It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to learn how to text.  However it does take someone with decent eye sight and some patience.  I used to text and drive, but I don’t do that any more.  If I get a text while I’m driving, I pull off to the side of the road to answer it.  I like to text with my fellow Realtors and my clients, when possible.  It is fast and efficient and we can answer it when we have a chance.  It’s sort of like emails.

For me, I return my texts just like I return my emails - timely!  The rudeness of people not returning emails and phone calls is so annoying to me, that I prefer to not discuss it in a blog post that will ultimately wind up on the screens of my clients that would rather know about the positive aspects of my job.

There are texting friends and there are non-texting friends.  It’s sort of like facebook.  You’re either on there or you’re not.  I always get excited when I find out a new client texts.  It is the first step for us being on the same page about how fast we want the buying/selling process to go.  I sort of feel like it’s our secret code.  Like the spies used to have when they talked in to their watches.

Don’t text and drive.  Statistics say it’s worse than drinking and driving.  We should even be talking of the phone and driving at the same time.  It’s against the law, too!

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THINGS YOUR BURGLAR WON’T TELL YOU:

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste…and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you’re out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it’s set. That makes it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It’s raining, you’re fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don’t take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I’ll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don’t take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here’s a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms.

12. You’re right.  I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But, if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you’re reluctant to leave your TV on while you’re out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON’T TELL YOU:

1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I’ll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he’ll stop what he’s doing and wait to hear it again.  If he doesn’t hear it again, he’ll just go back to what he was doing. It’s human nature.

4. I’m not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I’m looking for signs that you’re home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I’d like. I’ll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It’s easier than you think to look up your address.

7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it’s an invitation..

8. If you don’t answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

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With over 70,000 residents in the City of Plymouth, it’s estimated that more than half are pet owners.  Little did I know, Plymouth required that these pet owners needed to buy pet licenses for their animals to the tune of $3.00 a piece.  Turns out, the city has realized that since only the law-abiding citizens of Plymouth actually buy these licenses, they are also the ones who keep track of their pets.

They’ve also realized that sometimes it’s a good idea to quit doing what doesn’t work!

(Above is a picture of “Babyboy”, courtesy of a friend of mine, Andrea Johnson.)

Plymouth City Council has recently voted to discontinue the licensing of pets.  They figured out that it cost the city more to administer the license process than the $3.00 it took in for the license.  What’s more, only 2,262 dogs and 244 cats were licensed.  I am happy that the city council is fiscally responsible enough to own up to a bad idea.  They, in essence, are saving the tax payers some money.

Plymouth limits the total number of cats and dogs in one household to four.  There is still a multiple animal license if you have more than four.  The license costs $50 and an inspection of the home or property is required.  (Yikes!) If you have any questions regarding the rules and regulations for multiple animals, call the City of Plymouth 763-509-5160.

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Every year when we sit down for our Thanksgiving dinner, I begin by asking each person to tell us what they’re thankful for.  Having three grown sons and a husband who isn’t exactly the sentimental type, I get the proverbial eyeball roll and we just say our traditional grace.

I’m always thankful for my family, friends, clients, health, etc., so this year I would like to list the things that are considered  new age, entrepreneurial, techy and fun.  They have truly enhanced my life and I am very grateful that someone was bright enough to invent these wonderful things for me.

• My now-paid-for Acura TL
• XM Radio
• Breathe Right Nose Strips
• My Ipod Nano
• Netflix
• My sauna
• The Food Network
• The Internet
• My Treo w/ekey
• BNI Full Circle Chapter

So there you have it.  Ten items are enough.  I could live without these things, but I sure would not want to!  Happy Thanksgiving!

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My friend in the mortgage biz at Prime Mortgage sent me the latest news on the first-time home buyer credit:

Senators agreed Wednesday to extend a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers and to offer a reduced credit to some repeat buyers.

The tax credit provides up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers but is set to expire at the end of November.

Senators agreed to extend the existing tax credit for first-time home buyers while offering a reduced credit of up to $6,500 to repeat buyers who have owned their current homes for at least five years, said Regan Lachapelle, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The tax credits would be available to home buyers who sign purchase agreements by the end of April. They would have until the end of June to close on their new homes, said a congressional aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the deal.

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When you decide to sell your home, you need to do your homework before selecting a Realtor.  It’s a good idea to interview three of us before making your choice.

Here are the top ten “must haves” your Realtor should provide for you:

• Top-notch integrated website that allows lead capturing and detailed information about your property.
• Massive coverage of all real estate internet websites with your home’s information and lots of pictures.
• Hold a Realtor open house as soon as possible to obtain price and condition opinions of other Realtors and to allow them to preview the home for their potential buyers.
• Make sure to obtain feedback from the buyers’ agents to provide to you on a timely basis.
• Make suggestions as to what needs to be repaired, cleaned or removed from the home before listing.
• Price the home properly right from the start.
• Strong and firm negotiating when receiving an offer from a buyer.
• Communication, either by phone or email, on a consistent basis…even if there is nothing new to tell.
• A strong real estate brokerage to back up your Realtor’s administrative needs, which includes an excellent appointment coordinator.
• Confidence, trust and integrity are crucial to a good working relationship between you and your Realtor.

In order to sell your home, you and your Realtor need to agree on a sound working relationship to get the job done.  By the way, if I, as your Realtor, didn’t think I could live up to these “must have” provisions, I wouldn’t have written this post!

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Finding just the right home to fix up and resell can take time. There are many things you must consider before you buy. There’s been a real surge of homes sales to people who got caught up in the Flip This House craze.

Here’s how to make sure your flip doesn’t flop. (more…)

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This is one of my listings that I sold this summer in just 35 days!  3209 Florida Avenue South in St. Louis Park.

It’s always an exciting moment for me when I have a listing appointment with a potential seller.  I love to sell homes and I really love to discuss with my clients the different aspects of what it takes to sell their home, examining the comparative market analysis that I have prepared and what to expect during the selling process.

BUT WAIT!   Once in a while, the seller seems to think that they know what the price of their home should be (or wants it to be)!  This makes it a bit difficult for me to proceed when they already have a pre-conceived notion in their heads.  I continue with my listing appointment, none-the-less, and look at all of the aspects of what will go in to the pricing decision.  Most of the time, we will agree to price the home properly and all’s well that ends well.

Inevitably, there are sellers who resist and insist on pricing it higher than what the market will bear, or,in other words, what the buyers are willing to pay.  This sets both the sellers and myself up for disaster.

What are the objections of the sellers when I advise them to list their home lower than they believe it should be?

• The neighbors down the street sold their home for the price that we want to list ours at and it’s even not as nice.
•  We have to get this much, or we’ll be upside down.
• We put a lot of money into this house to fix it up.  Just look at the bathroom!
• We have our eye on a new house up the road and it will take this price for us to be able to do it.
• We’ve lived here for ten years and we expect lots of equity by now.
• We want to price it higher so that we have some wiggle room if a low offer comes in.

These are actual comments that I have heard.  So, if I don’t make it clear as to what the market is doing and they won’t listen, I have a choice to make.  I either take the listing at the price my sellers want to sell it at, or advise them that I will not list their home at the price they want and risk losing the listing and subsequent sale.

To be frank, I’ve done both.  In either scenario, I’ve never been wrong about where the price should be when it was originally listed.  It’s a matter of whether my clients will cooperate.  I have taken listings at too high a starting point and I have walked away from potential listings where I knew that it would never sell at the high price.  At some point, I let the sellers know that I cannot sell their home at the current price and it has to be lowered.

If they don’t want to or can’t, then it’s time for us to part ways.  This happened to me twice this summer.  Both times, the sellers went with another Realtor and immediately lowered the price to where I had suggested!  What!!!???

Are the sellers just saving face by making such a seemingly illogical decision? I have mentioned this phenomenon to fellow Realtors and they have gone through the same thing with their buyers, too. I have not figured it out yet, but I will persevere to get the answer.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwdCVLCS82A

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