Barrie, ON

Residential property sales recorded through the MLS® System of the Barrie &
District Association of REALTORS® Inc. were up strongly from year-ago levels for the second consecutive month in August 2011.

I came across a story this morning and found the sheer irony, well, entertaining by its matter of fact revelations. The title alone has earned a place among my favorite double edged headlines right up there with "Psychic killed by train".

‘For Sale By Owner’ Founder Needs Broker to Sell His Apartment

The founder of a website helping people to sell their own homes has found a buyer for his own apartment – with the help of a traditional real estate broker.

ForSaleByOwner.com creator Colby Sambrotto even paid a 6% commission after selling his two-bedroom New York condo for $2.15 million.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Sambrotto spent six months trying to sell the apartment in trendy Chelsea through online listings and classified adverts. But the ForSaleByOwner.com home selling guru eventually decided to turn the sale over to a professional.

Not only did his hired Real Estate broker Jesse Buckler set the price $150,000 higher than the original asking price, he went on to lure the elusive buyer which Mr Sambrotto’s self-help methods had failed to attract. The Journal said the 2,000-square-foot apartment at The Lion’s Head building near Sixth Avenue is now under contract.

Mr Buckler claimed the owner wasn’t asking enough for the apartment and was consequently attracting the wrong buyers.

‘At first he wouldn't let me increase the price,’ said Mr. Buckler. ‘I told him I know what I am doing—the market is picking up.’

Mr Sambrotto bought the apartment for $2 million in 2007, a year after he sold his ForSaleByOwner.com website at the height of the real estate boom. He told the Journal that he still believed in owner sales and discounted commissions, but added: 'So many buyers don't even bother to do a search online.’ Undeterred, he is now planning his next for-sale-by-owner money maker website called USRealty.com.

Helen and I decided to have Sushi for lunch yesterday. One of our favourite Sushi restaurants is Sushi Hama in Bolton, but we were going to be in the Barrie area, and in Barrie, our Sushi destination of choice is Akira Sushi on Mulcaster St. During the day most of the parking in downtown Barrie is coin operated meters and we found a convenient space right in front of the restaurant.

As I was looking for some coins, a elderly couple parked beside us. Opportunity was knocking. I deposited enough for two hours in my meter and then walked over and deposited two hours worth of coins in their meter.

They were speechless and wanted to repay me. I told them that this was just a small gesture on my part and that I wished them a happy Friday afternoon.

They both thanked us and walked down the street towards the bay, talking to themselves. It was really a very small gesture, but the impact was instantaneous. There are opportunities all around us to make a positive impact, even if only for a moment, in the lives of others... We just have to be open to notice them.

I have had so many people help and mentor me over the years, people like my now, lifelong friends, Al and Peggy Cunningham. I will never be able to repay these people for what they have done for me. So, when I see the opportunity to help someone, for the most part, I try and help them. The funny thing is that I think it is me that receives the greater benefit...

As I mentioned earlier, we picked up Helen's new car a week Friday.

Helen did the lion's share of the research for her car, but did come to me for advice several times. Our mechanic told us that the value (quality/features vs price) of the Korean manufacturers had increased greatly in the last few years, and friends that I respect have recently purchase a Tucson and a Genesis. My parents purchased a Sonata a year ago and were very happy.

Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai and Kia were on our short list, and the specific cars I had wanted Helen to consider were the Cruze, the Focus, the Elantra and the Rondo. We had discounted other cars from previous car searches as not suiting us well.

There can be so many factors affecting the purchase of a car, a few of which are not related to the car at all. We were looking for a car to replace the utility of our Golf. Comfort, safety, reliability, mileage, practicality, and cost of ownership were our major factors, with "fun factor" being important to Helen.

It was while we were driving to the Hyundai dealership, that I told her that if we were considering Hyundai, we should also consider KIA. I was thinking about that fairly economical and practical people mover, the Rondo.

As soon as I said KIA, my wife said SOOOOUULLL! I looked at her, and told her that choices should be made on the basis of sound comparison.

I had to work on the weekend, and Helen took Alec went to Barrie to run some errands and decided to re-visit a couple of dealerships. Alec was upset that our Golf was dead. He did not want to buy a car. She decided to visit Volkswagen, Hyundai, Chevrolet and KIA. Our driving patterns have changed dramatically and the need for a diesel was much less intense than previously. She was impressed with the Jetta, again, not really impressed with the Cruze, could have settled for a Elantra, but ended up at Bay City KIA in Barrie.

She was met by a lady who asked her to take a seat and someone would be with her shortly.

Patrick met Helen and was anything but "pushy". I guess it helped that they had a car very close to what Helen really wanted in stock, but it was more than that. He made her feel comfortable. As soon as Alec saw the Lava Soul, Alec yelled "Buy it Mommy"... there went our negotiating strength ;-) We picked up Helen's new car a week friday and she is still very happy, confident she made a good choice.

I want to give a shout out to Bay City KIA and specifically to Patrick O'Neill, the Sales Consultant for all their help.

Helen's choice, a Lava Soul 4U.