Friday was the George Washington’s Birthday that many of us grew up celebrating, and last Monday was the new federal holiday honoring George and our other Presidents. That got me thinking about George, and the first thing that came to mind was the old cherry tree legend – the one about “I cannot tell a lie.” Of course there’s “Honest Abe” also.
What a legacy to be remembered as being honest, as someone who told the truth. I don’t think we’re talking about tactless truth where you tell people that their shirt is ugly or that they should get a haircut or that their joke wasn’t funny. I think we’re talking about an admirable character trait that serves a person in life as well as beyond that.
Look at how many years have passed since Washington or Lincoln served in the Presidency, yet honesty is still ascribed to both. It is not limited to them. It’s just that when we think of them we also think of their character.
The trait of being honest is part of a larger set of character traits called integrity. This is what you stand for. It’s also what you won’t stand or put up with – how you won’t go against your own core beliefs.
My senior year in high school, I was a member of the Key Club, the high school organization of Kiwanis International. That year, the theme of the annual oratorical contest (which I incidentally won for my district) was “Serve with Integrity.”
At that time, integrity wasn’t a concept that was being taught in school. I’m not sure it is today either. Needless to say, I had to do some research before I could prepare my address.
That was a great experience and one I still remember. I think “Serve with Integrity” is a great life motto.
It means regardless of what we’re doing – building homes, selling them, advertising them, designing them, decorating them, inspecting them, appraising them, lending money on them – that we are known as a person of integrity. That we are not more interested in the sale or the paycheck than we are the customer. That we truly believe in what we are doing and consider it to be an admirable calling. That we approach our work with a wholeness and completeness that allows us to give our all in the pursuit of it. That it requires and receives our honest effort and our honest dealings with our customers. No shortcuts. No hedging.
This is what I mean by “Serve with Integrity” and I think our customers will admire us for it and want to work with us.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
NO BETTER TIME THAN PRESENT FOR REFINANCING
COLLEGE STATION (
“Inflation is clearly rampant all over the world, including in the
Why are rates so low when inflation is not a fear but a fact? Dotzour says the fear of a global collapse of the banking system is greater than the fear of inflation for the world's bond investors.
“Wall Street has a name for the phenomenon, and it's called the ‘flight to quality.’ When investors get concerned about global conditions, the
Dotzour said investors who are using
Once the banking system is repaired and the fear of global collapse of the banks is over, Dotzour predicts treasury rates and mortgage rates will move up, maybe substantially.
“If you believe that we are in for a global financial collapse, then don't refinance yet because interest rates will continue to fall,” he said. “If you think the
How to Find the Right Home
Making Pre-Purchase Decisions
Just because you may feel restricted by price ranges -- especially if this is your first or second home purchase -- don't let anybody tell you that you can't afford to be choosy when looking for a home to buy! You are unique. You have desires and needs, hopes and dreams for your new home that are different from your parent's, friend's or coworker's. OK? So let's get busy defining these homebuying parameters and writing them down.
Location & Neighborhood
- Suburbs or Country.
Pros: Generally less expensive. Often newer. Tract homes are conforming. More home for the money.
Cons: More time in traffic if driving to town for work. Further away from entertainment options cities offer.
- Urban.
Pros: Closer to many employers.
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Walking distance to theaters, restaurants, schools. Many period homes offer more distinctiveness in styles.
Cons: Often noisier. Higher crime rates. More expensive.
- Busy Streets.
Pros: Often homes on streets with more traffic are thousands of dollars cheaper. If noise doesn't bother you, don't pass up homes on busy streets. Drive by at different times of the day / week to ascertain noise levels.
Cons: These types of homes will always sell for less than others in the same area. If bedrooms are located near the front of the home, sleep may be disturbed.
- Cul de sac.
Pros: Number one choice of buyers with children.
Cons: Less privacy, neighbors know more about you.
- Corner lots.
Pros: Often larger lots. Fewer neighbors. More visibility.
Cons: More traffic noise. More vulnerable to vehicles jumping the curb. Kids might trespass at the corner. More sidewalk to shovel in winter.
Type of Home
- Single Family.
Pros: Good appreciation.
Cons: More expensive than our next category. More maintenance.
- Condos, Townhomes, Cooperatives.
Pros: Less expensive than comparable single-family homes. Generally newer so fewer repairs. Lock-n-go lifestyle. No yard or exterior maintenance.
Cons: Less privacy. Noisier. Common walls and/or floors and ceilings. Sometimes no private yard or balcony.
Number of Stories
- Single Story.
Pros: Easy wheelchair access. Some medical conditions such as bad knees make it hard for certain individuals to climb stairs. Easier to clean.
Cons: Can be noisier if stereos or televisions are located on the same floor as bedrooms. Some people feel safety is compromised if bedrooms are located at ground level. More of the lot is absorbed by living quarters.
- More than One Story.
Pros: More living space on same foundation than a ranch home. Less noise if entertaining on lower level while other family members sleep upstairs.
Cons: More trips up and down the stairs to carry stuff to bedrooms. If laundry rooms are on the second floor, washer leaks are major. Might need dual vacuum cleaners. It is difficult to maintain consistent temperatures on each level without dual heating and cooling units.
Pros: Often less expensive if purchased with lower level unfinished. Higher ceilings are appealing. Downstairs family room separates noise levels from upstairs. More square footage on same size lots as ranch homes.
Cons: Less storage space. Hassle to take trash downstairs and carry groceries upstairs or vice versa. Kitchens tend to be smaller.
Interior Specifications
- Number of Bedrooms.
Pros: Common minimum requested configurations are 3 bedrooms. Newer parents prefer bedrooms located on one level.
Cons: 2 bedrooms appeal primarily to first-time home buyers, singles or seniors. However, don't discount a two bedroom if an extra den will satisfy your space requirements.
- Number of Bathrooms.
Pros: More than one bath is preferred by most people. One bath homes are often less expensive.
Cons: Don't pass up a one bath home is there is room to add a second bath. Sometimes it costs less to put in an extra bath than it does to buy a two-bath home.
- Square Footage.
Pros: larger spaces offer more room and cost less per square foot than smaller spaces.
Cons: Don't be misled as lay-out is more important than actual square footage. Sometimes well designed smaller spaces appear larger.
- Bonus Rooms.
Pros: Extra space for media rooms, art studios, children's playrooms, gyms, den/study.
Cons: More expensive.
Garages
- Attached.
Pros: Cheaper to build. Convenient if raining or snowing.
Cons: Higher noise levels inside the home from cars. Some people feel they are an eye sore. If the garage door to the house self locks, you could get locked out at an inopportune time.
- Detached.
Pros: Can be tucked away from site lines. Quieter.
Cons: More expensive to build. Farther to walk in bad weather.
Additional Considerations
- School districts.
- Special amenities such as fireplaces, pools or spas.
- Condition of plumbing, electrical, heating & cooling units.
- Available utilities such as cable or DSL, satellite.
- Sewer, cesspool or septic connections.
- Fixers.
The Meaning of Location, Location, Location
I've seen buyers get so excited over the updates in a home that they forget about the first rule of real estate: location, location, location.
Generally, buyers will get the best return for their money if they buy the worst house in the best neighborhood. If a cosmetic fixer needs carpeting or the floors refinished, buyers might receive a discount on price. Plus, then buyers can choose carpeting or floor finishes that match their own tastes and not that of the seller. On the other hand, buyers will most certainly face a harder time selling down the road if they buy the best house in the worst neighborhood.
Yet, many buyers gravitate toward the right homes in the wrong locations. After looking at a few dozen homes, it's easy to get swept up in the excitement of finding that perfect home. That perfect home might have the right configuration and plenty of amenities but if it's in a bad location, you might want to consider passing it by. Regardless of its price . . . read more about Location, Location, Location.
My Real Estate Website Doesn't Produce Leads
This seems to be the number-one concern among real estate agents these days ... a website that doesn't produce any viable real estate leads. Or one that doesn't produce any leads at all.
Sometimes the answer is obvious. Other times, it calls for some speculation. For example, some websites have such obvious problems that you can spot them at a glance. Maybe there are no lead generation systems in place at all, or perhaps the website doesn't function properly.
In other cases, however, the website may appear to be well-designed from a lead generation standpoint, but it still does not produce any real estate leads. This is a tougher scenario to evaluate.
In the latter case, the lack of real estate leads could just be because of the market. After all, if there's not a lot of real estate activity in your area, you can't expect a steady stream of leads to pour through your real estate website. In many cities -- from Nashville to Tucson and elsewhere -- this is what we are seeing right now. And in this case, you simply have to look at your traffic stats. Are you even getting any traffic on a daily basis? If not, you have no hope of producing real estate leads from the website.
If your stats reveal a steady stream of website traffic day in and day out, but you are not getting any leads from the website, then there is something lacking from a lead generation standpoint. In such cases, these are the things I usually troubleshoot first:
Does the website offer any reason why people should contact the agent, or fill out the form, or whatever the conversion goal is? If not, this needs to be addressed first and foremost.
Are the conversion points easy to find, or is the real estate website in such a messy state that visitors can't find their way around? This is a usability issue, and one of the ways you can spot it is through high percentages of people who hit the home page only to leave right away (without clicking further into the website).
These are the things I would start with when troubleshooting a real estate website with good traffic levels but poor lead generation. Often, it's just a matter of cleaning things up and presenting something of value that people would want.
I also see a lot of those "Free Reports" offered on real estate websites, presumably for lead generation purposes. Many of the so-called reports I encounter are poorly positioned in several ways. First of all, they will consist of information the web visitor can easily find elsewhere online. For example, "Top 10 Tips for Buying a Home" is so worn out and overused that it's sad really. Without much effort, I could probably Google that phrase and find it plastered all across the Web.
So who is going to offer their email address in exchange for a generic article they can find on thousands of other websites? Consumers are web-savvy these days, and they know how to ignore useless info and find the good stuff.
So let's say you took the "free report" concept and injected it with steroids and other performance-enhancing substances ... metaphorically speaking of course. Let's say you created an actual e-booklet, in PDF format. And let's say that it was all about the local real estate scene in your area. Suddenly, the booklet becomes something that people cannot find anywhere else, thus the perceived value of the item increases.
Now let's take this further and hire a graphic designer to create a "virtual cover" for the booklet -- one that you can use to promote it on your website. People believe in what they see, so sometimes a little visual entice is all it takes to get people to starting filling out those web forms.
But we're not done yet. Let's create a press release and distribute it online to announce this insightful new guide to the real estate scene in [your town] ... jam-packed with recent sales statistics, development news, residential reports and more. A must-read for anyone planning to buy a home in [your town].
I've shared enough. You get the idea. But suffice to say these are only steps 1 through 7 of about 15 steps I would take ... if I were serious about generating leads through my real estate website. I offer these kinds of ideas and strategies all the time, but very few people implement them. And do you want to know why?
Because nobody ever said lead generation was easy!
Those who put in the extra effort will reap the extra rewards. And those who keep peddling their "Top Ten Tips for Buying a Home" will probably find another line of work at some point.
My Real Estate Website Doesn't Produce Leads
This seems to be the number-one concern among real estate agents these days ... a website that doesn't produce any viable real estate leads. Or one that doesn't produce any leads at all.
Sometimes the answer is obvious. Other times, it calls for some speculation. For example, some websites have such obvious problems that you can spot them at a glance. Maybe there are no lead generation systems in place at all, or perhaps the website doesn't function properly.
In other cases, however, the website may appear to be well-designed from a lead generation standpoint, but it still does not produce any real estate leads. This is a tougher scenario to evaluate.
In the latter case, the lack of real estate leads could just be because of the market. After all, if there's not a lot of real estate activity in your area, you can't expect a steady stream of leads to pour through your real estate website. In many cities -- from Nashville to Tucson and elsewhere -- this is what we are seeing right now. And in this case, you simply have to look at your traffic stats. Are you even getting any traffic on a daily basis? If not, you have no hope of producing real estate leads from the website.
If your stats reveal a steady stream of website traffic day in and day out, but you are not getting any leads from the website, then there is something lacking from a lead generation standpoint. In such cases, these are the things I usually troubleshoot first:
Does the website offer any reason why people should contact the agent, or fill out the form, or whatever the conversion goal is? If not, this needs to be addressed first and foremost.
Are the conversion points easy to find, or is the real estate website in such a messy state that visitors can't find their way around? This is a usability issue, and one of the ways you can spot it is through high percentages of people who hit the home page only to leave right away (without clicking further into the website).
These are the things I would start with when troubleshooting a real estate website with good traffic levels but poor lead generation. Often, it's just a matter of cleaning things up and presenting something of value that people would want.
I also see a lot of those "Free Reports" offered on real estate websites, presumably for lead generation purposes. Many of the so-called reports I encounter are poorly positioned in several ways. First of all, they will consist of information the web visitor can easily find elsewhere online. For example, "Top 10 Tips for Buying a Home" is so worn out and overused that it's sad really. Without much effort, I could probably Google that phrase and find it plastered all across the Web.
So who is going to offer their email address in exchange for a generic article they can find on thousands of other websites? Consumers are web-savvy these days, and they know how to ignore useless info and find the good stuff.
So let's say you took the "free report" concept and injected it with steroids and other performance-enhancing substances ... metaphorically speaking of course. Let's say you created an actual e-booklet, in PDF format. And let's say that it was all about the local real estate scene in your area. Suddenly, the booklet becomes something that people cannot find anywhere else, thus the perceived value of the item increases.
Now let's take this further and hire a graphic designer to create a "virtual cover" for the booklet -- one that you can use to promote it on your website. People believe in what they see, so sometimes a little visual entice is all it takes to get people to starting filling out those web forms.
But we're not done yet. Let's create a press release and distribute it online to announce this insightful new guide to the real estate scene in [your town] ... jam-packed with recent sales statistics, development news, residential reports and more. A must-read for anyone planning to buy a home in [your town].
I've shared enough. You get the idea. But suffice to say these are only steps 1 through 7 of about 15 steps I would take ... if I were serious about generating leads through my real estate website. I offer these kinds of ideas and strategies all the time, but very few people implement them. And do you want to know why?
Because nobody ever said lead generation was easy!
Those who put in the extra effort will reap the extra rewards. And those who keep peddling their "Top Ten Tips for Buying a Home" will probably find another line of work at some point.
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