Lindsay Hart, @ RE/MAX In Motion,

First let me set up the scene... at RE/MAX In Motion we post our listings to the Ithaca craigslist. It is a very popular craigslist and it's proved to be successful. So this morning I get a frantic phone call from one of our agents - she says that her seller saw their property on craigslist for rent! So I think, "how can that be? I definitely posted it for sale by broker over a week ago." Then the agent tells me that when an inquiry is sent to the poster a response is sent about being in Nigeria and just send money and you can move in! YEAH RIGHT!

So after some detective work I found the fraudulent post... basically the poster stole the information from either the original & correct craigslist post or from some other tertiary website. They were advertising the house for rent... a two bedroom two bath house in Ithaca NY for $850 a month - Yeah right! Here is the text of the email I received from the fraud poster - I'm posting it so other agents can be aware of what is happening.

This unique and beautiful property is well located and it's available now. I am a diplomat, i have just been recently transfered here in Nigeria, West Africa to serve with the United States High Commission, i am here with my wife for a 3-year term. The address of the property again is _____________, Ithaca NY 14850 and square footage is 1489. We have decided to rent it out because we will be out for a long time and we do not want to keep it vacant. Before we departed the States, we searched for a God fearing and reputable agent who can take good care of the house, but we couldn't get anyone then due to the limited time we had before our journey, we left with the keys and papers of the house. I'm willing to rent out the property to a tenant who is able to come up with the security deposit and first month rent upon moving in and I will like to be assured that the house will be properly managed. I will be sending the keys and the paperworks to you soon so you can have access to the inside of the house but before then, you can take a drive by to see the house and it's surrounding at your earliest convenience until you receive the keys and the paperworks. God bless you. Sean Turner. +234-808-647-0889. tlynnproperty@yahoo.com

I have never seen or experienced anything like this before. Oh and the house is not vacant...

The silver lining--- craiglist has an 'abuse' email address and a few minutes after I alerted them to the post they removed it.

Moral of the story... agents beware!

http://jvhomes.typepad.com/propertycast_madison/2008/10/nov-4th-is-election-day--stephen-colbert-picks-the-winner.html

If you are counting lawn signs...yes.... REMAX is leading!

Tompkins County woke up to much cooler temperatures this week - a foreshadowing of winter to come. I don't mind the winter; I welcome it. There is just something 'cozy' about the cold temperatures and winterscapes. But we did have a beautiful beginning to autumn- warmer temperatures and beautiful foliage.

So what does this have to do with real estate in Tompkins County? Winter is universally known as a time of year when real estate slows down. I'd like to debunk that myth. Real estate is a changing/shifting market - it is not static. Buyers and sellers and sometimes their emotions dictate the dynamics of the market. Contrary to popular complaints, real estate agents and professionals do not set the prices for the market; buyer's do. That's what market price is --- what a buyer is able to pay for a property. In other words - the actual selling price of a property. Market value (what a property's listing price is) is set by the seller after a comparative/competitive market analysis is done.

Anyway, I digress.

Back to the real estate market in the winter.... it's not a taboo time of year for real estate. It's an ideal time of year to buy. In most cases, sellers are looking to sell before the end of the year and they welcome offers. That doesn't mean that the Tompkins County real estate market isn't in"dire straights". And if you are looking to 'steal' a property, you probably aren't gonna find it here.

So, statistically here's what's going on with Real Estate in Tompkins County...

Statistics from the Ithaca Board of Realtors MLS.

Granted 2008 isn't over yet but this can give you a pretty good idea of what's going on in terms of residential sold properties.

Stay tuned...

But I'm finding it sometimes frequently difficult to find the words and create a post...unless you are interested in hearing about the squirrel that I'm watching run acoss the roof of the building next door to us...

I digress.

Maybe it's because I'm not 'out there' selling and taking buyers around. I miss out on those fun stories and encounters. But I do get to hear some stories, second hand from, as I lovingly call them, "my realtors" (the bunch that I manage). I keep telling some of them that they could write books full of short stories.

I digress.

It's a quiet Tuesday afternoon here in rainy, cloudy upstate New York.

I am a veteran of the customer service industry. It all started back when I was a teenager working in the restaurant business and continued throughout college and even after graduation. I was a waitress; THE MOST customer service oriented business, in my humble opinion. So, of course, I'm naturally inclined to be tuned in on customer service. I'm wondering though, if you can really teach customer service or is it something you just have a talent for? Kind of like the 'comedy gene' --- some people are just naturally talented and funny, some aren't. I'm wondering if customer service is like that?

I've been into many retail shops and restaurants where the customer services is either non-existent or the wait staff is horribly rude or unfriendly and I just think to myself "why?". Don't they realize that I'm going to tell everyone about my horrible experience and/or recommend to all of my friends that they never go into that shop/restaurant? I just wonder if it's laziness or do they really not know that customer service makes or breaks a business? I also think it [customer service] goes beyond being attentive - it's also about the attitude you present and genuineness. It's about exceeding a consumer's expectations in a big way.

I am thinking about customer service this morning because real estate is a customer service oriented business. And I'm always thinking about business and how to grow it and make it better. I've always been a big proponent of customer service and I think it's the most important part of any business, especially real estate. Of course you need to be educated and licensed, but that's the easy part. Dealing with people and their emotions when it comes to buying or selling their home--- that's where real talent comes in.

So it brings me to my point about real estate, customer service and the purpose of the business... The true purpose of a business is to serve. Money is a byproduct. All it tells you is how well you are serving and strengthening others.