Gary Woltal's Blog

In guiding buyers in finding the best place to live I think many Realtors may have forgotten what used to be an important factor and that is to stress location, location, location.

If that house out in the burbs is 75 minutes into work each day, maybe those granite countertops and the tree in the front yard are not as important as the cost of gasoline to get there and your life frittered away in the daily commute. Realtors need to help clients do the math with gasoline costs and time costs. Out of 16 waking hours a day how long would be your roundtrip commute?

There is also a math trick with miles per gallon converting it to miles per dollar.

For example if you have a car that gets 15 miles per gallon and gas costs $3.00 a gallon, if you divide the second number into the first you get 5 miles per dollar. Every 5 mile marker you see, ka-ching another dollar. Steep bucks. In a Prius at 45 miles per gallon, you get 15 miles per dollar, much further for your hard earned bucks.

To help the math challenged, I've included a Miles Per Dollar calculator.

Besides sheer distance between point A and B, Realtors can assist clients with traffic patterns by knowing the bottlenecks and rush hours and where all those annoying long traffic lights are on the way to and from home. Also, how far away are the stores you frequent often? If you run up to the grocery store for another loaf of bread or some milk three times a week, that "little" six mile jaunt from the golf course community with no stores around it gets pretty annoying.

There's never a perfect location to meet everyone's needs in a new living situation, but a buyer should probably drive the traffic at 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. from where they might live. It could be a real eye opener. Location is still very important in terms of schools, closeness to other family members, and desirability of neighborhood and its surrounding amenities. Don't be distracted by a potential new home by the goodies. See the forest despite the trees.  Afterall you are going to live there for awhile.

We see it with buyers all the time lately. We see it with For Sale By Owners. We see it with those that can't make up their mind about needing a Stager or not. Buyers can't decide. For Sale By Owners think they have decided. Those that need the services of a great Stager are confused. What we have here folks are fence sitters. As I've gotten older I can relate to what  I used to do. Yes, humble me, used to be a fence sitter in many aspects of life. But somewhere along the way either figuring it out myself, or seeing close ones around me with incurable illnesses I long ago committed to never being a fence sitter again.

You know why?

When you are a fence sitter, NOTHING, and I mean nothing gets done. Did anyone ever tell you that a no decision, is a decision? And almost all the time it is a bad one. If you need to move, price that house right, clean it up and move. If you need to buy, by God, get out there and start looking at houses. I have concluded that fence sitting is either for the young who haven't figured out to get off their duff or for others that are either too cheap, scared, over think, or need some education from we professionals to move on to the next phase in their life. A wonderful song by Tim McGraw is shown below in the video.

I hope it inspires you if you are fence sitter to STOP IT. It should also remind you that you should always live life in the present and it is important to GET ON WITH THINGS.

What are you waiting for??

Live Like You Were Dying

In all the criteria I've seen for hiring a Real Estate Professional (Realtor, Stager, Inspector, Loan Officer, Appraiser, etc.) I never hear what I think it should be.

                        HIRE YOURSELF A GYM RAT

Do you know what they are? In basketball or boxing they are the last ones to leave practice on the court or in the ring. In skating they call them rink rats. I think I see Tiger Woods as one in the twilight on the practice putting green. What does that mean? They are tough as nails. They are hard workers. They practice, practice, practice. Do they have piano rats? Probably. They are smart. Above all they they love what they do. If they have six months, two years, or twenty years experience, their love for what they do will take care of you and your needs each and every day. They always want to be getting better.

And as a side note, if YOU are one of those Real Estate Professionals, aspire to always be a gym rat. It's a good goal to have on your list each year. You know you already love what you do. Never get burnt out. Take breaks, and CONTINUALLY educate yourself and mingle with the others that are eagles in your profession to soar higher and higher.

Be a gym rat and spend an extra half an hour practicing those three point shots so when the clock ticks down at crunch time, you're the one who will provide the shot at the buzzer that will win the game. Your clients will love you for it.

In reading several other blogs that touched on the topic of happiness and how to achieve it, I thought I would provide one key element that I have learned from children looking at houses for sale.

Your typical set of parents in previewing houses are looking at the floorplan, the condition of the house, the kitchen, the closets, how big the master bedroom is, the backyard, the neighborhood, the asking price, is the cooktop gas or electric? Pretty important (boring) stuff, right? Not so for little kids.

They are checking out what kind of toys the other kids have, the color of the paint in what will be their new room, how big the new room is, the trampoline in the backyard, the park across the street with the swings and playset. This has reminded me of another element key to happiness.

Little children get it. Adults, being the mature selves that they are, and far removed from childhood, have dulled senses in this area. Being happy does not have to be this difficult. While I believe happiness is an inside job, and not defined by other people or external material "things", one way to create good feelings "inside" is, drum roll please,

                              TO HAVE FUN

Whether that be playing with your dog, playing with your children or others' children, play an individual or team sport, attending a sporting event, doing your hobby, volunteering, boating, taking a vacation, going to a comedy club, visiting faraway family, dining with a special friend, or how about just acting silly once in awhile?

You know you are having fun when you just feel terrific inside. If I had to give you a test if you have had fun today or this past week, ask yourself, what did you do to "play" this week? Not work but play. We all have plenty of the former.

Add more fun to your life, and watch the amount of your happiness skyrocket. Life was meant to have plenty of fun in it!!

I wanted to wish all those who read my little ponderings a very Happy Easter. Whether you are of faith and this is the day remembering the risen Christ or you just enjoy this time of year as a part of the world turning toward spring, I wish you well in having a nice celebration.

Whatever your beliefs, I think Easter teaches us many things about life. There are mysteries in life which we cannot explain. There are revelations that occur to us that surprise us. We are asked to believe sometimes without proof. There are great joys given to us if we only open our hearts to them. Simple acts of love and kindness can make a dreary day shine brightly. There are messages of hope and to fear not out there, if you will only listen to them. The storms of life cannot wash us away if we build our house on a foundation of rock.

If transported back to that first Easter Sunday I think it would give me chills. Conquering death. Feeling the pain of seeing someone die to seeing them alive again. It's like dead winter plants coming back in the spring full of color and alive again.

                                              And now "knowing" there is more to the story. 

I have seen it. It starts as a little light in the eyes that grows brighter. You know it is usually in full bloom when it breaks out into a huge smile. REALTORS and Stagers have seen this effect when buyers finally emotionally connect with a house they want to buy and want to get to an offer stage.

There is something magical about this step.

With your work it is there too. It is an extension of passion. It is MORE than passion. You know you've encountered someone in their work or play life when they just have come up to this next higher level. And you know what? 

              YOU CAN'T FAKE THIS ONE !!!

No ladies, I'm not talking about a trick that is sometimes played in the bedroom on your man. : )

What am I talking about??  ENTHUSIASM.

Enthusiasm is so cool. I view it as love with added heaps of energy scooped on top. We all should find things in life that we are highly enthusiastic about.

Finding that GREAT home. Loving your job. Extreme passion for a sport or hobby you pursue when you are not working. It is emotional richness at its finest. Use Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter as a visual if you need a boost in embodying this into your life.

Find what you are enthusiastic about and pursue it. Catch moments in life where others are enthusiastic and point it out to them that maybe this is their divine gift. Enthusiasm may be love on steroids. But when you find enthusiasm I'm thinking you've found the REAL YOU.

Unfortunately for many houses for sale it is not the culmination of a progressive American dream. You know, that's where you raise the family in the Leave it to Beaver house, you get massive appreciation on the house which you bought 15 years ago, all the tulips line the garden in the front of the house in nice neat rows, the garage floor doesn't have a single oil spot on it, and June Cleaver is still kissing Ward Cleaver as he comes home at 4 p.m. from a "hard day at the office." Those were the days. Well, never exactly like that for anyone, but sometimes things are mightily different nowadays.

In previewing homes as a Realtor or working with buyers trying to find their next home, some hard realities come into play. I say they are hard because they affect people's lives.

Some are coming out of homes that are essentially a nightmare rather than a dream. Due to financial pressures like loss of income, threatened foreclosure or health issues the homeowner needs to sell. Preferably NOW, vs. nine months from now. This strain causes people to defer maintenance, allows weeds to grow all over the lawn, and the pool water has just turned brown.

Secondly are the relationship difficulties. Divorce is the biggie. The kids are not taken care of as well with the stress, there is much fighting, and keeping the house in pristine condition seems to be like priority #10 in life.

I bring this up, because as a seller the home you want to "dump" is a product on the market now, not where you live, and needs to be presented properly. Clean or replace the carpets, do some painting, HIRE A STAGER. You get the picture. Unfortunately these are not the people with the clear thinking heads and the Leave it to Beaver lifestyle.

Children are emotionally damaged through these life strains and as Realtors and Stagers we should firmly counsel these people as a minimum how to move past this point in life. We can't fix the other issues but we should know how to sell houses. Be firm, be factual, and MAYBE you can communicate effectively during this stressful time.

I feel like I need to be the Howler Monkey from Central and South America screaming out that famous Rodney King line from the L.A. police beating:

          CAN WE ALL GET ALONG??

REALTORS are notorious for having a reputation of dropping a mid afternoon snack and running out to show their listing from a sign call. Is that impromptu, unplanned, dangerous, or what? But on the other hand REALTORS do have a knack for being incredibly flexible with their schedules. In today's world of double or triple booking your events during the same time slots when the time finally arrives, ta-dah, it's time to PICK ONE. Which is the highest priority, most value, or hello? maybe the money making one. The networking meeting happy hour is probably not as important as meeting with a qualified buyer.

Practicing your flexibility skills means your

CALENDAR NEEDS A PENCIL WITH AN ERASER.

Apply your calendaring skills to time blocking your time out for your down time, your family time, your exercise, and enforce certain zones with a BIG FAT NO. Church might fit in that space if that is on your calendar. No showing houses at 10 a.m. Sunday morning for example.

Practice makes perfect and look for the white spaces in your day and week and "pencil" in there at least your first thought about what you might want to do. Then again, you always have that eraser!!

I don't know what it is with some Realtors I talk to. They make it sound like "normal" is being in an "up" state with their "A" game for clients every day, all the time. Sharp and polished. Never stumbling. Can answer every question. Dressed to the nines. Immaculate wardrobe and clean car. Nice to shoot for? Absolutely. Reality every day? I don't think so.

We all have bad days, and I'm here to declare

       BAD DAYS ARE COOL.

You want to be in on a little secret? Realtors (and for that matter Stagers and other professionals you may deal with) are HUMAN too.

The source of a bad day may be a health problem, a family crisis, an exhausted state. Why we think we need to frown on someone having a bad day (see photo) compared to the sea of positive silly heads around us is ridiculous. Even something as mild as not getting enough sleep or coming down with a cold can get your whole focus off track for the day.

Then there may be the behind the scene things why someone may be short tempered or low energy or sad. A big fight with the spouse, an illness or impending surgery, a family death or maybe today their dog of 13 years died. Maybe there is a financial struggle or concern if someone will make it out of the ICU. In our little human community a) we need to cut each other some slack and more important b) don't be too hard on yourself if today is the day you've been tagged as "having a bad hair day so to speak." Life ebbs and flows. Today's torrential downpour of rain that made you get to your meeting 30 minutes late through slow traffic is followed by a beautiful sunny spring day with all the blossoms blooming.

Bad days are cool. Just remember they are not the end. There's always more to the story. Be kind to others and yourself.

I've been accused of being down to earth in my communication style with folks. I guess that is not all bad. It is friendly. And maybe it can be seen in my style of writing here.

I bring this up because I think in trying to discuss selling homes with homeowners many agents make this seem like some kind of rocket science. It really is Sales and they need a boost from Sales 101.

I call it Down Home Selling. Paint a word picture or tell a story of the next step in a homeowner's life. Like the photo I selected, say Imagine if, What if, If you could live anywhere, and then go on to describe that cabin with the porch with the dog AND life is now oh so sweet.

Don't make moving to another place so hard. Learn to paint a picture for folks.