Some can call it greed. You can give and give and give and there are those who will still take more. You have to know when and how to be in control. In other words how to put a lid on it.
You know I love my mini aviary and the colorful birds it attracts. But we have other visitors that just won't give up. They have managed to get into the bird feeders in spite of the "guaranteed" guards that are supposed to protect against the furry playful rodents. In addition to the plastic shield, which they were able to navigate, Vaseline on the long "S" hangers and "squirrel proof" bird feeders, the cute but pesky critters could always figure out a way to get to the seeds.
So then I thought, let's try two feeders with the same food, thinking one for the furry and one for the feathered. That meant purchasing more sunflower seeds which I placed in the brown container on my porch. That seemed to work - the pretty finches and other colorful birds were back. What a delight!
And then.... 
I bought a larger bag of sunflower seeds to supply both of those large feeders. And wouldn't you know it, the bag was too much for the can. I closed the paper/mesh bag and covered it with plastic and then put the can lid on top. There, that should do it.
A few hours later, I heard some noise out front. The lid was on the ground, the seeds were all over the stone porch, and the furry critters were inside the bag and chewing through the bag and the plastic. Why you greedy creatures! Remember, they already had their own feeder at this time, but that was not enough. No, they emptied the squirrel feeder and started on the bird feeder. Time to refill so there is enough for everybody. Then I repaired the damage and put the lid on TIGHT.
How does this relate to real estate? With some clients, enough is not enough. Not enough advertising, not enough contact, not enough showings, not enough offers, not enough attention. You name it, enough is not enough.
How do you decide when to put the lid on?
I love working with my sellers, the ones that are referred, the ones that appreciate what I do, the ones who are pleased with my efforts, my phone calls, my emails, my texts, my ads, my blogs, my google juice, my Realtor.com, my updates, my negotiating skills...etc.
And then there are those few clients who I choose not to work with from the beginning, because enough will never be enough.
That's an important thing to learn – saying "No" to working with people who will never be satisfied no matter what we do.
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This morning on the front page of the
Seeing his credit line this morning, it was just natural to pick up the phone, call Jed, and congratulate him on bringing such beauty to today's news.
You know by now that I love 
Hmm – sound familiar? Kind of like getting ready for a listing appointment, isn't it? Lots of combing through records for comps, brushing up on your presentation, and generally getting yourself ready to meet your prospective 
Most listings are lost not because the house is not sold – it is because the seller is not kept updated. Think about any stressed sellers you might have. When did you call them last? When did you update them? Do they know if you are doing anything? Save those listings! Just pick up the phone!
So I suggested they call the other agent to let them know they were planning to change. The response? "We have showings, and we have an offer coming in." With that, I suggested they wait to see if this turned into anything. (The agent, a long time friend, was shocked they would even consider a change!)
e calls. Again they called and told me to proceed. I did my usual process for a listing; took photos, the MLS, blog, advertising, etc. I emailed the sellers my AR blog about the property and told them about the marketing, but also let them know that we had no calls yet.
Late on Sunday night I received an email from Jill,
I called Jack and offered to pick him up at his hotel at 11:30. Nope, he'd rather meet me at the property. OK, so there I was in my car and the GPS would not take the first address. So I entered the nearest intersection and found out that I was 20 minutes away. Yep, I was going to be late. I called Jack to tell him I was running a few minutes late, and he was NOT pleased. " I am going to have lunch and you are just wasting my day."
This was not the way to start a relationship. I was doing him and the other agent a favor (yes, she had already asked for the commission on this rental agreement).
I did the right thing. I asked myself WIN – What's Important Now? And my answer was that turning around and coming home felt right. I called "Jill" (no answer) and called and emailed the agent wishing them luck in finding a home in Baltimore.
Calling all agents from Maryland, DC, and beyond!
The Maryland/DC CRS chapter is inviting you to its general 
What do soles have to do with this? Shoes. New or gently worn shoes, to be exact. The Maryland/DC CRS Chapter project this year is "Soles4Souls" which distributes your old shoes to those in need in more than 40 countries around the world. To learn more, visit their website 