Sandra Paulow, GRI's Blog

Good Morning All,

I was reading an article on Inman News today about the ongoing debate about syndication of listings. I raised the question about whether we are deceiving the public by syndicating our listings on various websites and whether we are adequately representing our sellers by doing so.

I was a little troubled by the article because it implied that when we are on listing appointments and we are talking about listing properties that our sellers do not truly understand what sundication means that means and that in reality we are trolling for a buyer or for a buyer's agent to pick up that listing to show to a buyer. It seemed to indicate that by this syndication that listing agents were somehow failing in their duty to their seller.

I have to say I am not real fond of the syndication process but not for these reasons.  By exposing that listing to the greatest number of potential buyers we are doing our duty to our sellers.  In fact the whole purpose of having an MLS system in the first place is to expose that listing to the greatest number of agents who might have a buyer for that property and offering cooperation and in most cases compensation for showing and hopefully selling the property.  If the listing agent does their job on the listing appointment and explains that it is unlikely that they are going to be the ones to bring the buyer than we have done our duty to that seller. 

I feel listing syndication gives away too much information to potential clients who can search to their heart's content, under the radar, until they find the one listing that attracts their attention and then they call that agent about it.  It allows buyers to contact multiple agents about different properties without ever committing to work with one in particular.  How many times have you thought you were working with a client only to see their name pop up on a listing or a sales offer with another agent?  It happens all the time.  They use the system to look and to have you send them properties off the MLS, only to disappear when they are ready to buy and surface with someone they just contacted about one particular listing. 

As to the original premise, I don't see the syndication of listings as a disservice to sellers, in some ways I think it eliminates placing the agent in the dual role of trying to represent two parties in the same transaction.  The disservice I believe is to the agents themselves because although the syndication does generate buyers, it allows those buyers to search without committment and can cause an agent to spend a lot of time working with a supposed prospect only to have them hook up with someone who they have had no contact with simply because that agent had a listing that interested them.

I will be curious to see what some of you think about this. 

For quite a while now so much of the media attention and even Real Estate Agent's attention has been focused on the foreclosure and short sale market that we may have neglected our First Time Homebuyers. 

Yes, the tax credit is no more but that is no reason not to buy a home if would like to own one.  The prices are almost back to pre-boom levels and that makes homes very affordable.  I am not necessarily referring to foreclosures either.  I haven't sold a foreclosure in months.  I have been selling homes with real live sellers who want to sell them.  Sellers are much more reasonable now although they grumble and complain about the prices they are getting for their homes, they are still selling them at market value. 

If you have a good job and some stability in that job, you can probably buy a home.  There are still some good options out there for you even if you don't have a lot of money to put down.  If you are buying a primary home you have FHA, VA, & USDA Loans as options.  None of which have a huge down payment requirement.  USDA and VA are 100% loans.  They are strict about the homes they lend on, but with the right house and the right seller, it can be done.  I've done several of them this summer. 

So, don't let this country turn in to a nation of investors and renters, get out there and find a house to buy.  No, they are not piggy banks, they never were.  But a home is an investment in your future and will provide you with a place to live and enjoy your life for many years to come.  

If you would like more information on home buying or would like to know how to get started, give me a call.  I will be happy to put you in touch with an agent in your area. 

Have a wonderful week. 

Sandra Paulow, Associate Broker, GRI, SFR, REALTOR®  (928) 242-0300
Serviing the White Mountains of Arizona. 
Visit me at: www.whitemtnsazrealestate.com

 

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I know, it has been ages since I posted to this blog.  I have been one busy Real Estate Agent.  Although July was pretty sluggish in the White Mountains, August has made up for it.

The Buyers are in the market and they are buying property and the amazing thing is they are buying homes that are not foreclosures! Yes, the foreclosure storm in the White Mountains seems to have taken a break.  Sellers are seeing activity on homes that have been listed for a long time with little to no activity.

There is one thing that I need to talk about though, unrealistic Buyer expectations.  For some reason it seems that Buyers feel that they need to punish sellers who are trying to sell their homes.  They start out with low-ball offers that in other times would be insulting and rejected outright by a seller.  Then they beat up the seller some more by demanding ridiculous things. 

Some properties are offered furnished, but not all.  Some people need their furniture and personal items so they have a bed to sleep in and a sofa to sit on when they get to their new homes.  I even had one buyer demand that the seller leave all the food in the cupboards for them.  Isn't that a bit much?  After all you are buying a house, not a grocery store. 

I had to say something about this because the Buyer demands from sellers get more and more bizarre all the time.  I can understand wanting a good deal on the purchase of a home, but I don't think it is necessary to dig the knife a little deeper by demanding more than is reasonable. 

Something to think about anyway. 

Have a good rest of your week, until next time.....!

Sandra Paulow, Associate Broker, GRI, SFR, REALTOR® (928) 242-0300

Good Monday Morning Everyone,

The good news this morning is that some of the evacuees from the Springerville & Eagar area have been allowed to return home.  The Wallow wildfire is still raging but the firefighters are beginning to get an upper hand on some areas of the fire.  There is a lot of work to do and nothing is going to put that beast out except rain.  Sadly, we are still several weeks away from the beginning of the summer rainy season.

This weekend I was out showing property to some of my buyers and they were understandably concerned about homes that had a lot of trees, brush, and dry plants around the homes.  Those homes just screamed Fire Hazard especially in light of the fact that we could see the smoke from the Wallow fire in the background all day long.

There was a time in the White Mountains when it was almost considered a crime to cut down trees in neighborhoods and around homes.  Recent experiences have changed that thought process. The term Firewise was coined back in 2002 after the Rodeo Chedeski fire that burned almost a half million acres of heavy forest. The Wallow Fire has brought that term back to the headlines once again.  This fire in many ways was more dangerous that the one in 2002 because it has been burning in much more heavily populated areas.  Much of the country that is burning now is in the prime resort and camping areas of the State of Arizona. 

Time and short memories tended to erase the term Firewise from people's minds.  However it is back and it is more important than ever.  The Wallow Fire has reminded everyone what too little care and concern can do.  The USFS needs to answer for the mess in the Alpine & Greer area forests but as homeowners we can control how easy our own homes are to protect should another fire sweep through the area. A very real possibility each and every year in the late Spring and early Summer months in the White Mountains.

Firewising means trimming up trees so there are no ladder fuels within 8 to 10feet of the ground.  It means removing the smaller trees that also can serve as ladder fuels for the taller pines.  It means removing any shrubs and dry weed or flowers that are close to a house where a fire can creep up to foundations.  It means keeping needles and leaves cleaned up off the ground so fire can't catch them and race along.  It means removing wood piles or debris piles from close to your home so if fire does come through it won't be able to catch in that debris and spread fire to your home.  In short, it is a common sense approach to keeping your home safe from wildfire. 

If you would like someone to evaluate your home for it's fire preparedness, contact your local Fire Department.  They will be happy to put you in touch with the people who can help you evaluate your home for safety and make recommendations about what you can do to Firewise your home.  You may find that a clear and clean environment will make your home more appealing to potential buyers.  I know for mine it did.  Even though they liked one home better than the one they made an offer on, they chose the latter because it would require less to make it safe from fire.  It has already been cleared and certified once so they could see what they would need to do to keep it that way.

Have a great week, until next time....

Sandra Paulow, Associate Broker, GRI, SFR, REALTOR® (928) 242-0300

Good Friday Morning Everyone,

I hope this find Spring morning finds everyone well.  It has been a busy week for me and for our Company.  As of this morning we are now in our new location in the Torreon Subdivision in Show Low, AZ.

I wanted to address a subject that has really been at the top of everyone's minds, declining real estate values.  Whether we like it or not the trend is going to continue until the Banks finally deplete their backlog of inventory of foreclosure properties.

Not good news, I know.  It truly breaks my heart to visit with someone who wants to sell only to burst their bubble when they see what the value of their property is in today's market.  As hard as it is to accept, the boom is over and we are now enduring the bust market as a result of the economic melt-down.  Wishes and prayers are not going to change that.  Unrealistic hopes when it comes to selling is not going to change what is.

My personal theory is it is time for the banks to just "let go" of that inventory and let the market bottom out.  This constant trickle effect is prolonging something that should have been over and done with by now.  Dropping a home here and a piece of property there is only causing a constant drain on property values.  In the past nine months in the White Mountains we have seen a larger decline in values than we had over the past three years.

Part if it is because of the foreclosures but part of it is because when a bank is considering lending on a property, no matter what the current comparisons say, they want to see that appraised value come in below the agreed upon price.  They know because of their back inventory of foreclosures values are going to continue to fall so they are punishing the sellers on the front side to minimize their own risk on the backside.

It seems to be a vicious circle and it is.  Until this shadow inventory of foreclosures goes away, values are going to continue to plummet.  I'm not sure where it will all end up.  Maybe we are in for years of this kind of market.  All I know is that the consumer is ultimately the one to pay the price because whatever the value on a home is today, it is going to be less a month from now and on and on it goes.

Gloomy, yes it is.  But consider something else.  On the positive side of things if property had appreciated at a typical rates, say 3% a year and we had not had the boom market in the mid-2000's, values on property today is about where it would have been had we not had a boom.  It isn't as bad as you think.  Before the boom, if a seller walked away from a sale with their costs covered, a bit of cash in their pocket to put down on another home, and no deficiencies, they were thrilled.  Because of the boom market we all got caught up in the thought process that our homes were our retirement funds.  They were our piggy banks.  Property lost it's identity as a place to live and raise our families, suddenly it was supposed to be a profitable short term investment. 

We have to get past the thought process that if we can't make a huge profit on our homes when we sell then than they aren't worth anything.  We have to change our thinking and get past this, otherwise this negative trend is going to drag us and the economy down forever.

Something to think about anyway, have a great weekend.  Until next time....

Sandra Paulow, Associate Broker, GRI, SFR, REALTOR® (928) 242-0300

Good Saturday Morning Everyone,

I have a question for you today?  What would you do if you found the perfect property at the right price, would you move or let fear stop you from buying it?

Fear, such a little word with such a big meaning.  The uncertainty of the economy in the past few years has made us all fearful.  Buyers are afraid to buy for fear the value of the property they want will drop more.  Sellers are afraid to drop their prices because they think prices will go up again.  Renters are afraid to buy because they are more comfortable letting someone else worry about the care and upkeep of their home.  Everyone is afraid because the economy is still on very shaky ground.

I can't blame anyone for their fears but many people are losing out because of it.  I can't tell you how many disappointed buyers I have worked with in the past couple of years who have found the perfect property at a price they can afford who have walked away to "think" about it only to lose out to another buyer who was a little less uncertain than they were.

Time is of the essence, even in this market, to move on a property if you find what you want.  Keep in mind there are probably at least five or six other buyers out there who are looking for the same thing in the same neighborhood at the same price.  If their fear factor is less than yours, they win, you lose.  The banks are counting on that scenario on those foreclosures too.  They put properties out there at bait pricing hoping to spur multiple offers and bidding wars for their homes.  Is it right, no.  Are they getting away with it?  Yes, and they are doing it very successfully too.

The point of this post is to help all of you understand that in many years there has never been a better time to buy a home.  Paying rent is essentially helping someone else pay their own mortgage.  Staying in a home that is too small or two big because of fear is not the best course of action.  The USA economy is largely dependent on a healthy Real Estate Market because it keeps everyone working.  Plumbers are kept busy, electricians are working, stores sell goods to those plumbers and electricians and people moving need things for their homes. 

Fear is being reinforced daily by the News Media and the Government and in every aspect of our lives.  We are creating a society of fearful people who stay stationary because everyone tells us it is wrong to do anything else.  A stagnant economy and housing market only reinforces those media reports.  It keeps us all paralyzed with fear.  Shake off those fearful shackles and lets take our Country back from those would encourage us to stay fearful.  You can start it by making the move you need to make to better your own life.  Once that ball starts rolling it won't stop and things will get better.

Have a great weekend and I'll be back soon.  Until next time....

Sandra Paulow, Associate Broker, GRI, SFR  (928) 242-0300