Localism: Beaufort, SC

Meeting With That "Unrealistic" Seller

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:05:16 -0600

I was a bundle of nerves going into my Thursday afternoon listing appointment. I was nervous because I knew I would be dealing with a man with unrealistic expectations. I figured I had two choices, either to go along, and get stuck with an overpriced listing, or upset a fellow parishioner of my church by telling him his house wasn't worth what he thought. I liked neither choice.

In a recent blog post, I used sports agent Drew Rosenhaus to make a point about our need as professionals to shoot straight about price.

I heard Rosenhaus explain on an ESPN program recently that a large part of his job representing football players is helping them succeed by telling his clients what they do NOT want to hear. I have sometimes fallen into the trap of being a real estate "yes" man, and have gone along with overpriced listings more than I would care to admit. After listening to Rosenhaus, though, I had determined this would not happen again.

Rosenhaus was so persuasive, and his comments so fresh in my mind, that I knew I couldn't back down on my listing appointment.

The prospective seller and I have talked on and off for three years about listing his home, and I knew from our conversations that he would be unrealistic with his price expectations. But I was ready to walk. There would be no overpriced listing on this day. No sir.

After the small talk was over, I gingerly explained the state of the Beaufort, SC market to this seller, and how residential sales through Nov. 19, 2008, were off almost 50 percent from the same time period in 2005, and that there was a tremendous amount of listing competition from homes similar to his.

As I nudged my way towards the issue price, my nerves strained. This gentleman goes to my church, and the last thing I wanted to do was upset somebody I might be sitting next to on Sunday.

I kept thinking about my two options -- I'd upset him immediately by underrating (at least in his mind) his property, or I would upset him over the long haul by caving to his price expectations and taking a listing which wouldn't sell.

I finally whipped out the Drew Rosenhaus-inspired quote I had been running through my head.

"Don, part of my job is to be honest with you," I said earnestly.

Don shook his head, and said, "That's what I want to hear. Brutally honesty."

Of course, I had not considered the third option going in. The third option was that he would take my advice.

The Rosenhaus advice was sound, and I think it will serve me well moving forward.

But I also learned some other lessons over the years -- Be a good listener. Never assume.

Healthy Living & Wellness in Beaufort SC

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:46:14 -0600

For those of us that are all about healthy living, this blog is for you! This blog will tell you all about workout facilities, health food stores, and alternatives for a healthy lifestyle in Beaufort South Carolina. With all of the warm weather we have in coastal South Carolina, most all of us live an active life style. I hope you enjoy my suggestions/recommendations:

Yoga:

http://www.yogachandracenter.com/ (Yoga Chandra Center)

http://www.beaufortyogamassage.com/ (Sattva Center for Yoga & Massage)

Fitness Centers:

http://www.ymcabeaufortcounty.com/ (YMCA on Richmond Ave Port Royal)

http://www.omnibeaufort.com/ (Omni Fitness - 2 locations in Beaufort SC)

http://www.curves.com/ (Curves for Women - locations around Beaufort SC)

Massage:

http://www.wellness.com/dir/2561208/salon/sc/beaufort/bayside-salon--day-spa (Bayside Salon Beaufort SC)

http://www.beaufortyogamassage.com/ (Sattva Center for Yoga & Massage)

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=chiropractic+gutzmer+beaufort+sc&fb=1&view=text&latlng=17321519020291997401 (Beaufort Chiropractic, Bridget Gutzmer D.O.)

Health Food and Healthy Living:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&view=text&hl=en&q=health+food+beaufort+sc&ie=UTF8&latlng=32424327,-80646286,16477477448812638074&ei=HscmSf-RF4rWNszhtZgN&cd=1 (It's All Natural Health Food Store, Joyce Tallmadge, Owner)

http://www.islandwellnessshoppe.com/ (Island Wellness Shoppe)

http://www.judywaters.net/ (Monavie Distributor, Beaufort South Carolina)

If you are considering a move to Beaufort South Carolina, give the professionals at RE/MAX Sea Island Realty a call to assist you with all of your real estate needs.

Article written by: Maria Skrip, Owner, Realtor, RE/MAX Sea Island Realty in Beaufort South Carolina. Maria's wellness preference: Yoga

Realtor's Thanksgiving Prayer

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:30:46 -0600

While the world eats Turkey and Stuffing

May all the Realtors Worry bout Nothing....

Realtors Thanksgiving Prayer

Thank you for all the little things

Emails requesting help with a dream

A cell phone that still rings

And bloggers who are exactly what they seem.

Give me patience for neighbors

And family and friends

Who see Realtor and think favor

Lord, continue to help me grin.

Thank you for cars that work

and websites that run

High heels that don't hurt

And deals that get done.

Grant me peace during stress

and please hold my tongue

from commenting on the mess

our industry has become.

Let my lockbox unlock

my fliers still fly

my sellers avoid shock

and my buyers still buy.

For my Lord, I am just an agent

hanging on with all my might

occasionally using the internet to vent

and a little wine to sleep at night.

Help me get through these uncertain times

as I struggle to ease others minds.

By Cherimie Crane

~~~Happy Thanksgiving to All~~~~

Your Congressman, My Home

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:10:32 -0600

Many home owners are like voters.

In the run-up to the 2008 Congressional elections, the nationwide approval rating for the U.S. Congress sunk into single digits. I don't know if that was an historic low, but I hate to think we've ever had a Congress whose approval rating was less than 9 percent.

And, yet, on Nov. 4, more than 93 percent of U.S. Congressman and Senators running for re-election prevailed in their individual elections. In other words, "Everyone else's Congressman is a bum......except mine."

This mentality can apply to homeowners, as well. A lot of you agents may have already seen the new 3rd Quarter Zillow study, which reveals that Americans overwhelming acknowledge the real estate downturn.

Many just don't think it applies to them.

In fact, 49 percent of American homeowners polled believe their home has either retained it's value or increased in value over the past year, according to the poll, which was conducted for Zillow by Harris Interactive. This despite the fact 74 percent of homes nationwide lost value over the past 12 months, according to the Zillow study, released Nov. 12.

Moving forward, individual homeowners are equally as confident, with 61 percent believing their own home will retain its value, or increase in value, over the next six months. However, 57 percent of homeowners believe overall values in their individual markets will decrease over the next six months.

And people think selling real estate is an easy way to earn a living.

I got out of the crystal ball business a long time ago, so I don't profess to know what is to come. I do know the market is tough right now. And I read an interesting question today, in regards to homeowners' confidence in their own home.

Is this optimism a good thing, which might kick start the market, or is it just something that is just going to lead to unrealistic expectations and Realtor teeth-gnashing over the next six months?

Coming Home After Katrina

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:40:06 -0600

This will be a difficult post for me, emotions high and wounds still very much open. Beaufort is my home, but I was born and raised near the coast of Mississippi.

As all southern women, my roots are as strong and deep as those of the sweet gum trees that line the streets.

There is an unmistakable, irreplaceable, pride that simply comes standard with a birth certificate signed in the state of Mississippi.

I am sitting in the Ole Brook library checking my email (parents still have dial up) and the water stained carpet, the missing ceiling tiles, and the diminished volume of children's books stings as if a hornet had just made breakfast out of my heart.

Katrina left her mark. Everywhere.

It seems just like yesterday that I was searching for my family, friends, any semblance of all that I had ever known.

There is no photograph, no newspaper clip, that could ever rightly portray the feeling that consumes you once you stare at devastation that was once home.

It is still next to impossible to discuss.

I am proud. Katrina's initials are still cemented all around, yet my family, my friends, my Mississippi has pulled herself up without blame, without self pity, without the media attention and buzz.

She is strong, she is beautiful, she is proof that the human spirit, the human will, cannot be over- thrown, over- looked, or out done.

So as I sit in this small public library surrounded by words, history, and photographs, there is no louder testament than the water stained carpet, the missing ceiling tiles, and the absence of some of my childhood favorites.

There was always character in this building, now her scars tell a story no written work can rival.

You are strong, you are resilient. Good job, Mississippi.