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Archive for the 'Realtor reVIEWS' Category
Today (which should have been about a week ago……sorry about that Tonia) I have the pleasure of introducing to you a North Georgia Mountain Native girl who left us (momentarily) for the Big City to pursue her career in Home Staging. I was fortunate enough to become acquainted with Tonia through my social media networking. She has graciously accepted my invitation to guest author a post here on “The Porch!” So without further a due, please meet Tonia Mosteller of Redesign + More of Charlotte, NC.
“Home Staging” is not a new term and it is not interior design, but for many homeowners and real estate agents the concept of “Professional Home Staging” is shedding new light on how to promote a home in the real estate marketplace. In past years, homeowners were left to their own discretion as far as preparing for home showings. How important is it to you for a fast sell? Is your home holding you back?
While Realtors(R) are experts in the field of selling and closing, many do not have the extra time to focus on the staging a home, this is why we offer a Realtor(R) Partnership Program to help provide an outstanding service to local Real Estate companies in the counties we service. At Redesign + More we don’t sell homes, we are experts at helping Realtors(R) sell homes, therefore providing you with a happy client and a fast sell! Your clients are important to you and important to us. Let us show them how home staging can cost considerably less than their ” first price reduction“. Offering your clients a home staging consultation as a listing incentive will set you apart and give your listings the most competitive edge in the market.
What is Home Staging?
Professional home stagers are experts in the “art” of preparing a home for resale and appeal to the largest number of buyers. Home staging transforms a home by highlighting the best features and creating warmth, eliminate clutter, edit and arrange furniture, and even create “slam on the brakes” curb appeal for your home. With the aid of a professional home stager, your house can make a notable first impression on potential home buyers. For vacant homes, home staging with just the right amount of accessories and furniture creates a living space the buyer can “see” themselves living in. Properly executed staging leads the eye to attractive features while minimizing flaws and creates a fast sell.
Top 5 Benefits for a Realtor(R) to use a Professional Home Stager
1. Avoid having to communicate negative aspects of your client’s home.
2. Marketing exposure for your listing that will provide national exposure, will be featured on our website and other sites with a link to your listing page.
3. It’s a fact! Staged homes are shown more often, increasing Realtor(R) exposure.
4. Staging your listings builds a reputation for excellence in marketing.
5. Save money and precious time: Shorter marketing time means less money spent on advertising and earn more commission.
Staged Listings sell quicker and receive higher offers than non-staged homes.
First Impressions
As the real estate industry often stresses, the “first impression” is the key factor in selling your home. A potential buyer has made up their 
mind 15 seconds after they step in the front door. They were already forming an opinion of your home as they pulled into your driveway! That really doesn’t leave too much room for fault does it? Remember, “The way you live in your home, and the way you market and sell your house are two different things.”
“To achieve the greatest possible outcome,” a home should always be presented at its best the first time around. So make your home stand out from the rest, and set the stage. You shouldn’t worry about the stresses of getting your home ready for the market. Did you know in most cases home staging is LESS than your first price reduction? Which would you prefer “Sold” or “Price Reduced”? Contact Me or give me a call today at 704.651.8878 for your home staging consultation.
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How many of you have procrastinated in downloading your pictures from your digital camera because you just don’t want to take the time to process the pictures, re-size for uploads, add filters, touch them up, or even organize them into folders? Well I know from experience that if you are in the Real Estate, pictures sells houses, and the more pictures you have the better the chance you have of someone taking a look at your clients property.
Well have I got a solution for you. Batchphoto is a powerful photo manipulation program that makes it easy to convert, re-size, watermark, annotate, touch-up, apply affects and rename hundreds of photos in a single operation. Instead of enhancing and adjusting pictures individually, Batchphoto lets you select a group of images, define a series of edits, and apply them in a single operation.
It is AMAZING! An absolute must for anyone who is constantly taking hours upon hours going through other inferior software products that make you re-size photos one-by-one. Before Batchphoto, it would literally take me hours to process photos for my listings. I would re-size all the photos that I would plan on using for the listings and put them in one folder, I would do the same for my Virtual Tours, and yet another for higher resolution use. It would take FOREVER! Now with Batchphoto I am done in minutes and I have so many more options that I love for use in my online social networking. One great feature that I love is the use of watermarks. I love taking photos of these beautiful North Georgia Mountains and sharing them online. Well, I noticed that many of my competitors were using my very own photos on their websites. Now that I have Batchphoto, I can put a watermark on the photos before I post them and it detours anyone from using my photos. This is just one of many features that I have discovered using Batchphoto.
So, you no longer have to fret and pile all of those images on your memory card putting off the dreaded job of processing those pictures. Now with the use of Batchphoto, you can be done in no time and back out doing what you love to do….taking pictures! Give it a try, you will be glad you did I promise.
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Let me introduce myself, my name is Chad and I am nothing more than mere shredded paper waste by definition. I was created by holes left in paper, and I became famous in the 2000 United States Presidential Election. Now it is my understanding that there are many forms of chads, there is the pregnant chad, the dimpled chad, and one of my favorites and probably the most famous….the hanging chad.
Now I could sit and wonder why my parents decided to name me after shredded waste, but to give them the benefit of the doubt, I am not sure anyone even knew what a chad was until the previous mentioned Presidential Election. I blame the good old state of Florida for that, and after beating my Georgia Bulldogs over the weekend, well the nicest thing I can say about that is ROLL TIDE!
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Several weeks ago I was fortunate enough to have Mr. Jim Randel, the most trusted word in Real Estate, a Renowned Author, Attorney, and Commercial Real Estate Entrepreneur stumble upon The Front Porch willing to share his recent View of The Skinny On: The Housing Crisis with me. Now after receiving this Great Book and reading it, I wanted to share it with you.
This book is a very easy and quick read, yet Entertaining and Fun filled with illustrations of a Stick couple buying their first home. Maybe that is why it is called “The Skinny” On: The Housing Crisis because of the Stick people…I will have to ask Jim Randel. I got to tell you, if you want a good perspective on how we got in this mess, this book definitely needs to be added to your library.
Jim does a great job of explaining the COMPLETE home buying process from the buyer, all the way to the Overseas Investors that purchase the Mortgage Securities. It is a MUST READ for the First Time Homebuyer and it would be quite an eye opener for Real Estate Agents like myself to pick a copy up and read it….and Don’t tell me you don’t have the time! As a matter of fact, if you are a Mortgage Broker or a Real Estate Attorney, you could do yourself a HUGE Favor and pick up a copy for yourself as well. You can never have too much information to share with your customers and clients.
The Real Estate Buying Process Simply Explained. Great Job Jim!
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Well I have been a licensed North Georgia Real Estate agent now for over 3 years and I have learned another very valuable lesson. I was and still am hoping that there will not be too many more of these sometimes hard to swallow life lessons in Real Estate.
Definition 1 of the word Net = The amount remaining after certain adjustments have been made for debts, deductions or expenses.
The amount remaining after certain adjustments have been made? Oh yeah!
I have a client, and more importantly good friend, who has taught me the “TRUE” meaning of the word net as it pertained to our agency relationship in the sale of his North Georgia Mountain Cabin on the Coosawattee River. We worked really well as a team to keep a close eye on North Georgia Real Estate Market Conditions and to make the necessary adjustments in order to achieve our common goal of getting his River Front Cabin SOLD. Price adjustments was of course on the top of my list considering that in a Buyer’s Market, 80% of marketing is in the Pricing of your home or cabin. So I adjusted the price with the knowledge of knowing what my good friend and client intended to Net.
Definition 2 of the word Net = The proceeds from the sale of an investment minus the purchase price, including commissions, and other expenses.
Proceeds from the sale minus the purchase price or amount owed, including commissions and Other Expenses? Oh yeah….duuuhhhh! That could mean things such as Pro-Rated Property Taxes, HOA Fees and Dues, A Home Warranty, Attorney Fees and Document Preparations Fees, even Overnight Fees associated with the closing.
After the negotiations of an offer we received on the cabin, only a few short days after making the proper adjustments I might add, I found myself feeling very content in my decision to reduce my commission by the number it took to Net my client the number he intended. That is until we receive the HUD Settlement Statement prior to closing. It seems my idea of “Net” is no where near what the meaning of the word is at all, not even close. What was I thinking? I have no idea. I assumed that the amount of commission that I adjusted to meet his acceptable “Net” price was all that was needed. All I can say is this….Net Means Net.
Now what have I learned from this that I can relay on to you? Two very simple words that a business partner shared with me, Net Sheet. If you are working with a Realtor, ask that agent for a Net Sheet prior to a listing or acceptance of a contract on a property you may be selling. I have my Net Sheet now and you can bet your bottom dollar that my clients will be seeing one from now on!
If I can be of any assistance to you in Selling your North Georgia Mountain Cabin or Home, please contact me for any questions or concerns you may have. If you are looking to Buy a North Georgia Mountain Property, my family and I would be grateful for me to have the opportunity to earn your trust and respect in this shifting market that is favoring the Buyer’s. You can get in touch with me at 706.633.8186, or at ChadL@KW.com. Thank you so much for taking the time to spend with me on The Porch. Please come back at each and every available opportunity that you may have.
Make it a GREAT week!
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My very reliable associate J. Byron Wyndham tells us through the eyes of an attorney some great points to focus on during a Shift in the Real Estate Market. If you have been on The Porch before, then you know that Byron is a frequent guest writer on The Porch and I am very grateful for his contribution to The Front Porch View. Byron is a Real Estate Attorney working right here in the North Georgia Mountains located in Blue Ridge.
We all know that we are in a tough market. Anyone who reads the paper, checks the stock market, fills the car with gas or watches the news on television is aware that this is a tough economy.
What can we do to give ourselves an edge in this kind of market?
Mountains are unique. Be sure to emphasize to the client why buying in the mountains is different from buying in a metro market. Talk about the peace and quiet, views and water, easements and access, water and wells and propane! Let your client know that they need to learn about their neighborhood before erecting a bird feeder-“they attract bears”. If they are driving in late at night, they need to drive slow and be on the look out for deer! Deer are often out feeding at night, usually in a herd.
Know what you are selling. We are in a second home market. Know your market. Your knowledge of your market will be an asset that will impress your client. Talk about the second home, not as an investment, but as a home. Yes, real estate usually appreciates, but this is not the year to emphasize the investment aspects of the purchase. Your client needs to live here as a second home to get away from the traffic and “rat race” in the big city, not because this is a good investment (though it may be).
Be sure of your referrals. It doesn’t matter if it is a banker, an appraiser, an attorney, an inspector or a fellow realtor. KNOW your referrals. You do business with a lot of professionals and often, when an agent is asked for a referral, the agent will give two or three 
names, so as to not be steering. Be absolutely sure that your referrals are as professional as you are. It is better to give two names of really good professionals in the industry than to try and “pad” your referrals so you can have three or four names. Your referrals can reflect on your professionalism!
Attitude can be a big factor in establishing a relationship with your client and making a sale. Nobody wants someone with a constant “woe is me” attitude. Everyone knows that the market is down. We just don’t need to talk about it all the time with our clients. Conversely, it’s a good idea not to be too upbeat as if there is no problem in the market. Be realistic but conservative.
Finally, Be Creative! Try to think outside the Box and stand out!
Thanks again to Byron for your continued support and your never ending advice for me and my clients. If you have any further questions or concerns with something you have read in this post or anywhere within this Blog, please feel free to contact at 706.633.8186 or by email at ChadL@KW.com. Thanks to you for taking the time to stop by and visit with us for a while on The Porch, please come back soon!
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Keller Williams Realty International came out with a great article this week concerning Buyers, and why most are just not willing to pull the trigger on buying a home in today’s market.
I know that activity has made a positve move over the past several weeks. Emails are coming in and the phones are beginning to ring again. Boy….is it a good thing to hear those phones ringing again! This is great information that I wanted to get out to North Georgia Mountain Real Estate Buyer’s and Investors. Whether you are looking to buy in Blue Ridge, Blairsville or Ellijay, I hope that you find this information very useful.
It’s time to get potential home-owners to go ahead and buy in this so-called “buyer’s market”
While today’s market plays to their advantage, buyers, who should be swooping in to make the most of reduced housing costs and favorable interest rates, are sitting by, waiting.
It is up to you, as a competent and informed real estate agent, to mobilize your potential buyers to invest in home ownership now. When the market turns, today’s bargains will be yesterday’s missed opportunities.
While it is conceivable that home prices may drop further, it is likely that these decreased prices will be accompanied by increased financing costs due to rate cuts by the Fed. This means that any money saved on paying less for a house in a few months time will be offset by your client having to pay off their mortgage at a higher interest rate making “playing the waiting game” a waste of time (and very little fun). Read the rest of this entry »
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Is was like a big ol’ smack on the cheek to be MeMe’d by my friend and Blogging Coach Justin Smith. (Read #5..you will understand!)
What? You don’t know what a MeMe is? That’s okay…I didn’t either. So if you would like to know, you can go here!
Here is 5 things you may not know about me:
- I have a Beautiful Wife of almost 15 years Kristi, who was actually engaged when we were on our first (un)official date.
- I have 2 amazing children, Madison (10) and Bryson (6)
with one (unplanned) baby girl on the way. (No name yet..thought we were done!) - I was 36 before I went to my first College Football Game. (Go DAWGS!)
- I was named Rotarian of the Year in 2004!
- One of the first girls that ever kissed me was a girl by the name of Meme!
I have tagged a few fellow Tomatoes in the spirit of keeping the MeMe going. They are:
Terry McDonald – CharlotteCommunitiesOnline.com
Tyler Wood – TheBigBearSkinny.com
Kevin Warmath – LivingInAlphareta.com
Thanks Justin…..This has been Fun!
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In our current market conditions, Realtors more than ever have to be on their game. In my market, the North Georgia Mountains, there was a day not too long ago where a Realtor could pick and choose the customers they wanted to work with. Obviously the Buyer coming into the area looking for a 4 bedroom home on wheels would be overlooked for the one looking for a 2 bedroom cabin with a great mountain view. Boy…..have times changed! Now its more like the Buyer gets to pick and choose the Realtor. How do you know you have picked the right Realtor?
Below you will find 10 ways to make sure that the Realtor you choose to work with and help you find your next mountain home isn’t a few sandwiches short of a picnic and will provide excellent customer service. A Realtor should provide you with fiduciary service and not just functionary service and they should be a consultant and not just an agent. They are able to give good advice, educate and guide you. They should be involved in the decision process and use good judgment and experience. A good Realtor is irreplaceable, and a great Realtor is highly compensated…meaning we actually earn what we make! Read the rest of this entry »
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Have you ever had a client ask you this question…What ever happened to a good ol’ fashioned handshake?
Believe it or not, it wasn’t too awful long ago that was the case here in the North Georgia Mountains, folks really did business on a handshake. However in today’s world of high tech gone wild, I believe we are forgetting about the simple things that mean so much to our customers and clients! Things like dropping by on Saturday morning for a cup of coffee, or an afternoon visit to help out with the yard! I know this may seem a little ridiculous, but doesn’t it mean so much to them? We need to be bending over backwards to take care of our clients in more ways than just on the business side of life.
It’s all about being Good People!
I recently had the opportunity to help a client with a small problem on a piece of property we had just gone to contract on. He had mentioned that someone had come by the property and dropped a load of garbage off down the bank. Not looking for praise, but I showed up to help out with the clean up and the appreciation that was shown was unbelievable. Now I am not the brightest light bulb in the pack, but who do you think might be the first person he calls when he gets ready to buy or sell another piece of property, or better yet who might he tell in line at the grocery store or in the parking lot at church to call when they need the same? Read the rest of this entry »
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