Posted on September 8th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Sports & Recreation
This darkened building is about ready to come alive soon. This Sunday at 1:00, Lucas Oil Stadium will play host to the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars in the regular season opener. Some of us have been dealing with a part of us that has felt empty since last January when the Colts season ended. But that’s about to change. Sure, the pre-season has helped, but it’s just not the same watching the players much of the time who are trying to secure a roster spot. Through that though, there have been glimpses on the field of what might be, a few series at a time. Watching the pre-season, I’ve gotten a vague sense of what the offense will be like, which at times was a thing of beauty. But I sure hope they have some answers up there sleeves on defense, which has looked undermanned and incredibly porous usually.
This season certainly has a few more question marks than earlier ones. A new coach that we don’t know very well is the big one. But there are a few new faces at several positions…and some familiar ones are gone. So, it’s going to be interesting. We know that the team will be good..but how good is the mystery. We have come to expect great things though from our Colts. So anything less than great will be a disappointment. This Sunday will help to answer quite a few of the questions.
Posted on September 1st, 2009 by Richard. Categories: For Home Buyers
I’ve been showing homes to two different buyer-clients lately who are looking for a home in the same general price range. The homes description and areas they are looking in are different. But what’s most interesting to me though is the way they proceed in the looking process. Both have a totally different mindset and they couldn’t be more different in their approach.
One is all about the emotional elements that a home provides. One that gives them the feeling they want. The space inside, the architecture and design, colors, the openness of the floor plan, beauty of the yard, etc. They understand it’s an investment too but are not that concerned about the numbers as long as it’s fair and reasonable.
The other Buyer looks at the general features and qualities too but places a high importance on comparison of other homes we have looked at… list of features, cost of utilities, past sales and current offerings of other similar homes in the area, property tax amounts, cost of possible updates, room sizes, square footage, etc. A more logical approach to buying.
One of the things I like about this business is the diversity. It makes every day interesting. No two people I encounter are alike and they have different things that motivate them and different reasons for making decisions. There really is no right or wrong way. In the end it’s all about happiness…what makes them happy. I try to supply the information or provide the input they need to explore all the possibilities and make their decision whether it is emotion or logic based…or a little of both.
Posted on August 27th, 2009 by Richard. Categories: For Home Buyers, For Home Sellers, Real Estate Perspective
I’ve been showing homes to a buyer-client lately. We looked at about everything available now on the market through the BLC (Broker Listing Cooperative) that was a close match to what they were looking for. And still they just can’t find the right home yet. So I suggested that if there were any homes For Sale By Owner in the area they were interested in, we shouldn’t overlook those as possibilities. I’ve found that most of the time sellers who don’t have their home listed will be happy to cooperate on a sale if you just ask them. My buyer-clients offered to drive around and see if they saw any they liked. I also talked to a few Broker friends to see if they might know of anything coming on the market soon. One Realtor gave me the address of a home that was For Sale by Owner that they knew of. They said they heard the owner might be listing soon anyway.
So I called the number on the sellers sign and left a message stating briefly what I wanted and asked them to return my call if interested. I got a call back the next day from a man. They said that they were selling the home for their girlfriend and were experienced with selling homes having sold their own home before. They didn’t think it would be a problem selling the home but still they would be willing to pay me 2% of the sale price as long as the sale price was 2% above what they were asking. What that meant to me was they really weren’t paying me anything if I had to add my fee on top of what they were asking for the home. Plus the 2% amout is extremely low and really didn’t value my services or compensate me for my time, expertise, energy and overhead that I have. So essentially…there wasn’t any incentive for me to help them. I can’t imagine another Realtor accepting those terms either but who knows, someone might. It’s a free market. People have a right to do what they want.
The thing that got me though was the price they said they wanted. The price was 15-20% above what I knew the top amount to be for that area for a home like theirs. They said that another home nearby sold for that and they thought their home was even nicer. I certainly didn’t try to debate about values…especially on the phone with someone I just talked with for a couple minutes. I wished them good luck and thanked them for their time.
Just for kicks I looked up the other home later that they had used as a comparable. The first difference I saw was the other home was 30% larger than their home. It was true that the original asking price was what they had quoted me, but the house had two price reductions before it finally sold. The final selling price was much lower than the For Sale By Owner seller nearby had thought.
Sometimes I’m tempted to argue about prices I hear in situations like this, or call them back and give them the facts. I don’t blame people for trying to get as much for their home as possible, but the effect of pricing the home that way is counterproductive to what they are trying to accomplish. The market is an amazing place though. It will tell you if you have your home priced right or not. So they will know sooner or later anyway.
Posted on August 23rd, 2009 by Richard. Categories: Nature, Photo Flash
I’ve been wanting to post these two photos of some Petunias I took a little while ago. I loved the colors and density of the blooms in the photos. When you think of flowers, Petunias name may not come up on the exotic list like Orchids or Roses. Petunias are kind of like the Chevrolet of flowers. The heartbeat of America. Almost every flower garden has a few. Great for adding color as they come in all hues and shades. Not too tall so they are good for cover. And they are really hearty. Just keep them watered and they do well in shade or sun or whatever weather you have here in Indiana.
Flowers. We all take these kind of things for granted this time of year. I try to remember that come January when things are grey and cold outside, this splash of color will be good to have with just a couple clicks.
