Real Estate and Reston, VA: August 2010

If you are sending a freshman to Herndon High School next year, Tuesday (8/31/2010)  is  Orientation Day. The Orientation runs from 9-11 and gives the kids a chance to pick up their schedules, find classrooms and meet teachers.

Bus pickup will be centralized at local elementary schools.

Here are the pickup times for freshman who will be attending Herndon High and the Tuesday Orientation:

Aldrin Elementary School               pick up 8:35 a.m.
Armstrong Elementary School      pick up 8:35 a.m.
Clearview Elementary School       pick up 8:45 a.m. 
Dranesville Elementary School    pick up 8:45 a.m. 
Herndon Elementary School         pick up 8:45 a.m. 
Herndon Middle School                  pick up 8:45 a.m. 
Hutchison Elementary School       pick up 8:35 a.m. 
 
Proper dress and behavior is expected when attending Orientation. Buses will leave Herndon High School at 11:10 and drop students off at the elementary schools for parent pickup. 

 Good luck to all the new Hornets!!!

Most of my clients have bought and sold several homes. They have obviously done this successfully as it has brought them to the point where they have yet another home to sell.

They often tell me that they are very comfortable preparing their homes for sale and that they have always done very well selling their homes. I let them know that I am glad to hear this. It  will make the process easier for everyone as we identify those things that will need to be done. Because there WILL be things that need to be done.

Decorating your house and being on top of the maintenance is NOT the same thing as preparing your house for sale. I have seen some very pretty homes languish on the market. 

I am getting ready to head out to one of my 'not yet on the market' listings.  I have permission to go through the house with my comprehensive checklist and compile a  list of those items that should be done to prepare the home for sale.  Once this list is complete, I will review it with my clients and we will begin the process of preparing the home for market.

In this competitive market place, no detail is too small when it comes to preparing your home. Getting a third party to preview and help you to prepare a list is a great way to make sure that you don't over look those things that will be obvious to everyone else.  Perhaps your rear door sticks a little when you try to open it; it may have been doing this so long that you TRULY do not even notice.  Someone who doesn't know the 'trick' to open it easily will be able to remind you that it needs to be fixed.  Home owners often overlook little things like wiping down the light switch plates or cleaning the inside of the front door (I am not above grabbing some cleaning supplies and doing a quick wipe-down before meeting a potential purchaser--in fact, I keep emergency cleaning supplies in my car for just such a scenario).

Homes are selling. In a competitive market, attention to detail is every bit as important as proper pricing and marketing.  Remember, when it comes to hiring someone to manage the sale of your home, you can 'do it on the cheap' but you will get what you pay for.  Hire  a real estate professional that has demonstrated an understanding of what it takes to get your home sold and who will be a partner in the process.

I guarantee that you will be happy that you did!

In this competitive real estate enviornment, providing excellent service and attention to detail is the bare minimum that we must provide for our clients. This post by Ron and Alexandria Seigel demonstrates how important is is to differentiate yourself from the pack.

The original post can be found at Luxury Real Estate Marketing Essentials-Creating Extrordinary Value.

If you have been on the fence about buying a home, you really should consider getting into the market.

Home prices are competitive, sellers are often motivated, interest rates are unbelievable and you may find that with school starting soon, there aren't as many buyers to compete with.

'All real estate is local,' has been touted a lot lately because it is true. Before you believe the gloom and doom of the National media, you need to do yourself a favor and talk to a local Realtor.  Select someone whose expertise you trust and ask them for a read on your local market.

With the average 30 year fixed loan ending the week at an average of 4.32% it is a great time to buy a house at a competitive price and for the best financing seen in YEARS!

For more information on current interest rates see, Fixed mortgage rates fall for Nine of Past 10 Weeks.

I wrote a blog last week called, Why You Should Buy Now Even without a Buyer Tax Incentive.  In this post, I lay out what a difference interest rates can make in your monthly payment. It is really is amazing how much a lower interest rate can mean for your out of pocket costs.

If you have been thinking of buying, don't ignore the buying power that these interest rates can provide. It is time to get off the fence and buy that home you have been considering!

Yesterday, my husband, son and I headed out to buy a new mattress for my son.  

I went into this as an informed consumer:

**I had a budget
**I had done research about what I wanted and why
**I had done some pricing and knew about what I should expect to pay for what I wanted

For some inexplicable reason, we have 3 mattress chain stores within a couple of miles of my house (do people buy that many mattresses? They must!). We decided that we should go to all 3 to make sure we ended up with the best product at the best price.

We went to the first store. The sales person greeted us and I shared with her our budget and the type of mattress that we were hoping to buy. We tried a couple of mattresses that were close to our price range and found 2 that we liked. She provided us pricing and then discretely stepped away to give us time to talk.  The price was about $50 over our budget, but they would provide the low profile box spring at no additional charge. She also volunteered that while we could not pick the set up on Tuesday, as we wanted to, we could get half-price delivery on Friday. It all sounded great, but we wanted to make sure we saw everything that was available and got the best price.

At the second store, we were greeted by the sales person. We provided the same information and he showed us 2 options.  When we indicated that neither of these was quite what we wanted, he began telling us of all of the problems with other manufacturer's mattresses. Finally, he began disucssing the benefits of one of their private brand and why we should buy that one.  I began to feel like it was in his best interest to sell us the private brand --one that we didn't want.  He seemed confused when we asked about the low-profile box spring and told us if we wanted it, we would have to wait a week and a half.  We excused ourselves and headed to store #3.

The third store was much larger than the first two and very well appointed. There were a lot of really fine mattresses displayed, all without prices. There was only one salesperson and he was working with other clients when we arrived. By now, we knew approximately what we were looking for. We headed in the direction of those mattresses.  The sales person finished up with the clients and we were finally able to ask him some questions. He answered all of our questions, but did not really work to provide us with options and alternatives. He was more like a receptionist than a salesperson.  We, again, excused ourselves and left.

So how did the shopping expedition end? We went back to the first store and bought the first mattress from the first sales person. We liked the way she treated us, we liked the product, we liked the pricing and we had the best experience there. Yes, I ended up exceeding my budget (by an acceptable amount), but I am happy with the purchase.

This experience got me thinking about how Realtors approach potential clients.  There were many parallels in what we were doing to a client walking into an open house with no agent representation.  By facilitating the process, asking the right questions, being involved, but stepping back at the right time, the first salesperson won our business.  In an open house situation, you don't know who is walking in that door--or how far along in the process they are--but you have the opportunity to learn about them. Simply selling them the house that you are holding open, may, or may not, be in their best interest (think of the salesperson who tried to sell us the private brand).  The salesperson who is busy when you arrive, and indifferent about your needs, will not win your business either (the third salesperson).

It is the Realtor/Salesperson who is interested in finding out your needs, understanding your wants, working with your budget and is respectful of your need to process what you have seen that will likely win the client!

These lessons are all around us; Real Estate is not so different from many other businesses. Having spent years in consulting, successfully working with a client is about understanding the challenge, proposing solutions, identifying the best answer and working to a successful outcome. Clearly, that is the best way to sell a mattress, too!

Are you incorporating these techniques into your business?  It is a sure way to be the Realtor that the client ends up selecting!

P.S. For you Herndon/Reston people, it was the Mattress Discounters at 322 Elden St. in Herndon, VA who won our business. Thanks for your help, Andrea Bodmann!

I think in defining our markets, we can learn a lot about what Gary Vee is Saying. Thanks to both Seth Godin and Mike Mueller.