Greg Nino Houston Texas

When I advise my sellers about "odors" I always ask them to refrain from spraying bottles of anything except Lysol. Even that should be used sparingly. A cap full off mister clean in the toilets prior to leaving the house gives it that clean smell. But this is my preference as a listing agent.

People have feelings about scents don't they? Many people dislike the smell of Curry. They feel this odor will somehow linger in the walls of the home for eternity. What about the stinch of cigars or cigarettes?

I DETEST the smell of flowers are anything that smells like them. I've been to way too many funerals in my life. When my mother died there must have been 150 bouquets of flowers surrounding her casket. The scent of "flowers" is forever burned in my memory. To this day when I smell Lilly's it turns my stomach. If I was buying a home, I'd most likely WALK-OUT if somebody sprayed the house with some type of flower stuff.

The same can be said for those flavored/scented candles. The smell of cookies, dougnuts or pouperi may brighten your day, but could turn off buyers! This includes burning inscents or drenching your furniture in FABREEZ!

It's always best to appeal to the masses.

I do however like the smell of clean clothes from the dryer. Every once in awhile I'll take a couple of dryer sheets and place them on the intake of our air conditioner. In minutes the whole house smells nice.

What do you think?

Every time I schedule showings I run across the same scenario. Under agent remarks (not viewable to the public) it says ..  "MOTIVATED SELLER or SELLER LOOKING AT ALL OFFERS! BONUS, HURRY."

One might assume with these aggressive flashes that seeing the home would be a no brainer!

Can You Say Wrong Answer Alex?

Time and time again sellers will deny a showing because:

A. The house isn't perfectly clean.

B. Somebody isn't feeling well.

C. They are waiting for a furniture delivery.

D. They are working on the house (roof, or some other repair).

E. The have friends or family over.

It's imperative that sellers realize that MOST agents do not reschedule a showing! Usually a buyer will pick something else and your house will be skipped over for good.

Most buyers agents and their buyers are happy to look past a crying baby, messy kids room or your visiting handy man. THEY JUST WANT TO SEE THE FLOOR-PLAN.

It's never a great idea to cancel a showing. The message is that you don't want to sell, at least not that day. Help your Listing Agent by allowing the home to show. Besides, you agreed to do it by signing the listing agreement.

Spencer Rascof, COO of Zillow was recently interviewed by CNBC. The interview was very interesting. For a moment I was wondering if this was an interview or a news editorial version of celebrity roasting.

To Zillow's defense, I thought they finished strong by saying.. "Think about your individual market."

Zillow advertises a free online Zestimate. An immediate "value estimation" of your home. It's important to know that Texas is a non-disclosure state. What this means is that Zillow does not technically have access to readily SOLD properties, but rather initial loan amounts. This is public data. You can find this on our local MLS. Since 100% financing is gone, just about every borrower is required to put "something down" unless they're paying cash or going VA. The local Zestimate in Texas is by my opinion worthless.

More importantly, Real Estate is VERY, VERY local.The Greater Houston Metropolitan area is certainly influenced by national & regional trends, but comparables sales are extremely neighborhood specific. What sells in Cypress Texas may sell for much different in Kingwood Texas.

In my opinion, national real estate media opinions are great for entertainment or for something to listen to for "background noise" while you get a hair cut or clean the house. Consider the source.

During the interview Spencer Rascof states that 1/5th of all homes are "under water on their loans." Really? Not in my neighborhood, not even close. Out of the 30 or so friends and acquaintances I have, NOT ONE of them are suffocating or drowning in their loan. I would know.

Spencer, the COO of Zillow also claims that by Zillow standards that THE MEDIAN VALUE OF EVERY home in the country is down 14% year over year. In my neighborhood values have actually INCREASED by as much as 3%. In fact, MANY neighborhoods throughout Houston have either remained flat or have sold for more or less than the year before. Houston is a great market because we do not have the huge increase in appreciation thereby limiting our downswing. REMEMBER that 60% of all foreclosures were in OTHER MARKETS like California, Arizona, Florida and Illinois! & NOT HOUSTON TEXAS!

As of RIGHT NOW, I have 5 properties, about to be 8 under contract. Of those five, THREE will sell for FULL price and notably (above national guesstimates.) OH, my sellers live in HOUSTON TEXAS and are very satisfied with my original suggested list price. In fact, they were surprised that I told them that their home was worth MORE than the online estimates they GOOGLED.

Remember, like Spencer stated: --->"THINK ABOUT YOUR INDIVIDUAL MARKET"<---

Contact a licensed Realtor in your market for accurate comparable sales that are reliable, informative and helpful when listing your home.

For what it's worth, I wish Texas was a full disclosure State so Zillow would be empowered to provide better information to Texas consumers for that initial request.

I remember when I purchased my first home. It was like a horrible blind date where I spent way too much money, left disappointed, and felt as though I wasted my time. The agent we used sat in her chair like a wooden Indian while we signed a new home sales contract. Today, I know what I would have expected had I known then what I know now...

When you hire a Realtor to help sell your home you should expect a number of different things during the interview process:

1. Decide if you want a full-time or weekend warrior (part-time) Realtor. Most part-time agents will argue that they do just as good of a job as a full-time Realtor.

• As a full-time agent I involve myself with what I do 7 days a week. My focus is Real Estate, not another career. Nuff said.

2. Remember that the Realtor who's sitting across from you at your kitchen table is interviewing for a job. Their demeanor, attire, attitude, professionalism, knowledge, pay request, ability, confidence all are critical. Hear what they are saying, but notice the details. It's your money.

3. Any Realtor who works with a local massive real estate machine should be asked... "Are you going to be taking care of me throughout this process?" If the answer is NO. Then realize the person you just interviewed is a REPRESENTATIVE only.

• You will likely be passed off to DEPARTMENTS. If you decided to use a TEAM, be sure to ask if they are available 7 days a week. Any office that "CLOSES" on the weekends WILL NOT do you any favors! Buyers see homes on the weekends and want answers to their offers! --->Closing at 5 p.m. on FRIDAY until MONDAY is STUPID.<----

• If you are told a receptionist answers the phone, then understand this too is <worthless.> receptionist cannot negotiate for a seller, present offers or discuss details of the contract with a buyers agent or a seller. Once again, this leaves you in the cold. Buyers do not want to wait. ESPECIALLY IN A BUYERS MARKET.

4. Always interview at least 3 Realtors. You'll be amazed at the different things you are told. Be cautions of any Realtor claiming to get you TOP DOLLAR in your neighborhood. While this may be true from time to time, it is critical that you know that many Realtors will use this as a way TO GET THE LISTING over other agents who are attempting to present to you a REALISTIC picture.

5. When presented with comparable sales understand the list you are viewing can be CUSTOMIZED. OOPS, Realtors may not want you to know that! When I visit a seller, I bring my laptop & Internet connection with me. **YOU SEE WHAT I SEE. REAL HARD DATA. NO FUZZY MATH.**

6. Does your agent work weekends? In my house, family comes first, but so does the mortgage. I am available 7 days a week. Make sure your agent is ALWAYS AROUND. -->Communication<-- is very, very critical in a real estate transaction.

7. Be specific about marketing & advertising.Many Realtors will boast about extensive marketing, but cannot produce enough PRODUCTIVE examples. A glossy photo of themselves in the local newspaper is NOT advertising if you ask me. EGO advertising does not sell houses. Online Advertising is where it's at. Did you know that over 90% of Texas buyers begin their search ONLINE? What's your listing agent doing ONLINE? A website? Not good enough.

• Multiple websites driving traffic from buyers
• Social media exposure driving consumers to your listing (ask for links)
• Contact Management Systems with LARGE databases of buyer prospects. (achieved through cultivating online buyer traffic).
• Posting of your site on at least 80 websites!

8. Is your agent a FULL SERVICE BROKER? Around the country needs and services are DIFFERENT. In my market when you list your home you're competing with over 50,000 listed properties! You get what you pay for. No matter what spin you put on it.

9. Do you like your agent? A strong, not good rapport will yield better results in my opinion. Buyers and their agents are more receptive to NICE PEOPLE who have GOOD PEOPLE SKILLS.

10. Tech savvy! If your agent is operating from the stone age, then expect archaic type results.

• A telephone that displays emails! Don't laugh, but you'd be surprised how many agents don't have online access with their cell. REMEMBER ->COMMUNICATION<- YOU WANT ANSWERS NOW.
• An agent who GETS the internet & its ever changing paths will yield you more showings!
• You don't have to have Wi-Fi or a portable printer to be VERY successful, but it sure helps!
• An awesome digital camera, scanner, printer and so on!

11. If your agent doesn't use a SCHEDULING SERVICE, DON'T HIRE THEM! Agents who put their CELL NUMBER DOWN FOR SHOWING REQUESTS are usually NOT available! When a buyers agent schedules a showing he needs to schedule a showing, not hit a voice mail. Scheduling Companies provide instant showing instructions.

12. MOST IMPORTANTLY...DOES YOUR AGENT KNOW HOW TO TAKE DECENT PICTURES? If you have ever visited your local MLS then you've probably laughed, scoffed and even asked yourself.. "What in the world?" Many agents take pictures with cheap cameras & even CELL PHONES. ASK your Realtor for PREVIOUS listing examples ONLINE.

Yesterday I signed up with DocuSign. A real estate transaction involves lots of paperwork, signatures, initials & the delivering of these documents to and from all parties involved.

Often, clients do not have a scanner or immediate access to one. A fax machine is easy to use, but almost always diminishes the quality & legibility and sometimes rendering the paperwork not usable.

Scanning is also great, but not everyone has the correct settings or file description causing enormous files that take a very long time to download on my end. Many times I'll receive a document as a JPEG instead of a PDF file.

To make life easier for my clients I subscribed to DocuSign. Endorsed by the Texas Association of Realtors & perfectly legal in all 50 states it allows you to sign, initial & add text simply by clicking your mouse. No need to worry, as when you receive a document you will be prompted with just a few short instructions that will guide you through the effortless process of getting your documents taken care of.

No longer will you have to drive to a Kinkos, borrow a neighbors fax or worry if it will be legible on the "other end." Take comfort in knowing that all you need is an Internet connection!

In today's real estate market technology, communication and consistency are paramount. Cutting edge products help me help you achieve your goal!

Greg Nino is your RE/MAX West & Northwest Houston expert.