Home Sellers | Real Estate with Scott Culberson

Choosing a REALTOR is not your full time job, but it should be the FULL time job of your REALTOR to be A REALTOR. If you have made the commitment to buy or sell real estate you should have a REALTOR that is committed to forming a strong business relationship with you. Here are some ideas on choosing a REALTOR:

1) Personal referrals—Ask your closest friends who sold them their house. Now think about this for a minute. They bought that house five years ago, that’s a long time. Your friend will have to think about it and get back with you. They might have forgotten their REALTOR because they haven’t heard from them in five years. Hmmmm, you are going to want a professional that is dedicated to serving your needs—before, during and after the sale. Personal referrals are the best, because you have a friend you trust telling you that this is someone that they trust. Key questions to follow up with your friend: Would you buy your next home with this REALTOR? Would you sell this home with this REALTOR? Trust is the key, would you want to use the hairstylist of a friend whose hair looks like a rats nest? If you don’t like what their stylist has done with their hair you’re probably not going to want that stylist touching your hair. I’m just saying.

2) Advertising—Think about the last time you bought something advertised on TV or in a magazine. What were they selling? Did you buy it because it filled a need or did you buy it for some other reason? Just because a REALTOR has a billboard, park bench, TV commercial, shopping cart or Home owners newsletter does not mean their work ethic fits with your personality or needs.

3) Websites, Blogs and Facebook—This is separate from advertising because if done correctly they serve a REAL function to you. Websites, Blogs and Facebook serve three functions: 1) Information 2) Call to action 3) communication. As your researching your REALTOR; are they providing information, communication opportunities and a call to action? These are all important and useful in your search for a home or in the marketing of your home.

4) Communication—It is extremely important that your REALTOR communicate with you in a way that you WANT to be communicated in. E-mail, texting, phone calls to the cell phone at work, phone calls to the work phone, phone calls to the home phone, facebook messages and twitter tweets. Who is number one in this situation…..YOU ARE. Make it a point to find out what communication methods are available. If you love to receive text messages, you need to make sure that your REALTOR is on the same page. Your REALTOR also needs to understand how handy you are with a computer and if you have access to a fax machine.

5) Home Search—Your REALTOR needs to be a part of your home search, but not the beginning middle and end. Here’s what I mean… you have to be an active participant in your home search. In order to get the home of your dreams you need to be part of the game. Suite up and get in the game. Your Realtor is a major player, notice that I didn’t say coach. Your the player coach. Your REALTOR is the player agent, the pinch hitter, the announcer, the cheerleader, the medic and the relief pitcher. They are what you need them to be at that moment in time and sometimes they will be everything and all at once.

6) Availability—Your REALTOR should be available to you on your schedule. You are the client, you are important and you should be given priority. This is one way that a full time dedicated Real Estate Professional is different from the part time REALTOR. They have another job four to eight hours a day, when do they have time for you?

7) Eating Real Estate Every Meal—Another way a full time dedicated Real Estate Professional is different from the part time REALTOR is that they are always working on Real Estate. Their focus is directed at being the best REALTOR they can be. They have one vision of success and that is to help you achieve your Real Estate goals . This can be seen through the weekly improvement meetings that they attend. The professional company they keep. The on going education that a full time REALTOR takes is typically more than the State requires. Even the amount and type of information that they provide to potential clients on a regular basis.

These are my seven tips for you based on clients, friends and family. You have a tough choice before you. Some where along the way you will need a REALTOR. Take the time to learn who your working with. Ask questions, conduct job interviews. A REALTOR that does not want to be a part of your interview process…hmmmm…you make the call. It’s your dream, who is going to be a part of your team to make it a reality?

Live Life to the Fullest,

S.C.

Their are a lot of things that help a home to keep it’s value, the economy, the school district, the subdivision and the home itself. Today I am writing about a part of the home that is often taken for granted…the garage door. The garage started out as a barn that was not attached to the home. That made a lot of since, back in the day, because it typically stored the animal that pulled the buggy that took you to town. When Henry Ford rolled out the automobile, everything changed and not just the transportation part, but also where the transportation is stored. Cars found themselves in the barn with the livestock for awhile, but over time that changed. No one knows if the horse kicked the car out or if the car demanded a less smelly place to spend the night. The fumes from the original engines probably didn’t settle too well with the livestock, so the car was given it’s own small home and the garage was born.

While the livestock barn was away from the home, usually down wind, the garage was placed closer to the house so the riders wouldn’t get quite as wet during the rainy season. The original garages were just smaller versions of the barn, shorter in height and in length. They still had the large double doors. The overhead “pull up” door came later. C. G. Johnson invented the electric overhead garage door opener in 1926 in Hartford City, Indiana. The popularity of the electric garage door opener did not come until after World War II.

Some where along the way garages became part of the main part of the home. Homes now have detached or attached garages. These two choices are often the topic of debate when buying a home. Their are many arguments as to why an attached garage is the way to go, the main one being “you won’t get wet when it rains”. The number one for detached garages is “they typically offer more space”. But if your putting your car or you expect the next owner to put their car in the garage, you need to install an electric overhead garage door opener.

Your garage is going to have to have a door, if it doesn’t it’s called a porte-cochère or maybe even a porch. The bottom line is you have to have some type of door and they come in all shapes and sizes. With the door comes maintenance. Once a year at least you should oil the main springs on your garage door. This is the big spring right above the garage door on the inside. You should also grease the chain if your garage door opener has one. From time to time you’ll have to adjust the tension on the lift. The bottom line is you’ll need to perform some routine maintenance or you’ll have to replace part or all of it faster. I am not a garage door expert so read the label the installer left for you or call your local Overhead Door Company.

The garage door opener is one of the last items on the list of things to maintenance, but in the top 20 of things a buyer wants and wants to work right in their new home. Hmmm.

Live Life to the Fullest,

S.C.

Real Estate with Scott Culberson

Helping you Live Life to the Fullest

Category Archives: Home Sellers

Buying or selling a home…. Choosing a REALTOR

REALTOR Tip Your Garage Door