Archive for May, 2008
This Is Not Linda Donnelly, Our Home Stager and Designer. It Only Seems That Way, Sometimes, To Our Clients
May 30th, 2008 Categories: Fun Fridays, Sellers
Getting a Home Ready to Sell is No Piece of Cake. In a Competitive Real Estate Market Like Annapolis, You Had Better Do It Right. Linda D is Our Pro
Much of our work as agents involves telling people things they’d rather not hear: We need to adjust the selling price. Your septic system has issues. The would-be buyers have withdrawn their offer and are moving to Costa Rica instead.
That’s why I don’t mind paying someone else, on occasion, to tell people things I’d rather not tell them and that they’d rather not hear. Just makes my life a little easier.
One such person is our team stager/designer, Linda Donnelly. Not only does Linda have years of interior design experience. Nobody is better than she is at spotting potential buyer objections and offering sound solutions. That’s why she works with our sellers: to eliminate objections to a sale. It works: the homes she has staged for us sell, and beat the average days on market considerably.
Linda is extremely pleasant, but the experience - I must tell you - can be challenging for a seller. Imagine a 3-or 4-hour marathon session in which your home is put under a microscope, shortcomings are served up, and corrective homework is lavishly assigned. I worry how some clients will hold up. Linda knows to call me right away after a consultation and give me an update.
How did it go, I’ll ask.
Fine, she’ll say, until I told them they had to get rid of their dogs.
Linda likes to tease me, but her sense of humor is one of the things that makes her so good at what she does. This, too: she’s not afraid to roll up her sleeves and do much of the needed work with our clients. I think of her as our personal trainer for home sellers: she’ll push you to make your home look as irresistible as it can be. And in the end you’ll get the results you were hoping for.
Linda’s services, by the way, are included for free when we list a home. Call for more details.
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Me and My Big Why
May 28th, 2008 Categories: Buyers, Keller Williams Culture, Sellers
At Keller Williams, We Are Encouraged to Think About Our Mission and Purpose in Life. It’s Called Our Big Why, and Here’s Why I Think It Matters
Several years back, on my first day in real estate, I sat down with the team leader of the Keller Williams office here in Annapolis. I signed some papers, had a stack of books and a training schedule handed to me, and then this:
So Ken - tell me about your Big Why.
Sorry? It sounded like she thought I owned a ranch in Montana, The Big Y.
Your Big Why. Why are you here? What’s the one thing that gives meaning and purpose to your life more than any other?
Well, I hadn’t really considered it. And truth be told, I thought the question was a bit lofty for someone who hadn’t even learned to use the office copier yet, let alone sell a single house. But I was new, eager to make my mark, and vaguely recall mumbling something about the opportunity to help people and make a decent living in the process.
Read pages 72 and 73 in there, she said, pointing at one of the books she had just handed me. That will help you figure it out.
Gary Keller, on The Focusing Power of a Big Why
The book in question is one we at Keller Williams refer to as “the red book” - The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, written by our company’s co-founder, Gary Keller.
Sure enough, right there on page 72 was this: “…we’ve discovered that the one thing that all high achievers have in common is they are working for a Big Why. The Big Why is about having a purpose, a mission, or a need, that in turn gives you focus. High achievers always have a Big Why powering their actions.”
I was intrigued, and followed the exercise Gary outlined, writing down everything that motivated me. I was underwhelmed: to my eye, what I had written looked like a ragtag group of Little and Medium Whys. There wasn’t a Big Why in sight. A life of insignificance loomed before me. I had better get digging for a Big Why, and fast, if I wanted to be a high achiever too.
The Power Behind Being the Best You Can Be
I didn’t realize it at the time, but - as Gary went on to explain - there is nothing wrong with a collection of lesser whys: we all have to pay our mortgage or rent, fund retirement accounts, help put our kids through college.
But those - and all of our smaller whys, says Gary - will fall into place naturally if we simply put this one Big Why at the forefront of all others: to be the best we can possibly be. A powerful Big Why like this, he points out, gives foundational support to all of your other whys. It’s like geese flying in formation: the lead goose expends all the energy, while the others draft behind with much less effort.
“Being your best” he goes on to say, “is actually a goal-less pursuit. You can never really reach a point where you can truthfully say, ‘I just can’t grow anymore.’ And what is so exciting about that is this kind of Big Why can create a life that literally explodes with limitless possibility and unlimited growth.”
All Those Big Whys Help Build Stronger Communities
One of the things I love about Keller Williams is the large number of individuals we attract who have a Be the Best You Can Be mentality. That’s not really surprising, given the fact that KW agents have - at their disposal - all of the tools and training necessary for achieving greatness. Read the rest of this entry »
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Our Hat Is Off To The Naval Academy’s Class of 2008
May 23rd, 2008 Categories: Fun Fridays, Naval Academy
Those Flying Hats Can Only Mean One Thing: Today Was Graduation Day for 233 New Marine Corps Second Lieutenants and 786 New Ensigns
Today is Fun Friday on this blog and for 919 new graduates of the Naval Academy I imagine this was about the most fun they’ve had in 4 years.
To the graduates and their families…to those of us who live in Annapolis and perhaps served in the Navy…this is a very big day and we all take pride in this annual event. We’ve watched these young men and women mature before our very eyes, seen the sportsmanship they display on the football field and in other athletic events - and we can’t help but feel proud to be part of this community.
Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed the graduating class and offered some good advice: learn from your mistakes; be accountable for your actions; and question authority when appropriate. Not a bad code to live by.
The ceremony ended the way it always does, with the hat toss. If you’ve never seen it before, watch this clip - one I just found on YouTube - from this year’s graduation.
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April Real Estate Market Sales and Statistics for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County
May 21st, 2008 Categories: Buyers, Neighborhood Sales & Stats, Real Estate News, Sellers
Do the Numbers Reveal an Upturn in the Annapolis Real Estate Market? Plus…Here’s What the NAR (National Assn of Realtors) is Forecasting for the Second Half of 2008
Around the 10th of every month, the local MLS - ours is known as the Metropolitan Regional Information System - publishes real estate market sales statistics for the previous month. Here are some notable statistics for April 2008 for Anne Arundel County:
Average Sold Price: $398,231 - a slight decrease from the April 2007 figure of $398,754.
Median Sold Price: $320,000 - a 7.25% decrease from the April 2007 figure of $345,000.
Total Units Sold: 420 homes, a 30% decrease over the April 2007 figure of 600.
Average Days on Market: 137, an increase of 28.04% over the April 2007 figure of 107 days.
Those numbers may not seem too encouraging, the total units sold does represent an increase over the 331 sold in February 2008 and the 418 sold in March 2008.
Annapolis Real Estate, By The Numbers
Let’s take a closer look at what’s happening in the Annapolis market, and break it down by price range, active listings, under contract, and sold in the last 30 days. Read the rest of this entry »
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Plebes No More
May 16th, 2008 Categories: Fun Fridays, Naval Academy
Hundreds of Sweaty Plebes, Buckets of Lard and a 21′ Tall Monument Make for a Slippery Conclusion to One Tough First Year at the Naval Academy
It has to be one of the smelliest, most spirited rites of passage in Annapolis, if not the entire country: first year Naval Academy students converge en masse on the Academy’s Herndon Monument in a rush to the top. There’s just one catch: the monument is generously greased with 100 pounds of lard.
Traditionally, the plebe who makes the final ascent removes the plebe “dixie cup” hat (below) on top and replaces it with the midshipman’s cover (or hat) - a move symbolizing the plebes’ completion of their first grueling year.
This year’s climb on Thursday morning saw the Midshipmen finish the job in just under 2 hours and 36 minutes - not bad, though not nearly a record breaking time: no fewer than six plebe classes have come in at under an hour.
It’s Fun Friday on this blog, as always, and we thought you’d enjoy a firsthand look at the excitement from this year, below.
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Sometimes, Being in Real Estate in Annapolis is a Real Drain. A Clogged Drain
May 14th, 2008 Categories: Buyers, Sellers, The Realtor's Life
When It Rains in Annapolis, It Pours. And When It Pours, The Moss Haedrich Team of Keller Williams Puts on our Slickers
The rains came to Annapolis this week, biblical rains. Like oil and water, any experienced Realtor will tell you that biblical rains and pending settlements don’t mix well. The combination puts us on high alert.
Which is how I find myself standing barefoot in 4″ of water on a client’s patio, coaxing a sluggish drain. It is 6:00AM and the client - soaking up the sun at her new Arizona condo - is blissfully unaware of my unscheduled visit, long since gone from here in both body and spirit.
They say that a lot of people think agents just drive around in fancy cars and collect big settlement checks. I wish those people could see me now, standing here in drenched jeans, my cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee tasting more and more diluted with every passing minute.
Doing What’s Required? Or Doing What Needs to be Done?
We - The Moss Haedrich Team - look great on paper. We have a sheet that describes our Platinum Listing Services in detail, several more that list the 186 transactional items we will take care of for you. But nowhere on any of it will you see ”Stand barefoot on patio in rain and clean clogged drain.” Read the rest of this entry »
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Why Our Annapolis Area Home Sellers Are Opting For Pre-Inspections
May 13th, 2008 Categories: Buyers, Sellers
In This Twitchy, Competitive Real Estate Market, You Need Every Advantage You Can Get. Pre-Inspecting Gives You a Clear Edge
Last night we listed a home in one of the area’s choice subdivisions, the sort of lovely home any agent would be proud to market and sell. The owners have wisely chosen to follow our suggestion and have a pre-inspection done - that is, an inspection prior to getting a contract on the home.
Why now, you may ask. Isn’t that the buyer’s responsibility, once an offer has been accepted?
Indeed, it is. At least that’s the way it’s typically done. But this is no typical market and sellers need to do everything they can, and as early as they can, to pave the way for a smooth settlement. Thus, a pre-inspection.
A Pre-Inspection Identifies Potential Problems Early, Takes Pressure Off the Seller and Reassures a Buyer
A lot of home sales fall apart during the inspection process, especially these days when buyer demands are, well, pretty demanding.
For example: seller accepts what he feels is only a so-so offer - this, after several price reductions already. The buyer orders an inspection and several problems are uncovered. The buyer submits a list of items to the seller that he wants fixed - that, or a $10,000 credit to fix them after the buyer moves in. The buyer needs to settle in 30 days. Read the rest of this entry »
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Hold On To Your Real Estate: The Blue Angels are Coming to Annapolis for Commissioning Week 2008
May 9th, 2008 Categories: Fun Fridays
Buildings Will Shake, Necks Crane, and We’ll All Gather Below the Thundering Skies For One of the Most Awesome Events of the Year
Well, it’s Friday, and you know that Fridays are for fun on this blog. And I can think of very little that’s more fun than watching the Blue Angels every year when they fly into town for Commissioning Week at the Naval Academy.
Commissioning Week runs this year from May 16th through the 23rd and the Blue Angels perform on the 20th and 21st - you can find the schedule by clicking here.
I whoop and holler at only a very few select events, namely Navy football games and the Blue Angels show. Apparently, I get a lot more excited than the guys flying these gorgeous F/A-18 Hornets. Check out the video below. It’s got some great cockpit shots and the pilot looks about as excited as a guy driving his pickup a block down the street on Sunday morning to buy a quart of milk. I love it.
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The Whole World is Waiting for Ourselves
May 6th, 2008 Categories: Buyers, Sellers
In Annapolis, as Elsewhere, the Real Estate Market Has Scared Some of Us Into a Holding Pattern. Maybe It’s Time to Land the Plane
Is it just me, or does it seem like the entire world is on hold lately, waiting. Yesterday I showed a home to a young woman who needs to move soon. Nice house, meets her needs, beautiful neighborhood. Would she be interested in making an offer?
No thanks, I think I’ll wait.
Wait for…?
Prices to drop some more.
How can you be sure they will?
Someone on TV said so.
Perhaps you should consider offering less than asking price. Just think of it as accelerated waiting.
No thanks. I’ll just wait wait.
And so it goes. Buyers are waiting for sellers to lower their prices. Sellers are waiting for buyers to make offers. And agents are waiting for their phones to ring.
Even My Barber is Waiting
Apparently he’s in line somewhere behind the housing waiters. I ask him about business. Not good, he tells me. People are waiting much longer between haircuts.
Really?
Yes, he tells me, especially families. Mom is buying electric clippers and doing it herself. Who’d have imagined that one sign of weak consumer confidence was a nation of kids running around with bad haircuts?
My brother - who manufactures model trains - reports that waiting is alive and well in his industry, too. Track is selling. But people are waiting to buy the expensive stuff like locomotives. Read the rest of this entry »
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One More Reason You Want To Live in Annapolis: The Maryland Maritime Heritage Festival is Here This Weekend
May 2nd, 2008 Categories: Fun Fridays
Searching For a Home in Annapolis This Weekend? Take Time Out To Attend This Festive Celebration of Maryland’s Maritime History
Back in the days before Starbucks and souvenir shops dotted the streets of our fair city, Annapolis harbor was a hub of maritime enterprise. English settlers arrived by boat in 1649, noticed that locals were thriving on crab cakes, oysters and the like and decided - not unlike many of our clients - that this would be a very good place indeed to stay for a spell.
When they weren’t fishing, the settlers grew crops, including tobacco, which they shipped off to England. The vessels returned with an enormous selection of goods for sale, including slaves - one of whom, Kunta Kinte, is immortalized by author Alex Haley in his book Roots.
If this sort of thing fascinates you - or you’re just looking for a good excuse to get out this weekend - by all means come to Annapolis for this celebration of Maryland maritime history. Kudos to Annapolis Mayor Ellen Moyer for creating this event back in 2001.
The festival runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You can check out the events schedule at the festival’s official website, but highlights include Watermark Cruises’ Pet Parade, the Phillips Crab Cake Eating Contest, the blessing of the fleet and lots of music, fun and frivolity.
One event we definitely won’t miss is the North American Town Crier Competition, to be held at 1:00PM on Sunday. Apparently, the best of the best town criers from across North America will be competing, in full period dress. We had a sneak preview this morning at a Chamber of Commerce meeting and it was rousing, to say the least. These guys can really belt.
This being Fun Friday on our blog, I couldn’t help digging around to see what I could find in the town crier section of YouTube. Here’s a really stupid one that I loved.
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