The takeaways are as follows:1) I have exceptional clients – calm, understanding and desirous to sell their house.2) Out of approximately 40 showings – only one less than satisfactory experience – 98% of Realtors were professional and understanding…. Yesterday at 12:30, name withheld to protect the guilty (actually one of the three realtors we interviewed) called and asked to show the house between 1:30 and 3:30. That is twice as much of a window as anyone has asked for so far, so I asked her to just give me a 5 minute heads up call so I could gather the kids and clear out…. She says they don’t mind if we’re there, but I tell her I’m not comfortable with them coming over while we’re there (7 kids!)…. She then gets all sleazy car salesman on me and says that they’ve already seen a house that they LOVE and they’re only in town for a week…. They turned out to be Mormon and one of my friends is as well, so she was chatting them up (she actually gave them her email address) and telling them the church is close to this house…. It was initially such a bigger windown than anyone has asked for, and it was especially annoying because TWO other agents called late yesterday afternoon asking for showings (including your mom, actually), and as soon as I even just hestitated that we had company they were both like, “Oh absolutely no problem, you have a life, we’ll work something out and reschedule.” I’m not even sure why I’m telling you – I guess just so that in your professional experience you can say, “that really stinks” or “that’s what happens sometimes.”
Date Archives March 2006
Advertising is moving to the web. (and this is news?)
It’s no wonder that internet startups are poised to blow the doors off traditional real estate business models.
Morning growth reading (and listening)
CvilleTomorrow continues to provide sunshine on Albemarle County’s processes. The two most recent buzzwords, “phasing” and “clustering” are on their way to prominence. My first question is – why has it taken the BoS this long to question the pace of the County’s growth?Orange, Louisa and Fluvanna are in the Commonwealth’s top 100.
Competition is a good thing
At last year’s Blogger’s Conference, one of the bloggers told me that he would follow my blog, because he was curious to see how successful a business blog could be. What a year it’s been.In the Charlottesville area, there are now at least four (including mine) real estate-centric blogs. Each has a different spin on the real estate market.It’s funny how my daughter magically plays better when she plays against better competition. I am hoping that this will be the same.
Afternoon links for 13 March 2006
Running government as a business – now there’s a thought. (via Commonwealth Conservative)More to the point, Richman said, governments don’t have to make a profit – “they don’t have to satisfy consumers who can simply turn around and take their money elsewhere,” Richman said, “so they don’t face the same kind of pressures as businesses.”Crozet to pass 12,000 – by the County’s own admission! (and here)Bloggers and ethics.
A sign of the times
The market is changing – I saw this this morning on craigslist, long the hub of those attempting to (and often successfully) sell their homes without representation.
A fool and his money …
Via slashdot.For the last few years, real estate transactions over the Internet — where buyers need never set eyes on the property they purchase — have become increasingly common….Richard W. Hayman, president of Bid4Assets in Silver Spring, Md., agreed with Mr. Durzy that buyers needed to be cautious. “Some of this actually amazes me,” he said. “People seem to think ‘caveat emptor’ doesn’t apply when you’re sitting at your computer.”The value of looking somebody in the eye and shaking his or her hand should not be underestimated.