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What You Don’t See Behind The Scenes Means Everything

What You Don’t See Behind The Scenes Means Everything
If you have never been behind the scenes of a television production, it is well worth your while to spend a day. I’ve grown up in California my whole life so I have taken for granted a lot of the tourist attractions that are available. This week on my day off, I decided it was time to just goof off and really have fun. I decided to go hang out at a taping of the Price is Right Game Show starring Drew Carey. Along the way, I was inspired about what it takes to really sell a home. Imagine that! I can extrapolate a Real Estate lesson from just about anything!

I left for this trip to CBS studios at 10:00 in the morning. We arrived at around 11:30 and checked in. Then the fun began. They led us to a little waiting area. The food was overpriced and not much of a selection offered. There was a small gift shop that literally only a handful of people could fit in at a time. We sat and waited. Then we waited some more. The staff finally came out and began calling numbers for us to line up. Then they started interviews. Yes! They actually do an interview to determine who they will call as contestants. Then we waited some more. Finally they ushered us into the studio at 4:00 p.m. for the taping to begin. Uh yeah…we waited almost 5 hours to get into the studio. So in we go. The studio was actually pretty small and not quite that glamorous. They then gave the audience instructions on what to do, when to do it, etc. Interestingly enough, we sat down and we taped the show in what appeared to be less than an hour. As everyone stood up to leave in the end, I literally turned to the lady next to me and shouted, “It’s over????”

As disappointed as I was that all that waiting around seemed to flash before my very eyes once the real show began, I thought about how important the behind the scenes activities are even in Real Estate. Think about the preparations that must go into preparing a home for the market. The house may need some tidying up, there are market statistics and analysis that take place, marketing strategies, advertising, open houses, mountains of paperwork, and the list goes on. The “SHOW” can be thought of as a home showing. Think about just how fast a potential buyer moves in and out of a home as they tour it. What took the Real Estate agent or the homeowners months, weeks, or days to prepare for, potential buyers will see and be done with in sometimes mere minutes. But the “show”, however long, must capture the audience’s attention so that they will have a lasting impression. The kind of impression that will make the potential buyer crave more. The behind the scenes participants must keep this in mind at all times. This is an even wiser lesson for Real Estate agents who handle Bank Owned homes. While I realize that there are sometimes limitations on what a Real Estate agent can really fix, I am a firm believer in doing the little things that could make a difference. The things like ensuring the utilities are on so that potential buyers actually have lights to tour the property. Making sure newspapers are not crowding the front door, making sure the home smells fresh and clean. After all, you can’t bank on getting a second chance to put on your “show.” Oh sure, part of selling a home is to make sure that the Price Is Right but you’ve gotta remember that what you don’t see behind the scenes really does mean everything!

Disclaimer-All information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. You are advised to consult a reputable attorney for all legal advice or a reputable tax advisor.

Your “Saavy Negotiating” May Cost You Your Dream Home

By kasihomes Leave a Comment

Your “Saavy Negotiating” May Cost You Your Dream Home

Most buyers have an idea of what their dream home might look like and the price range that they would be comfortable in more or less. This is a wonderful start to the home buying process. With a pre-approval letter in hand, you set out to find your Realtor to find just the right home. Once you find the home that you wish to put an offer in on, it becomes imperative that you remember that if you have hired a competent Realtor that you trust, then listen to their advice. Unless you are a full time investor, it is most likely that your Realtor has negotiated far more contracts on homes than you have.

Realizing that as a buyer you have certain ideas on what price and terms you would like to ask for, it is in your best interest to heed the advice of your Realtor when it boils down to the “nitty-gritty” of the negotiations. If you find yourself in the midst of Counter Offers where your offer was not accepted at face value and they have proposed a different set of terms, conditions, etc. remember that you must decide what your must haves are versus the non-consequential issues. Sometimes buyers get caught up in “the gotta win” syndrome and lose sight of the bigger picture. When this happens, the buyers “saavy negotiating” may cost you your dream home. Why? Because believe it or not, buyers and sellers alike often lose their objectivity and begin negotiating off of emotion instead of sound, prudent facts.

For example, I recently dealt with buyers who after a year of searching for their perfect dream home locate a home in pristine condition that was well within their price range. After days worth of mulling over whether to submit an offer and then numerous days of offers and counter offers the seller agreed to almost everything that the buyer wanted. There was still some negotiation on the purchase price. In the end the buyer actually wanted to negotiate a lower price on the house over a difference of a $20.00 a month payment. No matter how much counsel this buyer received from the lender or myself, they became stuck like glue to this $20.00 a month. Seriously! Well you can guess what happened to that dream house, can’t you?

This “saavy negotiator” shot his own self in the foot. Do yourself a favor, hire a competent Realtor and then LISTEN! Don’t get in your own way of success.

Disclaimer- All information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. You are advised to consult a reputable attorney for all legal advice or a reputable tax advisor.

Don’t Shoot The Messenger, Just Accept Reality

By kasihomes Leave a Comment

Mr. Home Seller, let’s have a heart to heart. It’s interesting because just two days ago, I wrote a blog entitled, Home Over Pricing Will Cost You Greatly! As I was out today canvassing a neighborhood regarding a new listing, a gentleman stopped me. He asked me if I had placed the postcard he was holding on his door. I told him yes. He then asked me what homes around the area were selling for. At this point I told him it depends on the home and offered to do a full market analysis on is home for free. He stated that he did not want it. He then said but what are they worth? I asked him the square footage approximately of his home and then after explaining that a value is based on many variables, I gave him the ball park range.

At this point, much to my surprise, he yelled at me, “Get Out of Here!” You don’t know my neighborhood! You come mad manover here trying to tell me that price, you just get out of here! Now, I was totally astonished.

While I understand that we are all a little dismayed by current property values (or lack thereof), my response to him was, “I do not make the market, I just have to tell you what it is.” Here lies the problem with the housing market (well, okay one of the problems). The pervasive denial on what a home is really valued at. For goodness sake, I do realize that when a personal home is purchased it harbors with it a multitude of emotions. Memories are also created and home owners are reluctant to let go. That’s fine, that’s the emotional side of homeownership. Trust me, I am a sap for it too.

Now bear with me as we delve into the practical business side. You know, the side that’s all about dollars, cents, and assets. This is the critical point where we place those pretty little emotions in a box, put a lid on it and look at hardcore numbers. Trust me, when I tell a homeowner that they are sitting on a depreciating asset, I don’t get a kick out of it. My role is to educate a homeowner on the true value of their asset. I realize that this does not always make people happy. My role is not to make you happy, it is to tell you the truth and truthfully advise you on your options based on your stated goals.

So the next time the emotional value of your home does not coincide with the true market value of your home, don’t shoot the messenger. Be glad that they were honest enough to educate you on the true market value so that you can make the decisions that would be in your best interest. Whether the best decision if for you to attempt a loan modification, short sale or even have to let it lapse into foreclosure, you can not take control of your own destiny if you refuse to look truth square in the eye. Don’t Shoot The Messenger, Just Accept Reality And Make Some Wise Decisons.

Disclaimer-All information contained herein is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. You are advised to consult a reputable attorney for all legal advice or a reputable tax advisor.