Margaret Rome's Blog

The answer is that either REBlogsites or a free one can work for you.  It's like anything else - how much money and TIME do you want to invest?  If you have plenty of both, REBlogsites does a nice job of presentation and has some flexibility that the free sites don't have.  If you're solo and have limited time (or interest) to keep up a blog, you either get a simple free one and take time from something else to do the writing, or you hand off whatever part you don't want to someone else.   The argument isn't really about whether to use a pay service or a free service - it's how much are you willing to spend? Every hour of your time is worth money, whether it's at a listing appointment, collecting a check at settlement, on the phone with a prospect, or writing a blog.  You're spending a resource - and the only choice is how much you want to spend on doing something that someone else can do vs. doing what only you can do.  Do what you do best and delegate the rest!

Baltimore,Md.

How To Sell Well in Any Market

I've recently been asked what works to sell listings in today's market. For me, it comes down to a few simple but powerful practices:

1. Start by giving - make it easy for anyone to get information. This means that my web site allows any visitor to search all listings - not just mine - without having to give personal information first. Buyers can see what's available in the areas they are interested in. But savvy sellers also use this to see what's going on in their neighborhood. And then I make it easy for a visitor to get in touch with me by email or phone.

2. Be available - having the listing agent available to take every phone call saves time and aggravation for everyone. The person who knows the property best can ask a potential buyer the questions like "What is the most important thing you're looking for in a house?" Of course the listing has all the features of the property, but only the personal conversation can find out what matters to each buyer. And this can only happen if the agent is available to answer questions and book appointments.

3. Use technology - a computer cannot list or sell a house, but it can streamline the process in many ways. Have a welcoming web site that is easy to navigate and keep it up to date. Give people useful tools that will make the process easy for them. I've created these:

· Buyers4YourHome - this page on my site allows people to tell the world what they are looking for in a home. People email me what they want, I put it on the site, and potential sellers can scan for a match. This has been very successful.

· My Listings - every one of my listings has a separate page that a buyer can download, print, and carry with them.

· My Blog - here I talk about what's happening in the Baltimore market but also have conversation-starters like my recent contest. To help raise interest in a unique property, I ran a contest asking for visitors to come up with ideas of creative uses for the building, an historic church that had been used as a gallery. The response was great!

We have a dear friend who suffered a stroke and it will only take a minute for you to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can reverse the effects of a stroke ...totally. he said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours!

Can you recognize stroke symptoms?

-Ask the person to SMILE.

-Ask the person to TALK.

-Ask the person to Raise Both Arms.

-Ask the person to stick out their Tongue.

If the tongue is crooked or they trouble with any of the above  tasks, call 9-1-1 and describe the symptons.

By passing this on, I hope that we can help others , like our dear friend.

This special letter with photos arrived in today's email:

 It has been a little over a year since you ... sold me my house in Hampden on Poole street.  I just wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you again for your hard work and forward some pictures of what i've done with the house since.  It's been a busy year to say the least!  The projects seem never ending but for now ... I think I'm nearing the finish line.    I have photos online at http://pbarker3.photosite.com/   If you scroll to the bottom of the albums and look at the "before" pictures you might remember the house ... i'm sure you see tons of houses in the course of a year.  There are a few pictures with your for sale sign ( Margaret Rome, wwwlHomeRome.com) still in the window!   I remember at settlement promising to keep you updated so here it is ... albeit a bit late.  As I said earlier ... thank you for making this happen for me.  I couldn't be happier with the house, my neighbors, the community, all of it!  .....   regards,   patrick

In the San Diego area there's a new program called www.freegashelp.com 

 They will give you a prepaid gas card with anywhere form $5 to $200 on it for acting as a moving billboard. If you are willing to put magnetic signs on your car you can get some relief at the pump.

I wouldn't do it myself, but it got me thinking, what new and interesting techniques are other realtors(R) using these days to find business?

Do you have advertising on your car? Have you upgraded your web site? How has the changing market in your area changed what you do to get noticed?



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posted by margaret rome to sell your home with margaret romeat 7/25/2006 04:32:00 pm

Sunday, July 23, 2006

June Home Sales are Up and Down

I saw a chart the other day that was good news or bad news – you could look at it either way. Being the TypeE personality I am, I still see good opportunities for both buyers and sellers in the current real estate market.

Here’s what the statistics showed for Baltimore County single family homes in June 2006:

• There were 1,678 new listings – that was down from May.
• There were 1,002 sales and contingent contracts – also down from May
• The total inventory of single family homes for sale was 3,288 – up from May

The number crunchers compared June 2006 to June 2005 and found that:

• The total number of houses sold was down almost 17% from a year ago
• The average sale price was $315,802 – up from a year ago when it was just over $301,000
• The average days on the market was 42 – a year ago it was 32 days

Now that your head is swimming with numbers, here’s what I think it means: The market has stabilized. There is more of a balance between people wanting to sell and buyers looking for a new home. Good for sellers – there is still a strong market, as you can see since prices are still increasing. Good for buyers – they have a better chance of submitting a winning offer on the right house for them.

The trouble with statistics is that they are a snapshot at a single point in time. By the time you read real estate statistics, the market has already changed, and what applies in one market is not true in another. Your best bet is to find a Realtor® you trust and work with that professional to sell your home. You'll end up with more money in your pocket and the confidence that you got the best deal.

I received this letter today. My husband says I work for thank you notes and I have to agree.      

"Dear Margaret:

We find it amazing that we never got around to thanking you for all of your effort in selling our home of over 41 years.

Phyllis and I were talking about a range of things last night, and the conversation came up about some friends who could not understand why we did not try to sell the house ourselves in such an active market, or use one of the discount realtor services. Everyone seems to have stories of houses sold to the first prospect, even before the "For Sale" sign went into the ground. 

I guess some people feel that they must squeeze every last dollar that they can get, but perhaps they fail to recognize that there is not only the price, there is a cost.  I question whether or not the costs of doing it yourself worth it?

In looking back we had no idea what a realistic asking price should be, how long our house might be on the market, and what improvements, beyond a new roof, we might have needed as a result of inspections.  Unknowns for us, but not for you.

We would have been more than a bit overwhelmed and crazy with the appointment process, the last-minute cancellations, the no-shows, etc.  Not to mention answering the prospective buyers questions about every appliance, the heating system, the windows, the plumbing, the electrical system, the ceiling, the fireplace, the "chimley," and of course, what kind of floors are under the carpeting.  We had confidence in you, so we just let
you do the work, and thank you for doing so.

You gave us an appropriate level of guidance, you emphasized "curb appeal," and you reminded us that we still had to live in the house while it was for sale. I think you implied that a perspective buyer and/or their realtor would recognize this fact.  Our not being present allowed the prospects to look where they wanted to look, ask the questions that they wanted to ask, and to voice their opinions, concerns and objections to you  freely.

Hindsight is often be "20-20."   But as we look back we truly had no idea about how to sell our "home."  

Our experience convinced us,  that sellers should always use a knowledgeable realtor when selling their property.  The right realtor will do their best to make the process as trouble free as possible, save you loads of time, and get you the best price that they can.

That, Margaret, is precisely what you did, and we sincerely thank you."



Phyllis and Mort
July 20, 2006

We are doing others a favor by sending out invitations. Here is just a part of a response that I received: 

"Thank you so much for this dynamic opportunity! I will get signed up on Friday. I so appreciate your friendship and years of wisdom.... a privilege to even know you, and I am ......encouraged when I talk to you. I think you are the dynamic deserving realtor of the century.. ... Please don't ever hesitate to let us know if we can do anything to help you in any way either professional or personal..."

WOW I just noticed that there are now 1000 real estate agents in Active Rain. This is a wonderful example of networking and bringing people together. I bet it will not take as long to get the next thousand agent signed up. This group is really working and I am enjoying the blogs. Thanks for everyone's input.

Margaret

Baltimore,Md

www.HomeRome.com