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Category Archives: client protection

If it ain’t broke… fix it anyway!

We all know the old saying…  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  But really… is that how we need to approach things? Clean, almost stock Wrangler YJ

I don’t think so.  I think that we (that’s spelled M-E) need to look over our systems and their implementation from time to time.  While it is fun for the Jeep, it is crucial for the real estate business.  On the Jeep, I took a perfectly good ’92 Wrangler and tore it apart so that I could build this crazy ’71 Jeepster/Commando.

I took a website that was just fine… if a bit boring… and turned it into this blog.  I decided that my “real” website needed to be GarageHomesUSA, and instead of making another lame HTML site, I decided that I needed to make a dynamic Joomla based CMS (content management system) site.YJ on Lower 2
I have a very good record with my past clients for service and results, but I have decided that I needed to step it up and take it to another level.  I want to make sure that buyers and sellers that I work with have service that is second to none.

The place for complacency is real estate.  There are simply more and better tools now than there were even just a few years ago.  I have started to implement a paperless transaction system, which last year wasn’t possible.  There are websites that are a “requirement” if one is going to effectively market a property that didn’t exist five years ago.

There are a lot of agents that serve the Gwinnett County and Atlanta area real estate markets in Georgia.  Being good by the measures of last year, or three years ago isn’t enough.  Now, to be effective, we have to push farther.

When you are ready for an agent that is ready for you… call me.   I specialize in properties for auto enthusiasts.  I understand garages and the automotive lifestyle.  I also work with lake properties on Lanier.

Sell your Gwinnett Co., GA home fast

That is the goal if you are a seller.

Yesterday, in the REALTOR®  Magazine Daily Briefing there was a short report on the findings of a story in Baltimore.  It seems that getting a house to sell fast in even a tough market (and Baltimore is a tough market) takes the same things it does at any other time.

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Test Drive a house?

Sure…  At least that is how some circles are making it out.  But, I wonder…

On the surface, it looks like it might be a good idea.  There are a couple of compelling aspects to this.  The first, and probably most important is that according to the agents in the area it has been tried, 68% of the test drivers offered on the property they test drove.  The second is that it really does offer buyers the opportunity to sample the lifestyle of the target property.

There are a few drawbacks as well.  To start with, there is security and privacy.  Some sellers don’t like having buyers traipse through their home when they aren’t there.  Obviously, if the buyers are living in the home for a day or three, there won’t be an agent locking and unlocking the door… and keeping the key.  There won’t be a third party watching to try to make sure that drawers aren’t rifled through, and private information and valuables stay where they are.  Next on the list would be bedding and baths…  I know that my wife is a stickler at hotels…  She isn’t going to just be any different in someone’s house.  And then someone has to come back and live in their house again.

The questions are:

Can the obstacles be overcome?

Is it worth it?

If you were in the market for a home, would you want to stay there for a day or three?

What would it be worth?

I’d love to get some feedback about this.  I’ve seen it “discussed” but agent talk isn’t the same as consumer opinion.   I want to know what you would think of this as a buyer or seller.  Don’t worry about buyer qualification, as we would definitely have to make sure that only qualified buyers would be able to use the program.

Let’s hear it.

Is that a Superfund site… or just a lot of yard art?

Wandering around the web today, I ran across an interesting site.

The EPA has a website that allows us to map environmental issues that might be in areas we are thinking of buying a home. There is a wealth of information that one can find here (here are the titles… fell free to visit the site to find out more):

  • Pesticides
  • TRI Facilities
  • Enviro Justice Geo Assessment Tool
  • Katrina & Rita water test results
  • Superfund Sites
  • Envirofacts
  • Window to My Environment
  • Brownfield Grants
  • Waste Management
  • Clean-ups
  • Water

The site is pretty cool. One puts in an address or ZIP code and then the area issues are displayed in a map format, allowing one to easily see what might be in the area.

I almost forgot to give the site… Here it is!

Say it until it is true!!!… NOT.

While researching yesterday’s blog entry, I ran across this little tidbit.  Frankly, it p***es me off.  I am proud to be a member of the NAR.  I think that there is a place for a strong voice both for real estate professionals, and to champion the issues for increasing home ownership for consumers.

But this is downright stupid.  Whistling past the graveyard.  Spinning… without anything to spin.

Just as

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