January is the time for reflection.It’s time for looking back at my marketing plan, seeing what worked, what didn’t and making plans for moving forward. It’s the time of year when there is time to contemplate any course corrections and set them in motion. I reviewed, I read articles, I made plans and I started implementing those plans in real estate, dog training and in life. I was pumped. Then I got stupid………..

If you are a friend of mine then you already know that I had a run in with a table saw.I’ll spare you the account so lets just say I wasn’t being careful enough and now my poor hand is suffering. You can’t call me stubby but stupid fits. I should have paid more attention and been more present.

It’s things like this that really knock the wind out of your sails. I was motivated and inspired.I’m trying to get that back. So let me try and reflect, once again, on the goals I had set before I underwent “unscheduled elective surgery”.

My client base is mostly in the dog world. I plan to assist them a bit more. I plan to constantly be on the look out for “dog” properties, preview them and share them with my friends. If I can find a home that has training space, kennel space or grooming space, there is someone out there looking for it. I may not have the property listed, but I know where the buyers are. I’m also an artist so the same applies to studio space.

I changed the look of my Website, Blog and Facebook page so they are more consistent and do a better job of saying who I am.

I am working to enhance and update my internet presence

I am always looking for new and better ways to advertise my listings

For my dogs, I plan to work with them on a more regular basis and volunteer more of my time. It’s my friends in the dog world who have helped my business grow and I want to give back that favor.

Most of all, I’m trying to be more present in my everyday interactions. The world is a beautiful place if we just pay attention

I hope everyone is enjoying their new year. Peace to you!

“Don’t sit and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” — Sarah Breedlove

I changed my banner picture!  I have this blog, a facebook business page and a website. I’m trying to make them look all bit more consistent. I use to have images of the mountains and a nice bit about matching people with homes. I still do that. I LOVE marketing homes and finding just the right buyers. I will always do this. However……..so many of my clients also show and compete with their dogs and/or they are artists. They are my “Sphere of Influence” as we say in the industry. So why not be more direct in letting my Sphere know that I am here to help?

My husband and I decided to sell off a bit of land. 2.31 acres to be exact. (details at www.00BartlettRoad.com ). I spent just as much time putting this property on the market as I do all of my listings. I spent two very full days and more doing this and this is MY OWN property. In other words, I knew all the answers to the questions, I knew the details, I already had the survey, the deed and much of the pertinent information………this property is not one that I need to “discover”. So what took me so long?

First step – walk the property. My husband and I found all of the pins that the surveyor put in the ground. We flagged them all with bright pink tape to make them easier to find.

We designed and ordered signs for the property that showed where the property line starts and ends plus the best place to park for showings. These take a few days to come in the mail so we needed to jump on it.

I took photographs from every angle imaginable then spent quite a bit of time color correcting, straightening and enhancing the photographs so the property shows at it’s best.

While on the computer I printed out tax maps of the overall area, a tax map of just this lot, a tax map showing 20ft contours and the tax card. I blew up a copy of the survey and marked areas that a buyer would need to know about such as the location of the 2 right of ways, what pins are flagged and so forth. I printed out the deed for the property and the deed showing the upper right of way. I typed up the restrictions that are being placed on the property in a format that is easy to read and understand.

The next step was setting up a single property website. These websites are FABULOUS for adverting property and I do them on all of my listings. I can upload unlimited photographs and really get into the details of the property in my description. I can also upload attachments such as surveys, tax maps, restrictions and anything else that helps me tell the story of this property.

I then updated my own personal website with the new listing. ( www.SusanMYoung.com if you are curious)

Finally, it went in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This alone took nearly an hour with all of the details that I need to look up and fill in (keep in mind, with this property I magically know the details since I own it). I also need to type up directions, two different adverting verbiages and any other details that I might want another real estate agent to know. The MLS allows 24 photos for uploading (ok, I was at home where my internet speed stinks so that accounts for a bit of time) as well as attachments for surveys and other information.

All of this took well over a day and that’s with few distractions. A clients property would take longer since I am discovering information on a property. A house….even longer!  I might shoot well over 100 photographs of a house, sort them, correct and enhance them then choose my 24 for the MLS and any additional for the website. It’s not unusual for me to spend several days getting a property on the market. Anyone who tells you they can get it on the MLS tonight isn’t putting a lot of effort into their job.

If a real estate broker cares about their work, they will spend this much time and more preparing your property for the market. What I did for my own property is not unusual. I do this for all of my properties. It’s worth the time and effort because my clients are worth the time and effort.

This is a follow up to an earlier post titled

Is it the Agent or the Company you are hiring?

Whether you are looking to buy or sell a home, the REALTOR you chose is very important.  Picking the right person to represent you can make all the difference in your transaction.  Here are my answers to the 5 questions you should ask:

1. How long have you been in the business?

I received my license late in 2003 and have been a full time Broker ever since.  In 2011, I was asked to become Broker in Charge of Express Real Estate, supervising 9 other Realtors in my office

2. What geographic areas and types of properties do you handle?

I cover all of Buncombe and Madison County although I have been known to branch out a bit.  I have lived in North and West Asheville, Eastern Buncombe County, Weaverville and now the Beech Glenn Community in Madison County.  Living in these areas has given me an appreciation for the uniqueness of each. I sell residential homes and land including lots, farms, large acreage tracts and developments. I have handled commercial property on occasion but only with certain understandings with the clients.

3. How will you communicate with me?

What method suites you best?  I’m flexible.  I have clients that only communicate through phone and fax.  Others prefer email and texting.  I use the online service Docusign for signing contracts when my clients are out of town.  It’s up to you and what you are most comfortable with!

4. Can you share references?

Of course!  Just ask!

5. What will it cost me to sell this property?

When I meet with you about selling your home, I will provide you with a cost estimate sheet that will show you the expected cost of selling your home at different price points.  When we receive an offer on your home, I will update that cost estimate sheet so that you can see your bottom line.  That will help us decide how to frame a counter offer.  I do this for my buyers as well so that they can see what to expect on their closing costs outside of their lender fees.

Any other questions?  I’m happy to answer them!

I’m not talking real estate today, although in some ways this still applies. “That Winning Feeling” is the name of a book by Jane Savoie. I was lucky enough to read this book many, many years ago as I was preparing to show my first dog. I thought of this book yesterday when I was talking with a friend at class. She has entered her dog in the Open A Obedience class at an upcoming trial. It’s their first time in this class and she told me that she expects to not qualify (NQ) the first time but hopes to wrap up the title pretty quickly after that. That statement floored me. I asked her why she thought this way. She said everyone NQ’s their first time. That is simply not true. I have never entered expecting to NQ. I ALWAYS expect to qualify with my dog even if it’s not going to be pretty.

I immediately thought of the book “That Winning Feeling” and I promised to loan it to her ASAP. When she said she would probably NQ I knew that yes, she probably will and it has nothing to do with whether she and her dog are ready. I know they are ready but if she has already convinced herself that it won’t happen, it probably won’t happen. Your subconscious mind will make happen whatever you have consciously decided will happen. (say that to yourself a few times)  If I constantly tell myself that my dog cannot cannot come in and sit straight on his fronts, my subconscious will give him some body language that will ensure that he will sit crooked. You must always envision the perfect exercise. Always. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that anything you do is less than perfect. Instead, fool yourself into believing that everything you do is perfect.

Have you ever heard of the term “practice perfect”? It’s not always achievable when you are physically working with your dog but it is achievable in other ways. Take some time to envision the perfect run. I am showing my Tripp for the very first time next weekend. I have already been picturing the show grounds, where my dog is crated and our warm up routine. I keep envisioning our Beginning Novice run. I picture him heeling and sitting on que. I picture a straight front after the recall. I picture every minute detail of this run including how I will hold the leash (I’m using a 6ft, I normally use a 4ft so yes, this is different for me). I picture everything so that when we enter the ring next week, we have already done this run a million times and we’ve done it perfectly. The pressure is off. I will walk in to that ring with confidence that we can do this because we have done this. Tripp will feed off of my confidence and he will work better because of it.

Find your Mantra. My Tucker was an incredibly consistent dog that should have scored higher than he did. He was a hard worker and a 192-193 score was pretty much  guaranteed for us. At one show I told myself that we were better than that. I wanted a 196 that day. I started my Mantra – “We will score a 196 today”. I said it over and over as we warmed up. We actually scored a 197 that day. We had been in a rut. I needed to boost us up. Is there a problem area in your performance? Walking slow when heeling use to be a big one for me. Entering the ring was like entering a time warp where everything went in slow motion. I started a Mantra -“heel faster!” I repeated it to myself over and over and soon I had fixed that problem. Mantras can work well for you. “My dog will heel with precision and grace today”. Say it enough, picture it enough and your subconscious will own it. Say it out loud to your dog. Maybe he will own it too!

Enough rambling. buy the book. It’s well worth the read and I guarantee it will up your game no matter what sport you participate in.

….or it should be.

In NC, a Broker is not allowed to draft a contract. We are given State written contracts where we fill in the blanks according to our clients needs. Our clients do not always know what their needs are which is why they turn to professional real estate brokers for assistance and advice. For this very reason it is very important that buyers and sellers use full time, professional REALTORS (members of the National Association of Realtors) to assist them in this process. You deserve to work with a professional who is serious and committed to high standards.

Sometimes these standards fall short with even the best of agents. Since the NC contract is “fill in the blank” it’s set up to be a “black & white” document. It’s either this or it’s that, there are very few grey areas. However, once inspections are done we start hitting some murky grey and it doesn’t need to be that way.

There were three sales this year where I represented the seller and the buyer was represented by a very good buyers agent. However, in these three contracts the wording on the repair requests was murky grey. In the name of brevity and trying not to draft too much of a contract, they requested that the seller refer to the inspection report, items 6.2(a), 7.1 and 9.4(b).  That’s all the requests said….please refer. On one report, item 6.2(a) said “possible problems with the piers supporting the floor joists in the kitchen area. Recommend further inspection by a licensed general contractor”.  Raise your hand if you see any problems.  First, the “Repair Request & Agreement” is asking my seller to refer to a report. It’s not asking anything beyond that. It’s not asking for my seller to repair anything. Second, if we then assume (never assume!) that they wanted us to do what is on the report (further inspect it), that would mean the seller would hire the inspector to get their opinion on a very important structural detail of the house. Do you see a conflict of interest? What if the sellers inspector says it’s ok? Will the buyer agree to that? Here is a scenario, what if the seller hires an inspector who says everything is a-ok and the buyer accepts that. A year later the pier collapses. What happens? We all get sued. Everyone and I mean everyone GETS SUED.  The buyer should always do their own inspections, then the request can be made to the seller with specific recommendations for repair and hopefully an estimate for that repair. Knowing the cost of repair gives you leverage when negotiating these repairs.

Let’s say 7.1 refers to termites that were found in wood laying up against the house. Did you know that the best remedy for this is to spray the entire house? Does the report say this? Probably not. If your “Repair Request & Agreement” does not specifically say that the remedy is not only removal of the wood but also to spray the entire house for termites, do not assume that the seller will make the leap that this is the request. Spell it out. Black and White. If it’s not spelled out, don’t be surprised when they refuse to spend the money once it’s explained to them.

Let’s say 9.4(b) refers to an appliance or a furnace that “needs further inspecting”. The request should then state that you are requesting the appliance or furnace be serviced by a licensed company and any and all repairs made. You might think it spells it out in the inspection report but those reports are notoriously grey. It’s up to the Broker to ensure that their request is understood without question.

Moral of the story, you cannot go in to too much detail when you are dealing with inspection reports and other requests that come up in the course of a real estate contract. As a Broker, your clients rely on you to get this right and save them money. The more grey areas you leave open, the more money that gets left on the table….every time.

and then I ignored it. That wasn’t very inspired of me. The truth is that it has been a very busy spring and now a busy summer. Along with many real estate clients, listings and transactions, we added a puppy to the family and I have diligently been studying for a pretty big test.  I want to get my general contractors license. Yes, I want to add the letters G.C. after my name. My husband and I have decided to add spec house building to our list of business endeavors. We don’t want to build huge McMansions that will sell for tons of money. We want to build a modest home that will meet the needs of a young family or a couple of retired individuals on a fixed income. Something small that will sell around $200,00 – $250,000. That price range is a hot commodity in our area. There is a need and we want to help meet that need.

Right now you are saying “Wait! You mentioned a puppy!” Yes I did! Little miss Tyler came home to live with us at the end of May. She is a little light gold ball of fur that keeps us entertained every day. The big dogs have finally accepted her into the pack so harmony once again flows in our house. Her fancy show name is Tanglewoods Rowan Tree. I plan to show her in obedience competitions and maybe dabble in conformation showing a bit. I would love to earn an Obedience Trial Championship with her and maybe someday try for a Triathlon award at our National Specialty show. That means getting out of my comfort zone and trying some field work. I’m confident this little girl can do it all. It’s up to me to show her how.

And how is real estate?  It’s moving and grooving in our neck of the woods! I showed a home at 9am the other morning. A broker was just leaving with her clients. Another was in the back yard with her clients and two more sets of clients were waiting for their brokers to show up. The house was listed at $169,000 and was in a pleasant neighborhood. They had multiple offers by the end of the day and was under contract the next day. My client liked the home, but it didn’t blow her away so the winning contract was, alas, not mine. This is normal for Asheville so be warned! If you want to buy a home in our market, be prepared to act fast!

I’ll try not to be MIA again! Stay in touch!

(oh no! the official family photo! That must mean she is staying!)

It’s been busy! It’s refreshing to see the local market finally picking up momentum. Real Estate still remains a good investment although sometimes it takes a little longer for that investment to be realized.

On Monday I had a visit by a sweet couple who I have worked with several times in the past. Last year they bought a townhome and even then I said, this wont last. It didn’t. So this morning their property went live in the Multiple Listing Service and on various internet sites. These clients always have beautiful homes. They are well staged and spotlessly clean. They are a joy to photograph and market. I thought I would share with you what goes into marketing a home in the beginning stages.

After they left my office on Monday I took some time to pull tax maps and tax cards, information on their community, their deed and every bit of information that pertained to their property. Tuesday morning I spent photographing their home, ensuring the photos were straight, well lit and that that toilet seats were down, coffee pots didn’t block your view of the kitchen and all sorts of little details that would distract from the photos. That afternoon and a good part of the next day I spent pouring over my 150+ photos , tweaking every one with color correction and cropping. Wednesday morning was spent deciding which photos made the cut. I also started on the single property website which is the best tool that I have found when marketing a home. On Thursday I drew up the flyer, another sheet with details about the house and community, maps showing location, surveys and all sorts of other marketing materials. I then entered all of this in the MLS along with the photos, flyers and details sheets. By the end of the day on Thursday it was ready to go. This morning at 7am I clicked “Active” and their home went live for the public to see. By 11 am we had our first appointment set by a potential buyer.

As time goes on I will submit advertising to various magazines and newspapers, whomp up the Realtor.com listing, do neighborhood mailings and numerous other marketing ideas that I routinely take advantage of. As you can see, the biggest part of marketing a home is in the beginning. I easily have 20 hours into the initial marketing preparation and more will come as time goes on. If we have judged the market correctly and set the price well, I expect a contract on this home within the next two weeks. Then begins the fun of negotiations, inspections and a whole host of other paperwork. My work doesn’t end until the sale is final at the closing table and sometimes not even then. Real Estate is an interesting and time consuming business and I love every minute of it.

to view the details on the home I referred to in this post, please visit www.7hollandmountain.com

…….. well, there isn’t one when you get to see a view like this off the back porch of one of your listings

Selling your home is a big deal. It pays to have a professional on your side, marketing your home and working with you through negotiations and the final sale.

Here is a fact – it’s the individual agent that will sell your home and not the company they work for

Any agent can work their fanny off for you or they can put your property in the MLS and sit back and let their company do the work. You want the former, not the later. A good agent thinks outside of the box and is always searching for new ways to market their properties. A company has a set outline of places to advertise and how to advertise and they rarely work outside that outline. In combination, this works well but if your agent is not motivated to broaden their marketing horizons, then you are only working with the company regardless of what agent you hire.

Internet advertising is horribly important in today’s market. Everyone is online and looking at homes. The internet has leveled the playing field for small companies like mine. Keller Williams, Century 21 and the big franchises will say their marketing puts you out there more than anyone. That’s not entirely true. If you go on any company website and search for homes in your area, the listings from the smaller companies will also appear. Some of these companies will pay sites like Realtor.com to rank their properties higher in the search results. I do that as well, as an individual agent.

When you want to sell your property, interview the AGENT. See what the AGENT will do for you. Consider the company as their back up. A good agent will be VERY picky about the photos that are used to present your home and the words that are used to describe your home. They will use single property websites, virtual tours and other tools at their disposal to market your home. My last two million dollar sales can be tracked directly to the use of single property websites that I set up. These websites are a must in any marketing plan. Some of the best-selling agents in our area for homes like yours work by themselves or in a small company. They chose to work with smaller companies so they can be more flexible in their marketing plans instead of having their hands tied by a big box franchise when they want to get creative.

When selling your home, my suggestion is always to look at the agent, not the company.