You spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to attract buyers and sellers.  But do you keep them forever? It cost nothing.  It takes no more time or effort.  It's so simple anyone can do it, yet many realtors never think about it and don't do it. Treat them like family.  Every action you take should be the same action you would take for a family member that you love and cherish.  Now we're not saying you need to love your clients, but you should treat them with the same respect and care as you would your children, parents, brothers or sisters.  You'll be amazed how good you feel and how your business will flourish! 02/06/2009

We've all seen fog so thick "you could cut it with a knife".  Perhaps that's Mother Nature's way of letting you appreciate the clarity of a sunny day.  But when it happens in your business, Mother Nature has nothing to do with it.  It's frightening to spend days or weeks in a fog.  Not knowing what to do or where to turn.  You wait around hoping the fog will lift. If this is happening to you take a few moments (or hours) to find "focus".  That's right, focus leads to clarity.  Focus is generally a result of goals that have a clear path to success.  You must first clearly define your goals, then clearly define a roadmap to achieve those goals, and lastly, but perhaps most importantly have a clear vision of the actions and activities that will result in the desired conclusion. You see, yo... 02/06/2009

It's extremely difficult for us to understand agents involved in a transaction that, for whatever reason, believe it's all about them.  Their emotions override their intelligence and everything is about them.  They advise their clients to have the seller do everything on the inspection report, from replacing light bulbs to changing air filters.  They show buyer clients homes they like, not homes that meet their client needs.  They don't negotiate; they argue and then bypass the details of the contract just to make a point for them.   They make the entire transaction very difficult for ALL involved and it never ends up a WIN-WIN conclusion.  They totally miss the essence of our job, to facilitate a meeting of the minds. And then the most ironic thing is after the transaction is completed... 02/06/2009

According to the latest survey of buyers and sellers it is very clear what our clients are looking for and what we should be doing to better serve them. When working with buyers we must understand what tools they use to find the home they wish to purchase and we must focus our marketing efforts to reach these buyers.  This is also important to our sellers because they want the maximum exposure of their property to potential buyers. Where buyers found the HOME THEY PURCHASED                                                             1997                           2007 Real Estate Agent                    50%                      34% Internet                                  2%                        29% Yard Signs                              17%                       14% Home Book or M... 01/23/2009

We can all name at least 10 reasons why buyers and sellers need to work with a professional realtor.  But can you tell them why now more than ever, they need your services? For our Buyer Clients, we walk them through the buying process from finance to close like we do in all market conditions, but more importantly we gather all available information on comparables as well as absorption rates so they get the best price possible with the best terms and conditions.  These are things they likely cannot do on their own and well worth the commission paid.  For our Seller Clients, we not only advise them on comparables but equally set expectations using absorption rates in order to properly position the home based on these market conditions.  We also guide them through staging the home and urg... 01/03/2009

As we watched the dropping of the ball to bring in 2009, I could not help but wonder what we were really celebrating.  Was it the end to one of the worse years in Real Estate or was it the beginning of a year of hope?  Perhaps it was both! For those of us who remain in the business and who will succeed in 2009 we must certainly have taken our lessons from 2008 and changed our business plan and more importantly our attitude in preparation for 2009. We are more focused on monitoring our market, looking for shifts and making mid-course corrections.  We will monitor very closely the results we get from our marketing activities and eliminate those that are not working.  Celebration of the New Year is more than a one day thing.  In order to celebrate the entire year we must have a plan and be... 01/03/2009

2008 is now behind us.  It brought a huge shift in the real estate market as well as the economy.  Many potential home buyers were eliminated from the purchase pool due to more stringent regulations and credit requirements.  Others just wanted to wait until they were sure the economy was stable. 2009 is now upon us and Home Buyers are asking, "Is now the RIGHT time to purchase a new home?"  We don't have a Crystal Ball, however; based on current statistics for our market it would appear that we have bottomed out.  Interest Rates are at historic lows with most under 5%.  There is still a good inventory of homes to choose from and many sellers are motivated to get their home sold.  With all that information, we believe it's a Great time to buy! Most predictions for our market are that inv... 01/03/2009

It may just be the time of year?  We received a Christmas card from a client we worked with in the fall.  They wanted more space for their 2 young boys and felt they needed at least 5 acres.  They also had a home to sell first but wanted to know what was on the market that may meet their need before they listed their home. After locating several properties that would work for them we visited each property.  As you might expect, they fell in love with one of the properties and wanted to move forward.  The next day we met with them to get their property on the market.  They had visited the bank and were told they could get a bridge loan and purchase their dream home.  After presenting them with the current market statistics, which indicated that their home may be on the market for 12-18 m... 01/03/2009

It is always a sad time when I start to take my Christmas decorations down and store them away for another year. You never know when or who may not be here next year, and you never know it might be me. A lot could happen before time to pull the decorations out another time. The house looks so drab after the holidays. I will miss the lights. 12/31/2008

For us, the best part of any Holiday is spending time with our family and friends and creating special memories.  We have five children and one grandchild and they are spread all over the country.  We were fortunate to have many of them visit for the holidays and truly enjoyed our time together.  It's easy for some to get caught up in the material side of Christmas; and don't get me wrong, that can be fun too.  But for us, and I'm sure for many of you family means everything!  So take some time this Holiday season to make some special memories. 12/29/2008

$1.6 Billion could have perhaps saved 200,000 foreclosures.  Yes, that's only $8,000 each, but there are many homeowners that could have remained in their homes if that assistance had been available when we dish out the $188 Billion to 116 Banks. Instead, $1.6 Billion (OUR MONEY!) went to pay bank executives who averaged $2.6M in salary, bonuses and benefits despite their poor results.  I would be willing to bet they all still have their homes this Christmas. As my Grandfather would say, "It just ain't right". 12/23/2008

OK, I was lead to believe that all this money that was sent to banks to bail them out would eventually end up as mortgages for home buyers.  And with the fed rate dropping to almost nothing and a strong bond market, interest rates are well under 5%, so where are the buyers.  Yes, I understand that you must have a job to qualify for a loan to purchase a home and there are many who no longer have a job.  But this does not account for the lack of buyers.  Two real problems that I have with the Bail Out:  It's not the government's money it's the tax payer's money.  It's My money and YOUR money.  Second, if the money is not going to assist those going into foreclosure and those who can qualify to purchase the home, then where is it?  Can anyone Show Me the Money?? 12/21/2008

Charles Darwin, along with many others including Aristotle, theorized that the species didn't just happen, but evolved through time.  Darwin believed that a "special event" occurs that causes a new population of a species or even a different species through a process of natural selection. The crisis in our economy, and especially in the Real Estate Community, is certainly a "Special Event".  If Darwin were here I believe he would predict the realtor of the future (perhaps of the same species) would differ greatly from their ancestors and through the process of natural selection they would evolve as sought after and trusted advisors.  I sure hope he is right!       12/21/2008

The Real Estate business continues to amaze us.  In other businesses, when you hit a slump you double your efforts.  You find the things that no longer generate results and you stop doing them.  You focus on the things you can do that will bring short term success.  The things you have been doing to improve your likely hood of long term success are placed on the back burner.  You find ways to cut cost without causing a negative impact on your bottom line. Yet, in this business, we see agents continue to do the same things the same old way and blame the lack of business on the "market conditions".  Homes continue to go on the market for sale and homes are sold every day.  The market has shifted and there are fewer transactions, but it's not dead! For those of you who have doubled your ef... 12/17/2008

  I stumbled upon a Food Network channel program while I was eating dinner tonight.  To my surprise, Spartanburg's Inn on Main was being featured in the Gingerbread House Challenge, which takes place every year at the Grove Park Inn, in Asheville, NC.  This year, the gingerbread houses will be on display from November 19, 2008 to January 11 2009 Monday through Thursday.  Better yet, make dinner reservations during the weekend to have access to display from Friday through Sunday.  This will event will definitely be in my to do list for this season... Even though I later realized that the program was a rerun, t was very nice to see how Spartanburg has been featured more that once in the Food Network and also magazines such as This Old House, Southern Living, etc.    Maria Tascon 12/11/2008

Well, it's official, my license now says Broker. The classes were attended, the tests studied for, the math was mastered and the tests were passed. The Broker designation can now be added to my business cards, along with ABR, ASR, GRI, CRS   and ReLo Specialist. I really enjoyed re-visiting the subject material and I really enjoyed the classes, after all, my degree is in education. Whether or not South Carolina becomes an all broker state still remains unknown, at this time. Personally, I would like to see reaching agent status become more difficult. Hopefully, this would weed out a lot of the problems that we have all encountered, whether we are agents, clients or customers. I would like to see this profession branded with the same respect that doctors and other educated professionals ... 12/10/2008

You know them; we all know them.  They have 3 or 4 transactions each year.  They rarely answer their phone and many don't return your calls.  Some even have other full time jobs!  They spend most of their time running the children to various events and sometimes sell real estate.  Now they find that those easy closings are gone and they're just lucky to get 1 or 2.  They are barely able to pay their monthly fees and dues.  It's not a business it's a hobby. Well, all this is about to change.  The market conditions have shifted and they must decide if they want to mingle with other realtors at the office while they wait for the phone to ring, or just give it up.  Most will finally realize that, outside of the social side, it's just not worth it.  Some already have and with the renewals du... 11/28/2008

We have talked with a number of potential clients who say, "I think we'll wait until after the holidays to put our house on the market".  They continue with, "it's too much hassle over the holidays" or "the market is not very good now and it should be better in the spring" or " what difference will a couple of months make?". Clearly they don't understand that homes will be sold over the next 6 weeks and even more importantly, those looking for a home now, are motivated buyers.  Believe me, if they were not motivated they would be doing something other than looking at houses.  They would be preparing for the holidays like everyone else! But, they need to purchase a home and if your home is not on the market the possibilities of them purchasing your home is ZERO! If they really want to ge... 11/25/2008

Black Friday is that day after Thanksgiving when, it seems, everyone is shopping.  It's a scary day for me and I avoid it.  The reality is, it's the day when many retailers get out of the red and begin to make a profit.  Yes, anything they earn from that day forward to the end of the year is profit.  It's also the day when many realtors decide their vacation begins and they are going to sit back until the first of the year.  Sometime in January they will start their business up for the next year. On the other side of the coin, Black Friday is when shoppers seek bargains for items they need to purchase.  This holds true for real estate.  You see those who are shopping for homes this time of year are not window shopping.  In most cases they need to buy a home.  They had rather be getting ... 11/24/2008

The single largest cause for disputes and arbitration is Procuring Cause.  We believe it is completely avoidable if you do your client consultation thoroughly.  Because it's a simple process we don't understand why these disputes happen so frequently. •1.    Review Agency Law. •2.    Review Buyer Agency Contracts. •3.    Ask - "Are you currently working with an agent and do you have a Buyer Agency agreement with them?" •4.    Ask - "At an earlier time, did you have a Buyer Agency agreement with another agent and if so, do you have a written release?" •5.    Ask - "Have other agents shown you properties?" •6.    Ask - "Which properties and do they still have interest in purchasing any of them?" As hard as it may be, if you don't like the answers you get, consult your Broker.  It's much b... 11/24/2008