this time of the year. This means that the ones that ARE on the market are motivated to sell. Which can also mean that they are willing to negotiate and be realistic about the price of their home in the current market.

2. Right now, interest rates are at the lowest of the year. Factor in the home prices in the winter/holiday months are usually at their lowest depending on the days on the market of the homes that you are researching.

3. These homes are at the prettiest with Christmas decorations and houses bursting to the seams with holiday guests and festivities. It will be easy to picture where your extended family could stay or if there really is room in that dining room for that extra leaf in the table.

4. There will be more homes to look at in the Spring, but there will also be more buyers out looking too. This means more chances of multiple offer situations where you may get into a bidding war for your dream home.

No matter how you look at it, the homes that you are looking at seem a little more special this time of the year. It is easier to picture your family and friends visiting you in this home. You can even see what the possibilities are with decorating the mantel or the outside of the house with your own Christmas lights. If you love to see the neighborhoods that really get into decorating with lights, this is a great time to take a look! Call me today for your free initial homebuyer consultation, even if you want to wait until spring, it is never too early to set up a search to see what is out there for you!

Keep smiling and keep warm out there!

Karen

Is a short sale right for you? The answer can absolutely be yes! Depending on the circumstances, it may be the best option to avoid the ramifications of a foreclosure. Most homeowners do not know what a short sale is and in my area, they are becoming more common. I recently listed a home where the sellers can barely sell without needing to bring money to the table. This means that they owe more than the home is currently worth in today's market.

How does this happen? There are many reasons that this could be the case.

A few years ago, 100% financing was very common. In the case of this homeowner, they had a sizable down payment when they purchase the home 5 years ago, however they decided to obtain an equity line of credit to update the home. At least hey used the money to out back into the house! This home is worth more than what they paid and what they currently owe.

The opposite could be true. Maybe the seller has had medical issues and the home is in disrepair. Maybe there was a death, divorce, disability, or loss of income that has made a foreclosure inevitable.

Many lenders are finally on board with the short sale process instead of paying thousands more to go through the foreclosure process. In order to qualify for a short sale you need to have missed at least three payments, you need to be able to show a hardship, such as a divorce or job loss, and you will need to provide bank statements to show that you cannot pay for the mortgage payments that are due. A short sale means that the lender has the ability to accept less than what is owed for the mortgage. It becomes more complicated if there is more than one mortgage or if the mortgages are owned by two different lenders.

The best advice is that when you get to a point where you know that are no longer able to make your mortgage payments, you should call your lender and find out your options. Depending on your situation, the next step may be to contact a real estate professional to obtain a market analysis to determine whether you can afford to sell without a short sale.

There are many options out there if you are in trouble and the earlier you ask for help, the faster that you can have a plan to move forward. Contact me if I can be of any assistance to you!

Keep smiling!

Karen

I must have missed the memo. You know the one where the real estate agent is now lower than scum, fast talkers, and should not be trusted. What a climate we are in. Even in my area, which does not have more than 1% of the market in short sale and foreclosure, there is distrust in the air.

Maybe it is my own fault. I DID call on that expired listing today. My mistake....you HAD listed your home for sale previously, so I thought that it was reasonable to assume that you still wanted to sell your home. Maybe not, but there is no reason to bite my head off. I am sure glad that I was not there in person, I might have lost my nose!

Here is the thing...I know that you are upset that your listing did not sell in the first six months that you were on the market with the first agent. Chances are you had a great agent representing you, there were just some factors keeping your home from selling. It could have been the price, it could have been all those bold colors that you refused to paint. In the end though, chances are good that your home did not sell because either a. you chose to not listen to your agent's staging recommendations and price positioning or b. the agent did not give you those recommendations in the first place. Either way, you don't need to take it out on me!

There are plenty of options out there to sell your home. Whether you choose to go it alone, or you choose a company that provides ala-carte services based on your needs, you can have success! I really want to help you, and I am sorry that you see me as the enemy. I forgive you and if one of my buyers wants to see your home, I will be sure to show it to them in the best possible light!

Keep smiling!

Karen