I Can Negotiate Any Real Estate Deal, After All I Have A 5 Year Old!

So what happens when you receive one of those ridiculously low, never going to happen in a million years offers? You know your seller will never consider it, but you really would like to sell their home for them. Can you negotiate the impossible?

I have learned many things from my 5 year old daughter, the one that I can apply the most to my Real Estate skills ... is the art of negotiating. After all, is there much difference between candy and houses? The principle of finding a solution where both parties are happy still applies.

When my daughter asks for candy, most of the time she asks for more than she knows I will ever give her. It is as if she knows that I will never accept such a low ball offer. But she is ready. As soon as I tell her "I cannot possibly accept that price", she has the next offer in place, always known as Counter Offer #1. We often go back and forward, sometimes as many counter offers as it takes her Daddy to work out a successful contract.

The irony is that in Real Estate, unlike a 5 year old's candy, there will be occasions where much precious negotiating time will be dedicated to the one item, that by closing time, the buyer or seller did not really want! Simply, like my 5 year old - they just want to be the one who ends up feeling like they won!

So next time you get an offer that you think is a total waste of time, may I suggest buying a big bag of candy and seeing where you end up ... there is nothing more sweeter than an accepted contract, not even that bag of candy!

You Can Take A Day Off - It Is OK - Your Kids Deserve You!

Being a committed professional Realtor, dedicated to ones profession, usually means that you have that obsessive feeling that you must be on call 24/7 - 365 days a year.

As deals become harder to get to the closing table, and buyers expectations for immediate services becomes ever more increased, we find ourselves being on call all of the time. I for one do not want to miss that one buyer who is actually qualified to buy and is looking at one of my listings, and nor does the sellers I represent.

But for anyone who does not have a parent with them anymore that they can call on Mother's Day or Father's Day, they soon realize that it is OK to take a day off and spend that time with your kids. Create with your children the memories they will carry with them for their lifetime - long after you leave this earth. I know that when I am gone I really want my kids to remember more about me than 'Daddy worked all of the time'.

So today I leave my phones in a lonely corner somewhere, along with my laptop and Real Estate folders and swimming pool and cold beverages - here I come! Happy Father's Day everyone!

Looking Fresh And Easily Recognizable - A Realtor's Survival

When I first became a Realtor a few years back and entered my local market, I was excited at the possibility of working alongside many friendly faces that I felt I already knew, having almost gone through the home buying process myself a year before. Whilst not actually purchasing a home at that point, my wife and I did tirelessly look at many that were on the market and during that time we viewed and became acquainted with many of the Realtors in our area, not actually meeting them in person, but through their various sign riders, newspaper advertisements and Internet listings.

It was to my surprise that when being introduced to agent after agent, I was aghast at the fact I did not easily recognize many of them at first. I remember thinking, "Oh, you're ???"

Whether it was the nostalgic 1980's black and white photographs that were sometimes used by them or the not so recent color photographs that featured a dramatically different hairstyle, the issue remained that these people I thought I knew so well suddenly could not be picked out in a line up, or worse, the local Walmart check-out line.

As a rookie I knew one fact, this could not be helping their business. Why, aren’t these Realtors not spending incredible amounts of money in advertising so that prospective clients WOULD recognize them?

It has always been a top priority of mine that I always have a current photograph of myself in all of my Real Estate advertising and listings. I am often recognized when I am out and know that this simple, yet conscious decision has paid volumes in commission checks. In today's social media society that we live and work in, I know that these agents are quick to update their Facebook profile photos, so why not their Realtors ones? Smile...

Real Estate Listings With One Or Less Photos Might As Well Be FSBO!

Searching through our local MLS, it amazes me as a Realtor just how many listings are presented with one, or in a few cases - no photos at all! If this makes me want to click onto the next listing, I can only imagine how a prospective buyer searching for their next dream home feels!

I admit, I have had listings in the past where it takes all of my creativity to find five or more photos that will spark the interest of a buyer. Or there is the listing that you really don't want to show all of its features as you fear it will drive a buyer away, but we owe it not only to our fellow Realtors but to the sea of buyers out there to inform them of the true listing's beauty - however it looks.

Speaking with a buyer yesterday confirmed this ... they told me that there are a lot of homes currently available on the market - far too many to see personally for them to make their choice. I agree! When I asked them how they decide which ones to look at, they confirmed what I already knew! They choose to look at the ones with multiple photos.

I have personally had many successes selling my own listings. If I can upload 10 photos on a listing - then it's 10 photos. If I can upload 25 photos - then it's 25 photos. I receive no greater compliment than an out-of-town buyer walking into one of my listings that they have viewed many times on the Internet prior to the showing and saying "Oh, it looks just like it did on the Internet" - well maybe the only greater compliment is the contract that follows.

I know my seller is nowadays quiet a Real Estate savvy individual, after all they usually have had a little experience as a FSBO prior to listing with me. The reason they made their decision to move from being a FSBO to listing their valued home with me is the fact that I spent my time convincing them that the sale of their home would come quicker if they used my professional expertise and that includes the marketing of their home. After all, I don't ever want them feeling like they are once again a FSBO with a Real Estate sign in their yard!

I Have Almost Seen It All - The Redneck Ceiling Fan!

It never ceases to amaze me ... human ingenuity! While showing a house in the downtown area of Jackson, Tennessee, I was amazed when I was asked the question "What is that?" and I did not have the answer. It appeared to be a simple box fan that was suspended from the ceiling, with a power cord that stretched to an electrical outlet on the wall. Folks, I believe I found the 'Redneck Ceiling Fan'.

It's Great To Be Part Of An Amazing Team!

It's obvious that a lot of hard work and dedication certainly pays off ... although I have only been part of the Crye-Leike Blue Skies team for 6 months now, I am proud to announce that our office has achieved a top 5 ranking throughout the entire franchise network of Crye-Leike. Our company is #1 in Tennessee ... and although others claim to be #1 here in Jackson, due to sheer number of agents at their companies, it's clear that Crye-Leike Blue Skies is #1 here in Jackson, based on customer service and dedication! We're an awesome team!

Something To Aim For ...

With the impending release of my first novel;
'Sisters Of Mercy'
I am hoping that it will create the same
success that my first children's book;
'My Friend Old Ted'
achieved back in Australia in 1996.

Neill.