Russell Lewis, Broker,CLHMS,GRI

August 24th was the 18^th annual celebration of The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Contest here in Austin, Texas. The event featured many vendors who promoted their sauces along with individuals vying for glory in the hot sauce world. The organizers raise money and collect food for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. Attendance is free, but patrons are asked to bring non- perishable donations for the bank. It is supposedly the largest Contest and Festival of its kind and I have entered in fourteen of the contests since the beginning eighteen years ago! I arrived early with three entries, one for each category; Red, Green and Special category. I was joined by Ted Fick-C and Tom Spradling-R and as we told stories about past events & swapped "tastes" I knew I was in trouble right away because my green entry was not near Tom's (he even grows his own peppers)! When I tried Ted's I was amazed, It was so complex and he smokes/roasts his veggies for SEVENTEEN hours. It was a red entry but I think it would have dominated in the special category commercial. And we were the first of 600 entries!

We like it Hot and Spicy in Texas and it's been that way for years. Chili peppers and the thousands of variations of salsas, sauces and pico-de-gallos testify to the unending search for the best combination to dip your tortilla chip (or literally anything else you might choose). Although I like hot & spicy I still maintain that "if it's too painful, it ain't good".

So where do you draw a line? For J.P. Hayes, founder of Sargent Pepper's, an Austin sauce-making company, it's off the charts. J.P. has set up a booth at the festival every year since it started! We both realized that we were probably the only people attending wearing the original T-shirt from the event's first year. The first two years, the festival was billed as a contest between Austin and San Antonio but Austin ran away with the event both times and from then on it was just "The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Contest. Austin became the mecca for individuals, restaurants and commercial bottlers from all over the state seeking fame and salsa fortune! Several thousand people attended and lined up for free samples from many of the restaurants and commercial bottlers as well as a huge tent displaying some of the hundreds of individual entries.

The Food Network was also on hand to record the show and interview the restaurants, Commercial bottlers and each of the winners who took part! The entries are evaluated by a panel of celebrity judges who are given a group of the final samples after the bulk are tasted by a preliminary group of "tasters" (a job NOT suited for the faint hearted). I already mentioned that I have entered this event many times and I need to say I have only received an honorable mention in the special category for a fresh Peach/Red pepper salsa my daughter and I entered in 2007. The rivalry is as fierce as it is overwhelmingly large! This year we entered the individual category with a new version of the salsa we entered last year and I also made a red and green version. I always like the festivities and attend for the fun as well as the possibility of actually placing but my daughter decided to stay home and avoid the crowds and heat! Later, I almost missed the announcements and when I managed to arrive at the stage, Tom Spradling, Farrell Kubena (partner with Torchy's Tacos) and Elizabeth Derczo (event organizer extraordinaire) were all excitedly saying that my daughter and I had taken 2^nd Place in the special category!!! By the time I managed to check in at the awards desk and pick up our prize the Food Network folks had already moved on so I missed my chance at 30 seconds of fame on TV and that is fine. I plan on returning again (with my daughter) and competing for 1^st Place and I hope you can make it too!

Some of the winners are pictured below left to right: Russell Lewis, Mike Rypka and friend of Torchy's awards in two restaurant categories, Kevin and Jill Lewis of Austin Slow Burn who won 1^st in the individual special category as well as awards for the Commercial Bottlers too!

Complete list of winners in each category: http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Market/HotSauce

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

Something Very Different!

I just watched the most fascinating new clip on CBS Sunday Morning. Ford Motor Company commissioned an artist and musician to build instruments from the parts of two of the companies Ford Focus models. Not only that but they also assembled a group of musicians to perform a piece especially written for the instruments to be used in an ad for the company. Click heref or an interview with Bill Milbrodt, the creator of ‘The Car Music Project'band who led the large team of incredibly talented people that included all of the Car Music Project band members. (William Trigg, Wilbo Wright, James Spotto, Eric Haltmeier) who built the instruments.

If you would like to see this extraordinary performance,here is a clip from YouTube:

Ford Focus "Beautifully Arranged"

Enjoy!

It is 102 degrees, the middle of August in Austin, Texas and IT IS HOT! I feel the sweat dripping down the small of my back as I step across the concrete to the edge of the pool. Looking back, I see my friend kicking off his sandals and realize he does not suspect anything unusual. I look out over the clear; inviting, incredibly beautiful water and pause...hesitating because I know what is coming. I turn and quickly push off before I lose my nerve, diving into the water. The crashing sound of the water and bubbles fills my ears as I slip beneath the surface. Almost immediately my body reacts in shock to the icy cold water and I struggle to the surface. It takes everything I can muster to not scream as the astonishing cold envelops my body. Actually it is such a complete jolt that I can only struggle for breath as I try to swim slowly away from the pools edge determined not to make a sound or let on what is happening.

After only a few moments my friend shouts "How's does it feel?" With great effort, I try to appear nonchalant and endeavor to answer in a calm voice "Come on in...the waters fine!" I turn away and try to deal with the intense temperature change from the heat of the day to the chill of the pool and not give away the "surprise"! Slowly treading water I watch as he takes a running jump from the edge of the pool and does a can-opener into the sparkling clear water. In a split second he surfaces in a roar of splashing water and as he flails about begins to shriek and well...he's not making as much noise as you would imagine because he is also gasping for air exactly the same wayI did a few moments earlier! I ahhhhhhh *#@# Oh sh*^%rggghhh ohh Nooooo %*$#* aiejhsgdb @$%%^@ is all he can manage to howl as he thrashes about and attempts to find the edge of the pool and relief from the semi-arctic chill freezing his astonished body! I am laughing as I swim further out to hopefully avoid any immediate retaliation from my friend. After a few moments he calls out and say. You are such a %#*&% but this is starting to feel pretty good! I start laughing and notice that several other nearby swimmers do the same. And so another person is introduced to the icy cold joy of a swim in Barton Springs Pool!

Barton Springs Pool has been a popular attraction for years since it became part of a city park in 1917. In 1929, workers enlarged the irregular-shaped pool to 1,000 feet long by building a concrete lower dam and sidewalks on both banks. In 1932, the city added an upper dam. Over the years the springs has been the site of a flour mill, a source of drinking water for many citizens and a popular location for baptisms, family picnics, social gatherings, musical performances, fishing and swimming.

The City Of Austin Website describes the history of the pool:
"Native Americans called them the Sacred Springs and came there to heal their wounds. Spanish friars believed to be the first European settlers in the Austin area set up three temporary missions at the springs in 1730-31 before they moved to San Antonio. In 1837, William "Uncle Billy" Barton, built his rustic cabin on a tract of land which included the springs. Since he owned several adjoining tracts, the area came to be known as the "Bartons". He named the three springs after his daughters Parthenia, Eliza and Zenobia. The largest spring became known as the main spring at Barton Springs Pool. Another spring feeds the Elks Amphitheater pool that Zilker built near the present day Barton Springs Pool. A third spring bubbles up from the Sunken Garden on the east side of the park."

Swimmers are incredibly loyal and the website talks about one particular fan:

"Beverly Sheffield, who served as director of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department from 1946-1973, swam at Barton Springs for 73 years, longer than any of today's regular swimmers. He began when he was 10 years old and on into his 80s, Sheffield continued to go the pool three days a week, weather permitting until his death."

Barton Springs Pool
Is the fourth largest natural springs in the state. and the crown jewel of Austin, Texas located within the 358 acres of Zilker Park. The pool is over three acres in size and is fed by natural springs that flow nearly 27 MILLION gallons of clear, icy cold water every day. The average temperature is 68 degrees year round (ironically this same chill is perfect for winter lap swimmers in the winter because the water is so much warmer than the air temperature during the colder months.)

But you will not get me in that pool in the winter!

Almost every person who has ever visited the city hears about the pool one way or the other from a native or previous visitor.While working on the post for this blog I spoke with a number of swimmers and sunbathers and most all had been coming here for years but there I did meet a group who were experiencing the pool for the first time. All were amazed at the incomparable beauty because although these pictures are beautiful (some taken my me but the best ones by my associate Tom Coplen) you really have to see and experience it to believe it. Every time I stop by for a swim I still search for words to adequately describe the experience and usually end up falling short.

Oh...I almost forgot, my friend did forgive me while still threatening to maintain the option of getting even with me at a future date. Later when my friend and I are joined by our wives at the pool, he tells me in a hushed tone "Don't say anything, I want to pull the same stunt on my wife" and so it goes on and on.

Come on in...the water's fine!

Hello...hello??? Are you open today?

I walk out from the kitchen to see the woman cautiously peering through the door and say "Sure...Come on in! There IS an Open House sign out front and several more planted at various nearby intersections so it should be obvious. The woman opens the door further and steps in followed by a man who quickly darts into an adjacent room before I can begin to introduce myself and start some kind of conversation.

This was how it used to be!

What changed everything was the day a close friend repeated the title of this post "The sign said "OPEN HOUSE" but I felt like I was entering a Used Car Lot!What is worse is the fact that it was his home I was holding open that day! He went on to explain that though I was different in almost every way from his previous experiences with Realtors, Open House's always made him feel pressured. So here I am talking to a close friend who knows and trusts me and I realize that if he feels uneasy then imagine what the general public must think! The general public has all kinds of misconceptions, fears and misgivings when it comes to Realtors on many levels and open house are no different. Some of the reasons the public is uncomfortable with the Open House are well founded. Often new agents are stationed in the open house to find buyers. Nice concept but a hungry, inexperienced new agent and a person "just looking" is a prescription for failure. Sometimes an agent will hold a house open for the seller and does not want to be there and is only doing it to get the seller off of his back. Again, another situation that is not positive for the agent or anyone who walks into the house, with a genuine interest in the home and the market!

I still do a couple of houses a month but I have a completely different attitude and expectations!

1) I do not expect to sell someone this house today! (I do not care for pushy sales persons either!)

2) I always provide a list of similar homes in the area and a description that will help the prospects when they leave and "drive by" other homes in the area. It is alsoa good way to start talking!

3) I always welcome neighbors and over the years have developed a large clientele from the folks I have met at open houses. It is an incredible referral and information base.

4) I take my work and laptop with me to stay busy in case the time goes by s l o w l y...(It's a great time to catch up on Active Rain)

5) Because of my laid back attitude I actually end up working with 2 or 3 buyers a year and at least one listing.

6) The best thing that has happened is that I now post a sign on the front door that says in big red letters "This is NOT a Used car Lot" and some verbiage to put the prospects at ease. Now, when they walk through the door they are usually laughing and the folks that want to visit are more comfortable while the "lookers" do not have to scurry around avoing any sontact with the "Realtor".

There is not a neighborhood where this will not work. My most recent open houses ranged from $970,000 to $3,875,000 so don't take anything for granted or be afraid to use some humor and always know what your talking about (don't EVER fake it).

If your searching for a different approach (or attitude) try it and send me a comment later and let me know how it works out!

Sale! Sale! Sale

Everyone deals with this question on a fairly regular basis. "Will you reduce your commission? I do not like people getting into my back pocket but it is a reality and of course everything is negotiable. Here are some questions I ask of potential sellers.

•1) Would reduce your salary for the job you perform? This is what you are asking a Realtor to do and they also have to pay for all of their expenses, taxes and give a portion their commission to their broker.

•2) Selling your home is not just putting a sign in the yard, a listing in MLS and an ad in the paper. Do you realize that selling your home can be very stressful even in the best of situations? Do you know all the legal requirements in your state, the legal issues of proper disclosures and protocol?

•3) What services and marketing are you willing to forego for a reduction in commission?

•4) Do you understand the role of title companies, which lenders close on time, inspectors, appraisers and the many other people who will be involved in the sale of your home?

•5) Do you know that current statistics show that homes fail to sell, sell for less and take longer to sell with MLS Entry Only or limited service brokers?

•6) Do you have a marketing plan? What part of mine (marketing to agents, print ads, brochures, marketing to the public, online marketing, do you know about any of the online services and web sires beyond MLS and Realtor sites, and do you have your own website?

•7) Do you know anything about Active Rain?

That is a start and it is best to NOT belabor the point and instead concentrate on all the positives and what you will provide to EARN that commission. I do understand a seller's reluctance and somewhat distrustful attitude because there are plenty of people in real estate industry who do not perform up to professional standards. On the other hand there are many full time professionals who work diligently every day to earn every dollar for their services along with many satisfied customers who are glad they employed a real estate agent to help them with what (for most) is the single most important investment of their lives.

There was a recent program on 60 Minutes that dealt with discounting and commission cutting Realtors that sparked a huge number of emails and responses.

My favorite was from an anonymous Realtor:

"You can sell your home yourself, sell your car yourself, sell your body yourself; but will you fetch the best price?Also, are you going to want to deal with all of the associated hassles? Probably not. I've seen people attempt to sell their own homes and most of them I have converted into clients. They are gung-ho about the prospect of saving big bucks on real estate agent services, until they realize - and I know that some of you will have a hard time believing this - how hard real estate agents really work, especially in this market. They also realize how much money we pay in advertising when they attempt to list their homes for sale in the newspaper. Sure, we can make big bucks, but we also have huge expenses. And, I'm not only talking about the fancy cars we have to buy and maintain to impress you. No, it's the dues, the advertising, the desk fees, the insurance, the gas, etc., etc., etc. And, the hours, don't get me started. We take calls during movies, family birthday parties and weddings. Heck, an agent returned my call yesterday in between the funeral service and the burial! We work hard for our clients. Sure, there are some agents who are just in it for the money, but most of them are now in traditional jobs with guaranteed incomes. They went back to the "real world" after they realized that representing buyers/sellers is hard work and expensive.

Sell your own home. I don't care anymore than Nordstrom cares that you shop at Wal-Mart.

-Hard Working Realtor

In the end you may have to just let it go and move on to clientele that have a better grasp of business and a realistic attitude. It will save you a lot of time and unnecessary stress!

I look forward to other feedback and suggestions and thanks! Russell