Sondra TenClay

"Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it, it is what the client or customer gets out of it."

--Peter Druke

I had an interesting conversation earlier this week that prompted some thought about service and quality. These are buzz words that seem to be everywhere. Researchers tell us that consumers are becoming immune to advertising in the traditional ways and that they are increasingly aware of and avoiding shoddy service and quality.

The conversation I had was with one of the owners of a local hardware store located in Hudsonville MI. Gemmen's was established over 50 years ago and has been family and locally owned throughout. With over 42,000 square feet of retail space, their motto is "More than just a hardware store!" Folks throughout the area are familiar with the Gemmens' reputation for service and quality. Whenever I need something that my husband might send me to find, I go there because I am assured that I will be dealing with someone who is knowledgeable and available to answer my questions.

One of the recent challenges for this great business is the arrival of a number of "big box" stores all within a reasonable driving distance. Gemmen's has continued to compete by being members of a large buying group and with their great reputation for superior customer service, a repair and parts department, and knowledge about their products.

The owner shared with me that recently a customer approached him in the store to request a discount on a snow blower to match that of a "big box" offer. Following would be a request to assemble the snowblower (not done at the "other" store) and then to load it into his vehicle! THEN, reaching the vehicle, they realized it wouldn't fit so they partially dismantled the blower to fit in the vehicle. All this at no extra charge! Should this gentleman ever need service on the blower he will be able to get that at Gemmen's. Compare that to the experience he would have had at the "other" store! Small pricing difference, loaded on a cart in the box unassembled, maybe assisted with the box into his vehicle, assemble on his own at home and hope it works, find someone to service it if needed since he can't do that at the "other" store. He'll probably bring it to Gemmen's!

I, for one, am saddened by the demise of the smaller service-oriented businesses. We all want a good deal but at what cost? Will we miss the friendly smile from someone who knows our name and actually leads us to the exact item we seek? Will our expectation of service only be to have help getting our package out the door? Will anyone care if things aren't as expected?

There are parallels in real estate as well. The old adage "you get what you pay for" applies in so many aspects of our daily lives. If you are looking for the cheapest, it's always there, but sometimes you end up paying for it in lots of other ways...time, inferior service or product, emotional expense, lack of results....and more.

Copyright 2008 Sondra TenClay All rights reserved.

I recently had an interesting experience with a "professional ?" REALTOR in my market. I share this because I think that often the public perceives us as "order takers" and often we are to blame for that perception!

Last summer I listed a beautiful property and I went about marketing the property in a manner and in places that I felt would appeal to the target buyer pool. I spent a good amount of time on the MLS listing input and considered my comments carefully attempting to describe the unique features of this property. I also spent time to take photos that told the story of this property.

Fast forward a few months and suddenly my sellers are in bankruptcy and letting me know that they are leaving town and essentially abandoning the property.

Recently I received a phone call from my fellow REALTOR late in the evening. He calls to ask me if I will drop a key for the property off at his office! REALLY? Are you kidding me? Apparently he can't make it over to my office! When told that I didn't have a key, he asked for the past owners' phone numbers. Further, when told that I no longer knew their whereabouts he asked me how I thought he was going to access the property on behalf of the bank! I'm not kidding!

OK, so all of this may seem only somewhat annoying on a late night as I'm trying to relax. Only it just keeps getting better! Recently I was doing some research on properties for a buyer client and remembered my previous listing which might be a good fit so I pulled up the listing on the MLS. To my surprise I find the listing looks almost identical to mine! My carefully crafted comments have been cut and pasted exactly into his listing! It's clear imagination is lacking here!

I emailed the agent to suggest that he "consider writing his own comments on the listings that he takes and refrain from using those of others". His reply was to thank me and let me know that he would discuss it with his assistant! Apparently that discussion went no where since all the comments remain unchanged.

I'm not flattered when you take my work and attempt to make it look like yours! Have you no creativity of your own?

I just returned from a meeting with sellers who have a home to sell that they no longer occupy. They have purchased another home and have physically and mentally moved on. Except for this one small detail...they have a home to sell!

The odds are daunting. In their price range there are 22 homes for sale in the surrounding area, only 2 have sold in the past 12 months. Of all of the units sold throughout our Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in the Grand Rapids area, only 2% of the properties sold were in this same price range. That means at the current level of activity we have a 10 year supply!

Our discussion was frank and to-the-point. They have been under contract with a company who charged them a flat fee to have the property on the MLS but did no marketing for them. In fact they agreed to a $65,000 price reduction and it never was reported to the MLS! How's that for getting what you pay for? Six months later they still own their home along with all of the ongoing maintenance costs, taxes, utility bills etc. In today's market it is clear that one needs every advantage possible to expose a property to as many potential buyers as possible. Marketing and positioning need to be aggressive! This is no time for thin skin....it's time to roll up sleeves and get things in order.

The property has lots of wall paper which needs to be removed and walls repainted. While it may have been perfect for the sellers, most buyers can't see past the pattern and imagine their own décor. I suggested the use of a property stager so that the house will show at its greatest advantage and buyers will feel like this is a "home". Remember, most buyers buy what "feels good". It's unfortunate that these things weren't suggested months ago.

Sometimes sellers will push back and tell me that their home is perfect and doesn't need to be updated, neutralized or redecorated. My suggestion then is to suggest they visit the competition which may be staged, redecorated, freshly painted or even brand new. With so many choices buyers become very discriminating and reject homes that don't hook them right when they come in the door. Little details can make a big difference.

I may not always tell you what you want to know but I will always tell you what you need to know! After all, isn't that what you really want?

It's a gorgeous day here in West Michigan and we are in the midst of the fall season.

I think it's my favorite season of the year. The colors of fall are the color palette of my home and I find them warm and restful....greens, browns, purples, oranges, reds, yellows. The mixture is breathtaking on a bright sunny day against the blue sky.

There's something about autumn that make people stop and take in the wonder of the world around them. The air is different...crisp and fresh and frosty mornings sometimes take your breath away. The sky is bluer, the air clearer and the grass greener.

Last week I drove to Traverse City, Michigan and enjoyed the views on my way. Black cows juxtaposed against a golden field surrounded by flaming trees casting long fingered shadows as the sun dropped in the west. Deer grazing for corn left behind by farmers weeks ago. The evergreens creating a backdrop for the bright sentries lined against them in the form of maples, oaks, sumac, etc.

A walk along the shores of Lake Michigan finds quiet solitude during these days when the summer visitors have returned to normal schedules of jobs and school. The water is green gray against the intense blue of sky and the sand is crunchy and firm beneath my feet. Water and sand smoothed chunks of wood are plentiful and here and there a stone smoothed to a perfect oval awaits discovery.

Night comes earlier in these weeks but my drive home reveals a perfect maple tree reflecting the dropping sun and casting long shadows down the street. In a day or two its leaves will drop and only a skeleton will remain to wait for spring's new leaves. In the meantime I need to take time to enjoy the Creator's brushstrokes while they last.

I am reminded that all of life is like that. I get so busy with the rushing and the routines that I often forget the journey is not the destination....it's the experiences all along the way! Some of those are breathtaking and very short and I need to make sure to enjoy those moments as they come along.

I just returned from visiting my oldest daughter and her husband in California. Our first grandchild arrived on September 27th so our new grandson, Whitaker, was the star attraction of our visit!! I've heard that grandparenting is the best but words hardly describe the feeling of holding a grandchild for the first time!

While there the headlines were all about the financial crisis and the ups and downs of the stock market. The saying goes that "if it bleeds, it leads" and the media certainly never gives us a breather from day to day.

I remember when my daughter and husband planned their move to California last April and considered buying a home there. Was it wise to do so now or was it better to wait for the "bottom", whatever that was? They decided to take advantage of the downturn in the market and were able to purchase what they wanted for much less than if they had purchased a couple of years earlier. I tried to remind them that no one would know where the bottom of the market was; by the time anyone recognized the bottom it would be too late. Reminding them that you can't buy where the market "was" only where the market "is", I suggested they could enjoy their new house now and make it their home.

As I watched them in the last week I was reminded that a personal residence is more than a house, an investment or tax deduction. It is the "home" that we begin to personalize almost as soon as the first box is opened. It includes the nursery that is lovingly and carefully decorated to which we will bring our newborn son. It's a yard we make ours and and is the place our dogs will play and roll and where we will entertain our new friends and neighbors. It is the place we return to each night after a long day of work. It is the place where we make the many memories that will last a lifetime.

I always counsel the buyers with whom I work that if they can't see themselves in a house for a least 4-5 years than it probably isn't right for them. But I also remind them that one can buy a house....never can we BUY a home....we make that for ourselves!