Sidetracked by the Holidays

Turkey 300x239 Sidetracked by the Holidays

Traditional Holiday Meal

This is the time of the year that sales people get sidetracked by all the holiday festivities and then when the holidays are over, they wonder what happened to their income.  Sale markets drastically respond differently to the holidays. Some markets thieve during the holidays while other markets seem to die. Real estate sales aren’t affected that much but those that are in the looking stage will most likely postpone looking until the holidays are over. With shopping to do, and parties to go to, there is hardly time to spare for talking to a real estate agent. Most real estate agents consider the holiday season as a viable excuse for not selling during this time of the year.  The more experienced, more successful agents view this time of the year as greatly improved opportunities to establish a meaningful relationship.

Have you ever noticed that people in general are much nicer, and friendlier from Thanksgiving through Christmas, and even New Year’s? I’m not sure why but during this time of the year, people seem to be more thoughtful of others and less quick to express their anger or short tempers. This is a perfect time for me to talk to new prospective buyers for the first time. They may be too busy for an extended conversation but they are in a very receptive mood for an introduction phone call. Such a call might sound something like this.

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Holiday Season

Christmas Holiday SeasonMerry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone that reads this message a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and most prosperous New Year. Enjoy all the blessings life has bestowed upon you and remember those that will go hungry and be sleeping in cold during this Holiday Season. Remember the reason for the season always. May your family be safe in that all they do!

Cheerfully,

James Anderson

Pros & Cons of Seller Disclosures

Leaning 187x300 Pros & Cons of Seller Disclosures

Which Way Are You Leaning?

Buying a new house is probably the largest investment most people make during their lifetime. Naturally they want to make sure they do everything correctly to ensure a quality and profitable, financial investment. Questions begin dancing around in their head.  How can I do that? Who can I trust to help me? I can contact a Realtor® but how can they help me? What do they know about this house? I’ve got it. I need to talk to the owner because he knows more about this property than anyone. Hum mm, I wonder if the owner will tell me the truth or will they lie to me? If the shoe was on my foot, would I be totally honest and tell a prospective buyer every little thing that’s wrong with my house? I’m a good person and I’m honest but I want to sell this house and if I tell them every little bad thing I know, they might not buy it. Common sense tells me that I need to get some advice from someone who has the proper training; who has been educated in handling such matters. I need a professional I need to call a Realtor®.

Realtors Are Best Qualified To Represent You

That is a very smart buyer, isn’t it? Real estate agents have to go to school to learn their trade. It is required by state law. They must learn state and federal laws governing the sale of real estate nationally. They also learn state and federal laws protecting consumer rights, environmental issues, prohibition of Americans with disabilities, and discrimination of all peoples rights. They have been schooled in establishing market values, material and labor cost, insurance related issues, obtaining financing from lenders, as well as learning basic knowledge in all fields of the real estate industry. After they have completed the required levels of education, they are tested and licensed by the state in which they live and work. [Read more...]

Real Estate Agents Aren’t Created Equal

Real Conversation 300x200 Real Estate Agents Aren’t Created Equal

Conversations Include Listening

Please don’t jump to any strange conclusions by the title of this message. By no means do I discriminate against anyone. The key word in this title is “created.” People aren’t born with natural abilities perfectly aligning themselves to become real estate agents. A career in real estate is not nearly as appealing to children as becoming a policeman, fireman, pilot, astronaut, or to play for the NFL or NBA. For whatever reason we decided to get into real estate, the only similarities we have are the educational requirements and the fact that real estate sales people are licensed through their respective state. How and if we develop our career is an individual choice. The level we take our sales production is solely dependent upon our desire to become successful. I liken our industry to most others in that we can go to a real estate office, we can dress and talk like a real estate agent, we can drink real estate coffee, we can speak the real estate language, but that doesn’t make us good real estate agent; anymore than sitting in a hen house makes you a hen. Like other professions, all real estate agents are different. You don’t know what you’re getting until you unwrap the outer covering to see what’s inside. Sort of like Forest Gump and his box of chocolates. [Read more...]

Read Every Document you Sign

Junk Car 300x194 Read Every Document you Sign

I didn’t read the small print!!!!!!

Does one really need to be reminded to read everything before signing? I’m afraid so. Courtrooms are filled with people saying, “That’s not what I heard you say when I bought it.” They might even say, “I didn’t see that small print when I bought it.” If they’re real brave and honest but sort of ignorant, they might even admit, “well I didn’t read all that stuff when I bought it.” Duh! Here’s your sign! Why do you suppose purchase agreements are so lengthy to begin with? Why do you think some things are in smaller print than the rest of the document?  Because it’s important! Let me give you some advice that will save you a lot of money as well as misery; If you buy anything expensive enough to require documents be signed, you make sure to read every little word and make sure you understand what you have read. If you don’t understand, ask questions until you do understand.

A real estate purchase is one of the largest financial investments many people will make in their life-time. [Read more...]

The Way We Dress Tells A Lot About Who We Are

Attire for Professionals 300x168 The Way We Dress Tells A Lot About Who We Are

THEIR ATTIRE SPEAKS LOUDLY

A sales person must always put their best foot forward. That is they must be on top of their game at all times. It is not only expected, it is mandated by the consumer. Just exactly what does the consumer expect from a sales person? They expect the best services that can be provided at absolutely no cost to them. Let’s put it in layman’s terms as it relates to real estate sales.

They expect to see a professionally dressed sales person.

When I began selling real estate, salesmen wore three-piece suits; year around. It got mighty hot during the summer months but I quickly learned that it paid large dividends compared to casual dress. The image for true professionals is still a suit but has been modernized to leave off the vest. Since I work in a resort area, I see many sales people dressing very casual; too casual to be considered professional attire. It is so refreshing to see an upper-class sales person wearing a suit or dress, depending on the gender. I think a good guide to use is to out dress the competition.  For men, dress slacks and a long sleeve white shirt will fit the bill in most cases. Just make sure you have a tie and sport coat in the car in case you go into a place of business. For women, dress slacks and a blouse with a sport coat or jacket works nicely. Albeit a skirt and blouse or better yet a dress is all so impressive.  [Read more...]

Gratification of A Real Estate Career

Gratification is the reward beyond income

earned by a real estate agent for providing consumers quality service. I believe gratification to be an intangible, internal feeling of accomplishment for helping someone beyond fiduciary duties. More times than not, the consumer don’t even realize the magnitude of service you have provided because it wasn’t openly discussed. For example, people I have represented in the sale of their property that were financially distressed. They were head over heels in debt, couldn’t make their monthly payments, and were exponentially getting deeper in debt with the passing of every day. Helping them get released from their financial obligations and get into a position to reestablish their credit rating was gratifying to me. [Read more...]

The Mindset of a Successful Salesperson

Engine 300x300 The Mindset of a Successful Salesperson

MINDSET IS LIKE AN ENGINE

Mindset is probably the most important trait that leads to success in sales,

yet it is the least thought of in regards to importance. The mindset of a professional salesperson is similarly just as important as an engine to an automobile. A car may be beautiful and loaded with amenities. It may have all the bells and whistles but without an engine to provide the power of mobility, it is almost useless. A salesperson’s mindset is their engine. Success in sales require a person to be self-motivated, forceful, and basically driven from within. Let’s break down the word to determine its true meaning.

The mind relates to recollection, memory and the element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills and reasons.  I use the term “mind’s eye” a lot which means the mental faculty of conceiving imaginary or recollected scenes. The mind allows us to visualize future outcomes based on knowledge of previous results. [Read more...]

This Is CE Year—What’s That?

CE Classes 300x199 This Is CE Year—What’s That?

This Is CE Year—What’s That?

CE is an acronym for Continuing Education. You choose the term you want to use for it but don’t forget about it. To a Realtor® CE is of most importance. In Alabama, every licensee that has an active license is required to take a minimum of 15-hour CE during a two year period prior to renewing their real estate license. I’ll explain it for it. In Alabama, real estate agents renew their license every even year; 2010, 2012, 2014, etc. The deadline for license renewal is September 30 every even year. For example; all agents must renew their license by midnight September 30, 2012. If they aren’t renewed, license will automatically be placed inactive by the Alabama Real Estate Commission. Therefore, every active licensee has to complete 15-hours of CE beginning October 1, 2010 and ending midnight September 30, 2012. If this deadline is not met, their license will automatically be placed inactive and can no longer participate in normal real estate practices until certain requirements are met. Do you now see how important CE is?

To confuse the issue just a little more, [Read more...]

“Caveat Emptor” Buyer Beware

Fear 237x300 “Caveat Emptor” Buyer Beware

Don't be afraid--Be aware

If you understand the title of this blog, chances are you are in a real estate related business. When buying real estate in Alabama the words “Caveat Emptor” is of utmost importance.  Let’s take a look at the meaning of the term and how it affects Alabama real estate buyers.

Caveat emptor (ˌkæviːɑːt ˈɛmptɔr) is Latin for “Let the buyer beware.”Generally, caveat emptor is the property law doctrine that controls the sale of real property after the date of closing. Under the doctrine of caveat emptor, the buyer could not recover from the seller for defects on the property that rendered the property unfit for ordinary purposes. The only exception was if the seller actively concealed latent defects or otherwise made material misrepresentations amounting to fraud.

Before statutory law, the buyer had no warranty of the quality of goods. In many jurisdictions now, the law requires that goods must be of “merchantable quality.” However, this implied warranty can be difficult to enforce and may not apply to all products. Hence, buyers are still advised to be cautious.

Not all states are Caveat Emptor states. [Read more...]