Michael Lee

Here is a document I use to help people understand what a Realtor does...I am very interested in some input and your thoughts or how to improve it. Thanks in advance

Michael

www.frogrealty.net

www.pineyzsale.com

Thanks for taking a moment to review this information. I appreciate you investing time with me and want to be sure to do my best to serve your needs. With that in my mind, it seems beneficial to explain how I conduct business.

I can assist you with ANY property for sale, even though it may be listed with another Real Estate company or For Sale By Owner. Please remember, I will be happy to obtain any information you need. I will not receive credit if you contact the listing REALTOR or Real Estate Company who has the sign on the property! (Real Estate transactions have two sides, a listing side and a sales side. The listing REALTOR will still receive compensation from the "listing" side.) If you wish to see a "For Sale By Owner" please write down the address and phone number and contact me with that information so I can schedule our appointment.

My service to you as a buyer is FREE, as the REALTOR commission is already built into the asking price of the property, and is paid by the seller. My job is to get you the best price possible and assist you through a smooth transaction, as my business depends on referrals from satisfied customers! Once we find a property, I will handle all of the details for you, from writing your contract to attending your closing.

To assist you in deciding on a property, I can obtain a Seller's Property Disclosure statement that will give you detailed information about the property, comparable sale information, and a survey (if available) from the previous owner. Also, we can change research criteria, such as increase or decrease price, change square footage or garage requirements, etc., which will generate new options to review.

If you are looking to sell a property, please allow me the opportunity to explain how listing the property with me will make this sometimes difficult process as smooth as possible.

If you have any questions about this information please don't hesitate to call me. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you to find that special property or in selling your current one!

Kindest Regards,

Michael Lee, MBA, REALTOR

Frog Realty

850.339.9346

The final numbers are in for Tallahassee for 2008 and while they are not pretty there might be some room for optimisim. While sales did not equal or exceed the volume from 2007 they are approaching these figures.

In our case, Tallahassee sales in December 2008 were 84% of the 2007 figures. Again, while not exciting it is an increase over what we had been experiencing. One month does not a trend make, but when December is pretty good it does bode well for the year.

Stay tuned and we will see if rounding the corner is closer than we think.

Michael Lee

www.pineyzsales.com

www.frogrealty.net

National media tends to blend data which creates some information, while useful, that may not be meaningful to you and your neighborhood.

All the data is not always available, but when you look at some information on a neighborhood the story is not so bad. For instance if you look at my web page that tracks data for the Piney Z neighborhood in Tallahassee you will see that all the news is not bad. People are still receiving appreciation on their property.

In fact, the Tallahassee real estate market is not doing all that badly. Sales volume is certainly off but when it comes to appreciation, the norm is to have experienced moderated growth. Certainly not the double digit of some recent years past, but appreciation none the less.

Most of the listing on the Frog Realty website would be in this position. I believe most people have come to grips with the fact that double digit annual appreciation is not a sustainable position. But real estate still shows nice appreciation and therefore still makes for a great investment--especially when you live there!

File this under things are not as bad as they seem.

Michael Lee

www.frogrealty.net

www.pineyzsales.com

So sang the Beach Boys in 1963 and the principle is a great one to keep in mind for working with a REALTOR. Once you have made the decision to search for that perfect piece of real estate, here is something to avoid. Some folks, mistakenly, send out an army of REALTORS all with the assignment of finding their new home. Unbeknownst to the REALTORS in this scenario is the fact that other REALTORS have been given the same task. This situation may create some kind of blend between "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor" in your mind with the first REALTOR that finds your new homestead the champion!

Here is why this is not such a great idea...

First, and this goes against what you may have heard and is one of the secrets in the real estate business...REALTORS are people too! That is right; in fact they are each small business owners who are only remunerated when they assist someone in completing a real estate transaction. Realistically, when you employ this army of agents strategy, you are asking many people to spend time and money-their time and money working to meet your needs in what each believes to be an exclusive relationship.

So secondly, this goes against a sense of fairness. When a REALTOR is working for you they consider you to be their customer or client (differentiated by the REALTOR's status). They view you as having invited them to be your personal representative in the often times confusing world of real estate. If you do not think this is so, simply ask a prospective agent how they feel about the relationship. Tell them you are considering using multiple agents in your search and watch their reactions...this will create an uncomfortable business situation for most. Many will decline to move forward in this type of arrangement.

Lastly, it quickly becomes a confusing strategy. As hard as you try, you will not communicate the same information to multiple agents and they will each interpret what you say a little differently. It is difficult enough for anyone to work with one REALTOR through the process of defining, clarifying and organizing their wants, needs and desires. Repeating this effort with multiple agents is foreboding indeed and impossible to completely replicate. Also, the tools employed by a REALTOR are similar and you will undoubtedly receive some of the same information from different agents, making it a nightmare to credit the appropriate REALTOR.

So, as the song says, "Be true to your school now, just like you would to your girl or guy." Find a REALTOR you like and trust and work with them. Doing so will make your next real estate experience efficient, effective and enjoyable. If you decide to do otherwise, at least communicate what you are doing clearly to all the real estate professionals involved. That is being fair to all concerned.

NOTE: I am interested in feedback on this article. It was deemed too negative by my local board for publishing in the Tallhassee newspaper real estate section. What do you think? If you agree that it is negative, how could it be improved? When writing such an article, all I am trying to do is to put out ideas for the Tallahassee real estate market that are professional and maybe even thought provoking.

Michael Lee

Frog Realty

Well I experienced another first this weekend...one of my yard signs and rider were stolen. Now we do have a better than average looking sign at Frog Realty but really...what do people do with these? They are fairly heavy and as most Realtors know, larger than you might at first think. They would take up a lot of space in a dorm room.

Now this is Tallahassee and both FSU and FAMU had their graduations this weekend, but if a Frog Realty sign is on your list of memorable items from living in Tallahassee, then you need to get a life. We are good, some even say exceptional real estate professionals, but come on!

This sign was outside my farm area of Piney Z but was in a nice neighborhood, unfortunately not far from one of our high schools-that may be the answer. Anyway if someone really wants some Michael Lee memorabilia, all they have to do is ask!

PS-Great news for Tallahassee and Leon County real estate professionals! DickBetts is coming back to Tally in 2009! More will be posted when the details are available. Dick Betts rocks!