Well…the month of March and early April are a complete turn around from what was going on in February.   Three new listings in three weeks with an open house with each one consecutively three weeks in a row.   And a fourth that is not yet online as a live listing!  Fantastic spring market!   But be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.  Getting three homes listed, photos taken, repairs/cleaning scheduled, promotional brochures and packets done has kept me running!    In the end, I realize how blessed I am to be so busy and working with such wonderful clients/friends, even if I do lose my mind in the process.

I fret about doing the right thing and helping clients achieve their goals in selling/buying and not having alot of angst and misery in the process.   In the end, I want them to be happy and if they are not then I am not.   Kind of like with my kids.   I want them to be happy and sometimes I don’t have control over the circumstances so it can be hard. Like the sweet young buyers who are trying to buy their first home and in the process of contracting and scheduling inspections, he discovered he was laid off from his job.   But all is not lost!  His HR may place him in a new position and worst case scenario, she hopes to be able to get the loan herself!   Things do happen out of our control.  In this case, we are lucky that the sellers are willing to delay things a bit so we can play things out.  Not all sellers/buyers are as flexible.  But here is an example of a young couple trying to buy their first home together and fate has dealt them a bit of a blow.   As an agent, I have to guide them through their options and help them either keep this deal afloat or tell them it’s okay to take a step back and wait a few months and try again.

Conversely, there are those sellers who are inflexible and have a hard time allowing showings for various reasons -some legit and some not.   It makes my job harder to get a home sold when buyers who want to see today don’t get an opportunity and by the time we can allow a showing, they’ve moved on to another property.   When you put your home on the market, you MUST be flexible and make showings easy for buyers and their agents.  Otherwise opportunities are lost.

Buyers who have a home to sell need to be serious too about getting their homes on the market before they find a house and fall in love with it, only to lose it because their own home hasn’t sold yet.   Many buyers are afraid that they will not find something to buy if their home sells so they hesitate to list and then get frustrated when their dream home is lost to another buyer.   Even if your home sells right away you have a 6 -8 week minimum period of time to closing and that can be negotiated.  When I sold my own home I negotiated with my buyers that I couldn’t close until my older son moved to his new apartment and my younger son left for school.  Our closing was almost 3 months out from accepting the contract.   And a fully renovated villa presented itself as soon as we made the decision to sell.   You have to trust the process.

Selling and/or buying a home can be stressful and emotional.   That’s why having a good agent to look after your interests is  very important.  Alot of folks think agents are superfluous or we make too much money.   Alot of brokers are out there offering MUCH lower commission rates.  Some offer a rate of 4% (the going rate is between 6-7%).   They claim to offer the buyers agents the full 6-7% cut or 2.7-3.15% thus leaving that broker with less than 1% commissions for their efforts.   How much do you think that broker is going to work for you in listing your home?  How much is that broker going to spend marketing, both print and online?  And how much do you think that discount broker is going to look after your negotiations, inspections etc.?   Usually the buyers agent steps in and does it.   In the end you get what you pay for.  Don’t think that you will save anything by not paying the going rate of commission.   In the end, you will make less on your home and have potential pitfalls that could cost alot more than the savings of the commission rate.

So, here’s to the crazy spring market and buying and selling to come!   I am ready….let me know how I can help you!!