They say good things come in small packages. America, land of the “bigger is better” actually has a practical side when it comes to homes. The average square foot of the U.S. home is only 1,800. While that is gargantuan compared to some of the Japanese 5×5 city apartments, it’s a far cry from the McMansion years of the Big Hair era.
MLS Bloopers Exposed
Somewhere at this very moment, even as you read this blog entry, it’s happening: our profession is being further downgraded (we rank just above lawyers for “trustworthy” in a consumer confidence poll!) by some yayhoo who doesn’t know how to put a grammatical sentence together. Someone who doesn’t know that there is no such thing as a “rot iron fence,” a “double-pained window” or a “mother-in-law suit” (well, maybe for a formal wedding).
What’s Stopping You? Determining Your Roadblock to Success
You’ve probably never done this, but I bet your friends have. They appear to be stuck. While they have a goal, a big goal, they can’t move forward. And they come up with a hundred excuses for why. Excuses that sound something like this:
When the Going Gets Tough, Remember the View
Our fearless leader, CEO of The CE Shop, Michael McAllister, recently shared a biking story in Zion National Park. Here’s an excerpt: We had heard that there was world-class mountain biking in Zion so we were determined to find that best spot. All the feedback we received pointed to Gooseberry Mesa so we said “bring it on!”
How to Make Difficult Decisions
Whenever we say “yes” to one thing, we have to say “no” to other things. This is what makes decision making—and here I’m referring to tough decision making, not what to have for lunch—feel like a four-hour dental visit. It’s a clenchingly stressful pain in the neck that often leaves you blubbering like an idiot.
Firing Clients: Sometimes It Has to be Done
I referred away my first million-dollar client when I was only two months into my real estate career. I had taken a floor call and ended up with this couple from out of town who wanted to buy a view property to use when they were visiting their daughter. Although it would remain empty for most of the year, they were intent on making it into a miniature Taj Mahal. Every single property I showed them—with panoramic views of the city and exquisite architecture—according to them “would have to be gutted.”
When You’re Sick, Be Sick
I’ve done it, and I know you have too. We get sick but we push through, we keep up, we set aside our petty sniffles and sweaty brows, we man (or cowgirl) up, muscle one in there, pull it together, power through, take one for the team, win one for the Gipper … bad idea.
When we’re sick, our bodies are trying to tell us something. I don’t know about YOUR body, but what MY body is usually trying to tell me is “SLOW THE HECK DOWN!”
Finding the Golden Egg: What Easter Egg Hunts and House Hunts Have In Common
Round, oval, plastic, ceramic, blue, pink, purple, GOLDEN! Yes, Golden eggs always have the best treats. I loved Easter time as a child where I would dress up and go on egg hunts. Some of the most fun times in recent years have been egg hunts with my nieces and nephews as I watched the little ones scavenge for prizes. Fast forward a few years. My husband (then boyfriend) recently purchased his dream home in 2010 and I was part of the review process. I knew things were serious when he asked me to participate in home viewings! He proposed at the park nearby the house he had selected about nine months later. The beautiful waterfall made for a perfect backdrop in our special moment. (Location makes a difference in proposals too!)
Guns and Real Estate: Do They Mix?
Recent tragedies have brought the “gun issue” to the forefront. Both sides (those for more gun control, and those for protecting the right to bear arms) make valid points; this blog post will not attempt to debate the issue, simply to discuss the mix of guns and real estate. If you’re interested in hard data, here’s a Forbes article with links to studies.
Busy Season is Coming … Do You Know Where Your Business Is?
Mid-March through June tend to be the busiest months in real estate in most areas of the country. I started in real estate in Portland, Ore., in March 2003—and I thought I had landed on a benevolent new planet where money and clients rained down from the trees. Either that, or I was really good at this stuff! Who knew how easy this thing called real estate sales could be? I was channeling Michael Douglas in Wall Street in his “Greed is good” speech. When, a few weeks into my blossoming career, in a new agent training session, my manager asked me, “Let’s talk about where you’ll get your business,” I chortled (chortling is how rich people laugh), and offered by way of a reply, “Um … answer the phone?” It was really that easy … then.