DOM Market Controversy

So there is a days on market controversy spreading through America, fueled by the media who have "exposed" a secret and are now flailing around talking about how bad that is!

I am not sure who is being hurt by the DOM issue. If the seller is a FSBO it is the buyer or the buyer's agent responsibility to ask how long the house has been on the market (there is no data to support this, we have to take their word for it). If it is listed in the MLS and you have an agent they can access this data easily. If you are a buyer representing yourself ask the agent with the listing for a report on how long the property has been in the MLS (not just their listing) and I am hard pressed to think that they will refuse!

If you are looking for a home in the Tampa Bay area and would like a report of how many days a house has been on the market I would be pleased to offer that to you, for free, within lets say 48 hours (I have a BUNCH going on right now and don't want to set you up for disappointment time-wise). Just drop me an email and it would be my pleasure. You don't have to be my client, it doesn't have to be my listing. It is NOT a secret.

My clients will ask that question BUT it has much less relevance in our market than the comparable sales for the last 3 months do. I have not used DOM as the deciding factor in how to structure an offer in over 2 years. LOTS of houses have been on the market a long time. Sometimes it means that the owners started high and are now more realistic in their pricing. Sometimes it means that the owners will not accept an offer that is lower than their price EVER. Sometimes the condition is bad, sometimes there is a road, sometimes there is a smell. Generalizing ALL houses in ALL areas of the country as the news media does is ludicrous!

What I Learned From Clean House

So I watch this TV show - Clean House - that features people with SERIOUS clutter problems. The show helps them sell or donate their "stuff" and then does a makeover on the rooms. Watching does two things for me, it makes me clean off my dining room table AND makes me feel good that even in my worst days my house doesn't look THAT bad. But enough about my sanctimonious posturing....:)

Today I was watching an episode where the Mom did not take any responsibility for any of the clutter. She said it was all her daughter's fault and if she didn't have that additional clutter her house would be perfect. She also continually said things like "you will never see this room clean again" and "I have NOTHING to do with any of the problems".

Well they did the makeover and the Mom was horrified. She hated EVERYTHING. She cried and said that it was the worst thing that had ever happened to her and that all she wanted was her miserable, cluttered house back. She criticized everything and saw NOTHING that good about the new look.

So what does this have to do with real estate do you say? Sometimes people are not a good fit and you can sort of tell that up front. If you walk into a listing appointment and the person tells you how their last Realtor was horrible and only got them 3 offers in 20 days, or if they think their home is special and should sell for $50k more than their neighbor's homes OR if expect an open house 7 days a week until their home sells....well you can probably tell it is not going to be a great transaction and your chances of getting it sold and to the closing table are slim!

On the other hand if you are selling your house and the agent comes in, plops down on your dining room chair and says "the market is terrible", "no houses are selling" or "you are never going to sell this dog" without offering concrete suggestions or market facts - RUN! They are doing what my husband does before a golf match, he warns the people that his back is acting up so that if he loses it is not his fault!

They say there is someone for everyone and just be careful that the person you pick is a good fit for your style. Sheila and I are fun and loud and will work our tails off for you BUT if you need a phone call every other day with a status report we are not the girls for you. We have agents in the office who are FABULOUS at customer service but who do no marketing, if you like that style of selling I would be happy to shoot you a referral! In this market you are going to have that agent or client for a while, take some time up front to make sure you have a love connection and that time will go by MUCH quicker!!!

I saw Seth!

So I went to the 2008 Keller Williams Family Reunion to learn about the lastest real estate info, bond with other agents AND (most important) see Seth Godin. He was FABULOUS!

I could ramble along with a bunch of his talking points since I have listened to his audiobooks over and over again, but his focus was on The Dip, his next to the last book. Since our market has taken A Dip it was great to hear that if we make it through the dip we will come out stronger on the other end (and have much less competition!)

The Dip was not my favorite Seth book but after hearing him talk about the process I definitely will use the principles to determine my goals. If I am going to give up when it gets hard I will not start it, if I am not going to do something well I will not start it, and if I am not committed to doing it massively I will not start it. BUT the things I choose to do I will do well and totally!

Thanks for the reminder Seth! Your biggest fan Tara (and not in the creepy Misery kind of way...:)

Realtor Photos - How Old Is Too Old?

I was talking to an agent the other day on the phone and I mentioned to Sheila that she sounded older than I thought she was and we got a good giggle about the fact that her photo in her marketing and on her cards was somewhat dated.

So this week I got semi-busted. I was working with an out of town buyer and she said that I looked young in my photo and she had considered not using me because she wanted a more "seasoned" agent. Well I can tell you that at 41 I am pretty well seasoned and not a spring chick any more! BUT it made me think....

Sheila and I use our "girls" for most marketing because we prefer to focus on marketing our listings more than ourselves. I have another confession, I am not as skinny as my girl AND I don't wear dresses that often!

So loyal readers, I need a vote. Is it time to get a new picture? I have about a thousand (really two) photographers in my family so it won't be difficult to get a new head shot. I SO don't want to be the agent with decade out of date photo!

Also, should we stage an intervention on Realtors who need to get up to date? How do you start that conversation?!?!?!

Man Vs Wild - Whack Job or Not?

So I love this guy Bear Grylls who has a program on the Discovery Channel (Man Versus Wild). He basically heads out to the wilderness and tries to get back to civilization, sometimes doing truly stupid things to survive. He eats some of the most awful things! I used to think that I was watching to get pointers in case I was stranded in the desert but I now know that I would perish early and often so now I just watch because he is so darn excited about what he does!

I can pretty much watch anyone do something they enjoy. It is so fun to see their eyes light up and they talk faster and tell you ALL about the subject that is near and dear to their hearts.

Does your Reatlor do that? Do they get all fired up over getting your home sold or finding you the perfect house? Is it their full time job? Believe me to do this day in and day out in this market they better LOVE it or they will not be around for too much longer!

Your Agent Matters A LOT!

Well January was a pleasant surprise for Sheila and I! We got our normal flood of new listings BUT also got a handful of new buyers. Two that I worked with yesterday made me realize that the market HAS changed and in the good way for hard-working competent agents. It matters again who your Realtor is! Here are a couple of examples:

First Time Homebuyers - Here in the Clearwater area we have A LOT of houses available but not all of them a good fit for first time homebuyers. SOME short sales could work for a first timer but not all. Some houses are a value, some aren't. Some loans and loan officers are great, some not even good. Some agents take the time to make sure that you have the best loan possible, that we write the offer in a way that will satisfy the bank, the seller and the buyer. Two that I am working with right now are a single mom who is looking for a family home for her and her two children, the others are a great young couple who want a good home that will allow them to move up in a couple of years. All of them will come out better in the end because we are dedicated to doing what is best for our clients, regardless of how long it takes to make sure we get it right!

Sellers - I have to admit the sellers are my favorites! The opportunity and challenge to market a home in this market is too much for me to resist. I think up new ways to get exposure for our homes and capitalize on the good things that are happening rather than the doom and gloom. For example, we are getting price breaks and promoting our listings based on the passage of Amendment 1. This allows homeowners to make their Save Our Homes Cap portable and to double their Homestead exemption. We are hoping that this will help continue to boost the number of homebuyers who are going to be moving into the market and I want to make sure my sellers are positioned to take advantage of it! We also present our properties in their best light (lots of pictures taken by a pro, great description, lots of marketing) so that we have the most chance of getting our listings shown!

Short Sales - These are a challenge, but I KNOW that no one will work harder to find a buyer and grind through the process than we will. Helping the short sale seller is sometimes hard because there is only so much anyone can do until we have an offer BUT the key is to keep trying and stay on top of everything that needs to be done (marketing, price breaks, scheduling, disclosures). We have committed to helping people in this situation and to getting as much education about this changing industry as possible and are confident of bring the best representation that you can receive in the Tampa Bay area!

All in all I just want to say that I am proud to be a Realtor and to provide professional service to our clients. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to help people because of the knowledge and dedication the Tara And Sheila Show brings to the table. AND I am SO thankful to be a part of Keller Williams Palm Harbor where we work and learn together. It matters to our clients that we are learning based and continue to educate ourselves about the changing market. It matters that we support each other, showing our own listings, offering suggestions, working towards everyone doing great. And it matters that Sheila and I enjoy our work so much, helping find homes and opportunities for our clients is what makes it fun to get up and at it in the morning!!!!

Boy-o-boy - the buyers are back!

To all the chicken littles out there who say the sky is falling - we are SO busy! We have had our own showings on 6 houses this week and have 3 more lined up for later this week and it is TUESDAY!

This is the best time to get in the market - prices are down, interest rates are down and inventory is up! First-time homebuyers can afford a house again, rental homes are able to cash flow positive, move up buyers benefit from the decrease in the higher priced home's reduction.

I am so happy to be a realtor today!

We live in paradise - that picture is from Honeymoon Island in Dunedin! Where else can you go for sun and wonderful weather in the dead of winter? Thanks for listening, feel free to resume your doom and gloom outlook!

Photo provided by Linda Jacobsen