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

Fall Festivals in North Georgia

It is that time of year in North Georgia! See the attached for some, of many, fall festivals in North Georgia! If you are looking for property on Lake Lanier, Dawson, Lumpkin, Hall, White, or Forsyth County, let us know. Nobody knows North Georgia like a neighbor. The Wells Team: Your North Georgia Neighbors

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

Granite and its Nautical Influence

I just got back from vacation in SW Utah. We rented a houseboat on Lake Powell. If you have not been there you are missing one of the most beautiful spots in the country. After 8 years in the real estate industry, houses are always on my mind. Trying to shut it off during on vacation was my goal but housing came up in a strange way. We rented a houseboat with two other families. One of the couples had the chance to go on a private houseboat. A boat that made ours look like a rowboat. What was the number one thing that my friends remembered from the boat tour? The size of the engines? The advanced navigation system? The stability of the ride? NO! The granite countertops in the Kitchen and the Bathrooms! So granite continues to have a profound influence with my home buyers and the my fellow boat lovers!

MODULAR HOMES HAVE STYLE!

I was recently on vacation in Southwest Utah at Lake Powell. An absolutely beautiful place. I sell real estate in North Georgia. In the area we have a lot of double wide homes. They are in various styles and conditions. Needless to say I was impressed with this one I saw on my travels....

MORE HOME WARRANTY INFORMATION!

If you read my previous blog you learned of an issue I had with a buyer using a home warranty. Since I wrote that blog I have learned some more things that might be of interest to you and your clients. The biggest suggestion I have for you is to educate your client on the use of home warrantys. After 8 years in the industry, I have taken it for granted that my clients fully understand their use. The biggest point to emphasize is that a home warranty is not purchased to fix items that are already broken. The warranty is a form of "insurance" in case a system, in good working order, breaks in the future. Yes you would be surprised how many folks do not grasp this concept. The next point is to encourage your client not to immediately start making claims once they move into a home. Filing claims within 24 hours of moving into a property does not go over well with a warranty company. Before you file a claim make sure you have used the system numerous times without an issue. Again filing a claim within 24 hours on a system will raise some doubt from the warranty company. When you call the warranty company make sure you can explain the situation clearly. They are going to ask you if the system worked properly, how long had the system worked properly before you had a problem, and what the specific issue is concerning the system. Don't file multiple claims at one time. Know your warranty before you call. Do you have optional AC coverage, refrigerator coverage, roof leak coverage, etc.... I firmly believe that the warranty gives both buyer and seller a good piece of mind in the home sale/buying process. As agents we need to take the time to help our clients understand how to use them properly. If you are in the north Atlanta area come check us out: www.randywellsteam.com

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY! YOU ARE BEING RECORDED!

How many times have we said the wrong thing? I know that is a dumb question because we do it all the time. Its easy to say "I never said that" when you deny the conversation. That is unless the conversation is being taped. Let's talk home warranties. The Wells Team places warranties on our listings, ask for them in home purchases, and have our sellers include them in their sale. They give you the piece of mind in case you encounter a problem with your new purchase. Here is a brief story involving a major warranty company: •Home inspection on 5/17/13. •Final walk through on 7/12/13 •Closing on 7/12/13 •Warranty effective 7/12/13 •Buyer files claim on 7/15/13 Seems like a normal progression but: •Warranty company claims that our buyer told them "I don't know if the items ever worked". •Claim denied by the warranty company. A couple of points: •After the home inspection on 5/17/13, buyers did not go back to the home until the walk through on 7/12/13 •Home was inspected. All of the items involved in the warranty claim operated normally •Walk through on 7/12/13 did not show any problems •Claims made after warranty is in effect ALL CONVERSATIONS ARE TAPED! THAT MEANS BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHEN YOU MAKE ANY STATEMENT! OUR CLIENT DID NOT INTEND TO FRAUD THE WARRANTY COMPANY BUT HER ANSWERS WERE INTERPRETED AS TRYING TO DO THIS! Be careful what you say! It could come back to bite you! Check us out at www.randywellsteam.com