Lesley Lambert (413-575-3611) Real Estate Agent,Realtor,Westfield, MA,

Confession time. I have been a REALTOR for 20 years in Westfield, MA. I have a background in training and management and ran a real estate company for over a decade. I was the recipient of awards from an international real estate franchise and did motivational speaking and training for them for several years. I hosted a real estate television show. I was fearless...until it came to knocking on doors.

Latent fears are strange and usually make no sense. I can recall making my younger sister do the door knocking when we were selling girl scout cookies. I have never been able to comprehend what I was afraid of, just acknowledged that the mere thought of knocking on a strangers door made me slightly ill.

Worse than the fear was the knowledge that I was being a hypocrite. I would stand in front of hundreds of real estate agents and tell them that they needed to face their fears and pick up the phone or knock on a door. Man, is it so much easier to tell other people what to do!

So, here I am after re-inventing my real estate career and re-starting as an agent at Park Square Realty in Westfield, MA. I know all the things that I have to do to stay successful and I push myself regularly. I take aggressive training courses that keep me accountable. I create the web presence and work on becoming tech savvy for my career. I stay in touch with my sphere. I make appointments with for sale by owners and I mail to expired listings. Some of it works, but I am still not creating the kind of business that I want. My managers hold some brainstorming sessions and they tell us the impossible: go knock on doors, be the one that people meet face to face.

Hoo boy.

I acknowledge their advice. They are trying to push us into new patterns of behavior in this new market. I take a deep breath and commit in this meeting that I will try to knock on doors. That is a wimpy cop out committment, but it was the best I could do with the nausea creeping up.

Meanwhile, back at the real estate office (sorry, couldn't resist) I am becoming affiliated with a home retention company called Titanium Inc. and am very excited about the potential to help people who have fallen into hard times with their loans. This is a subject that I am personally connected with and I am ready to be part of a positive change for these people. I complete the training, get my first assignments and then realize that I have to go KNOCK ON THESE PEOPLE'S DOORS.

Well, I am afraid, but I said I would help these people and I will. My first stop is a woman who ends up hugging me and crying and we make an appointment to meet the following week. Not bad, I am ready to try some more at this point. My second stop slams the door in my face. Even that wasn't horrible...I realize he isn't upset with me, just the situation. As I am leaving he comes back out, apologizes and invites me in to talk. Wow...this isn't nearly as difficult as I expected. In fact, this is great....these people need my help and I can give it!

The following week I create some expired listing information folders and head out to visit some broker's open houses in Westfield, MA. There are four expired listings near the open house and I am knocking on all of them. One lovely older couple is home and they invite me in to chat.

The next week I am driving past a for sale by owner in Westfield, MA and I happen to still have some of my information packets in the car. I decide to stop and while the homeowner did look at me like I had five heads, he was pleasant and I dind't take up much time...just a low key "here is some information about what our company does, please let me know if you need some help".

So, I am cured. No more fear of knocking on doors and I am ready to take on 2009 in a pro-active face to face way. So, if I knock on your door: rest assured I am there to help you in whatever way I can... and be gentle with me, I used to be afraid of you, too!

If you would like to invite me to knock on your door then get in touch with Lesley Lambert!

When choosing a real estate agent in Westfield, MA to sell your home there are many factors to consider, not the least of which should be the power of the company behind that agent. One of the reasons I work with Park Square Realty is because of the high level of standards and quality in the agents here. We focus on getting our listings sold and we are succeeding!

In a recent company email we were given the following exciting stats:

1. Park Square Realty is by far the smallest company (# of agents) out of the top 5 in both categories below..

2. Park Square Realty is also the only locally owned (non-franchise) company out of the top 5 in both categories.

Seems like the "quality vs quantity" plan is truly working

Listings Sold (West Springfield, Agawam/Feeding Hills, Southwick &Westfield Combined)

#1. Park Square Realty...............................141 #2. Keller Williams Realty.......................... 129 #3. Coldwell Banker...................................116 #4. Century 21 Nolan.................................. 71 #5. Carlson GMAC...................................... 38

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Market Share - All Firms
Report Run: 12/1/2008 7:00:40 PM Property Type(s): SF, CC, MF, LD, CI, BU, RN, MH Start Date: 01/01/08 End Date: 12/01/08 Towns: Agawam, Westfield
Company Listed & Sold Units $ Vol Listed/Not Sold Units $ Vol Sold/Not Listed Units $ Vol Total Units $ Vol Sides %/$ Vol 1 Park Square Realty Westfield, MA 01085 37 17,193,228 72 16,826,229 41 8,605,250 150 42,624,707 187 16.57 2 Coldwell Banker Waltham, MA 02451 26 12,431,200 61 13,084,825 56 13,984,305 143 39,500,330 169 15.35 3 Keller Williams Realty Longmeadow, MA 01106 21 8,532,226 65 15,241,100 59 13,089,196 145 36,862,522 166 14.33 4 Century 21 A-1 Nolan Realty West Springfield, MA 01089 10 2,621,900 38 8,696,450 49 9,557,400 97 20,875,750 107 8.11 5 Carlson GMAC Real Estate Beverly, MA 01915 10 3,712,800 19 4,203,400 21 4,548,500 50 12,464,700 60 4.85

Source of information: MLS-PIN

If you are ready to make a move, call Lesley Lambert, The Real Estate Natural at Park Square Realty.

As I meet with clients these days the #1 question is "What about all the news about the plummeting home values?" It is with pleasure and certainty that I am able to reassure people with real estate in Westfield, MA that the news isn't as bad for us as it is for people in other areas of the country.

Here are the stats:

Westfield, MA Average Sales Price in 2008 = $225,560

Westfield, MA Average Sales Price in 2005 = $241,015

Percentage of downward change from 2005 to 2008 = 6.4%

That's right...while other areas in our country are suffering with up to 50% drop in value, we are experiencing a much milder adjustment in Westfield, MA.

So, if you were thinking about making a move and were unsure as to what has happened to your property value, this is some reassurance. As a real estate agent with Park Square Realty in Westfield, MA, I would be happy to meet with you to discover the specific value for your property. Contact me today for a free consultation!

I have recently been doing a lot of research and testing with SEO and trying to gain ownership of area search phrases, such as "realtor, Westfield, MA" I am a total newbie, but I have been spending a lot of time educating myself here on activerain.

While searching for my company's name, Park Square Realty, I came across www.merchantcircle.com and decided to try adding myself to their directory.

I created a profile for myself in Westfield, Massachusetts and within one day I had another listing on the first page of google...too easy!

Visit my profile to see how it works...we can add each other as connections for referral potential, too!

Is this the sign that you want buyers to see?

If your listing has expired with one or more REALTORS and you still want or need to sell then you need to be very careful with your next agent or the impression that the public will get is just that....STILL for sale. Long term listings can cause a property to have a stigma within the public eye, one that can keep the right buyer from even looking at the home.

So, how do you choose the right agent to take your move to the finish line? Here are a few suggestions:

*Look for the agents that are using new and non-traditional marketing. Someone with a creative use of marketing will be more likely to see something new and exciting in your home.

*Research local agents on the internet. Look at their websites, their blogs, their online presence will tell you a lot about who they are and how they work.

*Find an agent who is able to help stage (or can connect you with a stager) the property for re-marketing as part of the refresh.

*Ask the agent if they will hold a broker's open house after the home has been refreshed. The fastest way to change the perception of the home is to convince the area brokers and agents.

Is your Western Massachusetts home recently expired? Call me today to schedule an appointment for me to do my "Expired Listing Checklist" with you. Very often I can pinpoint the exact reason that a home hasn't sold.

Lesley Lambert, Park Square Realty, 413-575-3611

www.therealestatenatural.com