Archive for January, 2010


Team USA

1 Comment By Amanda Wernick on January 29th, 2010
Categories: Real Estate, Uncategorized

The Winter Olympics will soon be under way and personally, I CAN’T WAIT!  I love to see it from the very beginning…Getting to know each of the athletes as they work to make their dream a reality.  Watching them compete on a level that so few of us (aside from die-hard athletes pro or not) will ever experience.

 They train for years, whether they feel good or not.  Injuries, mental struggles, physical limitations mean nothing to them.  Some sports are “one man” such as skating, snowboarding or skiing.  Other sports such as couples figure skating or the Luge rely on timing, coordination, a meeting of the minds that is so close, a split second makes the difference between winning the Gold, or going home with nothing to show for it but a bruised body, and for some, bruised egos. 

 In the end they all compete as TEAM USA…looking to win as many Gold medals for themselves, for our country.

 How does this relate to Real Estate you might ask?  I’ll tell you how I see it.

 In real estate, it is so important for you as a buyer or seller to have a team of professionals help you on your journey.  Your team may not include world famous coaches, or dieticians, or even medical staff, but a team, nevertheless.

 Your Realtor is your frontrunner.  If this were the Luge, your Realtor would be front and center…finding out what your needs are and how they can best help you achieve your goal.  They would give you advice on which direction to take and how to get there.
 

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 Next would be your Loan Officer.  They would be right behind your Realtor, looking at interest rates, tax benefits (remember the first time homebuyers tax credit) and ensuring that all documentation is in place, speaking to the bank on your behalf and working to make sure your loan funds and records like originally planned.

 Next is your Escrow officer.  They are the third man in.  They make sure that title orders are placed; Home Owner Associations paperwork is ready, pay out in a timely fashion any monies owed and ensuring that they work with your Realtor and Lender to have your transaction close smoothly.

 Lastly is the “anchor”: The brokerage.  A company with its pulse on the market and community, ensuring that all of the agents that work there are knowledgeable and have continued access to management should the need arise and a staff on hand to answer any questions you may have, from finding a Home Stager to a roofing specialist.

 There are others in your team…members that work behind the scene to assist you in buying and selling your home.  The Marketing Department, the Title Company, the Home Inspector, the Transaction Coordinator: all working hard for you from day one. 

 We at Seven Gables work with you, whether you are a first time Home Buyer or an experienced Seller and strive to have a great team working for you.  From our Concierge Services to the Marketing Department.  We’re here to work for YOU…Doesn’t that feel good? 

 One last note: take a moment to see who will be competing to be a part of TEAM USA WINTER OLYMPICS! http://www.teamusa.org/making_teamusa

Throwing Technology at the problem

0 Comments By Eric Duncan on January 19th, 2010
Categories: Social Media

I have been immersed in technology from as far back as 1984. I was in 4th grade installing 80 column cards into Apple IIe computers so we could play Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? Move up to 1990, I was college classes in CAD, and I was optimizing each workstation and upgrading the network and graphics for all of the machines in the classroom for the professor. Why? Because with the speed increases, we spent more time learning, and completing our projects, instead of waiting for the computer to load and move to the next screen. Now it’s 1996, and I am a programmer for a Motorola Affiliate that launched Nextel’s first systems. I had to rummage through the office to find the fastest machines that would allow us to use the newest programming software, as we were programming hundreds of phones a week. I worked with our Rental division, and then our Rental sales team. We tied their CRM program (Act!) into the service/rentals systems so we all knew when customers were expecting their equipment, increasing our customer service, and our internal efficiency. We reach 2006, we build out and setup a brand new office. AT&T installs a cutting edge VoIP system with all the capabilities imaginable, an advanced voicemail system that ties into Microsoft Outlook, bringing incoming faxes into your email. Soft phone capabilities, the works. It’s amazing. We are on the heels of 2010 and that office uses 10% of the capabilities of that system. Why? The staff using it didn’t see the value, and decided to work around it.

I know this sounds like a micro-biography, but the point I am trying to make is, in certain respects, you can throw technology as certain issues, and you can remedy the problem. Investing thousands into a new network, or phone system, or just buying that new cutting edge Mac book is not going to fix all of your problems. You have to look at the people aspect of things. How are people using the technology you have in place? How are they working AROUND it? What are the bottlenecks? Who needs training on the systems you already have in place? These are detrimental questions that you have to ask and find answers for, before you invest your time and money into a new technology solution. The same can be said with Social Media.

I have quietly watched Social Media sites grow, with a unique perspective, as I was very involved in the early nineties with BBS systems and spent time online with Genie, AOL, and Prodigy back in the days. I viewed MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook in the same manner, another networking tool, never the holy grail of advertisement and promotion. In recent years I have attended several “Social Media” events and have met some very talented and creative people. I did enjoy a few “BarCamp” and “Tweet-up” events, but never felt compelled to become fully engaged as some are. I appreciate the efforts and the free exchange of ideas and information, as I follow many of the great people I met on Twitter and Facebook. I think my reluctance in embracing the whole idea, is amongst a crowd of great, brilliant minds, are some self-proclaimed experts that have self-serving intentions, that have in the past, taken advantage of those that have been sold that immersing yourself in SM will guarantee you revenue. Social Media is a form of networking and exchanging information. You can build a following and promote your products and/or services to those that are willing to listen. Those that don’t can easily opt out and turn a deaf ear, and a blind eye to your promotion.

The platforms of SM are indeed a technology, and I just want people to realize that with any technology you apply to your business, you need to be educated on how to use it to your best advantage. Be aware of the snake oil salesman out there. Much like losing weight, there is no magic pill, you have to make the sacrifices, do the work, be consistent, and reap the rewards.

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How do you monetize emotion?

3 Comments By Amanda Wernick on January 19th, 2010
Categories: Real Estate

How do you monetize emotion?

We as Realtors® are in a very noble profession.  Sure, some say we’re ne’er do wells, scavengers, and only interested in a commission check.  I don’t doubt that for some folks out there this has been the case….however, I’d like to have a conversation with you about us, as agents, being the epitome of compassion in our careers.

When we are working with a client, buyer or seller, we are trusted with finding the perfect home, or getting the most money and closing escrow with minimal stress.

Sounds easy right?  Fill out a contract, fax it over, open escrow, close escrow, NEXT…

If only it were that simple.  The truth is that when you take the Realtor® oath, you are promising to go above and beyond your ethical duties to make sure that your client is not only well represented, but that you do so to a standard that is above reproach, regardless of what the other agent or your client does.  You may have guessed that I take this oath very seriously as do many Agents that I am blessed to keep company with. 

This means that you are now involved in assisting your client make one of the most stressful decisions of their lives (death, divorce and moving are high up on the list as well). 

We have the privilege of being trusted with knowledge of why they need to sell their home (divorce, loss of job, death in the family).  We are trusted with finances, account numbers, social security numbers and why they want to buy a home (divorce, birth in the family, pay raise).  Doesn’t seem so easy now does it?

 Which raises a question: How do you “monetize” emotion? 

How do you put a price tag on the perfect home for the young couple that just got married and will be creating a future for themselves, or starting a family?  How do you put a price tag on selling a home that a couple has lived in for the last 40 years?  The memories?  The kitchen door that has the height of each child and grandchild penciled on the door jamb?                                       

You can’t…these are the things that are (as Mastercard has shown so eloquently) priceless…

 And this is WHY I love what I do!

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Social Media is here to stay and I believe it is a good thing!

0 Comments By Amanda Wernick on January 13th, 2010
Categories: Marketing, Real Estate, Social Media

Social media is the new rage….just like the telephone!

Why does this matter to you?  You’ve probably been hearing all about this:

SOCIAL MEDIA IS WHERE YOU NEED TO BE!

 The question is WHY and why should your Realtor be involved in it?

 We all have to admit that the internet has changed the way we gather information. 

 As a buyer, you no doubt start your home search on Google or Yahoo.  You type in “Real Estate” and up pops a slew of pages with Real Estate Company’s, Realtors screaming from every page “PICK ME PICK ME”.

 The truth is that unless you KNOW them, you won’t trust them with possibly the biggest purchase of your life!  Referrals are great so it’s a good idea to ask someone you know who they used.  Saying that though, what if you don’t know anyone who has purchased a home?  What to do then? 

 This is where Social Media can help you decipher and locate an agent that will work well with you. 

 If you’re on Facebook, or Twitter or even if you’re not but have heard of YouTube, it is much easier to see WHO these people are before you choose someone to represent you!

 It is no secret that you can gaze into the lives of these agents and decide to set an appointment based on testimonials given by past clients, but even more importantly, it will help you look at their personalities. 

 Mastering Social Media is no easy feat and there are constant conversations online about how it should be used or not used.  Some are valid points, others just personal opinions. 

 What should you know about it?

 You should know that Realtors that are actively engaged in Social Media have developed online relationships with people that they have not even had a chance to meet face to face…YET!  At some point though, and without being able to explain how this happens, meetings are set to meet face to face.  To be resource for one another.  To engage in Real Estate.

 The reach is so wide that people constantly refer one another.  Someone moving out of state will connect with a Realtor they’ve developed a relationship with and ask for assistance. 

 If you’re a seller, imagine the power of the hundreds if not THOUSANDS of online relationships your Realtor has! 

 Social Media is here to stay and I believe it is a good thing!

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No Thanks, I’m just looking….

2 Comments By Amanda Wernick on January 10th, 2010
Categories: Real Estate

 I am NOT a shopper!  I have to be clear about that from the very beginning because I think it will give some insight into who I am as a person and as a Realtor (though sometimes the two are so closely related it’s hard to know when one starts and the other ends!)

 I hate to shop for a variety of reasons.  I hate fighting for a parking spot.  I hate trying clothes on.  I hate those fluorescent lights that make you look an anemic yellow and stretch out wide like the mirrors in a carnival so that no matter whether you’re a size 2 or a size 14, you leave there swearing that tomorrow you’re going to start the Atkins diet!  But even more than this…I hate these words as soon as I walk into a store….

“Can I help you find something?”…………….

 Arghhhh!  I run for cover every time!  I walk in to a store and quickly survey the exit route.  Where’s the nearest door?  Of course I have my back up plan…my cell phone, glued to my ear so that I can just smile and nod “No Thank You”.

 I peruse the aisles…I need a new blouse…it’s winter and I’m walking around with sleeveless tops and a leather jacket!  I look for colors that I like and make my way towards them, and then see the selection of blouses offered…I grab the same shirt in every color and in three different sizes and I’m off to the dressing room…but not before I hear, “Can I help you with those?”  Nails on a chalkboard to me…”No Thank You”…

 I try the clothes on and realize that the lime green shirt just doesn’t work with my skin tone but the top itself is great and I’d like to see it in another color…Darn it!  Where’s the gal when I need her?? 

 So why should you care that I loathe shopping?  I’ll tell you why: because buying and selling Real Estate is really no different.  At the end of the day, you hate to walk in to an Open House and feel “accosted” by the agent there.  You give out a false phone number and email address just to get them off you.  You may even throw out a little white lie… “I’m just looking for a friend”.  And I don’t blame you! Most experiences people have with salespeople is, let’s face it, salesmanly.  No one WANTS to be sold…No one wants to be put on a list with a hundred other people of generic homes being emailed to them.  No one wants to be pressured into buying a home that doesn’t work for them, but being made to feel like “you’re an idiot if you don’t buy now!  Rates are low…blah blah blah…”

 What you want and need is information!  You want to be spoken to as a peer, not talked down to by someone that only has a commission check in mind…you want to search the internet and see what’s out there.  You want to be able to make sense of it all before you have a conversation with an agent about where you are, where you want to be and how you will get there. 

 Now before I go on, I will throw in a caveat here:  I personally know many Realtors who would talk you out of writing an offer they didn’t think would benefit you.  Usually these are the people who are in the people business.  They genuinely care about you, where you’re at and where you’re going and they trust that after assisting you in gathering the information and showing of homes, you will use them and not your uncle Charlie who was licensed a month ago to help him get over his fear of the contract.  Realtors don’t get paid until you close escrow. NO minimum wage, no compensation for time, no cash advances for gas etc.  Now back to my regularly scheduled rant.

 So, you go into Open Houses… “Can I help you?” “No thanks…I’m just looking…”

You log on to the internet to see what’s out there…more open houses…more “can I help you’s” and then FINALLY you find the home of your dreams…and who’s there to help you…?

 If you’re lucky, the person that held the Open House may be the right person to help you.  Otherwise, you look around, like a lost kid at Nordstrom hoping someone will show up.  But if you plan it right…you would have already developed a relationship with a Realtor who sat down with you and your family and created a strategy that works for you…and this agent was referred to you by someone you know and trust….and NOW you can take a deep breath and say….Ahhhhh. 

 So, lime green shirt notwithstanding, we all need a little help…

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