Our Monthly Real Estate Update for the North Atlanta, Lake Lanier, and North Georgia Area!

This is our last update for 2013. Thank you for a successful year! If you are in the North Atlanta area, Lake Lanier, or North Georgia area, please look us up. www.randywellsteam.com http://www.icontact-archive.com/yiOThMH64xldx9FOWSbirLWk2f5QXs2H

Mutual Respect: What is it?

What a crazy year! Our local market is the busiest in years, homes are selling, people are buying, and agents are working 24/7. The euphoria comes with a price: A lot of stressed agents, buyers, and sellers! And with the stress there are issues with how we are treating each other. Overall the majority of our experiences with other agents, buyers, and sellers have been good. However we have seen an increase in the amount of "personality issues" we are having with fellow agents, buyers, and sellers. So a couple of thoughts: Agents-Whether you are representing the buyer or seller we still have the same goal: Putting together a deal while representing our clients. Negotiating is a two way street. Both sides need to feel that they have won. So work with the other agent, communicate, and respect the other agent Sellers-You hired us to represent you in the marketing and sale of your home. You hired us because you trust us, acknowledge our professionalism, training, and experience. Treat us as professionals. Yelling, swearing, and scolding us like children (personal experience this year) does not motivate us to work harder for you. Buyers-Believe us when we tell you we are continuously looking for the home that meets your criteria. We drive a lot of miles and spend countless hours on your behalf. Getting short with us (personal experience) does not help. Appreciate the diversities in other people instead of criticizing them In other words: Mutual Respect Come see us if you are looking for homes in the north Atlanta area! www.randywellsteam.com

Waiting Until the Last Minute? Why?

As real estate agents we are very busy this year. Why do we add more pressure to ourselves, and our clients, by waiting until the last minute to submit amendments? For our non-Georgia real estate agents: After buyers complete their home inspection, they have the chance to ask for repairs to be made. We do this on a form called an Amendment to Address Concerns. We also deal with a due diligence period. This amount of time is negotiated between buyer and seller. I usually see a time period of 7 to 14 days. During this due diligence period a buyer can walk away from the home, for any reason, without financial penalty. During this period if our buyer has any items he wants repaired then we negotiate these items using the form Amendment to Address Concerns. In the past two weeks we have dealt with two situations that were down to the wire. One time we were representing the buyer and one time representing the seller. Representing our buyer, the buyer had last minute concerns about a radon test. The test was considered normal but had readings that raised long term health concerns for my buyer. Due diligence expired Monday night at midnight. My buyer has me submit an amendment to address concerns to the seller's agent Monday morning. His seller is working and felt that she was being pinched about making a quick, last minute decision. Negotiating all day, we finished up the amendment at 9pm, three hours before the deadline. In the case of representing of our seller we had a similar experience. The due diligence was expiring on a Saturday evening. The buyers had their inspection report for over a week but waited until the day before expiration to submit the amendment. Why? In this case their agent went on vacation and said he would take care of it when he returned. My seller felt that she was held hostage to make a last minute decision and did not appreciate the pressure. Fortunately we were able to negotiate a solution. To my fellow Georgia agents: We have an obligation to expedite a home inspection in order to give ample time to review it. If there are items the buyers want repaired, it needs to be submitted earlier to the sellers. The seller needs the time to meet with contractors, get estimates, and review the information before negotiating. Waiting until the last minute because of complacency, makes a stressful negotiation that much harder. Keep an eye on the due diligence date! Check out our website at www.randywellsteam.com