Loretta Terranella

Dare I say it? Yahoo! I just closed on a home today that had absolutely zero drama. Yes! No stress, no fuss, no hoop-la over repairs, no appraisal problems and no mortgage delays ! I was so overwhelmed that I bought a nice bouquet of flowers to welcome the new buyer into their beautiful new home. Not unusual you say? Well what if you knew that Loretta Realty was representing the seller. It seems that we sometimes do not take the opportunity to stop and smell the roses. Well, today I did just that. I was thankful and appreciative of the cooperation and unselfishness of the buyers of this property. And felt just as strongly about my wonderful seller.

I had an amazing agent on the back side of this transaction, two buyers who were madly in love with the home and a seller who said I'm ready to move. True of every transaction, yes? Well almost always, yes but the incredible difference about this transaction is that everyone always had everyone else in mind when a request was made or answered. You know, the do unto others or the what would I do? It was wonderful and so refreshing. No one in this transaction was just about themselves and their needs. And at the end of the day, guess what? Everyone still got what they wanted or needed from the transaction.

So today, I celebrate! I celebrate kind and open hearts. I celebrate good char-ma and yes, another paycheck. For anyone reading this email who is either buying or selling a home, just remember that sometimes its as easy as showing gracious hospitality and hopefully the sentiment will be returned x 2. And if it doesn't, don't give up. Today, I say I ask for a special blessing to the buyers of this home and may it bring them years of happiness. And to the seller, I hope their new life and home brings them ten times more happiness than the place they once owned. And to the agent who brought the buyer, I wish you every success. Cheers! And Yahoo!

It's almost time to head to Mexico and plant your feet in the sand, yes? After a few months of cold weather, people want to migrate south. As soon as they do, BAM! Yes, the contract comes in. You know it is going to happen even though that particular property hasn't had a showing in weeks. Then we contact the seller(s) and they run to the lobby of their hotel and scramble to find out how they can receive documentation at the hotel. Or the seller scrambles to find out how they can print out a document remotely and then fax or email it back to us. Next you can expect an entourage of phone calls back and forth trying to discern if the documents have been received on both ends, signed in all the right places and dated and so on. You know you almost always have at least one signature line or initial that is missed. And guess what? Without that consent, your not legally under contract. Oh BIG BUMMER!

Well guess what? Loretta Realty Group decided to "man up" and invest in a phenomenal software program for our clients who take that siesta in Mexico and for those clients who move to Florida before they sell. With Internet access, our clients just point and click and wallah, initials, signatures and dates are automatically inserted electronically and then the document is automatically forwarded back to us. We even get an email sent to our blackberry alerting us that the document was viewed. So if you can point and click, you can sign our documents from Mexico or a cruise in the Atlantic.

Now ask yourself why you would want to do business with someone who can't offer you that peace of mind and freedom? After all, one of the biggest reasons you decided to plant your feet in the sand was also to forget your problems for a little while too, right? So Choose Loretta Realty Group - Be Happy! No Worries, No Problems!

I can't believe we are headed into the Fall of 2009 already. Do you ever get the feeling that time is faster than it use to be? Even in the ups and downs of this year I have noticed that some things don't seem to change. Have you noticed the same?

A true real estate professional can predict the slow weeks of the year with their eyes closed. It really doesn't matter if the economy is good or bad, does it? The trends are still the trends and they are even more true. For instance, I could have told you that right around the start of school in Union County, that the traffic in my listings would be lower than the first of August. Why? Because the focus of the consumer shifts for obvious reasons. The economy or the housing market don't change these facts but rather validates them with even greater measure.

So for those of you currently contemplating waiting to sell your home until next year. Guess what? I will still have a great October and December this year, irregardless of the market. The "greatness" will be relatively to the current market but it will be great none the less in comparision to some of the slower months. And guess what? In the spring of 2010, if you wait to list your home, you will still be competing with the masses just like any other year. So take advantage of the trends this winter and sell your home when you are competing with only a fraction of the average housing market. Go for it! Your wallet may say you made a smart choice.

The market changes but the trends usually don't. So give me a buzz at 704-907-7613 and let's get your house or lot SOLD!

In these days and times, we certainly can find so much to be worried or depressed about. The economy, rising health care costs, high unemployment rates, loss of homes for so many and so on. Of course for many of us, our bad days are on a much more personal scale. You know a bad boss, a teenager who won't stay out of trouble, a client that you just can't satisfy, a disease that is making someone's life unbearable or just some jerk who rides your car bumper because they want you to go faster. It's so easy to let the big things or the little things just ruin your day, your month or even your year.

I would like to challenge you and myself to realize that it's all about our attitudes. It is not what the world does to us that make us sad, worried, angry or depressed. It's how we decide to react to it. It seems so simple doesn't it? But in fact, our own attitude is one of the hardest things to keep in a positive place each day. Scary but what comes out of our mouths is a direct reflection of where our attitude is at that moment.

So let's make a pack and let's start small because I believe goals should always be attainable and reaching a goal at any level will only inspire you to set more goals. The more goals you reach, the more we realize that anything is possible. Let's strive for (7) seven days of a positive attitude no matter what happens in our own little worlds. Seven days of saying, "Yes I can!" Seven days of smiling even when the other side of our brain just wants to hit a punching bag. Seven days of not uttering one negative word about anything or anyone. What do you say? Will you join me? Let me know if you found it easy or difficult.

WOW! Uncle Sam's first time home buyers tax credit is really contributing to our success in the real estate market today. My hope is that the program will continue but as of right now, your new home purchase must be completed by December 1, 2009. For your property owner virgins, it is a good time to evaluate the steps necessary to purchase a home because time is running out. You may never have another opportunity to collect $8,000 from Uncle Sam and that would buy a lot of furniture, pay off a debt, buy a car or perhaps a student loan in some cases. Whatever the case, its free money and if you are currently renting, it may be relatively easy to replicate your monthly rental obligation to an exact payment for home ownership.

Please select a real estate agent. Especially as a property owner virgin, you need someone with experience to ask the right questions, make sure you understand the information and guide you in finding the perfect home. Property repairs, location, schools, proper permitting and inspections, surveys, property disclosures are just a few items that an agent can assist you with. You don't want to end up buying a home and end up with a horror story like arsenic in your water supply. The agent will ask the right questions, share the information and help you locate property that meets or exceeds your home criteria.

It's also very uncomfortable for an agent like myself to receive a call from a property owner virgin who has somehow ended up with a lemon or perhaps been mislead by a builder or seller and now doesn't know what to do to get the results they desire. It isn't a good time to say "I thought you didn't need an agent" and "You are asking me to work for free" or "I'm sorry, didn't you save thousands on that transaction by not having an agent". We are almost always compensated by the seller when we become a buyer's agent. The commission is paid to us by the seller at closing. Have you ever really looked at a sales price of a home that is for sale by owner and compared that to other similar homes in the neighborhood? I bet you would find that their price is right in line with all the others. So while the other sellers are willing to help you, the buyer, secure their home and get the information you need before you make the purchase by compensating for your private representation, the for sale by owner is putting that money in their pocket. They are telling you, "You are on your own".

So ask yourself if you want to do business with someone who also cares about you and your satisfaction? Choose an agent and buy a home from someone who is willing to use an agent to make sure that they are complying with all the rules and regulations of real estate law. You wouldn't represent yourself in a criminal law suite if you didn't have a law degree. Why would you represent yourself in what is usually the largest investment in your lifetime?