This is just to serve as a public announcement and general way of not being able to deny that I am making the commitment to improve my business. While I am a great Realtor® according to my clients both current and past I know that I can do better. The thing I can improve on is my lead generation. By meeting more people who need or want to buy and sell real estate in Tacoma I can help more people and improve my skills with each transaction.
On Bloodhound Blog (a national real estate blog) there have been a lot of discussions recently about being accountable and actually working 40 hours a week. The posts have hit a nerve with me and I have committed to prospecting six or more hours a day 5 or more days a week for the next 120 days. Between today September 1st. 2010 and December 31st. 2010 I will be sharing my experiences both the successes and the shortcomings on Classic Homes Northwest. Since this is not a site designed to be a site about me I have created a page that if you are interested you can visit without having it be the first thing you see each time you visit the site.
As potential clients of my services you will benefit from the increased focus on prospecting and the increased business it will generate. How? by working with a focused and driven to succeed Realtor® you can be comfortable that your needs will be the priority. The efforts that will be put in on your behalf will be focused on exactly what you want and need. This laser like focus will make the whole process easier and better for you the client. I look forward to talking with you soon.
The video here is a few months old but I was not made aware of it until today. Seems that the FDIC has cut some pretty sweet deals for banks who buy the assets of other banks. Who gets to pick up the tab for these deals? Well, it’s you and I who do.
Please share this with everyone that you feel needs to know about this.
We are starting the weekend off with a Sunset Viewing from 6pm to 9pm at 1327 N. Fir St. Tacoma, WA 98406 Listed at $398,000 the views from the home really need to be experienced to truly see what this home is all about. For more information on this property you can visit 1327 N. Fir St. by following this link.
Saturday August 28th. 2010 1pm to 4pm Open House at 1410 SW Minterbrook Rd. Port Orchard, WA 98367. Offered at $189,950 this 2+ bedroom rambler has a unique floor plan and a lot of space to roam. Situated on a shy acre this home has a rural feel yet is within 10 minutes of HWY 16.
Sunday August 29th. 2010 1pm to 4pm Open House at 14822 Crescent Valley Rd SE Olalla, WA 98359 Your own private oasis is waiting. This 3 bedroom 2 bath home is located on .77 acres and is truly a beautiful and peaceful setting. Another rural setting that is 10 minutes from HWY 16 and shopping.
These three homes are just part of my inventory. If you would like to see more houses I have listed please visit my Featured Listings page.
If you are looking to buy a home in Tacoma or the South Puget Sound please feel free to use the free home search service I have offered. No registration feel free to search for the home of your dreams without signing up. When you find things you have questions about or would like more information on of course I will be happy to help you. When ready to talk about buying a home in Tacoma feel free to use the contact form on the right side of the page, or better yet give me a call (253) 219-1194 we can setup a time to meet and chat about your needs.
I was holding an open house yesterday and as usual I had a fair number of people come through to take a look at the house. I find that open houses are great excuses for the neighborhood to stop by and look at what their neighbors house looks like. I also find that a lot of people are out driving around and stop by simply because there are signs on the side of the road saying Open House.
In any case many people are asking questions when they visit an open house and I thought it would be interesting to post some of the questions and my responses here for others to read.
The first question in our conversations about real estate is: What types of homes are you selling right now?
Interesting question and it made me think and do a bit of math in my head before I could really begin to answer it correctly. My initial reaction would be to say I am selling bank owned and short sales to buyers right now. This in my specific case is not accurate for 2010. This year in the transactions where I have represented the buyer 85% of my transactions have actually had a individual seller on the other side. Now in a few cases the seller lost money but they were able to cover the loss by writing a check at the closing table.
Of the transactions that are scheduled to close in the next 30 days I am representing buyers who in 100% of the transactions will be buying directly from sellers. With these specific transactions all of them are sellers who are selling former rental properties. I am not sure why they have decided to liquidate their rental holdings at this time.
One other generalization I would of made when asked What types of homes am I selling? is that I was selling homes to first time home buyers. In 2010 I have sold NO homes to true first time home buyers. In a couple of cases one of the buyers in the transaction is a first time buyer but the other party has owned one or more homes in the past. When I put some thought into this I was still surprised as in 2009 almost 80% of my business was true first time home buyers. In the transactions I have closing in the next 30 days I do have one true first time home buyer buying a home. The others are all past home owners.
I find this very interesting that in the local Tacoma Pierce County market that my business has been to non first time home buyers. I hope that this is a sign that the local market is getting stronger and that given the prices and the amazing interest rates that we will finish 2010 on a strong note.
I currently have 7 listings active and they are all being sold by individuals who for one reason or another have decided to sell the properties now. I have not tried for bank owned listings or short sales as ways of obtaining listings. I have been having conversations with another real estate agent and I believe that I will begin to work on obtaining bank owned listings in the very near future. This of course will change my statistics.
Like any good conversation when asked a particularly direct question the answers are often different than one would answer without giving it any thought. For me this was a particularly good exercise as it really put in focus the specifics of who I am doing business with right now. I would of mistakenly answered I am selling homes to first time home buyers! if I would of not given a few moments to reflect on the actual facts of my business before answering.
I will keep posting the conversations as they happen. If something is interesting I will share it here. If you have any questions you would like answered about real estate in general or buying a home in Tacoma or selling a home in Tacoma please feel free to ask. I will take a moment and actually give you an accurate answer based on my actual experiences.
I will be holding my listing at 17636 155th. Ave SE in Yelm, WA 98597 open today from 1pm to 4pm. If you are looking for an affordable home that is a convenient commute to Ft. Lewis or Olympia this home might just be for you.
Located in the Scenic Shores development on Lake Lawrence this home was built in 1997 and has over 1,600 square feet of living space. Situated on a large 12,000+ square foot corner lot with a fully fenced back yard that has a lot of potential for landscaping. The three bedrooms are located on the second floor along with 1.75 baths. There is a half bath on the main floor. Attached two car garage to help keep the cars out of the weather. French doors in the dining area open up onto a large deck with plenty of room to barbeque or just relax.
Offered at $184,950 this is your opportunity to buy a home for less than you would be paying in rent. Call (253) 219-1194 if you have any questions.
Today we will be holding our listing at 1327 N. Fir St. Tacoma, WA 98406 open from 1pm to 4pm. This mid century modern home is offered at $389,000 you can find out more about the home by visiting our listing page for the home here.
With interest rates and prices as low as they are presently this may be the opportunity for you to purchase a home and be able to “brag” to your friends for years that you got one of those one in a million deals.
If you have any questions please call (253) 219-1194 and I will be happy to answer your questions to the best of my abilities.
Are you looking to live in University Place? Do you want to own a home that has a lot of room but your budget just will not let you? This Sunday August 15th. 1pm to 4pm I will be holding the home at 5023 66th. Ave SW in University Place open.
Open House Sunday August 15th. 1pm to 4pm
5 bedrooms 3.5 bathrooms and over 3,000 squarefeet of living space. Offered at $289,000 this home will make someone very happy. The home is a short sale so you will need to be patient while we navigate the short sale process. However, at the asking price we should have a very, very good chance to close the transaction with little drama.
Please stop by and take a look at this house and see if it would be a good fit for you to call home. If you want to see other houses that are being held open this weekend you can use your home search feature by visiting our home search page. No registration is required to use the home search tool.
For all of you lucky Pierce County residents, a Seattle software company provides a web based service that checks whether your property valuation is too high for free and then helps you appeal your valuation and generates an appeal report. ValueAppeal claims 40% of property owners overpay their property taxes. They guaranty success or you get your $99 fee refunded. The company is getting some accolades for innovation in the Seattle business community.
Appealing your property valuation can be a painful process, to find the information, understand it and organize it in a way to make your appeal successful. That also assumes that you have enough information to know that your property is over valued in the first place.
ValueAppeal seeks to take the uncertainty and pain out of the process. From their web site, you can enter your address and get an evaluation of whether your valuation is too high in seconds for free. Then, for $99 they walk you through a 10 minute online process to generate a property valuation appeal report that you can use to appeal your property valuation. If you don’t win your appeal, they refund your fee.
Their report provides data on other comparable sales that support reducing your valuation as well as unequal assessment information. It also has an area where you can put in unique aspects of your property, such as something like fire damage, that the assessor may not have taken into account.
The company is working on expanding the county coverage area, with an announcement slated for later this month. However, it currently offers service in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties of Washington state, as well as most of California. So you Tacoma residents are already in luck.
The company also compiles detailed information on property tax information in the areas that it covers. For example, earlier this year ValueAppeal issued a report which said that West Seattle’s Fauntleroy neighborhood was most over assessed neighborhood in Seattle.
Both of our listings on Anderson Island will be held open this Saturday from 1pm to 4pm. If you are looking for a home to use on weekends and vacations you should consider buying a home on Anderson Island
Both of our listings are on the same street with vacant lots in between them so I will be moving between the houses to allow visitors to tour. Please call me directly at (253) 219-1194 if you would like to meet me prior to the open houses or if you cannot make it until later. I would be happy to show you through either home personally.
The homes are located at 11208 Tillicum Dr and 11302 Tillicum Dr. The homes are offered at $249,000 and $350,000 For more details on both homes please visit our featured listings page.
Are you looking to get away from your busy life? Want to take it easy on the island for weekends or perhaps you are ready to just move to the island and be done with the rat race?
Just listed 3 bedroom 2.5 bath 3200+ square foot home on Anderson Island. The home is in the process of being painted inside and out so photos are being delayed. However, here are a couple of photos to give you an idea of what the house looks like both inside and out.
The house faces south and has views of East Oro Bay. Situated on a large lot with tons of potential this is a home you need to take the time do come to the island to look at.
This post is a work in progress over the weekend of July 3oth to August 1st. 2010 We will have our custom home site up for this property.
Please continue to visit the site for more information.
Offered at $350,000 this home is just waiting for you and your family to move in and begin making your own memories on Anderson Island.
When you’re ready for your own tour of the island please call and we can set up a time to go to Anderson Island and take a tour of one of the jewels in the Puget Sound.
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