Laura Kombrink

Things are Rockin'!

Interest rates are low, housing prices are low, sellers are helping with closing costs and in the mood to negotiate.

Builders are throwing in "extras".

Investors are buying those foreclosures and adding new kitchens and floors and paint.....creating beautiful homes that need occupants.

What are we waiting for? Trying to guess when the market will hit bottom?

Trying to guess when interest rates will hit bottom?

Don't wait too long, or you will find that "Elvis has left the building."

Call your local realtor and take advantage of the situation. Call your lender and see what kind of rate you qualify for and how much home you can afford. It's time to move!

Let's face it...most of us are fairly inteligent people. We know what we know and are good at something. However, we can't be experts at everything.

Living in the information age, one would think we could learn just about anything. All we have to do is sit down at our computers and google any subject under the sun and find pages and pages of information. However, I think many of us suffer from information overload....and the next dreaded step in that process is called paralysis by analysis.

Deciding whether or not to purchase a particular stock, or how to best handle our retirement savings, or if it's a good time to buy or sell a home. Often we find so many conflicting opinions on every subject and we do our best to sort through it all that we end up doing nothing.....and then....we miss the boat.

We have great 20/20 hind sight and often regret our inaction.

We can't be experts at everything.

When it comes to making decisions about buying or selling a home, I would recommend getting together with a local expert...local being the key word.

Although the internet and television media are wonderful resources, the information can be very broad and let's face it...the motivation is to get you to visit their website, or tune in to their channel. So, you will often see and hear about some rare and extreme situations which may or may not reflect what is really going on in your area.

The best thing you could do for yourself is to do your research. Keep a notebook with you and write down any questions that come to mind. Then locate a reputable expert in your local area. Give them a call and set up a time to meet.

Housing prices are great right now and interest rates are at un-heard-of lows. There are financial wizards out there who wouldn't venture a guess as to how long this will last, so don't wait. Take a look at what your current situation is and determine if you could do better now. If you try to guess whether or not the opportunity will be better in 3 months, 6 months, a year...you may find that you've missed the boat.

If you'd like to know what the market is like in the St. Louis Metro East area, I would be happy to sit down with you and take a look at your particular situation. Let's get together and formulate a plan that will help get you into the situation that you are looking for in regards to your real estate needs.

Definition: A catch phrase (or catchphrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance.

We all use little catch phrases. In recent years some have become so overused that they often lose their meaning. I was just sitting here thinking of some of the ones that are so worn out that it may be time to ditch them for something else.

Here's my list:

"Think outside of the box." - I'm guilty of using this one. What I would really like to do is just burn the box...Or maybe be the only person left still in the box.

"Change" - A campaign favorite! Everyone loves change...they love it, that is, until you actually start changing things.

"What goes around comes around." - This is another one I like to use. It makes me feel better when people are mean.

"If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem." - Really? Do you know how many problems there are out there? I'm pretty sure that I'm not part of all of them.

"Thrown under the bus." - Used in a sentence like "Wow, he really threw you under the bus on that one!"
It reminds of being a teenager and using the word "burn". Seems juvenile to me.

"Team" or "Team Player" - Team players usually aren't and teams are usually made up of a bunch of team players who usually aren't.

I've run out of catch phrases for now, but if you think of any, please add to the list....of course I will expect your own sarcastic definition to follow.

Oh...please don't "leave me out to dry" on this. :)

Don't you just love it when your driving down the road and the guy in front of you just stops...just stops dead in the middle of a busy road.

First, you slam on the breaks to avoid rearending him, then as you sit there, you begin to wonder if everything is all right. "Should I go around?" you ask yourself, "does he need help?"

And, just as suddenly as he stopped, he turns left.

All of this confusion and consternation could have been avoided with one very simple, yet ingenious device, known as a turn signal. This wonderful little instrument is one means of communication a driver can use to communicate his intentions to other drivers in the immediate area. It's convenient and easy to use, yet many drivers choose not to use it.

Turn signals, break lights, horns and even the middle finger are all methods of communication between drivers. Most of these methods are designed to prevent accidents, injuries and even death. Some methods (like the finger) communicate frustration. Sometimes the horn is used in this way as well.

At this point you may be wondering what all this has to do with Real Estate.

The real point of this post is more about communication and not so much about traffic safety. As agents we have multiple tools available to us that allow us to communicate with one another and our clients. How many of us are properly ustilizing them?

Here's a case in point: A sale is pending. There are many details that need to be taken care of in order for the closing to take place smoothly and on time. One agent is representing the seller and the other is representing the buyer. Neither agent is a mind reader. The seller is understandably nervous as are the buyers. Each agent is outstanding at communicating with their clients, however, turn signals are not being used when dealing with each other.

Phone calls go unanswered and voicemails unreturned. The same thing is happening with emails. As real estate agents we have equipped ourselves with cell phones, emails, text messaging and many other means of communicating. If we don't use these wonderful tools to communicate with each other, then we may find ourselves involved in an "accident". Unfortunately, as agents we risk involving our clients in the "accident" not to mention the other agent and their client as well.

I would encourage us to evaluate ourselves and make sure we are communicating effectively with one another as well as our clients and.....really everyone in our lives. Even a quick response to say..."I'm really slammed right now...I will get back with you by_______." This level of committment and communication goes a long way to create a more pleasant working environment and helps us to avoid future headaches.

A few months ago I wrote a post entitled What's The Difference Between a Vision and a Goal? I believe in practicing what I preach, so I thought I would share with you some things that have happened since I wrote the article.

As many of you know, I am a new agent, so I am still in the process of getting the ball rolling. I am happy to say that after months of pushing the ball, it is beginning to gain momentum and getting easier to push!

In the last month I have implemented some strategies that have garnished me 3 listings. One listing has received an offer after less than 2 weeks on the market. I have picked up more buyer leads and gained more confidence when talking with leads.

In other words...I have begun to take control of my destiny!!!!!

I remember being 15 years old and getting behind the wheel of a car. I knew very little about driving at the time, however I did know that to get where I wanted to go without depending on others meant that I had to learn. I wanted to learn. I loved the idea of the freedom and independence that driving would give me.

I made mistakes. I learned to drive on a stick shift...so the ride was jerky and I stalled the car many, many, many times. However, I kept doing it.

Now driving is second nature. I do it everyday without giving a thought to it. I just get in and go where I want.

I expect acheiving my dreams through my business will be much the same. There have been a few stalls, and some jerky maneuvers, but I keep doing it because I know the freedom and independence I will gain is worth it. And one day...it will be second nature. I will do it without giving it a second thought. I will just get in and go wherever I want.

Lay your dreams out before you, plot your course...and take yourself there! You can do it!