Playing Words with Friends and Selling Real Estate with Ethics

I have always loved to play Scrabble; so much so that my family will groan at the mere mention of this game as a potential pastime.When I received a Kindle last Christmas, I quickly installed and became hooked on Words with Friends and my family rejoiced!

I have a few people I play games with every evening. Some of the other players are really my friends and some are random opponents who are apparently as hooked as I am. (FYI—I refuse to put this or any other game on my phone or I would never get anything done.)

The other day my college student son saw me playing and said, “You know people cheat at that game, right?”

I said that yes, I did know. I know there are apps that will give the best words and online resources to find words ending with x or z. I could play that way too, but I don’t. There’s more sport in a game if you don’t cheat, plain and simple.   

Because it comes down to one word, ethics. But I am not naive; I do realize not everyone has the same ethics as I do...whether playing online or working in the real world.

When I do a market analysis, I play fair. A past selling client recently referred me to a friend of theirs by saying I was a “straight shooter”. I kind of liked that label. 

Even though these particular clients didn’t like all of the things I told them in regard to getting their Forest Lake home sold, I laid it all on the table, the good and the bad. And with work on both of our parts, their house did sell. It was sold within their time frame, budget and they now happily relocated out west.

With their strong recommendation, I was called in along with several very good agents that work the north metro to do a market to do a market analysis for another property. As always, I was honest with my market analysis and recommendations. A week later, I got the call. These sellers went with another agent. I was not surprised or upset by this…it happens when we are all good agents. So, I asked how the final decision was made and who they went with.

The wife’s answer floored me. They chose an agent from out of the area but who said she worked in the north metro. This agent also told them she “sells most of her listings in a day or two via word of mouth”.

Though were selling very quickly this spring certain metro communities, was an anomaly in the Forest Lake area when there are several new construction developments within a few miles selling brand new houses in the same price point. Most homes in this particular development stay on the market 3-4 months at the very least before receiving an offer. This was true even as the market activity increased because the builders in the area had really ramped up their construction efforts.

Telling a seller what they want to hear, whether it is price, timing or any other over promise is not the way I do business. My ethics just don’t allow me to puff up my abilities in that regard to get a listing.

When I was interviewed, I did say I had sold a couple of homes in a matter of days this past spring, but I also said the circumstances were very different. I could not guarantee the same results for their home. If I had over-promised or lead a seller to believe that I could work miracles when it came to their home sale, I would have to deal with their eventual disappointment. An upset client is never a positive in a service business. So I was up front and honest but lost the listing. I was not upset by this…it is the only way to “play the game” in my book. It is not about winning a listing. When it comes to my sellers expectations, I don’t play around.

So if you call me to do a market analysis of your home or list your house, rest assured, I will shoot straight. You might not like everything you hear, but I will be honest. Using this information, we can devise a plan together that will get your home sold. Like I said, it is all about ethics (and a lot of hard work too!)

  

Copyright 2013 www.terieckholm.com

RELOCATE to Forest Lake MN Where the Schools are Full of Ranger Pride!

Forest Lake Area School District #831 is more than it appears--Much More. Many people would not realize how many communities and neighborhoods are a part of school district located in the northeastern Minneapolis/St Paul metro area. It is a district that strives to Inspire the Learner…Ignite the Potential which is the district motto.

Located 35 minutes northeast of the downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, the Forest Lake School district is geographically quite large. Its borders encompass with over 240 square miles of area making it one of the largest school districts in Minnesota geographically, Forest Lake schools are the educational home of 12 communities in 3 different counties. Students come from Columbus, East Bethel, Ham Lake, Lino Lakes, Linwood in Anoka County. Other attendees are from Wyoming and Stacy in Chisago County. Many children are from homes in New Scandia Township, Forest Lake, Hugo, Marine on the St. Croix or May Township in Washington County.

As a REALTOR® in the north metro Twin Cities suburbs, I have sold a number of homes within the District #831. Many residents love the fact that the schools are structured with kindergarten through 6th grade in the elementary schools, 7-9 grades in the junior highs and 10-12th grades in the senior high. It may be “old school” but preferred by many in the area.

There is one high school, Forest Lake High School that was just ranked as one of the top 2000 high schools in the nation according to Newsweek/Daily Beast. Students show Ranger pride by wearing maroon and gold as they attend classes on a five period schedule allowing for additional time to learn each subject. There are programs for college bound and vocational students alike. Advanced placement classes, advanced technical/vocational classes and College in the Schools are popular programs at FLHS. With awarding winning sports, theater, speech, music and other extra curricular activities, there is no end to Ranger Pride!
The two junior high schools, Century and Southwest are both located in the heart of Forest Lake. Century Junior High is located across from the high school on highway 97 and Southwest Junior High is on 10th street just south of the business district.

There are 8 traditional community elementary schools and one tuition-free Montessori school that are a part of the Forest Lake district. Columbus Elementary, Forest Lake Elementary, Forest View Elementary, Lino Lakes Elementary, Linwood Elementary, Scandia Elementary and Wyoming Elementary are all schools in district #831. Six of the eight schools have been named Minnesota Schools of Excellence. Central Montessori is one of the gems of the district. It provides public elementary education based on Montessori teaching methods and is available tuition-free to all elementary students in the Forest Lake district. Another elementary stand out is Lino Lakes Elementary's STEM program focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. 

Copyright 2013 www.terieckholm.com

I Have a BS in Marketing (and I will use it to Sell YOUR Home!)

I have always found it amusing to have a B.S. in Marketing. On my resume, I work hard to avoid the humor by extending to a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Marketing from but for short is a BS in Marketing.

However, marketing is not BS…especially when selling a home. Marketing IS the key to a fast sale at the best price.

What can good marketing do?

• Bring in Buyers
• Create Interest
• Generate Offers

A strong marketing plan is more than listing a home in the MLS and putting a for sale sign in the yard. When I market a home, I analyze the property to discover its unique selling features. What is IT that sets this home apart from the rest? Sometimes these features are obvious but not always. But one thing is for certain, every home has an angle that will make it desirable to buyers. Once that angle is discovered and positively exploited to a home sellers advantage, the buyers (and offers) come in.

The unique selling feature will be different for every home so it would be impossible to list every example here. A lakeshore home will focus on the lake, fishing and wildlife while an acreage home may be marketed for its privacy, wildlife and gardens. Of course each home will have some features, whether it is a new remodel or well-priced fixer upper. It is an art to find that special feature to sell a home.  And, that is my very favorite part of marketing single family homes. Working with a seller to define what makes their home special and together we design a plan to market their home.

Keep in mind there are some things that even good marketing cannot do. 

• Marketing cannot sell an overpriced home. Getting the price right is still imperative.
• Marketing cannot save a hot-mess. Whether your home needs paint, repairs or just a good old fashioned cleaning, you don’t spiff up the house a bit, homebuyers won’t see the potential.

Home sellers are responsible for preparing the home to obtain the best possible outcome. If you want to sell as-is without additional work, that’s okay. But then agree to price the home appropriately making PRICE is the unique selling feature. Yes, even a fixer-upper deserves to be marketed.

Copyright 2013 www.terieckholm.com