Lindenhurst NY Real Estate Century 21 AA Realty: January 2011

Sometimes, You Can't Make Lemonade Out Of Lemons

I just read a link that a friend on Facebook shared: Conversations Nobody Should Ever Have

As I'm reading I'm realizing that a Mother is telling her little girl that she is dying. Her tumors are back and that means she will meet Jesus soon.

Holy crap! How does someone do that and not lose it? How do you tell your little girl that she is dying? This little one is four. Then she had to tell her 6 year old Daughter that her Sister is dying. How do they wrap their heads around that?

I am in awe of this Mom telling her the best way she could. I suppose that is they way to explain it. You really can't tell a 4 year old that she is dying. Maybe the best way to say it is to say you will meet Jesus soon.

My son is healthy. I can't imagine how it must feel knowing that your child is dying. Knowing that they will not be with you for long. Thinking that it's not fair.

I know this isn't the best subject to write about but it just broke my heart. Makes you know how just lucky you are.

The next time I'm having a "bad" day, I will think of this Mom and my day won't be so bad after all. And, my Son is going to start getting extra hugs whether he likes it or not.

Lindenhurst NY Real Estate Market Trends Week Ending 1/23/2011

Lindenhurst NY Homes For Sale: Seven homes were newly listed last week. Prices range from $319,990 to $415,000. Six are in the Lindenhurst School District and one is in the Copiague School District. There is one short sale and there one REO Property

Currently, there are 237 homes for sale in Lindenhurst NY.
Month ending 12/31/10, there were 216 homes on the market. 21 more homes have come onto the market since then. November, December and so far this month, have been busy for myself and a lot of agents in my office. I attained 5 new buyers last week. Buyers are buying folks so get those homes on the market if you are ready to sell!

Lindenhurst NY Sold Homes: Three homes closed last week. One is located on 4th street by Straight Path and sold for $309,000. The listing price was $319,000. It was on the market for 56 days and is a 7 bedroom Colonial. And it was a short sale. It had gone into contract in October 2010. Short sales do close!

The next home is located on Sherbrooke Road off of Straight Path and sold for $320,000. The listing price was $335,000. It was on the market for 393 days and is a 4 bedroom High Ranch. It was originally listed for $359,000. It was priced very high for the area originally and that home just sat. If it was priced at market value at the time, it would have sold for higher than $320,000 and in a shorter period of time. This home was not a short sale or REO property.

The third home is located on E. Hoffman Avenue and sold for $320,000. The listing price was $339,000 and it was on the market for 99 days. It is a 6 bedroom High Ranch. It was not a short sale or REO property.

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Call me today (631) 703-0201 to find out what your Lindenhurst NY home is worth in today's market. There is no obligation!

Lindenhurst NY Real Estate Market Trends - Week Ending 1/16/11

Currently, there are 240 homes for sale in Lindenhurst NY. Month ending 12/31/10, there were 216 homes on the market. 24 more homes have come onto the market since then. November, December and so far this month, have been busy for myself and a lot of agents in my office. I attained 5 new buyers last week. Buyers are buying folks so get those homes on the market if you are ready to sell!

Lindenhurst NY Homes For Sale: Seven homes were newly listed. Prices range from $285,000 to $489,990. Six are in the Lindenhurst School District and one is in the Copiague School District. There were no short sales or REO Properties listed week ending 1/16/11

Lindenhurst NY Sold Homes: Four homes closed. Sold prices range from $257,000 to $320,000. Average days on the market is 218. This is because there was a 2 family home priced too high and it stayed on the market for longer than it should have if it was priced right from the beginning. There were no short sales or REO properties.

Call me today (631) 703-0201 to find out what your Lindenhurst NY home is worth in today's market. There is no obligation!

My Sense Of Humor Got Me A New Listing

I came home for lunch today. My phone rings and I was going to let it go into voice mail but said, "ah, I better answer it".

So I'm speaking with this very nice man and he wants me to list a co-op in West Babylon NY. As we are talking he asks, "what is an SEO WHORE?"

I damn near dropped dead! He's reading that post I wrote earlier in the week while we are on the phone!

I explained to him what SEO is. I also explained why I was calling myself an SEO Whore because with a lot of keywords, I come up not only the first page of Google, but I dominate the first page of Google. And this is how I market my client's homes, etc.

Then I had to let him know that in person I do curb my language so he doesn't have to worry about me having a potty mouth in front of potential buyers, lol. He called me because, and I quote, "I have wit" and he likes that.

So, I'm getting a new listing soon not only because I'm an SEO Whore, but because I have a sense of humor. I'll take it!

I've Been Tagged By The Biker Chick!

June Tassillo just tagged me in what is a really cool and fun post. This is a great way for us to get to know one another better on a more personal level. I'm going for it and I hope my AR friends whom I have tagged will play along as well!

What is YOUR Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) is 2011. I'd also like to know more about you, and your background, what is it about you that makes this BHAG so important?  What experiences are you bringing with you into 2011 that will make this BHAG work? So I'm asking you to please share 5 or 6 things about yourself, and then tag.   

(please paste the above paragraph into your post as you are tagged)

I grew up in Lindenhurst NY. My parents bought their first home when I was 10. I graduated from the Lindenhurst Senior High School in 1984. I'm 45 so don't even bother getting out the calculators! Ha!

I've lived on Long Island all my life. I have a Brother, Eric and no other brothers or sisters. Everyone in my family is still alive and kicking and healthy. My Mom is 68 and and kick my butt, lol. I love my Mom.

My son is 15 and can probably also kick my butt. He stands 5'9". I am very proud of him. He beats to his own drum. Doesn't do peer-pressure and never did. I guess we did something right! He has a cool hobby. He collects celebrity autographs. Writes to the celebrities and gets, most times, authentic autographs. He loves it. It keeps him balanced.

I love Long Island. Every Winter I want to move somewhere warmer. But I can never picture actually doing it. This is my home and most likely forever. But, you can never know what the future will hold!

I've been blogging on Activerain since 10/2009. I was searching for a blogging site for real estate agents and, well, the rest is history. I have met some of the nicest people here in the 'rain. People that I can call friends.

My Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) for 2011 is to make sure everyone that I will be working with this year will be happy with my services. Sure I have to earn a living. I'm not worried about making money. I know that will happen. Helping people accomplish their goals and cultivating these relationships are important to me. I'm hoping 2011 is going to be better than 2010! Let's hope the real estate market across our country will get better as well. I have a lot of colleauges struggling because their local real estate market is struggling. I am hoping this year will be the turnaround year for them!

I'm tagging: Chris Ann Cleland - Craig Rutman - Toula Rosebrock

How I Got 5 Buyers In 2 Days - I'm A SEO Whore!

Anyone that knows me, knows I like listings. I do not chase, beg, bribe, cold-call, swindle or hog-tie buyers. When I prospect for them, they do that disappearing trick thingy. It's really cool when that happens I swear................NOT.

Last Wednesday through last Friday, I managed to take on 5 new buyers. They all came to me. Or so I thought.

One buyer read my REO post a few months back. So did another buyer. Same post on Activerain as the other. Then the other read my post about Lindenhurst NY I wrote back in March, 2010. The fourth buyer came upon my website from Google. Go SEO!

Buyer #5 is a cash investor who also found my website via Google and just tonight I faxed over 3 offers on 3 different homes. Yes, he wants all 3.

Even though I didn't bribe and/or hog-tie any of them, I did prospect for them via blogging on Activerain. And they are all serious, hot-to-trot, want to buy now, can't wait to buy, buyers.

So, do ya still think blogging is a waste of time? Do ya? Do ya? :)

And yes, I still love listings!

Real Estate Agents Aren't Walking Bags Of Money.

Did someone open the communication floodgates recently? I am hearing more and more stories about folks that want us to cut our commissions to make deals "happen". I was even asked this recently during a listing presentation. I flat out said no. Then I was told a small profit is better than nothing. Yep, that's right, it is. However, what we agree to in the beginning is what we agree to, period. Just because you "need" to walk away with a certain number, doesn't mean I'm cutting my salary in order for you to be happy just in case negotiations get stuck towards the end. Deals do come together without everyone digging into the agents' pockets.

Contrary to popular belief, real estate agents aren't walking bags of money. Just as parents tell their kids money doesn't grow on trees. You have to work for it. We all work for our money. Commission or a set weekly salary. It doesn't matter. The only difference is that real estate agents have upfront expenses that we pay for whether or not the home sells. If the home doesn't sell, we are out any monies we spent on our own to market that home.

I know in my heart that the majority of homeowners agree we all work hard and would never dream of asking us to cut our salary. Heck, I have some clients that think we do not get paid enough sometimes. How's that for a shocker?!

Years ago I had a former boss tell us that since the last few weeks were slower than normal, we didn't work as hard and no one was getting fully paid in order to save money. I told him that if he does that, I will walk out and never look back. Find other ways to cut back. Do not cut paychecks. He listened.

My point is this, If I "cave" in order to get that listing, that homeowner will not have any respect for me. Why would any homeowner want me to represent them during the sale of their home in this case? What would make them think I would do a good job? Some of the listings I did get recently were because I didn't cave about what I get paid. But I am fair. And they see that.

The next time you meet with an agent to help you sell or buy a home, remember that they have families to feed and bills to pay. We are no different than you.

Screw Procuring Cause - So What, Who Cares?! Get The Home Sold!

I work both sides. I'm primarily a listing agent and I will work with buyers. My job as a listing agent is to MARKET my clients' homes so they SELL. Listing agents rely on buyer's agents. If buyers walk into any of my Open Houses and they say they are working with a real estate agent, that is fine. I don't care if they have signed a Buyer Broker Agreement or not. I don't even ask. Just the fact that they said they are working with an agent is enough for me.That agent is a colleague even if I do not know them.

Buyers will get into their car and just go open house hopping. They may even find "the one". I may get a call the next day from their agent who wasn't with them but wants to make an offer. My reaction? WOOHOO! Let's get the negotiations underway and hopefully strike a deal!

Isn't that the priority? To get the home sold? YES!

If I were to use the term procuring cause in this situation, I should be drawned and quartered then tarred and feathered. Seriously. My job as a listing agent is to get the home sold. I have to put my client's best interest in front of mine always. So, I have to split the commission. <OMG, I'd rather eat worms than have to do that!> Not really. Most agents know that it is rare to bring in our own buyers to our listings. It does happen but not all the time. No one should count on it. I do not.

So, bring me your buyers and I guarantee you I will not cry: PROCURING CAUSE!

How Not To Sell Your Lindenhurst NY Home

The brokerage where your listing is calls to make a showing appointment and you do not call back for days. Buyers will move on, guaranteed.

You are not home at the scheduled showing appointment. The potential buyer will never come back again.

You are less than cordial and make the potential buyers uncomfortable. Buyers will remember that.

I know I'm sounding harsh. I don't mean to be. I'm sitting here right now with 12 listings to show buyers this weekend and I have not heard back from every single one of them and I started scheduling 3 days ago. I'll be making one more call to each of them and If I do not hear back in a few hours, my buyers gave me permission to move on and schedule other homes to preview this weekend. They are miffed as to why no one is getting back to me.

I am working with 5 buyers who want to buy NOW. And I mean NOW. Buyers have choices and they all know this. It's no sweat off their back if they can't see your home. There are plenty of others to see.

I know you have a life. We all do. Things happen. Life happens. Please make it as convenient as possible to show your home. Thank you!

West Babylon NY Real Estate Market Trends Week Ending 1/9/2011

West Babylon NY Homes For Sale: 13 homes were newly listed last week. Prices range from $189,900 to $460,000. Three are in the North Babylon School District, one is in the Babylon School District and nine are in the West Babylon School District. There is one short sale and one REO Property.

Currently, there are 158 homes for sale in West Babylon NY. Prices range from $140,000 to $849,500

West Babylon NY Sold Homes: Two homes closed last week. One is located on Sheffield Avenue and sold for $327,500. The listing price was $339,000. It was on the market for 32 days and is a 3 bedroom Ranch.

The other home is located on Claremont Avenue and sold for $373,500. The listing price was $389,000. It was on the market for 60 days and is a 4 bedroom Colonial. It also a Legal 2 By Permit meaning part of the home has to be owner occupied and you can rent the other portion. Income potential! Neither home is a short sale or an REO property.

Call me today (631) 703-0201 to find out what your West Babylon NY home is worth in today's market. There is no obligation!

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