Burlington Township, NJ

I just started a new staging job with a new client, a really nice woman who found me in her internet search for a home stager. We met for the initial consultation, she gave me a tour of the house, and all was going well. With a staging plan in place, as I prepared to leave, my new client said to me with such relief in her voice, "You are so nice! I was afraid you would be mean!"

Mean?

As I stood there (I'm sure with my mouth hanging open), she went on to explain. She had seen the television shows with the not-so-nice stagers who criticize people's homes and unbeknownst to me, she was nervous about inviting me in.

So, I've been contemplating this.

I've always known home sellers might be a bit anxious to have a professional home stager come into their home, telling them what they need to change in order to make their home more appealing to buyers. I always try to reassure my clients-it's not about good or bad design. It is very possible for a house to be perfectly, beautifully designed and still not appeal to the widest array of buyers. Staging takes out the seller's personal taste and lets buyers imagine themselves living there.

So, a little nervous about inviting me in, yes, I expect that. But, afraid I would be mean? I felt terrible she had this impression of stagers. I also began to wonder how many sellers (and real estate agents too, for that matter) hesitate to hire a stager because of this fear?

Don't believe everything you see on TV! The reality is this:

A stager's job is not to be mean and criticize; a stager's job is to tell you the truth about your home and its appeal to homebuyers, and then formulate a plan to make your home show as well as it possibly can. We all have the same goal: for your home to sell as fast as possible for the most money possible.

A good home stager will work with you in a positive way to bring out the best in your home and should be able to do it without giving you nightmares!

Keller Williams Realty Brokerages Dominate Annual Industry Surveys
3^rd largest company in U.S. the only major franchise to show growth

"According to two of the industry's most comprehensive annual surveys, Keller Williams Realty brokerages continue to defy the pervasive downturn in the industry by growing and expanding."

"RISMedia's Power Broker Report and REAL Trends' REAL Trends 500 rank the largest residential real estate brokerages in the U.S. based on transaction sides and sales volume. This year, Keller Williams Realty had more brokerages on both lists than any other real estate brand."

"In the REAL Trends 500 report, Keller Williams Realty dominated, with its offices comprising more than a quarter of the entire list. Of all the major brands represented in the report, Keller Williams was the only company to boast growth in both number of agents added to its ranks and in total transactions closed."

I recently joined Keller Williams and I can tell you that I think it is a great company for both new and experienced agents. IMHO, recently licensed agents will not find a more supportive company to begin their career with. One of the things that I like is that there is a flat fee per month. For me, it is approx $67.00/month. For that fee, I have access to a wealth of training and technology tools....websites with IDX (very simple to build), contact management, publications, postcards, online training, etc.

If your current company is working well for you, congratulations. If you are unhappy or just getting into real estate, I invite you to talk to me about KW. If you are in the Burlington/Camden County, NJ area, we can discuss over a cup of coffee.

This is going to be an exciting year in real estate for me.

What Kind of Year Will YOU Have?

Leander McClain, Burlington /Camden County, NJ Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E Cherry Hill, NJ 08003 856-685-1677 Direct

Search NJ & PA Home Listings @ www.NJSouthRealEstate.com

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Always Have A Dream

One of my pet peeves is the mispronunciation of the word Realtor.  So I am on a one man crusade two try and correct this common error.  It is very common to hear people pronounce the term Realtor as Real-A-Tor (3 syllables).......listen very close people.  According to the National Association of Realtors,

"Irrespective of local dialect and custom, the term REALTOR® has but one pronunciation:

REAL' tor 
Just two (2) syllables"

Imagine my surprise the other day when I was speaking to a broker who has been in the business for 22  years and she pronounced the word Real-a-tor.

I am not even sure what caused this problem in the first place.  This mispronunciation is similar to President George H Bush's mispronunciation of the word Nuclear....he preferred to say Nuk-U-ler instead of Nu-clea-er

COME ONE PEOPLE, LETS GET IT RIGHT!

All together Now

Real...........Tor

Real........Tor

Real............Tor

STAY WITH ME, STAY WITH ME!

Real..........Tor

Real..........Tor

YOU CAN DO IT!

Real.............Tor

Real..........Tor

Thank you for your attention to this small but significant (at least in my mind) matter

Have a great day and
Make This YOUR Best Year Ever

 
Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant,Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003, 856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

Leander McClain's Profile

Recent Posts

How To Buy A Home Part 1

Economic Stimulus $8,000 Tax Credit

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Always Have A Dream

NJ Housing Mortgage Finance Agency Offers Cash Advance for
First-time Buyer Costs

THIS IS GREAT NEWS

The NJ Housing Mortgage Finance Agency is offering a $5,000 cash advance to qualified first time home buyers.  These payments are intended to defray closing costs or take care of a portion of the down payment requirements.  The loan, offered as part of NJHMFA's "Prefund" program.  The loan will act as a cash advance against the &8,000 tax credit being offered to first time home buyers who purchase between 8 April - 31 December 2009. 

"This is a powerful incentive that will allow potential first time home buyers to actually enter the market because this cash advance will help them meet down payment requirements or pay for closing costs that might otherwise be an obstacle to a first-time buyer," said Jarrod C. Grasso, RCE, executive vice president of NJAR®.

• The cash advance is available to first-time home buyers who:
  Arrange their financing through the NJHMFA. (Obtain a list of participating lenders by calling (800) NJ HOUSE)
  
• Are qualified for the tax credit offered as a part of the federal stimulus program
  
• Pledge to apply the proceeds of their tax credit to repay the cash

Full details of the the progam are available HERE.

Once you apply for the program, I can work with you to help you find your dream NJ Home.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Have A Great Day and
Make This YOUR Best Year Ever

Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant, Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003, 856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

Leander McClain's Profile

Recent Posts

How To Buy A Home Part 1

Economic Stimulus $8,000 Tax Credit

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Always Have A Dream

FedEx Office Free Resume Printing Day: March 10, 2009

FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko's), will offer FREE, that's right FREE resume printing today. The company realizes that the cost of printing resumes can be a significant expense. So for one day and one day only March 10, 2009, anyone can have 25 copies of their resume printed for FREE.

This offer is only valid for orders placed and picked up in-store. Customers may place orders by submitting their resume in printed format or as a digital file, and the copies will be printed single-sided on resume-quality paper.

To find the nearest FedEx Office Print and Ship Center, visit www.fedex.com or call 1-800-Go-FedEx (1-800-463-3339).

Leander McClain, Burlington Township Realtor & Real Estate Consultant,

Keller Williams Realty, 1814 Route 70 E, Suite 200, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003, 856-321-1212 Bus., 856-685-1677 Direct

Leander McClain's Profile

Recent Posts

How To Buy A Home Part 1

Economic Stimulus $8,000 Tax Credit

Twitter Revolution