Have you ever wondered what makes a company great? This is something that I have thought about for a long time. In the end, it still comes down to the old age issue of customer service. The reality is that most of us feel that customer service seems to be a thing of the past. I know that is something I have thought and seen for so long. It's not the norm to get great service. How many times have you gone to a great establishment with great customer service? You can probably count them on one hand.
With that said, I have made the decision to become the best customer service focused Real Estate company in the country. Ok, I know that is a big claim, but I am certain that it will take our already superb service and make it even better. So how do we do that? We currently work extremely hard for our customers and are available at all times to help them in any way possible. All of our Agents at Tropical Realty work hard. If you have worked with us already, you know that. If you haven't and are planning to come to the area soon, you will see what I mean. I am truly blessed to have some of the best people working for me. However, because we are so busy helping our customers, sometimes the little things get left behind. My goal over the next few months is to figure out what you would like, as the customer, for us to do when we meet you, when we write a contract for you, and what we can do after the sale for you.
For as good a job as we currently do, I want to make you walk away from your transaction with the same feeling you get when walking away from a great restaurant. It is my belief that if you walk away with that feeling, you will have received the best service humanly possible. That is my goal and that is what we are going to accomplish.
In the very near future I will be posting some of the changes we are going to implement to insure you have the best real estate experience you have ever received. When you sit in your new home you are going to feel that joy that comes with a great transaction. You will feel complete! Ok, I stole that from Jerry Mcquire!
I'm also open to suggestions from you. If there is anything that you feel a Real Estate Company should do for you that we are not currently doing, please email me at mitch@mitchrealty.com. I am here to listen. I am here to give you the best there is in the country.
As always we are all here to help. If there is anything you need at all, don't hesitate to call or email us. We respond to everyone as quickly as possible.
Have a great night!
Mitch
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
What's the story with Foreclosures
Happy Monday Everyone!
Well as you all have heard the news...the banks are hurting and foreclosures are on the rise. We get tons of emails and phone calls from so many people wanting us to find them foreclosures. I figured it's a good time to set the record straight for those of you who don't understand how these homes are priced.
Flashback 5 or 6 years ago and foreclosures were a great deal. I sold many of them back then that were 50 cents or less on the dollar. Unfortunately this isn't the case anymore. Foreclosures are no longer the bargain they used to be.
For instance, if a home goes into foreclosure, the bank will hire a Realtor to evaluate the property. Our job as Realtors is to let them know the retail value of the property and the appoximate cost of repairs. At that point the lender sets the price. These days, unlike the past, the banks are taking the retail value and subtracting the approximate repair costs and that is the price. Keep in mind that most foreclosures have a loan amount higher than the value of the home and they were usually bought with zero money down. There just isn't any room for the banks to play.
So what does this all mean to you, the consumer looking to get a good deal on a foreclosure, there aren't many good foreclosures out there. Most companies that do this as a business have pulled back. They understand the current market. However, most average consumers or beginning investors don't.
Your best bet is to talk to your Realtor, hopefully here at Tropical Realty, and search for homes that have been on the market longer than 6 months. Then your Realtor can research what they paid for the home and if they have refinanced the home. I believe that is where you can get your best deal. If someone owes $100k on the home and it's listed at $200k and they need to sell, you have a lot more room to work than if someone owes $180k on the house.
I hope that helps a few of you understand the current foreclosure market. I know all those TV shows selling you kits are telling you that foreclosures are the way to go. However, keep in mind that this is one of the best buying opportunities we have seen in several years. If you are thinking about buying, this is the time!
As always if you have any questions or need any help with anything, don't hesitate to call or email me at mitch@mitchrealty.com.
Have a great day!
Well as you all have heard the news...the banks are hurting and foreclosures are on the rise. We get tons of emails and phone calls from so many people wanting us to find them foreclosures. I figured it's a good time to set the record straight for those of you who don't understand how these homes are priced.
Flashback 5 or 6 years ago and foreclosures were a great deal. I sold many of them back then that were 50 cents or less on the dollar. Unfortunately this isn't the case anymore. Foreclosures are no longer the bargain they used to be.
For instance, if a home goes into foreclosure, the bank will hire a Realtor to evaluate the property. Our job as Realtors is to let them know the retail value of the property and the appoximate cost of repairs. At that point the lender sets the price. These days, unlike the past, the banks are taking the retail value and subtracting the approximate repair costs and that is the price. Keep in mind that most foreclosures have a loan amount higher than the value of the home and they were usually bought with zero money down. There just isn't any room for the banks to play.
So what does this all mean to you, the consumer looking to get a good deal on a foreclosure, there aren't many good foreclosures out there. Most companies that do this as a business have pulled back. They understand the current market. However, most average consumers or beginning investors don't.
Your best bet is to talk to your Realtor, hopefully here at Tropical Realty, and search for homes that have been on the market longer than 6 months. Then your Realtor can research what they paid for the home and if they have refinanced the home. I believe that is where you can get your best deal. If someone owes $100k on the home and it's listed at $200k and they need to sell, you have a lot more room to work than if someone owes $180k on the house.
I hope that helps a few of you understand the current foreclosure market. I know all those TV shows selling you kits are telling you that foreclosures are the way to go. However, keep in mind that this is one of the best buying opportunities we have seen in several years. If you are thinking about buying, this is the time!
As always if you have any questions or need any help with anything, don't hesitate to call or email me at mitch@mitchrealty.com.
Have a great day!
Monday, August 6, 2007
Back from Vacation and Ready to Roll!
Hi Everyone!
I'm sorry I haven't been writing much lately. I have been extremely busy growing the company as well as finding a little time to take a vacation. I had the pleasure of playing golf at Pebble Beach and a few of the other great courses in the area. The golf was incredible and you are a golfer I highly recommend spoiling yourself at least once in your life. I don't know that I would drop that much money again, but it was dream golf!
The Real Estate Market in that area (Carmel) was amazing. If you live in CA you know what I am talking about. Most of the homes on Pebble Beach were in the $30 million range. Yes you heard me right! The next time someone says that Brevard County Florida has gotten too expensive I'm going to send them the Real Estate Magazine I brought back.
So what should you do about buying a home in Florida? Right now is a great time as it has been for the past year. Interest rates are starting to go up with the problems that the lenders have had lately. If you are planning to buy, this might be a good time to get serious. I have heard that rates could go above 8% shortly.
As many of you know, I am getting ready to expand the company. We are in the process of getting our legal work done to franchise throughout the state of Florida. Our name will remain Tropical Realty of Suntree, but we will now be part of the eHomes Realty family. It was a tough decision to do this but in the end I think it will be a great benefit for both our company as well as our customers. We have many customers looking to relocate in other areas of Florida and we have not been able to help them as best as I wish we could. By opening the franchises, we will have access to help our customers anywhere in the state.
That's about it for now. I'll write more about the growth shortly once we are ready to get going. As always if there is anything we can do for you don't hesitate to call or email.
Have a great day!
I'm sorry I haven't been writing much lately. I have been extremely busy growing the company as well as finding a little time to take a vacation. I had the pleasure of playing golf at Pebble Beach and a few of the other great courses in the area. The golf was incredible and you are a golfer I highly recommend spoiling yourself at least once in your life. I don't know that I would drop that much money again, but it was dream golf!
The Real Estate Market in that area (Carmel) was amazing. If you live in CA you know what I am talking about. Most of the homes on Pebble Beach were in the $30 million range. Yes you heard me right! The next time someone says that Brevard County Florida has gotten too expensive I'm going to send them the Real Estate Magazine I brought back.
So what should you do about buying a home in Florida? Right now is a great time as it has been for the past year. Interest rates are starting to go up with the problems that the lenders have had lately. If you are planning to buy, this might be a good time to get serious. I have heard that rates could go above 8% shortly.
As many of you know, I am getting ready to expand the company. We are in the process of getting our legal work done to franchise throughout the state of Florida. Our name will remain Tropical Realty of Suntree, but we will now be part of the eHomes Realty family. It was a tough decision to do this but in the end I think it will be a great benefit for both our company as well as our customers. We have many customers looking to relocate in other areas of Florida and we have not been able to help them as best as I wish we could. By opening the franchises, we will have access to help our customers anywhere in the state.
That's about it for now. I'll write more about the growth shortly once we are ready to get going. As always if there is anything we can do for you don't hesitate to call or email.
Have a great day!
Monday, July 2, 2007
2nd Quarter Stats!
Hi Everyone!
Well it's that time of the year again where I let you know the current stats going on in our Real Estate market in Brevard County. The market seems to be holding steady. It's not getting any worse and it's not getting much better. At the moment the interest rates are right around 6.875% which are a little down from over 7% last week.
Stats for the 2nd quarter of 2007 (April 1 - June 30) are as follows:
Single Family Homes
Currently on the Market - 7,727
Units Sold - 1,402
Condos and Townhomes
Currently on the Market - 3,183
Units Sold - 368
Lots and Land
Currently on the Market - 4,333
Lots Sold - 168
Average Single Family time on Market - 101 Days
Average Sales Price to Listing Price - 93%
The best deals to be had our in the condo market. As you can see by the stats they just are not selling. Two years ago it was unheard of to find an Oceanfront unit anywhere in the county for under $300k. Now there are close to 50 units in that price range. Of course some of them are small. My favorite is one of our listings at Ocean Club in Melbourne Beach. This is almost 1,300 sq. ft. with two master suites, both with great Ocean views. This condo is currently listed for $299,900. My guess is this will sell fairly quickly because of the bargain price. We also have another condo that just dropped its price to $199,900. This is a riverfront condo on the 7th floor and over 1,500 sq. ft. This 2 bedroom 2 bath condo is located in the center of Merritt Island across the street from the mall. Great location and great price. This unit 2 years ago would have sold for as high as $300k. Such a deal! If you would like more details about either of these properties don't hesitate to call or email us. Our phone number is (321) 259-9115.
With that said, single family homes are down in price over 20% from 2004 with lots of great deals out there. This is the best buyers market we have had in a long time. With over 10,000 single family dwellings on the market, there are a lot of motivated sellers out there. This is great news if you are a buyer.
I have heard from some buyers who are wanting to wait until the market is at the bottom. As you may or may not know, there is no way to tell that we are at the bottom. I can tell you this, housing prices appear to be holding pretty steady right now. Those who told me they wanted to wait are now faced with houses that were the same price a few months ago and the interest rates are up over 1%. So in the long run, they have already missed the lowest price based on both sales price and interest.
One last thing. If you haven't seen it yet, we are holding our first annual customer appreciation night at Space Coast Stadium in Viera this Saturday Night. We will be enjoying a baseball game with the Manatees and fireworks after the game. If you haven't reserved your ticket and would like to go, please contact us immediately so we can get you on the list. The game starts at 6pm.
As always, if there is anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask. We are always here for you.
Have a great week and a Happy 4th of July!
Mitch
Well it's that time of the year again where I let you know the current stats going on in our Real Estate market in Brevard County. The market seems to be holding steady. It's not getting any worse and it's not getting much better. At the moment the interest rates are right around 6.875% which are a little down from over 7% last week.
Stats for the 2nd quarter of 2007 (April 1 - June 30) are as follows:
Single Family Homes
Currently on the Market - 7,727
Units Sold - 1,402
Condos and Townhomes
Currently on the Market - 3,183
Units Sold - 368
Lots and Land
Currently on the Market - 4,333
Lots Sold - 168
Average Single Family time on Market - 101 Days
Average Sales Price to Listing Price - 93%
The best deals to be had our in the condo market. As you can see by the stats they just are not selling. Two years ago it was unheard of to find an Oceanfront unit anywhere in the county for under $300k. Now there are close to 50 units in that price range. Of course some of them are small. My favorite is one of our listings at Ocean Club in Melbourne Beach. This is almost 1,300 sq. ft. with two master suites, both with great Ocean views. This condo is currently listed for $299,900. My guess is this will sell fairly quickly because of the bargain price. We also have another condo that just dropped its price to $199,900. This is a riverfront condo on the 7th floor and over 1,500 sq. ft. This 2 bedroom 2 bath condo is located in the center of Merritt Island across the street from the mall. Great location and great price. This unit 2 years ago would have sold for as high as $300k. Such a deal! If you would like more details about either of these properties don't hesitate to call or email us. Our phone number is (321) 259-9115.
With that said, single family homes are down in price over 20% from 2004 with lots of great deals out there. This is the best buyers market we have had in a long time. With over 10,000 single family dwellings on the market, there are a lot of motivated sellers out there. This is great news if you are a buyer.
I have heard from some buyers who are wanting to wait until the market is at the bottom. As you may or may not know, there is no way to tell that we are at the bottom. I can tell you this, housing prices appear to be holding pretty steady right now. Those who told me they wanted to wait are now faced with houses that were the same price a few months ago and the interest rates are up over 1%. So in the long run, they have already missed the lowest price based on both sales price and interest.
One last thing. If you haven't seen it yet, we are holding our first annual customer appreciation night at Space Coast Stadium in Viera this Saturday Night. We will be enjoying a baseball game with the Manatees and fireworks after the game. If you haven't reserved your ticket and would like to go, please contact us immediately so we can get you on the list. The game starts at 6pm.
As always, if there is anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to ask. We are always here for you.
Have a great week and a Happy 4th of July!
Mitch
Monday, June 18, 2007
Summer Time is Almost Here! Is this a good time to buy?
Well here we are getting ready to take the turn into The Summer of 2007. This will be an interesting summer to say the least. We keep hearing of all this doom and gloom, but we really aren't seeing it that way. Yes, foreclosures are up and will continue to rise. This is very unfortunate as many of these people were sold a bill of goods from mortgage companies by doing the easy to qualify for adjustable rate mortgages...with 100% financing. Those 4% intro rates are now coming in at 7%, 8%, and 9% or more. The problem of course is that the home values have dropped 20% or more and therefore we can't refinance these homes and the owners are stuck. Many of the homes going into foreclosure were from investors who came in and took advantage of some of the financing options. Those homes remain vacant and the owners are having trouble carrying several mortgages.
So what is the good news? The good news is that it is now very affordable to buy a home in Brevard County. With prices at a 3 year low, you can now find many homes in the $150k or less price range. Our average sale has dropped from $250k to $200k. That is quite a drop. People who couldn't afford to buy a home in 2003-2005 can now afford their new home. In fact, there are many homes that are brand new, vacant and listed for less than $200k. These same homes were selling for $275k back in 2004.
With that said, interest rates have started to creep up with most rates right around 6.75% - 7.5%. I believe that they will continue to go up and down as they have the past few years. Last month the rates were as low as 6%. Of course your credit score and the amount you borrow will make the difference on your interest rate.
One last thing. The condo market. Yes, this is by far the best time we have had in almost 4 years to buy a condo. There are currently approximately 3200 condos and townhomes on the market with less than 118 selling the past 30 days. If you have ever wanted to buy an oceanfront condo, this is the time! For instance, we have a 2 bedroom 2 bath Direct Oceanfront condo in Melbourne Beach listed at $319,900. You couldn't have touched this for under $475k two years ago. There are 120 Oceanfront units for under $275k. Unbelievable!!!!
It's time to get to work and help everyone with all their stuff! Don't forget that we are always here to help you accomplish your Real Estate goals. Whether you are an investor, first time home buyer, looking for your 2nd home or relocating here from there, we have plenty of homes for you to see.
Don't hesitate to call or email us anytime.
Have a fun day!
Mitch
So what is the good news? The good news is that it is now very affordable to buy a home in Brevard County. With prices at a 3 year low, you can now find many homes in the $150k or less price range. Our average sale has dropped from $250k to $200k. That is quite a drop. People who couldn't afford to buy a home in 2003-2005 can now afford their new home. In fact, there are many homes that are brand new, vacant and listed for less than $200k. These same homes were selling for $275k back in 2004.
With that said, interest rates have started to creep up with most rates right around 6.75% - 7.5%. I believe that they will continue to go up and down as they have the past few years. Last month the rates were as low as 6%. Of course your credit score and the amount you borrow will make the difference on your interest rate.
One last thing. The condo market. Yes, this is by far the best time we have had in almost 4 years to buy a condo. There are currently approximately 3200 condos and townhomes on the market with less than 118 selling the past 30 days. If you have ever wanted to buy an oceanfront condo, this is the time! For instance, we have a 2 bedroom 2 bath Direct Oceanfront condo in Melbourne Beach listed at $319,900. You couldn't have touched this for under $475k two years ago. There are 120 Oceanfront units for under $275k. Unbelievable!!!!
It's time to get to work and help everyone with all their stuff! Don't forget that we are always here to help you accomplish your Real Estate goals. Whether you are an investor, first time home buyer, looking for your 2nd home or relocating here from there, we have plenty of homes for you to see.
Don't hesitate to call or email us anytime.
Have a fun day!
Mitch
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Holding Steady and How to Really Sell Your Home!
Hi Everyone!
Well here we are at the end of another month in this fun year of 2007! The market is holding steady as prices have stabalized and sales are consistent. Finally sellers are realizing that if they want to sell their homes, they will need to lower their prices. We have spent most of the past year and a half turning down listings. Certain death of an Agent is taking on listings that will not sell because they are over priced. One reason they are so over priced is the competitive market amongst Realtors. Most sellers will have 2 or 3 Agents come to their home to tell them their thoughts. Of course Realtors know that if they tell the homeowner the homes is worth more than it is, they will most likely get the listing. At that point, a month into the listing, they are telling the seller that their price is to high and they need to come down. It sounds to me like a bait and switch tactic which I don't approve of and will not allow my Agents to do in this office. Honesty will always prevail! Hopefully!
So let's talk about listings for a few minutes. I was on the plane this week after going to South Carlolina for a meeting. What a beautiful area of the country that I have only driven through in the past. The hardest part was understanding their language! Anyway, I was on the plane and met a woman from Virginia who is trying to sell her condo. That area, as with most of the country, has been hit hard with the slow down in the market. The first thing she wanted to do was to tell how her Agent just wasn't doing a good job. The property was shown the first few days and hasn't been shown since...I think it's been three months since it was shown last. After explaining to her that the condo not selling most likely has less to do with her Agent and more to do with the Condo market, she started to listen to what I was saying. (FYI - The condo market in Florida is down 32%) So let's touch on what I believe will help sell your listings:
1. Price is still and will always be a motivating factor. If you are priced higher than other similar properties, there is a good chance your home will be on the market for a very long time. With the amount of inventory out there, you are now competing with your neighbor who is trying to sell their home. Whatever homes sold for in the past is not relevent anymore. Price your home lower than everyone elses and you will get more showings and most likely the home will sell quicker.
2. Offer more to the Buyers Agent. I have never quite understood why Listing Agents get paid the same as the Agent who has brought the buyer to the seller. In every other business I have been involved with, the person who brought the buyer got paid. I can see a lot of Realtors not wanting me to say this, but I'm going to. If you have a 6% listing, tell your listing Agent to take 2.5% and have your Agent payout the Buyers Agent 3.5%. Keep in mind that all Agents are commission only. Put yourself in their shoes, especially in this market. If they are not selling many homes and they are working with a buyer. They are more apt to show homes that pay more commission. It's just human nature. A Realtors job is to narrow the search for the customer. If there are 20 homes that are similar and you are offering 3.5% or more to the Buyers Agent, which home do you think will be shown more. The second portion of this is to offer a bonus to the Buyers Agent. Instead of lowering your price $5k, offer the Buyers Agent $5k bonus with an acceptable offer. If you are lowering the price more than $5k then offer the $5k while lowering the price the difference. Remember, reward the Buyers Agent and you are more likely to get showings! I'm probably not making to many Realtor friends at this point!
3. Expectations - One thing for sure is to keep your expectations realistic. Most homes are sitting on the market for several months right now. Don't be in such a rush to shoot your Realtor. Also, don't ignore their advice only to wait until the listing expires, then with a new Agent do exactly what your original Agent was suggesting. That is very frustrating from an Agent's perspective. When talking with your Agent, ask them when they "Really" believe this is going to sell and how long you can expect the home to be on the market. If they tell you it's going to sell real quickly, tell them to get lost!
4. Condition of the Home - Your home must show like a model. Your home must be kept in excellent shape and have great curb appeal. It's worth spending a few bucks to spruce up the house. While I am on that subject, put yourself in the buyers seat. When you are looking at houses what turns you off the most. Usually the home that is not well kept or when you drive up the homes looks like a mess. If your home looks like that home, the buyers will be thinking the same thing!
5. Marketing Your Home - Again, I'm not going to make to many Agents happy right now but the truth is the truth. Most Agents will take your listing and put it in the MLS. They will then tell you that they will also put it in Realtor.com, Yahoo, Google, and possibly a few other Real Estate sites. The reality is that once a Realtor puts the listing in the MLS it automatically goes into all those Real Estate sites. Those sites have feeds sent to them on a regular basis of all the new listings. Internet Marketing has changed the way to market homes. The most important feature is to be in the MLS. You then have, as in our case, thousands of Realtors wanting to sell your home. Again, once it is in the MLS, it will be on the other sites. At Tropical Realty and MitchRealty.com, we have chosen not to do any print advertising. We have chosen to do only online marketing since 80% of the people looking for a home start on the Internet. Currently we are receiving 55,000 visits per month from potential buyers. Our average listing gets seen 250-300 times per month. This much more than your listing will be seen in the Real Estate Magazines. Ask your Realtor how much money they spend on Internet Marketing and how many people a month come to their site. If they are not generating thousands of people, then you are not getting great marketing. The magazines are becoming antiquated! Don't be fooled by any of those buy back schemes or some fancy marketing they are saying they are doing. Basically you want to know how many people a month will look at your home. It's that simple.
Well that's it for now. If you have any questions or need any advice, don't hesitate to call or email me. We are always here to help!
Have a fun day!
Mitch
Well here we are at the end of another month in this fun year of 2007! The market is holding steady as prices have stabalized and sales are consistent. Finally sellers are realizing that if they want to sell their homes, they will need to lower their prices. We have spent most of the past year and a half turning down listings. Certain death of an Agent is taking on listings that will not sell because they are over priced. One reason they are so over priced is the competitive market amongst Realtors. Most sellers will have 2 or 3 Agents come to their home to tell them their thoughts. Of course Realtors know that if they tell the homeowner the homes is worth more than it is, they will most likely get the listing. At that point, a month into the listing, they are telling the seller that their price is to high and they need to come down. It sounds to me like a bait and switch tactic which I don't approve of and will not allow my Agents to do in this office. Honesty will always prevail! Hopefully!
So let's talk about listings for a few minutes. I was on the plane this week after going to South Carlolina for a meeting. What a beautiful area of the country that I have only driven through in the past. The hardest part was understanding their language! Anyway, I was on the plane and met a woman from Virginia who is trying to sell her condo. That area, as with most of the country, has been hit hard with the slow down in the market. The first thing she wanted to do was to tell how her Agent just wasn't doing a good job. The property was shown the first few days and hasn't been shown since...I think it's been three months since it was shown last. After explaining to her that the condo not selling most likely has less to do with her Agent and more to do with the Condo market, she started to listen to what I was saying. (FYI - The condo market in Florida is down 32%) So let's touch on what I believe will help sell your listings:
1. Price is still and will always be a motivating factor. If you are priced higher than other similar properties, there is a good chance your home will be on the market for a very long time. With the amount of inventory out there, you are now competing with your neighbor who is trying to sell their home. Whatever homes sold for in the past is not relevent anymore. Price your home lower than everyone elses and you will get more showings and most likely the home will sell quicker.
2. Offer more to the Buyers Agent. I have never quite understood why Listing Agents get paid the same as the Agent who has brought the buyer to the seller. In every other business I have been involved with, the person who brought the buyer got paid. I can see a lot of Realtors not wanting me to say this, but I'm going to. If you have a 6% listing, tell your listing Agent to take 2.5% and have your Agent payout the Buyers Agent 3.5%. Keep in mind that all Agents are commission only. Put yourself in their shoes, especially in this market. If they are not selling many homes and they are working with a buyer. They are more apt to show homes that pay more commission. It's just human nature. A Realtors job is to narrow the search for the customer. If there are 20 homes that are similar and you are offering 3.5% or more to the Buyers Agent, which home do you think will be shown more. The second portion of this is to offer a bonus to the Buyers Agent. Instead of lowering your price $5k, offer the Buyers Agent $5k bonus with an acceptable offer. If you are lowering the price more than $5k then offer the $5k while lowering the price the difference. Remember, reward the Buyers Agent and you are more likely to get showings! I'm probably not making to many Realtor friends at this point!
3. Expectations - One thing for sure is to keep your expectations realistic. Most homes are sitting on the market for several months right now. Don't be in such a rush to shoot your Realtor. Also, don't ignore their advice only to wait until the listing expires, then with a new Agent do exactly what your original Agent was suggesting. That is very frustrating from an Agent's perspective. When talking with your Agent, ask them when they "Really" believe this is going to sell and how long you can expect the home to be on the market. If they tell you it's going to sell real quickly, tell them to get lost!
4. Condition of the Home - Your home must show like a model. Your home must be kept in excellent shape and have great curb appeal. It's worth spending a few bucks to spruce up the house. While I am on that subject, put yourself in the buyers seat. When you are looking at houses what turns you off the most. Usually the home that is not well kept or when you drive up the homes looks like a mess. If your home looks like that home, the buyers will be thinking the same thing!
5. Marketing Your Home - Again, I'm not going to make to many Agents happy right now but the truth is the truth. Most Agents will take your listing and put it in the MLS. They will then tell you that they will also put it in Realtor.com, Yahoo, Google, and possibly a few other Real Estate sites. The reality is that once a Realtor puts the listing in the MLS it automatically goes into all those Real Estate sites. Those sites have feeds sent to them on a regular basis of all the new listings. Internet Marketing has changed the way to market homes. The most important feature is to be in the MLS. You then have, as in our case, thousands of Realtors wanting to sell your home. Again, once it is in the MLS, it will be on the other sites. At Tropical Realty and MitchRealty.com, we have chosen not to do any print advertising. We have chosen to do only online marketing since 80% of the people looking for a home start on the Internet. Currently we are receiving 55,000 visits per month from potential buyers. Our average listing gets seen 250-300 times per month. This much more than your listing will be seen in the Real Estate Magazines. Ask your Realtor how much money they spend on Internet Marketing and how many people a month come to their site. If they are not generating thousands of people, then you are not getting great marketing. The magazines are becoming antiquated! Don't be fooled by any of those buy back schemes or some fancy marketing they are saying they are doing. Basically you want to know how many people a month will look at your home. It's that simple.
Well that's it for now. If you have any questions or need any advice, don't hesitate to call or email me. We are always here to help!
Have a fun day!
Mitch
Monday, May 14, 2007
Tropical Realty MS Golf Tournament
Hi Everyone!
I trust everyone had a great weekend. This past weekend on the 12th of May we held our 3rd Annual Golf Tournament for MS. This year, as always, the tournament was put together with the help of our staff with special thanks and effort going out to Co-Chairs Debbie Sanders and Melissa Goldman, Kelly Richard (especially for the great cookies) and Pat Bertrand. It was a great time with over 80 Players. The weather was typical beautiful Florida weather and the food after was great.
If you have ever put on a tournament then you know how much work it is. We start working on it the beginning of the year by working on getting sponsors and players. It doesn't stop until we have everything very organized, lots of sponsors, great prizes and a bunch of happy golfers. One thing that we do well is our prizes. All of our players go home with a prize and a gift from Tropical Realty. This year we gave away nice divot repair tools and ball markers. They were well received by all!
I think the hardest part of putting this on is that most golfers wait until the last minute to sign up. We did better this year in that department by offering a discount for golfers registering before April 15th. At that point I think we had received 3/4 of the players. We will certainly do that again next year. Usually we are two weeks away with 2 foursomes and we a stressing out. Well actually Debbie does most of the stressing for all of us!
I don't have the amount of money we raised this year as it is still be accounted. I believe we raised around $7,000 or so. Not bad but below our goal of $10,000. This year was a little tougher for many of our sponsors as the Real Estate slowdown has affected businesses that are affiliated with Real Estate. With that said, we had 18 Hole Sponsors, A Food, Putting, Long Drive, and Cart Sponsors. Without our sponsors we couldn't do this so I do thank all of them.
That's about it for today. Hopefully next year you can join us as we hit the links!
Have a fun night!
Mitch
I trust everyone had a great weekend. This past weekend on the 12th of May we held our 3rd Annual Golf Tournament for MS. This year, as always, the tournament was put together with the help of our staff with special thanks and effort going out to Co-Chairs Debbie Sanders and Melissa Goldman, Kelly Richard (especially for the great cookies) and Pat Bertrand. It was a great time with over 80 Players. The weather was typical beautiful Florida weather and the food after was great.
If you have ever put on a tournament then you know how much work it is. We start working on it the beginning of the year by working on getting sponsors and players. It doesn't stop until we have everything very organized, lots of sponsors, great prizes and a bunch of happy golfers. One thing that we do well is our prizes. All of our players go home with a prize and a gift from Tropical Realty. This year we gave away nice divot repair tools and ball markers. They were well received by all!
I think the hardest part of putting this on is that most golfers wait until the last minute to sign up. We did better this year in that department by offering a discount for golfers registering before April 15th. At that point I think we had received 3/4 of the players. We will certainly do that again next year. Usually we are two weeks away with 2 foursomes and we a stressing out. Well actually Debbie does most of the stressing for all of us!
I don't have the amount of money we raised this year as it is still be accounted. I believe we raised around $7,000 or so. Not bad but below our goal of $10,000. This year was a little tougher for many of our sponsors as the Real Estate slowdown has affected businesses that are affiliated with Real Estate. With that said, we had 18 Hole Sponsors, A Food, Putting, Long Drive, and Cart Sponsors. Without our sponsors we couldn't do this so I do thank all of them.
That's about it for today. Hopefully next year you can join us as we hit the links!
Have a fun night!
Mitch
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