Our market here in Nashville has slowed since Spring/Summer. That has resulted in a lot of frustrated Sellers. They may have put their house on the market at the end or just after the frenzy and now they are waiting, and some not so patiently. “My house won’t sell!” And everyone told them how quickly it would sell. “Your house is great. It will sell in a day.” “My friend had 13 offers on their house the first weekend, you won’t have any problem at all.” There are two problems with that: 1. They aren’t Realtors that are in the market every day, and 2. They are listening to old news. First of all, you have to make sure you have done everything to present your house in the best way possible. Before photos were taken did you make sure the interior and exterior were spruced up, neat and clean? Have you taken extra items off counter tops? If you present your home hastily and it doesn’t look its best, it could hurt. Did you have professional photos and/or video taken? Nothing screams “unprofessional” like seeing someone standing in a mirror with their phone in their hand in a real estate photo. Make sure money is spent to do it right the first time. Are you receiving requests for showings? If you are, you have done at least a good enough job with the photos and marketing to get people interested to come see your house. Are you accommodating those requests, even when it’s not convenient. If your house isn’t selling and you frequently decline showing requests, you are part of the problem. You knew when you decided to sell that people needed to see it in order to buy it. The more restrictions you put on potential buyers seeing it, the more likely they are going to buy something else before they get a chance to see yours and the less likely you are to sell at all. Are you keeping the house neat and clean at all times in case someone wants to see it at the last minute? People open closets, so don’t forget those and throw everything in one as you’re running out the door. Also, smells are a big turnoff to people. Too many candles, strong food odors, pets, flowers, smoke, even air fresheners can make some people head out the door. Allergies and sensitive noses can cause some buyers to decide against your house because they think there is no way they can get “that smell” out. If you feel you have presented it well and you are getting people in to see it and the feedback is positive, you probably have...

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  Did your mom ever tell you not to get “too big for your britches?” Maybe she said you already were. If she didn’t, you’re better than me! I think my mom probably still says that about me sometimes. And that is why I think this is a good reminder for those of us that have been warned against it. We see it everywhere. Entertainers who think they can get by with anything say something from stage and the country retaliates by boycotting their shows. Athletes getting in brawls at nightclubs because they don’t think anyone will turn them in. Local politicians who weave in and out of traffic in their brand new sports car because they think they won’t get a ticket. CEO’s using the company plane for personal vacations because “they can.” Some people have so many “yes” men/women around them that they feel they are invincible. They are constantly photographed and told how great they are that they can forget who they were when they put their pants on one leg at a time. What about us? How do we treat those around us? In our world of social media, we can all be celebrities. We can all have people telling us we’re wonderful and we can feel like we hung the moon. But is it real or is it just like a great Instagram filter? Do we respect others – even when we don’t agree with them? Or do we make a point to tell them they’re wrong because we feel we’re right? It can be as simple as a “thank you” to a restaurant server or making eye contact with the person who held the door open as you walked up. When we are working with a service professional, do we think we know how to do their job better than they do? We may, but we shouldn’t act like it. Communication goes a long way in understanding the other person’s point of view. Most of the time, I have found that people have definite reasons for doing things the way they do. When I have thought I knew better, I have often understood that their reasoning was sound and that had it been done differently, the outcome may have not been a good one. This is just a little reminder to check ourselves. Stress runs at high levels and if we find that we are acting a little too big for our britches, take a step back and breathe. We are human. We ALL make mistakes and we ALL deserve...

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  Realtors today have a multitude of choices when it comes to brokerages. Where should I hang my license? What is the difference between companies? What does the company provide? And the biggie: What is the commission split? These are all great questions and considerations when choosing a brokerage. Here are some tips on what to look for in a brokerage. How long have you been an ACTIVE Realtor? If you have been actively selling real estate for more than 3 years, chances are you don’t need a Broker to hold your hand through each transaction. You may consider a Broker based on their presence in the community or commission split. If you are a brand new Realtor or don’t have much experience with complex real estate transactions, you will want to find a Broker that is more hands on or a company that has extensive, ongoing training and/or mentor program. Do you sell luxury homes exclusively? If you sell mostly high end, luxury homes, you may want to consider a brokerage that has the reputation for catering to the luxury clientele. A name can often times be perceived with high end and if that is the market you are going for, that may be a good fit for you. I will caution you that if you sell or want to sell other types of property as well, the burden is on you to make sure your sphere of influence and referral sources know that you aren’t ONLY looking for luxury clients. If you do not educate people on what you are looking for, that luxury name brand may come back to bite you if/when that market slows down. Do you want/need an individual office? A lot of newer brokerages are going to an open concept/café style environment. So many Realtors work from home or meet clients at coffee shops these days. Most do not need or want the extra expense of renting an office in the brokerage. However, there are others who have a team of people they would like to work all in one location or those that prefer to work out of an office. This should be a consideration when choosing a brokerage. You will also want to find out if they charge extra for those private offices. If they don’t, you may be paying for space even if you don’t use them. Do you need Marketing or Administrative help? A lot of Realtors do it all on their own. Some outsource what they don’t want or can’t do on their own. Still others prefer to have an individual onsite that they can get help from on a regular basis. There are a lot of solutions...

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Have you ever been in a restaurant and had mediocre to poor service and when it came time for the server to bring the check they all of a sudden changed their attitude and cared about your experience? Or how about the contractor who is working on your house that doesn’t care, tries to cover up issues instead of solve them, then follows up to “make sure you were happy with their service” and ask for referrals. Too little, too late. I see this in home buying, home selling and home building. A Buyer will write a lowball offer and then be very upset when a Seller accepts another offer before theirs is worked out. Too little, too late. If they really wanted the house, they should have offered a fair price to begin with and the Seller would be more negotiable and feel more a sense of urgency to come to agreement. Sellers will play hard ball when it comes to inspection results and items buyers are asking for. Then when the Buyer backs out of the contract because their requests aren’t being fulfilled, the Seller tries to throw money at it. Too little, too late. Home builders will take short cuts, leave things undone, not use proper materials, do the bare minimum and ignore requests to make it right, then come groveling when you mention you are speaking with your attorney. Too little, too late. As a consumer, listen to the experts. Your Realtor or representative does this every day. They see what Buyers and Sellers are doing, how the market is responding to certain situations and can advise you on the best way to handle it. We are all busy and so many of us have too much but we need to be conscience of not taking things on if we can’t do the job or not do it right. We all have reputations. We all have people we can refer and ask for referrals for business. Here are some tips on ways to make sure you and your client/customer have a great experience: Set expectations at the beginning. Ask how they like to be communicated with and how often. Let them know your process and how you manage it. Ask what would make this a great experience for them. Review contracts, quotes, etc. together before starting the job. Tell them you expect feedback before, during, and after the job is complete. When an issue arises, handle it immediately. Don’t make the mistake of giving someone too little, too late. Your reputation and possibly your income can depend on...

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