Used to be pretty easy to say that line……    I’d help buyers and sellers survive all the normal trials of a transaction.  With my level of experience it was easy and also gratifying to help them get past any bumps in the road.  We’d celebrate at closings and fly away till we would meet again.

In today’s market it’s a little tougher to be a hero.   I feel like most of my flying is on a broomstick.  In spite of every tool in my superhero bag I just can’t get every buyer’s loan approved.   I’m exhausted from showing a zillion homes;  I feel like I’m beating sellers to a pulp for price reductions.  Not so fun these days.

Ready for the answer?  It’s good service.  Good service means:

- being educated and current on real estate issues
- knowing the market,  knowing the numbers
- being honest with sellers about pricing and    condition
- guiding buyers to reality about their choices and needs
- helping buyers to recognize a really good location and value
- demonstrating patience and professionalism with my fellow agents during negotiations

Do all of these sound like plain old basics?  Heck yes, and that’s the point.  My job never changed.  I’m hired to help someone sell or buy a house.  Whether an easy market or tough market it is my job to get these customers through it.  I just need to do my job better than ever right now - and that’s good service!   Good service will always save the day!

Today’s Real Estate market is tough on both Buyers and Sellers. Education and professional guidance is the best way to navigate these rough and emotional waters.

Buyers:  Listen carefully to your agent about the right location, reputable lenders, inspectors, etc.  The greatest “steal” in the world is no bargain if you have to drive through yukky territory to come home every night.   Incredible “super rate” internet deals can carry a lot of hidden baggage.   Your professional agent will help keep emotions “level” and the focus on good decision making.   If you’ve been sitting on the fence waiting for the bottom to hit you’re missing opportunities.  Do a reality check in the mirror:  is your priority is to find a wonderful home or just a good “deal”?  Making unrealistic offers could cause you to lose the home of your dreams.

Sellers:  Get real.  Most sellers can’t imagine why their home won’t sell for more than all those others that can’t possibly be as nice.  Allow your agent to help remove emotions and apply the business side of market analysis.  Testing the market with the wrong price will ultimately cost you big bucks.   Allow your agent to be brutally honest about the need to stage or clean your home.   Face the realities of this price-driven market and set your price aggressively.

Buyers and Sellers:  Prepare to be flexible and cooperative during the transaction.   “Hard core” attitudes rarely  succeed.  Negotiate with a spirit of empathy and you’re much more likely to win.

Is this a Real Estate Transaction or a Root Canal???   One of my customers asked this question during a recent closing.  Can’t say I blamed him - transactions tend to resemble root canals for buyers and sellers these days.

The stress is definitely showing on all parties.  Sellers are suffering the decline of their home value.  Buyers are suffering the indignity of lenders actually requiring documentation and, heaven forbid, some cash down.  Agents are biting each other’s heads off after being whipped by their client’s chain of pain.  Is there no end to the abuse?

Yes - we may be at the end of pain in Brevard County, Florida.  The phones are ringing, showings have increased dramatically.  Inventory has decreased, interest rates are wonderful, sellers are recognizing the reality of competitive pricing.  Welcome to the beginning of the end - we’re on the rise in Florida and know the trend will spread across the country!  Buy today and celebrate!

We all know strict rules apply for our sellers with pets:  GET RID of pets during showings!  No odors, no fur, no pet food, and the biggest atrocity, no kitty litter !!  For 15 years I’ve played the hard-hearted Broker with my sellers by enforcing the “hide your pets” policy.  Everyone knows that buyers should NOT be distracted by pet odors or, heaven forbid, actual live pets wagging tails and jumping around!  

Holy Meow Mix, the pet rules have suddenly changed.  After 15 years in a “no pet” household we recently adopted 2 kittens from our local shelter.  Funny how being owned by two crazy creatures can put a new slant on the whole  “sellers with pets” policy!   Who are these 4 legged monsters and how did they come to control every aspect of our day?  One of them is even helping me to type this blog!  

Looks like the tables have been turned and my “no pet” brutality act toward sellers is about to be revised!  Guess I’ll have to take a more sympathetic attitude toward humans owned by their creatures.   Yikes – what if we decide to sell our home one day?  We know what they say about paybacks….   Meow! 

Hurricane Fay is dancing over Brevard County, Florida for the third day in a row.  Actually a tropical storm, Fay is lingering like a long, 3 mile-per-hour slow dance – just not very enjoyable!  Everyone is hunkered down, making soup and hypnotized by the weather reports on TV.  In the past three days we’ve received over 24 inches of rain.

For anyone who grew up in northern states, this is like a snow day with schools and offices closed.   One big difference is that we’re not freezing in our homes if the power goes out!   By day three, however, cabin fever has set in and even for kids the thrill is gone!