Come rain, shine, or snow, yes snow, I am doing an Open House this weekend on my new listing! Come and check it out. 82 Covewood Place, Calgary, Alberta. This Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 2pm - 4pm.
http://www.realtor.ca/PropertyDetails.aspx?PropertyID=9401777
I received a called from a seller, who wants to sell their home. They received my name from a friend, (referrals - I love them, they are the best business - Thank-you!) So, I went to meet them on Saturday, and of course I had dug in deep and had a lot of the homework done ahead of time. After an unsuccessful attempt at selling their home earlier with a Realtor, they were looking for some new energy, feedback and suggestions, as to how to get their home/real estate sold.
After looking at the homework, it looked to me that the home did not sell because of price. I felt, before seeing it, that it was listed a bit high. So, the first thing I wanted to do was to educate the sellers, (it is all about education and information - the more the client understands, the better decisions they can make). I showed up at their door, and after the formalities, asked they had seen their competition in person. Of course the answer was "no", and so invited them to come with me and take a look at some of the other homes on the market, that buyers would be comparing their home to. I took a quick look around their home, and then we were off. We looked at about 5 other homes in the area, (with buyers eyes on), we compared homes, prices, features, so that when we came to talking about their home, it was not just me blowing a bunch of hot air, but rather they now know what is out there as well.
As it turned out, their home is the nicest to choose from, and had a number of features that the other homes did not. Unfortunately, not all of these features were mentioned in the previous listing. So, why didn't their home sell before? I have an answer to that as well, actually a couple of suggestions.
First, to all sellers:
1. Curb appeal - is the outside of your home clean, tidy, and free of debris?
2. Smell - does your home smell clean and fresh? If you smoke in it, or have animals, you may want to ask someone to be honest with you about the smell of your home. You cannot always smell what others can.
3. Declutter - pack it, your moving anyway!
4. Staging - yes, it is true, and you also need to know, that most of us do not live in staged homes. They are two different looks.
5. Furnace and duct work - is it clean, and has it been maintained? This will give you an idea of how the rest of the house may be.
6. Animals - do you have them, maybe it is time to consider removing them from the home until your home sells? Just a suggestion...
So, after a few suggestions to my sellers: of painting, reorganizing some furniture, and having the furnace professional cleaned, (which the seller greatly appreciated), I am expecting a quick sale on this lovely Calgary home.
Take care for now...
I had a listing appointment to meet with a couple who is considering selling their 1 bedroom condo in Citadel, Calgary, AB. This is in the North west (NW) part of the city; a new building/complex only a few years old. I did all the homework I could, before I went over to meet with them. I pulled and looked at the title, CADS, survey plans, assessments, their old MLS listing, the actives, the solds, our Calgary market now, and other considerations. I had a pretty good idea of what I was heading into, and I knew it didn't look that great for the sellers.
After sharing my information with them, I discussed what their options were; luckily, they had some. One of their options was to sell the home taking a 20 thousand dollar loss, or keep it and continue to rent it out. I always like to give my client options, they have to be in control of their situation and at the same time understand the ratification that come with their decisions. (Working with the client together, not doing real estate to them).
As it turns out, these sellers were renting the unit out to a family member, (the best kind of tenant), who did not need to move. We discussed the rental arrangement as well, having it be a family member, allows them to keep a close eye on the unit, making sure the unit is being taking care of and maintained. On that note, we discussed a few improvements that they may want to start to take on now, so that when the time comes the majority of the work will already be done.
Luckily for my clients, they are able to wait this out a little, and we can reassess in a years time. I love it when I am able to help client make a decision that they are comfortable and happy with, as it makes for a better relationship on my end as well. Not a pay check for me now, and it would have cost me time and money, but rather doing what is right by my clients, and in the end, we will all have a win- win situation. I love being a Realtor. Talk you soon!
On one of my websites, there is a section that I could fill out "About My Blog". Interesting... I opened it and looked at it. Wrote a blog, and thought, I should also post it to active rain...
About my blogs... ok, let me think.
For a while now, I have been saying that I need to be blogging. I do believe that, but I do still find it a bit overwhelming, and therefore don't do it as much as I would like. I do have a number of ideas for blogs, but trying to get them on paper does take a bit of time. I do actually have a few good "stories", that I share in my in buyers and sellers presentations, about experiences and things I have learned along the way, (here in Calgary, Alberta). My plan is to share those experiences with you, my readers, to help educate you on not only the situations at hand, but also to learn a bit more about who I am and how I work my business, how I treat my clients, my ethics and values, and what I can really do for you.
So, that being said, look for my new blogs, and please feel free to contact me with questions and comments. I'd really like to be able to help you, your family, and your friends with real estate.
I have been very busy lately working with clients, and that gives me the perfect excuse to not be working on my taxes. But over the last couple of days, crunch time, it is time I looked the books straight in the eye, and get it done.
I'd like to thing I'm pretty organized, but the realty is that priority items take precedence, and the fine tune item of organizing the financial entry's falls to the way side. The minimum gets entered into quicken, enough to notice that yes all the bills have gotten paid, and because everything seems to working, I just keep trucking along.
Then the calendar flips to a new year, and I start thinking "I need to get focused and fine tune quicken so my Tax Accountant does ask me to go elsewhere". A few weeks pass, nothing gets touch, a few more weeks go by, and now I'm really starting to really think about it. I even call up my Tax Accountant and set up an appointment, thinking that will get me moving and get it done. This year my business really did pick up, and of course I'm going to choose to be with clients over taxes. So, a few more weeks go by, and then I end up calling to reschedule the appointment. Ok, my appointment is next Thursday, and I'm not rebooking it for a third time!
So the last couple of days, I've been going through the transactions. Entering them into quicken, categorizing them, and really looking at them. Because this all comes at once, entering things month after month, I really have no choice to but put some good thought into where my money is really going! It is scary, actually, and yes, I did sign up for a couple of things last year, that I shouldn't have! Lesson be learned, stop doing that, It is costing a lot of money!
Tomorrow, one of the first things I'm going to do, is to make a couple of phone calls, and cancel the subscriptions! Also, I need to remember, DO NOT sign up for any other "you gotta have it to increase your real estate business schemes". Ok, I think I get it, at least for the next little bit...
Professional Real Estate Solutions: for the first time buyers and the seasoned home owners. Ceritfied Condominium Specialist. Accredited Buyers Representative
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