Keeping it Real. Keeping it Simple.

Far to many Real Estate agents try to make their job as a Realtor too complex. They try to be a buyers agent, a listing agent, a waterfront specialist, a luxury seller, an on-line powerhouse, a webmaster, a marketing specialist, a Social media whiz, an educator, a “I have 18 designations after my name” agent, a neighborhood farmer, and a bank owned guru. Thats a lot of hats to wear. And unfortunately, you can’t be very good at any one thing when you try to do everything.
At SandPeak Realty, we have a simple philosphy. Keep it simple. Selling real estate, when you think about it, is bringing one buyer and one seller together to transfer a property from one to the other. It’s this process that is repeated over and over again, millions of times a year, all over the world. It’s not complicated. We don’t have a fancy mission statements, intensive training on the newest ways to sell, and we don’t hand out awards for people to brag about. Why should we? If you are buying or selling a house, do you really care? We think it is more important to have agents who are focused on solving your problems, fulfilling your needs, and, get ready for it, making your life simple.
That’s what we do. Every day.
We train our agents to know their processes. For sellers, it’s showing them the best price to market their home, advertising the home to the most potential buyers, and helping ensure a smooth closing process. For Buyers, it’s knowing the local inventory, how to find the best house that matches their needs and price point, and helping them navigate to a successful close of escrow. We believe that being the local expert is good enough.
So next time you need to sell your home, or you are ready to buy, keep us in mind. We guarantee you 5 star service. And a smile as well.
SandPeak Realty. Real Estate. Real Simple.

2013- a Fresh Start For A Great Year Ahead

How many times have you heard someone say they can’t wait for the year to be over? in 2012, I heard that from everyone- neighbors, friends, family members- and from almost every Real Estate Agent out there…

Everyone seems to think that 2013 will be the year of the “Fresh Start”- the year that the economy finally (hopefully with fingers crossed!) turns around, that the Real Estate Market finally starts to see some life, and that everyone’s life will be rosy again. I wish for all those, but…

Shouldn’t every day be a fresh start? Shouldn’t every day be one where you look forward with anticipation and hope, all the while looking back to review and analyze to make sure you don’t make same the same mistakes over and over again? I liken it to my two boys Joshua and Caleb.. At 7 and 8, they STILL were anticipating the arrival of santa. Every day they woke up looking for their Elf On The Shelf to see what kind of mischief he was up to. They still ran downstairs to open their advent calenders. And they had so many questions about how Santa was going to find us on our Cruise Ship in the middle of the ocean on Christmas morning (Don’t worry.. he did!)

It is this excitement for things to come that makes me think that EVERY DAY should be just like that- especially when it comes to the things we look forward to.

I am posing a challenge to you for 2013. Challenge yourself to look FORWARD with reverence to achieving your goals, improving your life, and growing yourself, your business, your bank account, and your relationships. Take every day as a beautiful new day and hug your children, your spouse, your pets, and yourself. Call your parents and siblings. Have coffee with a friend “just to catch up”. Volunteer and give of your time and money- you just may find a new gift!

Happy New Year. Happy 2013. All 360 glorious days left!

Time With Santa

The Anticipation Of A Child Awaiting Santa Never Ceases To Inspire The Inner Child In All Of Us

Taking a Measure

I love October. The weather is changing. The nights are cooler. There seems to be a festival or fair every weekend. Baseball’s playoff hunt is in full swing. College and Pro football is reaching a feverish pitch. It’s a beautiful time of the year if you are a sports fan.

One of the many things I enjoy about sports is listening to the radio sports guys discuss the facts, figures, plays, and blown saves from the past weekend. It is so emotionally charged with so much passion for individual teams- it is wonderful discourse to lend an ear to.

One thing I admire is just how stout and resolute professional athletes are. It seems on any given weekend they are either the hero or the goat. They get analyzed, disected, chopped, micro-managed, and second guessed by anyone and everyone- from the coaches to the media down to the fan on the street. But they go about their business so easily, and the truly great stars seem to be able to shrug off a bad outing, or bad play, or bad night with the greatest of ease, only to return the next game and dazzle the masses again. How do they do it? How do they take in so much and yet can perform at such a high level?

Maybe the answer lies in their preparation. Maybe it lies in they fact they know their stregnths and weakneses, know what they are capable of, and consistently strive to perform at their maximum potential. A graet pitcher knows the tendancies, stregnths, and weaknesess of every batter he will face- he knows what pitches he will throw, where he will throw them, and when. A Defense knows exactly what each quaterback, running back, and wide receiver will show them. they are able to practice and prepare a game plan based on statistics, previous expierence, game film, and tendancies. They use the numbers of the game to their advantage.

So why don’t sales people do the same? Why don’t most sales people analyze and prepare prior to making a presentation. Why do they not spend the time up front setting goals for themselves, and then tracking and measuring their progress? Why do most sales people fail to properly plan for the tasks of their career- prospecting, calling on customers, networking, building an online brand, closing, servicing accounts, and the like? If pro sports is built on numbers and statistics, why can’t the sales profession be as well?

Start to think of yourself as a well tuned professional athlete- sales is a bit of a rough and tumble profession anyways- one minute you are the big dog, the next thing you know your competition is trying to crush you and get to the finish line (a sale!) before you do. Are you prepared? Are you looking at what you do? Are you measuring what you do? If you don’t measure it, how can you improve it? How can you know where you stand? Where you are coming from? and more importantly, where you are going!

Take some time and figure out how you can measure your performance? Is is your On-base percentage? How many times you strike out? How many interceptions or pick 6’s you throw? Maybe it’s how many homeruns you hit! Measure it. Analyze it. Change it. Grow it. and maybe one day you will be in the spotlight!

Has anyone used, or know of anyone who h

Has anyone used, or know of anyone who has used, Google Buzz? If so, can you pass on their name or let me know? I am trying to learn it and want to get some opinions.- Thanks!

The Secret to Get the Listing- Don’t Sell them, Get them to buy you!

Every real estate agent comes into the seller’s home with one
thing on their mind- to get the seller to sign their listing agreement- at the
price the realtor wants- without any objections or obstacles to overcome…
That’s what goes through your mind when an agent in your office says “that was
the easiest listing I ever took”

The secret to get the listing that easy is simple: Engage
them. Show them value. Don’t make them feel pressured. Get them to “buy” into
you, your systems and your experience. Get them to buy into your team
mentality. Get them to put “some skin in the game”

Educate the seller then let them make an educated buying
decision- selling is an emotional outcome- buying is emotional- you are
relieving pain.

People don’t buy your services- so don’t sell them- they buy
you and your solutions to their problems and pain. Once they realize they have
a problem, they look for someone to help them solve that problem or ease that
pain. When you understand that people buy to improve their lives or to ease
their pain, then selling is an easy job- because you never sell!

Whether you like it or not, a seller will choose (a) to sell
their house and (b) to choose you to do it for THEIR REASONS, not yours.

Don’t tell them “now is a great time to buy or sell” just
because everyone else is, or because it’s a down market. You have to find out
why the seller wants to sell, regardless of what the market is doing. Find
their pain, present a way to solve it (your value), and then get ready to put a
lockbox on the door and sign in the ground!

3 Things Every Sales Professional Should Have Ready To Go

Today, more than ever, buyers and sellers are giving agents less and less time to “introduce” their services- maybe it’s the web, 24/7 news coverage, or non-stop busy lives. Todays Buyers and sellers aren’t really interested in the traditional, old school approach most real estate agents use to convince them to list a home with, or get in the car with. For some reason, most agents just can’t wrap their mind around this concept. It may, in part be due to the fact that its work, because it takes a few days of thought to figure out just how to interact with this new breed of customer. It’s time for you to be different. Grab a notepad, a pen, and some quiet time and think through the following three steps that will guarantee you an increase in your business, your transactions, and your checking account!

First, you need a strong 30-SECOND COMMERCIAL!about yourself and what you do. Make it good, make it snappy, and make it genuine. Do not make it the same old boring stuff, “Hi, My name is Sally and I am a real Estate agent. Last year I sold 45 homes and am a member of the million dollar club for XYZ realty- let me help you sell your home!…” BORING! Come up with something original, and let your name tag tell them the boring stuff (like your full name, the fact you are an agent, and who you work for!) Maybe tell them your niche, or that you are known for finding the best deals and that you have an exclusive “in” with the newest inventory coming on the market. Or that you sell more foreclosures and have a relationship with several banks to exclusively list their homes… You only get one shot- make it quick, make it good… Practice in an elevator- when someone walks in with you, introduce yourself, ask them what they do, and then tell them your 30-second commercial. Ready for the real thing? Go sit an open house and see how well buyers react to your commercial.

The Second thing you need is to WRITE OUT A LIST OF QUALIFYING QUESTIONS- you need about 12-15 to really dig in deep and get a buyer or sellers true wants and needs. Next, write out a script of how you will ask these questions, and then take the time to think through every possible answer a buyer can give you. Finally, rehearse your answers and plan a course of action. Your goal is simple… you want to “lead” a buyer or seller to the best solution, which you already know, rather than “follow” them to wherever they may go… which is probably a $100 in gas and a few Saturday mornings wasted driving around in your car.

Finally, you need to develop an EXIT STRATEGY with every customer you meet or talk with. Know what you are going to say, how you are going to say it, and what you will do for each customer. Never let them have the final word, the final thought, or the final action call. If they say, “We’ll call you when we are ready…”, then you haven’t thought this one through. You need to have something you can let the customer take away with, whether it’s a flyer, a list of available homes, or to know they are added to your weekly e-flyer… something to keep YOU in front of them!

If you spend a few days planning these three items carefully and giving yourself a little practice, before you know it you will greatly reap the rewards!

Why customers want the best service, but settle for an average experience

I am going to start this blog with a bold statement— I think all of us who call ourselves real estate agents do, as a group, a pretty lousy job of giving our customers the best experience we can. Now, don’t take this is an all-encompassing statement, but rather as a self directed look in the mirror- all of us looking… Why do I make this statement? Because I talk to buyers. And sellers. And banks. And mortgage companies. And title companies. And more importantly, other agents. A lot of other agents. Why am I making this statement then? Because I experience daily how other agents ate treating each other and their clients.
Out of my last 50 transactions involving another agent who represents a buyer, I would hazard a guess that only 3, maybe 4, were giving their customers the best experience they could. They are prepared. They ask questions and follow directions. They communicate. They are involved. And their buyers think the world of them. But that is the exception. Not the rule. Most of the time I get an email the day a property is supposed to close from the other agent asking me if the deal has closed… Instead of being AT the closing with their buyer. Or they don’t follow my directions in the MLS, they submit an offer, then I have to have them go back to their buyer with more forms to fill out and more information to gather… And they get mad at me! Or they tell me “do you know how bad this is going to make me look to my buyer?” bet I can guess…
I have two boys, ages 5 and 6- my wife and I spend a lot of time teaching them manners and to be respectful… So why is it a 6 year old can answer a phone correctly and politely, and not a grown, professionally licensed adult? At least 3-4 times a day agents call me with this simple statement “I need the lockbox code to 123 main street” no “Hi”. No “Please”. No “May I…”. Just I need… Where are your manners.?
This may sound like a gripe session, but it is not. It is to illustrate the point of my first sentence. If you treat other agents this way, there is no way you can convince me you treat the buyers and sellers better. “Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself” really should be changed for real estate agents to state “Do unto your customers as you do unto your fellow realtors” then maybe those who are looking to buy and sell may have an unbelievable experience. And we as agents may get more respect as professionals. And a few more buyers and sellers may use our services. And a few more transactions may occur. And our days may get a bit sunnier… And we could have a good experience too.

What A Listing Agent Really Wants

I Heard a commentator speaking on the radio discussing a tipic that has been around for ever and probably will never be answered- “what do women really want from men”… and that got me thinking- I may not know what my wife really wants from me, but I can tell you as an agent what i want from others involved in my transactions- so let’s give it a whirl!

First, I want a title company that will treat my file as if it’s the most important file- I’m not asking for special treatment, and not asking for the closing to be the first and most important, but I am asking for politeness and communication. When I call, I would like someone in your office to answer in a friendly manner and genuinely want to help. If the person handling my file can’t talk, then I expect a call back within 2 hours- you see, when I call, it’s usually for something important, or for information that i need to get passed on to the buyer, or selling agent, or lender, or homeowners association, or my asset manager, or my negotiator- I am calling for a reason- please make me at least feel that you are listening. And let’s take that one step further, when I email you, please, please, please respond that day- nothing infuriates an agent more than no response. If you don’t have the answer I am looking for, tell me, and tell me you’ll work on it and get back to me. And then get back to me within 24 hours.. please don’t forget me- that makes me feel very unwanted! and Please, Please, PLEASE order my estoppels and lien search THE day I bring the file to you, not a week before closing- nothing puts more stress on a listing agent that having to due multiple extensions because the lien search isn’t in yet. You know how long it takes- you do this every day! please make my life a bit easier.

Secondly, from you, Mr. Lender. Please understand that every file is different. Please tell me UP FRONT what you need for your underwriters, what they expect, and realistic time frames. Don’t surprise me two days before closing and drop a bomb from the underwriter. Please don’t keep me held up- when I tell you the seller needs 48 hours to review and approve a HUD, please plan accordingly- let your underwriting department know this up front. Don’t make ME ask YOU for the HUD-1 statement- surprise me with it in my in-box 48 hours before closing. And just like the title company, when I call or email you, IT’S IMPORTANT- please don’t brush me off!

Next is you, Mr. Buyer. Please treat me with respect. And my sellers. We aren’t dumb. We do know a thing or two about closing transactions. PLEASE refer all your questions and concerns to YOUR selling agent- that’s what they are paid for- I don’t like it when a buyer puts themselves between me and another agent- I will only see you for a few weeks, but guaranteed, somewhere down the line, I will work with that agent again. Don’t make me choose sides- you will lose. Unless of course, your agent is incompetant- Becuase if the closing starts going south, I am picking you and the agent up and carrying you both across the finish line, whether you like it or not. I don’t work for free- I like to get paid. And if your agent isn’t performing, or can’t explain something… that’s ok.. just let me know so I can speak with them myself.

And finally, the other agent. This is what makes or breaks the sale. I am certain that most “difficult” transactions start that way from the moment a showing is requested. I can appreciate that you have been selling real estate for 30 years, or that you have sold a million dollars in foreclosures, or have done 600 million transactions- but please, for my sake, FOLLOW MY DIRECTIONS. I make them very clear to you in the MLS- If I ask you to fax the offer, then FAX IT. If I ask you to use an AS-IS contract, then use that! If I ask you to send me proof of funds, then send them. You see, believe it or not, I am not making these things up- these are items requested by my seller- Dont make me ask for them- just send them. And speaking of that, please DO NOT tell me how to present your LOW OFFERS to my sellers- I have already done the comps with them, and gotten the price. Trust me, if I FEEL your offer is fair and good, I’ll let the seller know. NO ONE wants to get the property under contract more than me.. that’s why I took the listing. At least thats why I think I did! And don’t lecture me on how to get a closing done. Please ask. Be Polite. Work with me. It’s for both our benefits.

And Finally, to those of you out there who DO NOT sell real estate. As a Listing agent, the last thing I want to hear from you when YOU ASK ME how the market is doing, is about how bad your agent was, or how your uncle sells homes and you would use him, or about how you can sell it yourself becuase you did  years ago. Because these are things that make me feel uncomfortable or not needed. And I don’t really like that. But I do like to sell houses.. so let’s talk…

It’s time for a bit of good news….

The economy stinks. Unemployment has never been so high. The banks are crooks. Everyone is broke. Consumer confidence is at an all time low. There have never been so many foreclosures. All the foreclosures were done wrong. Wall street needs another bailout. There aren’t any jobs…. It’s so depressing! And that’s just the nightly news…what’s going on?
A conversation on a nationally syndicate talk show I heard on the radio last Friday got me thinking about this subject… The host mentioned that his wife was a Realtor in the Philadelphia area. The host talked about the conversation he had with his wife- that there were a lot of great homes on the market, that interest rates were at all time lows, and that she was working with a lot of buyers…but she was frustrated because she couldn’t get any of them to “pull the trigger”… Most Realtors ask “why is this, because it’s happening to me too.”
I, like the host, think it’s because of all the bad news that everyone is hit with everyday… From everywhere… Everyone is so pessimistic… There is no positive outlook… No confidence in the economy or the markets… No good news coming over the airwaves or the nightly news… But we all know it’s there! So it’s time to start hearing it. I for one am going to make a conscious decision to talk only about the good…anyone and everyone is talking about the bad… So who needs to hear more of it! Like ol’ blue eyes used to so, ” start spreadin’ the news….”!