Long Island Relocation>> Long Island Real Estate

We like to think of ourselves as smart, creative people, with good minds for marketing and the ability to negotiate a deal.  After all, these are the character traits of a good REALTOR®, right?  But sometimes we tend to get so caught up in the latest and greatest things that can give us an edge on the competition (technology, marketing tools, etc.) that we lose sight of the most important thing that we can offer to people - Customer Service!

Lost in the shuffle of striving to be the best that we can be, we sometimes forget that the smallest of gestures can be more powerful than even the most extraordinary marketing campaign.  It is widely accepted that the best business that any of us can do is repeat business with past clients and referral business from those same happy clients.  No marketing campaign can come close to the validation that one receives by getting a glowing referral from a past client, because the marketing campaign is self-serving, while a referral is given with the idea of someone helping someone else out.

I have read about some exceptional marketing ideas on Active Rain, but the marketing idea that inspired this blog did not come from something that I saw on Active Rain.  It didn't come from another real estate blogging site or anything related to the real estate industry for that matter.  The idea actually came from one of the kids that live on my block.  It is one of the most simple, yet effective ideas that I've come across in some time.

During the summer months, kids on the block often set up a lemonade stand and charge something like $.50 / glass.  The price is certainly not expensive, but I would just as soon go into my house and pour myself something from my refrigerator before taking out some pocket change and buying a glass of lemonade from these kids knowing that the lemonade may not even be good.  They are just kids, not marketing or sales gurus, but their idea of marketing is screaming "ice cold lemonade!" to passers by and hoping that people will stop.

Today, our doorbell rang and it was a neighborhood kid that never set up a lemonade stand before.  My wife answered the door, and the young boy cheerfully greeted her by saying that he was going to be setting up a lemonade stand tomorrow and he'd like to invite us to come to his lemonade stand, and offered her a complimentary glass of lemonade and a handful of crackers at the door.  I, of course, was busy blogging when my wife came up and told me what had just transpired and I thought to myself - BRILLIANT! 

I will go down the block tomorrow and buy a glass of lemonade from this little entrepreneur-in-the-making, because he did something extraordinary and put our needs before his.  For all he knows we may have just eaten the crackers, drank the lemonade and forgotten that he ever came to the door today, but we won't because he made a lasting impression on us. 

There is a lot that can be learned from this budding entrepreneur, such as:

• Don't underestimate the power of a simple gesture
• Do the little things that capture peoples' attention and make them want to work with you
• Put the needs of the client or customer before yourself and they will appreciate you for it, and pay you back with referrals and repeat business
• Help people without the expectation of receiving something in return

I believe that this is the mindset of the majority of Active Rainers when it comes to helping each other out.  Most of us give without ever thinking about what we will get back in return because we enjoy sharing and building relationships.

What would our business look like if we treated all buyers and sellers the way that we treat other Active Rainers? 

What simple gesture can you offer a buyer or seller that would allow you to differentiate yourself from the competition?

Just think of the impact that "a couple of crackers and some lemonade" can make on your business.

Please share your thoughts on this concept and also any simple gestures that you've done for clients that have had a positive effect on your business.

**If you'd like to read about the negotiation tactics as taught by a different child, please check out The Power Of Being A Good Negotiator.**

Due to a technological glitch, my first-ever blog The School Rush Scramble was inadvertently deleted by Active Rain while attempting to fix a problem with my account.  Since the blog is no longer as timely as it was when it came out originally, I decided to put it back out there and add on to it to be more current.  Please forgive this unusual format.

THE SCHOOL RUSH SCRAMBLE (originally posted in early August)

After having a slower spring than usual, the market on Long Island has picked up quite a bit over the summer.  It seems as though the buyers and sellers are finally getting closer to being on the same page, after waging quite a battle between the seller's market which is clearly over, and the buyer's market which is in full force.  Inventory is still much higher than it was a year ago, but at least there is some movement.  Much of the "log-jam" was caused by the buyers who needed to sell first before making a purchase. 

With all of the media doom and gloom, it seems like 1st time homebuyers were trying to predict a bottom before making a purchasing decision.  As we all know, it's virtually impossible to call a bottom of a market as an expert, much less as a novice, but it's difficult to convince people that they don't have all of the answers.

It seems that much of this summer rush is being caused by buyers that are desperately trying to get their kids registered for school in a new district.  It will be interesting to see what happens come September, when it will be past the time to get the kids registered to start the year.  One of the sellers that I'm working with, who is also a buyer, spoke to a local school district and found that he was able to register his children in the new district without having closed on his new home.  All he needed was to show a purchase agreement for his home in the new district.  I'm not sure if all districts work this way, but it is good information to have in case anyone is still considering making a move in August.

This is my first blog (of many) on Active Rain.  I'm working on some exciting new projects in the relocation field, and I'll be blogging about all new developments in the coming months.  For now, anyone interested in learning more about relocating Long Islanders can check out http://www.thelireloguy.com/. 

Many of my referrals will be outbound referrals to relocation destinations.  However, I'm never too busy for any referrals that you may have if you know of any Long Islanders that need to sell their home to relocate to other parts of the country.  In fact, I even offer a special relocation package.  For more information, please feel free to contact me directly.  Thank you.

That above was my first attempt a blog.  I feel that I've grown a lot by virtue of experience and exposure to other Active Rainers.  Below is the addendum to this blog discussing what happens next.

The School Rush Scramble was written just before the most recent developments in the mortgage industry, which has obviously changed the landscape of the real estate industry.  Basically all of the momentum that finally started to build with a very busy July came to a grinding halt in August as the proverbial wheels fell off the bus of the mortgage industry creating a drag on the overall real estate market.

The buyers and sellers that were most affected were the ones that were already in the pipeline, but what will happen now with the new buyers and sellers entering the market?  Have they already made the necessary adjustments to deal with the changing times, or are they still waiting it out to see what is going to happen going forward with the mortgage industry, more specifically, the Jumbo market which has altered the buying power of many buyers in one fell swoop?  It also has cut the legs out from under sellers that were relying on buyers using this type of loan to purchase their home.

After a relatively slow spring, it seemed like the weight was starting to lift off of the market in July and early August.  Now that the market has hit a wall again, I'm curious to see what others think will happen in the fall.  Are we in for another slowdown?  Will buyers look at this as an opportunity to get a good deal (which would be wise)?  Or are buyers going to wait and see what happens to the mortgage rates and go back to sitting on the sidelines as many did this spring (which could be risky)?  Will sellers decide to pull their homes off of the market and come back in the spring when the picture becomes less cloudy?

Please share your forecast of what you think this fall is going to bring in the real estate market.

We've all watched the uncomfortable transition from a high-flying seller's market to an inventory-laden buyer's market.  During this time, many sellers have tried unsuccessfully to squeeze every last dollar out of the sale of their home by pricing it at a number that is beyond what the current market will sustain.  Often times, these sellers are looking to the past while ignoring the present and future. 

For those sellers that have been in their home for over 5 years or so, there is still a nice profit to be had by selling in the current market.  If these sellers are looking to upgrade, they are actually at an advantage since they will likely end up with a better buying opportunity, even if they do sell for a bit less than hoped for. 

On the other hand, what about the homeowners that have only been in their home for 3 years or less?  Depending on the market, there is a very real possibility that they are "under water" with the value of their home.  For those that put down a significant down payment, they can probably "afford" to sell their home and still walk away with money, but does anyone really want to lose money on a real estate purchase? 

Hindsight is always 20/20, but it stands to reason that if people knew that they'd be unable to sell their home for at least as much as they paid for it just a few short years later, that they would have been much less willing to stretch to get into their home in the first place.  These are the people who now are facing some tough decisions with no great answers. 

Many people took interest-only mortgages with a low introductory teaser rate that is ready to be adjusted to a monthly payment that may very well cause sticker-shock.  Had the market continued to rise and the mortgage industry stayed strong, then they could have easily refinanced and started this interest-only process all over again if they chose.  This is no longer an option for most people, as the mortgage market has taken a turn for the worse and home prices have been depressed.  These homeowners are truly trapped in their current home unless they are willing to accept a loss on their sale. 

Even if someone is willing to accept a loss on the sale of their home, where will they go now that they have less money to spend?  Moving to a less expensive area seems like a plausible solution, but is it realistic to think that these homeowners will want to go through the process of selling and buying locally only to take a step backwards but still end up with roughly the same monthly payments that they have now?  The next logical step is to consider relocating all together to an area where you can get the same lifestyle for a lot less money.

People were already relocating out of my local market before this issue came up.  Those that can find comparable employment someplace else are going to be very tempted to relocate out of the area to maintain their current lifestyle, particularly if they have friends and family that have already made the move and are pulling them in that direction.  While these homeowners might be willing to accept the loss and move on, the ones that need to stay in a specific area for one reason or another may now feel trapped by the current market conditions.

Are you dealing with this situation in your market?  Please share your stories about this issue.

Do you ever take pictures with your digital camera and have the pictures come out so big that they are difficult to use?  You have to then figure out how to get the pictures smaller and it becomes time spent that could have been used to do something productive.

If you read my blogs, you know that I like to add photos and graphics as much as possible.  I've always found reducing digital camera photos a nuisance to reduce, and if you use the setting for low resolution pictures so that they can be e-mailed, they don't look as good if you'd like to make reprints.

Here is the solution that you've been waiting for.  It's easy to use and it's FREE!  These are the two features that everyone loves.

Click here to go to ShrinkPictures.com.  Scroll towards the bottom of the page.  Follow the 5 simple steps and you can turn this picture.....

Into this picture....

This process took less than 30 seconds.

By the way, you can also use the technology to shrink pictures into avatars as well.

If you found this helpful, please share your comments.

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Do you ever think that sometimes the answers to problems are so obvious that it's shocking that others can't see it?  Today on http://www.cnnmoney.com/ there is an article entitled Housing Woes Hit High End.  It's all about how the luxury home market is now being adversely affected by the sub-prime meltdown.  It feels like the fairy tale The Emperor's New Clothes, in that Fannie Mae and the other GSE's (government sponsored enterprises) are overlooking the obvious, easy solution to aiding the Jumbo mortgage market.

The rug has been pulled out from under the Jumbo mortgage borrower for irrational reasons.  These borrowers have been lumped into one big pool of non-conforming buyers with the same borrowers that were using 106% financing, had no income verification and no asset verification.  In the matter of about a day or so, these very desirable borrowers were suddenly outcasts.

How does a borrower go from looking like this?...

To looking like this in the minds of lenders literally overnight?

Often times these are people that have a significant down payment to put down on a home (usually at least 20%, but often times more), a verifiable income, verifiable assets and good credit scores.    So what turned them into pariahs in the eyes of lenders?  They were looking for a loan of over the dollar amount that Fannie Mae has deemed as "conforming" which is currently $417,000. 

Fannie Mae bases its conforming loan rate on October-to-October median home sales, but uses an irrational national average instead of a more accurate local average.  However, Fannie Mae makes exceptions to this rate in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands by increasing the conforming rate by 50%.  If Fannie Mae were to localize their median home sale rates, or at the very least categorize higher areas such as New York and California (for example) in the same manner as Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, there would be conforming loans in areas that are now falling mostly into the Jumbo category.

Why would an area that has virtually no homes even listed for $417,000 have the same conforming loan limits as the areas where most homes are listed significantly higher than $417,000?  It just doesn't make any sense.  And what makes Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands more worthy of a higher conforming rate than other higher priced areas of the country?

You have to also question the mob mentality of the investor market.  After all, why would they rather buy a loan from a struggling buyer who is stretching to take a loan of up to $417,000, when they can buy a loan of a financially established buyer who can easily afford a loan significantly higher than $417,000?

The solution seems simple to me.  I'd love to hear from everyone, particularly mortgage brokers, as to why this solution never seems to be mentioned as a possibility.

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Every once in a while something will happen or someone will say something that makes you realize how fast time seems to go by as we get older.  The passing of time creates some distance from those memorable events that seemed to have happened so recently, until you figure out how long ago they actually did happen. 

Last year my niece attended the same college that I went to.  We talked about the school, and what freshman week was like for me. I remember that week as if it were yesterday, because I don't think that I've had so many days of pure, unadulterated fun since then.  As we spoke, it dawned on me that my freshman week was 20 years ago.  I've had more years since that week than I did leading up it, and yet I still can picture everything that went on vividly in my mind.  Can I really be out of college that long?

Some of my best friends are people that I met once I graduated college and started working.  You would think of childhood friends as "old friends", but these friends that I made as an adult also fit into this category as well now.  After all, I've now been friends with them for 16 years (nearly half my life).  How is it possible that I didn't even know these "old friends" until after I graduated college?

These thoughts were triggered by an event that took place yesterday that really hit home, and I thought that I would share it with my new friends in the Active Rain community.

My wife is the youngest of her siblings by 10 years, and as such her brother and sister started having kids a long time before her.  We have been together for a long time, long enough that I've been there for the births of some of the nieces and nephews, and the developmental years of all of them, even though I wasn't technically their uncle for a number of these years. 

My wife's mom comes from a very large family, so it's difficult to get all of the siblings together at one time as they don't all live in one area.  Once a year, they have a family reunion so that everyone can see each other.  This year's reunion was at the same location as the reunion 10 years ago (before my wife and I were married, and when my nieces and nephews were kids running around playing games and having fun).  That reunion didn't seem so long ago, but the family dynamics have certainly changed during the time between the two reunions.

These kids have turned into grown-ups in the blink of an eye.  Instead of running around playing games, they came up with a new way to make the reunion fun, and this is what inspired me to write this blog.  The game of choice at this reunion was "beer pong."  For those of you that don't know what it is, don't feel bad, I didn't either, although I'd heard the term once or twice before.  Please look at the picture for an illustration.  It's a similar concept to "quarters," except for the fact there are actually winners and losers in this game. 

Had they come prepared for this, it would have still been strange for me, but not as strange as seeing them all pile into a car and drive away in search of more beer and ping pong balls in a small town in upstate New York.  All the while, my son was attached to my hip all day because he felt ignored by his older cousins.  It was a very strange feeling to see that my son is quickly growing up, but not fast enough to play his cousin's "reindeer games."  When he was a little younger, they would play with him because it was cute to do so, and he was entertaining in his ways.  He was young enough to not yet know how to feel like an outsider that's not being included.

No one wants to see their child upset, and I am no different, so I made it a point to fill the void that the cousins were inadvertently creating by being his pal and playmate for the day (a rare Saturday not spent showing homes).  It was a great day for me, one of those days that you're just happy to be alive.  The weather was a little cool for the summer, which was a nice break from the stifling heat that has been enveloping us for most of the past few months.  However, I was a little disappointed as I was really looking forward to swimming in the lake, something that I'd done often as a child in camp, but never since. 

My son, having heard me build up swimming in the lake for weeks, insisted that we go in anyway.  He wasn't concerned that it was too cold, and he's just overcome his fear of the water in swimming classes that he's been taking.  His determination got me into the lake, and we had a great time together, although getting out of the lake in the wind wasn't so much fun.  It reminded me of my days of going to camp, which are also further in the rearview mirror than I'd like to think. 

As we sat drying off on the dock that felt like a "roller-coaster" to him, I just soaked everything in, knowing full well that this blog was already on my mind (part of being an Active Rain addict I suppose).  It hit me that our profession keeps us so busy that we tend to forget to stop and smell the roses from time to time, or in my case, stop and jump into a cold lake on a windy day. 

Maybe this blog will help some of you to take a day to really appreciate everything that you've got, or maybe this will just be something that I can post and look back on from time to time as a reminder to cherish each day as the gift that it is.  I'd hate to wake up one day and go to another family reunion years from now and have my son asking to play the latest drinking game that he learned in college only to realize that I spent so much time being busy that we didn't have more days like yesterday where it was all about just being together.

It's easy to aspire to make every day count in real estate whether we do it or not.  It takes much more thought to make every day count when it comes to the things that matter most to you in life.  Take a day and smell the roses, or jump in a cold lake on a windy day, or whatever it is that makes you happy.  I promise that you'll be glad that you did.

Have you had a day like this but haven't expressed it yet in writing?  If so, please feel free to share your experiences here as well.  It might give others food for thought about what it can do for them.

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Remember the days when deals went smoothly?  The buyers would make an offer in the neighborhood of the asking price (sometimes even higher); the sellers would accept an offer and possibly have back-up offers just in case any problems arose.  It seems that those days have come to a crashing halt as buyers and sellers are bumping heads on everything from low-ball offers to repairs that may be demanded to the amount of earnest money that is put down on contract.

The home inspection, for all intents and purposes, used to be used primarily to look for structural damage and wood-destroying insects.  These were the key problems, (along with any possible leaks and water damage), that could stop a deal from happening.  Homebuyers generally understood that natural wear and tear was part of buying an older home.

Often times, (even in the good old days), the back-and-forth negotiations result in friction between the buyers and sellers.  For today's sellers, the market has turned against them and they are trying to preserve as much of their equity as possible.  Today's buyers realize that there is a lot of inventory on the market, and thus they are somewhat in a position of power when it comes to negotiating, as they play on a homeowner's fear of loss if the buyer goes elsewhere. 

The dynamics of the new marketplace have created an atmosphere where buyers are acting like they are buying new construction and making demands of the seller that are often times a nuisance, and at other times, totally unreasonable.  The ironic part is that, in today's market, buyers are often sellers at the same time, creating a tug-of-war type situation.  On the one hand the buyer wants to get the best deal possible on the purchase.  Change the buyer's hat to seller, and they become very hesitant to meet buyer demands.

Home buying has always been an emotional process, even in the best of times.  In today's market, the buyers and sellers seem to get offended much more easily.  The truth of the matter is that you don't have to like the person on the other side of the transaction, but you should at least try to put yourself in their shoes before drawing a line in the sand with an ultimatum.  The smallest trigger in today's market has people ready to let a deal die over things that wouldn't have even been discussed a few years back.

This change may be painful, but it is real.  There will be days when everything seems to be moving along smoothly and then, without warning, the storm hits.  Sometimes logic prevails.  Sometimes it doesn't.  One thing that I recommend is to have a client or customer "sleep on it" before making any rash decisions that can create lost opportunities.  Buyers and sellers must realize that they still need each other, despite the ebb & flow of emotions that they sometimes feel during the transaction.

Sellers should be wary of letting a deal die over what they perceive to be unreasonable demands.  The lost time on the market during negotiations will likely put sellers at a disadvantage if the deal ends up dying and they must re-enter the market in a weakened position.

Buyers need to realize that the sellers have a breaking point, both financially and emotionally.  If you're a buyer and you really believe that you've found the perfect home, it would be wise not to nitpick over the little things.  Ask yourself why you fell in love with the home in the first place, and if the reason still exists, it would be wise not to keep pushing for the little things.  You never know what a seller's breaking point is.

As REALTORS®, we now have the added responsibility of calming the waters as waves of anger and frustration roll in.  With no emotional interest in the deal, we are the ones that must be seeing clearly and advising our clients and customers accordingly.  Whether we like it or not, we are in the deal-saving business as much as we are in the deal-making business in today's market. 

Please share your thoughts and stories about this changing market by commenting. 

Don't forget that a great new group has started called Active Rain Addicts.  Check it out.

Please subscribe to my blog if you are interested.  Thank you.

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I try to make it as graphically pleasing and easy-to-read as possible.  However, in the interest of getting this information out, I have foregone the imagery so that the words of the consumer and my words can create the images in your own mind.  My apologies for the length of the post, but I really felt the need to share this with all of you.  If you give me the benefit of the doubt this time and read it all the way through, I think that you'll see what I mean.

If you haven't yet read Is Your Word Your Bond?, please do so before reading on so that you have the frame of reference.

THE CONSUMER'S RESPONSE

"I can understand you being upset, disappointed, whatever. It was not the right way for that client/ customer to handle a business transaction. It is though, entirely possible that this guy just did not know how to tell you in person he didn't want to work with you; so he put you off for a week while he made other arrangements.

It does sometimes go the other way, though. I had 2 agents preview my home months before putting it on market. When I was ready to list, I invited both of those agents and one additional agent for a listing presentation. All three agents knew I was interviewing others. After making my choice, I called the two I did not choose to tell them personally that they did not get the listing. I thought this was courteous, especially for the one who had visited twice. Unfortunately, even after two attempts each, I had to leave messages for both of them because they were unavailable. After treating me soooo sweetly and giving me so much of her time while she was trying to get my business, I sort of expected a callback from the one agent. Maybe to ask what tipped the business toward the other agent, maybe to keep her options open in case my listing expired, or maybe to work as a BA. I don't know why she did not call. Did I make her angry by not listing with her, did she see no profit in calling, did she have nothing more to say to me? Maybe she doesn't know how to receive disappointing news."

MY REPLY TO THE CONSUMER'S RESPONSE

Dear Consumer,

Since your name is not indicated on your comments, I have no choice but to address you in this manner.  Please accept my apologies for the impersonal nature of this greeting.

I'd like to take you on a tour of my world, which is the same as other REALTORS (as you can tell by reading the responses to my blog) so that maybe I can shed some light on what we go through everyday in a way that you may not relate to because you are not in the profession.

Many people (consumers, clients) treat us as if we were salaried employees of the company that we are affiliated with.  This is not at all the case.  I personally am associated with RE/MAX, but I am not an employee of the company.  As an independent contractor, I receive no salary and no benefits.  Because I chose to be a RE/MAX agent for their entrepreneurial spirit, I also am responsible for having my own signs printed up, my own marketing expenses, desk fees, office supplies, and everything that many people take for granted as an employee of a company. 

You see, I, like all of my fellow REALTORS®, am a business owner, a small business owner.  As is the case with many small business owners, we are providing a service before we actually get paid.  In my area, the average time on market is roughly 90-120 days (this statistic varies from area to area as does the process to bring a deal to closing).  For the sake of this discussion, let's say that a home is on the market for 90 days, during which all advertising and marketing expenses came directly out of my pocket, and the seller has invested nothing but a commitment and the inconvenience of selling a home.

Once the home has received, and accepted an offer, then the process begins to get them to the closing table.  The buyer will immediately schedule a home inspection, which I attend as part of my service to the homeowners that I represent.  This can take as long as three hours.  Upon completion of the home inspection, the sellers' attorney will send out a contract of sale to the buyers' attorney.  The attorneys will negotiate all of the terms until both parties are in agreement.  This process can take as short as a week, and up to a month depending on the scope of the deal.  During this process of negotiation, often times the sellers and the buyers become very anxious, and call us on a daily basis to check the status of the deal.

Once the contracts are signed, the buyer then has to apply for a mortgage (in most cases).  The mortgage commitment, and the ability to close can be as fast as 30 days, and as long as 60 days (in some cases).  During the mortgage process, a title search must be performed, and title insurance is taken out to ensure that the buyer receives a good, clean title to the property.  Suffice it to say that this is a somewhat lengthy process, but I won't bore you with the details.

A contract of sale will have what's called an on-or-about closing date, which will give both parties 30 days from that date to schedule a closing.  This can be delayed by either party for the full 30 days without consequence or explanation.  Even if both parties are ready, willing and able to close, they also must align the closing to the schedule of the sellers' attorney, the buyers' attorney and the bank attorney (when a mortgage is being taken out).  This process varies from locality to locality, but on Long Island, this is the way that it is done. 

Most of us have handled calls from the buyers and sellers that range from very nervous to very anxious to very angry about the closing taking too long to be set up by the attorneys.  We bare the brunt of these outbursts because we are on the front line, even though we are powerless to compel any of the attorneys to rearrange their schedules to accommodate a nervous, anxious or angry client.  Under no circumstance would a REALTOR® ever want to delay a closing, since this is when our paycheck finally arrives (usually about 6 months after we started spending our own money to market a home). 

From the signing of the listing up until the day of the closing, we are not reimbursed for our expenses, nor are we compensated for the many hours spent bringing a deal to fruition.  By the time we actually receive our check, which by the way is not actually at the closing unless you are the broker, we have certainly earned our money.  Maybe, as REALTORS®, we need to work on getting this message out to the public in a more effective manner, so that buyers and sellers would realize the true value that we bring to the table.

We are fortunate to be in this profession, even in times when the market is considered bad, because we are doing what we love to do.  We are in the unfortunate position of having a negative image in the eyes of the consumer according to the most recent Harris poll.  Further adding insult to injury is the fact that many homeowners believe that we stick a sign in the ground, place some ads, put the home on the multiple listing service and sit around waiting to cash a check.  As I've clearly demonstrated, this is certainly not the case, although it's clear that the public doesn't realize this by the amount of For Sale By Owner signs that litter every neighborhood.

I fully expect to compete with other agents to list homes.  In fact, I welcome it, because I know the type of service that I provide for my clients.  What I don't expect, is to be directly lied to by a homeowner that just doesn't have the guts to tell me that I didn't get the job.  After all, a listing appointment is nothing more than a job interview.  If you went on a job interview, and didn't get the job, wouldn't you expect to at least be notified?  We get no such respect.  In fact, often times, as was the case in this scenario, we get notified by seeing the listing pop up on our computer screen as a listing with a competing agent.

In closing, you handled your situation in the manner that we all would expect.  The agents that you didn't choose should have absolutely called you back to find out why you chose the person that you did, and to see what they can do better the next time.  I've already tried calling when I saw the listing come up, but the seller didn't answer the phone.  I'll keep trying until I reach him because I want an answer.  I take that back.  I deserve an answer. 

The part that made me angry was that I told him of my plans to preview all of the competitor's homes while he was supposedly going to be on vacation.  Maybe he is, and maybe his isn't on vacation.  I have no reason to take him at his word since he blatantly lied to my face once before.  My time is very valuable to me, as is the money that I have to spend on my expenses (specifically the gas to be used to preview these homes).  The time that I was going to spend doing research for him could have been used for working with other clients or staying home and playing with my kids.  He placed no value on me as a professional, and gave me no personal courtesy.  I don't treat people that way, and I don't expect to be treated that way.  He handled this situation very poorly.  His reasons for doing so are really not of any significance to me, because I do not value him as a person.

If you'd like to respond to this comment, please feel free to do so.  If you'd like to contact me directly to discuss this response, I would welcome the opportunity.  I am a real estate professional, and it is my pleasure to help consumers like you understand just what we go through.  You can reach me at 631-357-2036 or via e-mail at Adam@AdamWaldman.com.  Thank you.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments on how this response was handled.  Thank you all.

Often times in this profession we deal with some really great people, and it makes you feel good to have them in your life.  Sometimes, clients become personal friends after going through the home buying and/or selling process together because you get to know them as people and not as transactions, and they get to know you the same way. 

However, if you're in this profession long enough (or maybe not so long), you also get to see the side of people that disappoints you, and makes you question your ability to see people for who they really are. 

I believe that honesty and loyalty are two of the finest qualities that a person can have.  As REALTORS®, our code of ethics requires us to have these qualities when dealing with the public.  Unfortunately, the public has no such requirement when dealing with us, and we often times are blatantly deceived.  Perhaps because of our low approval rating as a profession (recent Harris poll), the public feels that we don't deserve the same courtesy that is afforded to other professions.

Here is my latest example of being blatantly deceived:

I met with a homeowner, by referral, to discuss listing his home.  I came recommended by his girlfriend who works for a seller that I am currently representing.  In under a week, we received nearly a full price offer for this particular seller's home, so there was a history of success.  By the homeowner's request, our first meeting was for me to just come and see his home and have some brief conversation, but that this was not to be a listing presentation.  He asked if we could do the listing presentation when he got back in town this coming Friday.  I agreed, and told him that I was going to preview some comparable homes in the area for him while he was on vacation so that we can get his home priced competitively in the market.  He did mention that he was going to be interviewing one other REALTOR®, which I totally understood. 

As I was leaving, he looked me in the eye, shook my hand, and said "give me a call next Friday and we can get together over the weekend for the listing presentation."

This morning, when I was about to schedule the preview appointments, I came across his newly listed home, which left me a little shocked, and very disappointed that he didn't even have the courtesy to call me to let me know that he decided to go with another REALTOR®, knowing full well that I was planning on taking time out of my day, using my gas to go previewing homes for his benefit.  Luckily, I saw the listing before setting the appointments, but I feel that he showed no regard for me as a professional, and showed no personal courtesy.  He was a hard-working, seemingly stand-up guy, but I guess his word was NOT his bond.

Is your word your bond?  Think about how great honesty and loyalty feels when you are receiving it, and aspire to give it in return.

If you are a buyer, that is looking for a home

Here is some advice for you - find out about your loan

Mortgages are changing, I'm sure you've read the news

If you are not pre-qualified, you have a lot to lose

You may have been pre-qualified a few short weeks ago

But things have changed so rapidly - this you need to know

The rate that you were quoted, may no longer be found

The program that you chose, may no longer be around

Before you spend your time, going to see homes

Talk to your bank or broker, to verify your loan

You really need to know, what you can afford to buy

Cause if your offer gets accepted, you still must qualify

This may sound a little crazy, and you may be surprised

You shouldn't go see houses if you're not ready to buy

You may think you're ready, but ready means TODAY

If you really are just looking then you should stay away

Please don't think this message is intended to be mean

This is just advice I give because of things I've seen

What if the home that fits your needs is the first one that you see?

It might not even be around when you decide you're ready

If a home is the one for you, be sure to make it yours

For you could look at others, and see nothing but the flaws

It's part of human nature for you to feel this way

You don't want to compare all others to THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY!

**Please feel free to share any of your stories about The One That Got Away (buyers, sellers, miscellaneous)