Roots2RealEstate

Much to our liking, as the fall drifted from luke warm days to winter, our new home’s pool started to lose 3 feet of water a day!  The pool emptied so fast that the top of the third step inside the pool was exposed in a week and a half.  Panic set in and my first reaction to my husband (who turns to me in most crisis situations as to what to do), was we can’t be losing that much water next to our home’s foundation!  I thought the best idea would be to drain it - but I was so wrong.

Going to the internet, I learned that I had a particular pool bottom that was a fiberglass liner and when emptied the pressure from the water that fills this liner is released and the liner could possibly “pop-up” causing the liner to break from its mold and more than likely may never go back down in place properly again.  I learned that it was important to keep filling the pool with water, despite the large amount of water that was disappearing to who knows where.  This daunted me as I waited for more than three weeks to get a live person licensed and equipped to inspect our pool and who specialized in pool leaks (apparently this one guy covers all San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Monterey Counties hence the long wait time).  Mike with American Leak Detection was helpful and taught me a few new things that I want to pass on to my fellow pool owners.  Attached is a video clip of how to determine if your pool is leaking or not, before you are charged with a $500. inspection and repair bill. It’s known as the bucket test.

After his inspection was complete of our pol, he determined that the sealant around the light fixture inside the pool had deterated from more than likely the overuse of the product called Shock, which is supossed to clean the algae and turn the water clear again.  This along with the ash and cholorine ate away at the metal ring and sealant holding the light fixture in place.  I would have never guessed that it would drain the pool that fast!  I learned that in the future if our pool is losing water again, that the water will drain just to where the leak is present, and in my case to the light fixture.  It was really neat to watch Mike suit up in his scuba gear and oxygen tank and dive in to weld and epoxy the light back into place.  I realized the value in his services and now have more of an appreciation and understanding of why he gets paid the big bucks he does from just watching him do the diagnostic check and repair. 

It was a costly experience, one I hope not to repeat any time soon.  By the way, when they dug that giant hole where my pool now sits, I also learned that they line the shell of the hole with sand, pebbles, and other water absorbing material so the water does have a place to exit to in case of leaks, a huge relief to me to know that my foundation was not affected.

As my last box was packed, and the movers were on their way, I get a knock at my door from my downstairs neighborbor in my soon to be old condo complex.

“Amber, there’s water flooding down my shower wall from the ceiling!” 

Ironically, it took exactly 18 years for a thin hairline crack from when someone over tightened the plumbing pvc piping around the drain pipe that was installed in my building, to open up and crack under pressure.  Resulting in damage to my neighbors bathroom. 

Now I couldn’t pass this on to the new homeowner who was closing escrow for me on time.  Now what?!

As the repair bids came in, most contractors felt that it should be an home owners association issue and I could possibly get them to share some if not all the cost of the repair.  It was explained to me that because this break in pipe happened between both my neighbors and my sub-floor, and that there was no way for me to be aware of such an issue, let alone maintain that area.  As a self respecting agent I hit my C.C. and R’s and looked into the lengthy HOA doc’s that was just given to my buyer.  In it, it said something to the fact that the assocaition is responsible for interior plumbing from the main valve to the building, but not drain pipes inbedded between the two floors. 

Overall, I learned a valuable lesson a day before the place was no longer in my name.  Thank god, it happened then and not a week later - for I would have had one mad past client, and no one wants that!

With the drama rolling out about Facebook’s new money making strategy I find it to be a very interesting paradox to our society and its livelihood.  The Internet is two things to the people who use it; It’s a place to broadcast to the world your more interesting and complicated side of your persona and/or it is a way to make money.  No doubt the Internet is very cool in deed no matter what side you lean towards. As for the majority of those hip enough to be reading my blog, I’m sure you use it in both ways.

I’ll be the first to preach that I don’t want a society like the one fictionized in the popular book “1984″.  I also don’t dig on the fact that advertising is thrown at me in everything I do.  I purposely don’t buy into anything mainstream, even though ironically this in its self is a sub-group to market too…

As the controversy and the lawsuits take shape over Facebooks new financial venture, I’m left to think about how all venture capitalists who make huge profits from the Internet must view us WWW users.  For we must all have dollar signs attached to our foreheads, as we stand around in a huddle like sheep, clinging to the many facets of what the Internet gives to us in our daily lives, with such outlets used for social networking and the Internet’s original founded glory, being a global marketplace to sell almost anything.

Jason Calacanis puts it best in his latest post, ”there is massive power locked up in data and like a time-bomb it takes a deft hand to deal with it”.
http://www.calacanis.com/2007/11/25/the-wonderful-horrible-life-of-facebook-users-and-their-data-or/ 

His post makes me ponder the reality of our basic economics and how the Internet is really the finger on the pulse, or rather the nucleus to what everybody wants or needs.  How else can we catalog and benefit from our own marvel of ideas and inventions.   Even Jason can not deny demographics and target marketing are used to churn profits in all of his business ventures. Even bloggers like myself have a demographic or target group we cater and appeal to, right?

My perception is that the interent’s parent is none other than the off spring of the US government.  They have been using the world wide web a good 20 years before “we the people” did.  I’m sure some of those “good old boys” who particpated in raising the internet from infancy and watched it as it grew towards adulthood, knew before they turned their brain child onto the world, of the many ways they could make money off of it. 

My “conspiracy theorist” personality would simply put it theoretically, that all along the plan was to use the Internet as a way to gage many sectors of people at any given of time and determine what a specific demographic group would be influenced by with using our spending as leverage.   It could possibly be packaged in a way that society could use this “funneled profiling” of our interests in groups, social networking, or anything else we click on, to gain a better percpective to bringing on social changes for the greater good for the majority of earth’s population. In a way the Interent is commercialism stirred with (but not shaken) our unique political social viewpoints.  It is a way for us to make the changes we want to see in the world in the privacy of our own homes. 

I’m sure we can all agree that us humans are rather complex creatures.  Our uniqueness can not be bought with generic blanketed advertising anymore.  Consumers gravitate to products that call out to specific interests and we like to have plenty of choices with it too! A prime example is  San Jose Mercury News article “Advertisers pitch their wares with tattoos”  http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_7568772?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com&nclick_check=1

The Internet is our very own X & Y (and soon to be Z) generation’s pop culture which attribute to making it abundantly clear that neither pure capitalism nor pure socialism is acceptable, and that the lines could and should be blended.  Consumers purchasing power hugely influences the marketplace.  If this was not the case already, then the mega stores like Walmart would dominate the commercially zoned landscapes of every major city, selling white labeled products with the name ACME across it, and the REI’s, PetSmarts, Whole Foods, and the other countless specialty businesses as well as the Internet would fail. 

Our society and ecomomy keeps churning and trickling into every aspect of how we all earn a living.  As a business owner you must know thy consumer intimately and personally, in order to stay ahead of the curve it is the only way to have a fair advantage over your competition.

So how does this relate to the economics of Real Estate?

It’s best described in the book the Long Tail by Chris Anderson, which I was debriefed on.

You’ll make more money by narrowing your focus on the right consumer (or for Real Estate’s case, Home-Buyer).  To understand, relate, and connect to a more specific buyer, will earn you a sale.  If you are a property seller, you’ll want an agent who controls, markets to, and appeals to your property’s future potential buyer/homeowner.  A great agent will pinpoint, seek-out sources, create and implimate a unique marketing strategy to attract those future homeowners who are likely to pay top dollar for your specific property. Target marketing will earn more positive results than a typical mass blanket campaign like advertising in magazines, newspapers, and some sources of the Internet.  A property and its pricing will appeal to a specific demographic group.  You should hire the agent equipped with this knowledge who uses it to your advantage. 

Last thought about Facebook and othersa “funnel profiling” my information off of web sites I visit:  How far will we let big businesses and small businesses for that matter, gouge away at our every move?  It leaves me wondering what’s next to be assimilated, regurgitated, and sold back to me? Will the birth of social networking of Web 2.0 really be a way for businesses to know what I might buy into? Will the yahoo groups, the Meet-ups groups, the Tribers, and the My Spacers and every other social website we Internet savvy users are involved in, sell out to corporate American Global pressure of the next great thing?  Is nothing sacred anymore? 

I’d like to see my Y Generation take a swift and silent shift towards Voluntary Simplicity http://users.rcn.com/compassbrook/ecoshift/simple.htm - I will be laughing in the faces of corporations as they scramble to get a foothold on our hard earned money.  I’m intrigued by the counter culture backlash created in reaction to Facebook’s scheme from some of my conscience generation, as we become well aware that our money influences businesses into being more socially responsible. 

I’m sure as the Interent gurus get wind of how much profit they are not earning, they will be following suit to sell out every hobby and interest in the name of capital consumerism.  I just hope that they will  do what Jason C. suggested to the companies like Facebook - give us the option and choice by implementing an opt-out button right into the page. I’ll continue to use websites which gives me the choice, and knowing myself as I do, I’ll of course choose the ”Opt-Out”.

San Jose Mercury News put out a call to action today with their article entitled

“Flaws In System Take Human Face”, by Joe Rodriguez. Now Joe’s article does aim to pull on the old emotional heartstrings 

http://www.mercurynews.com/joerodriguez

I find the timing of this article fitting in two ways.

The holidays are biting at our heels; it is a time we should think about others rather than ourselves.  I guess a sort of insurance of making sure my name pops up on the “Nice List” before I make those self proclaimed affrimations for the new year.

Ironically, this has been on my mind most recently when in starting the Almaden Valley Moms Group last week.  I want to be connected to a group that’s compassionate and willing to teach their children the art of giving selflessly.  Not more than two days after posting an idea about my “Heat Some Feet” - sock drive on Meetups.com, Joe’s article is center stage in Monday’s Valley section of the San jose Mercury newspaper and hits it right to home about how many homeless fall through the cracks when it comes to our over-burdend system of dealing with the homeless in San Jose.  

Now my life has not been directly in contact with such individuals living on the streets, but that’s about to change.

I thought it might help that each time the Almaden Valley Mom’s group gets together they could bring a pair (or more) of clean unused socks with them to donate to the cause of “Heat Some Feet” this winter.  On or around Dec. 20th, 2007 - I will go out and hand out the collection of new socks to several of the homeless shelters here in San Jose. If you’d like to participate in anyway, contact me - let’s Heat Some Feet this winter, for I am sure it is going to be a chilly one.

If you know me personally, then you know I’m deeply compassionate about serving others.  An opportunity for me to step up my creative thought process and design something more than just promotional materials for my real estate business has arrived. 

Since the help of www.DomusConsulting.com , my eyes are now focused on something I have been looking for my whole life.  The ease of Social Web 2.0.

My two most favorite sites out there right now, both are free to use.

www.MeetUp.com

and

www.Freecycle.com

Wow, not just one but two web sites that help shake things up socially and economically.  Learn from others at MeetUp.com and gather everything you need from Freecycle.com these two sites can and will be benefical when doing any type of project.   

For example, I’ve been planning my son’s two year old B-Day Party, coming up Nov 17th.  I picked a theme, made my list of needs, and set out two months ago collecting items from Freecycle - so far I’ve only spent only $10. on the cost of materials building a make believe farm for the kids to play with.  So easy to do with some imagination and planning; I’m so looking forward to this day!

I also have been mapping out my 2008 Business Life goals - I’ll post for feedback in another blog.  Part of it, I’ve been really doing some soul-searching wanting to connect with others moms and make new girlfriends.  That’s when I discovered MeetUp.com

Now I’m the proud moderator of a group for some lovely ladies living nearby me. 

Alamden

For a casual gathering to bond and grow with.

“We all get busy, but never to busy to share”

Most events are at no cost, and include:

• A drop-in meet-up time with the kids playing, and moms discussing interesting topics they want to know more about.  Bring healthy snacks if you want to share.  Everyone is welcome. No cost, just bring a positive outlook. 

• On occasion there will be invited guest speakers and we may have some workshops and forums discussing hot topics that are on the minds of its members.

• A mini book club where each member shares about a book they just finished reading. 

• Have a “date night” co-op babysitting for parents that would like to participate (though not mandatory)

• Have a girls night out once a month (could be used for working on an art project together, getting pedicures together, or we could all go out and see a chick-flick or have lunch together – it will vary on what the majority of its members would like to do together.   

• Baby and I retreat for a day events – going to places of interest together, walking in the park together, an art day, the possibilities are endless!   

• Heat Some Feet - Sock Drive - Let’s come together with purpose.  Bring clean, unused socks for the homeless each time we meet, lso we may teach our children the value of giving selflessly. Socks to be donated around Dec 20th. 2007.  

• A Baby Gear Swap Meet.  Participates can sell off their unused items.  

 As for my Blossom Valley and Santa Teresa neighbors our door is open to you as well. 

Many of our outings will be at or near Almaden Lake Park. 

An email is circulating out there regarding the safety spots to go during an earthquake. An email with advice from a man named Doug Copp, which apparently is a man being scutinized about his knowledge and past experiences.  Some even go as far as call him the ambulance chaser of big disasters. 

Already bloggers like “I Speak of Dreams” (Which reminds me of the title of the Sandman comic novels, that brings back memories̷ writes about the email and claims of Doug Copp.  http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2004/10/doug_copp_iii.html

 I especially liked the comment given by one of I Speak of Dreams  fellow fan, I think he laid it out (yes, pun intended) best:

Next time it rains, set up a table outside. Have your friend get under the table and you stand out in the rain. See who gets wet.

Now imagine the rain as rocks falling. Where do you want to be in an earthquake under the table or out in the rain?

Posted by: Dave | Monday, September 05, 2005 at 06:45 PM

It’s funny to me the reactions I’ve heard from people since our fault line gave out a big burp.  Some folks were calm, cool, and collected, headed to a door’s threshold or a load baring wall and then after the ground stopped shaking, went on with their nightly routine; and for some others it was a jolt to the memory and their gut.  As for some others that I know, it was a first time riding on what California is known and famous for.  Yes, this would include myself; I’ve slept through another so I don’t count that one!

After I calmed by boys and girls down, I headed around the property in search of any water leaks or cracks in my stucco or pool.  Then headed to my furnaces and gas meter to test out my trusted nose for any gas leaks.  As I stood in front of the gas meter I realized that I really didn’t know for sure how to A.) detect for a gas leak and B.) exactly how to turn off my main valve lines if there was one.  The next day I went out onto the live wire Internet and started a search.  Here’s what I came up with.  I hope it inspires you to be better prepared when the earth moves again. 

This link is to a a site that is specific to the S.F. Bay Region and offers a handbook on what to do in case of a major disaster like an earthquake:  

http://www.pge.com/safety/prepare_natural_disasters/earthquakes/sites_publications/usgs_earthquake_handbook/contents.html

A link to PG&E’s website on how to turn off your gas at the meter and other helpful tips:

http://www.pge.com/safety/prepare_natural_disasters/earthquakes/gas_shutoff_devices/index.html

 New news when it comes to the CA broadcasting system;  A bill to be passed allowing major cell phone carriers to send out to cell phones a warning signal when disaster strikes.  Read more and sign up for your carrier’s workshops at: 

http://www.oes.ca.gov/Operational/OESHome.nsf/ALL/7A99C56B83C24B4788257339005BD548?OpenDocument

A handy all-in-one tool created by a retired firefighter. As well as a great tip on how to detect a gas leak:

  http://www.survivalinstinct.com/shutoffvalve.html

A hefty survival checklist:

http://www.survivalinstinct.com/surcheclis.html 

Learn how to strengthen existing structures and also how and where to build when you live in Northern California’s earthquake country:

http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/prepare/index.html

Red Cross website, need to say more? 

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_583_,00.html

Best site of all!  A cool world map displaying all seismic activities taking place around the world!  Check out the interesting activity happening else where on the same day that our earthquake (and Oct 31st’s aftershock) happened:  

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/

HASUS Earthquake Loss Estimator, You have damage - now what?

http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/hazus/hz_eq.shtml

One final thought, I couln’t help but think of my neighbors right after we experienced the earthquake.  I realized through this experience that I must get to know all my elderly neighbors or single residents and call upon them after an earthquake just to see if they are o.k. too.  I strive to be a good neighbor by shutting off their home’s gas and water in a major quake, and also check on my neighbors, and to comfort them if needed.  The life I save could be my own as well.

Oh Boy, Let me tell you about my last two deals!
It’s a very difficult time right now to be the agent who has to set the new unfavorable benchmark price for a neighborhood.  In both my deals the scenario was that the buyers were putting more than the typical $100,- down, and both buyers are savvy investors.   However, they both felt certain the market has already come down 40%, and offered very, very low ball offers.  Both my sellers were flat out insulted that they were hit with such a big gap in value from homes similar to theirs that sold just a short 2 months ago.   For both deals, I was able to negotiate a 20,- difference between both parties, & both  wanted to walk away from the deal. 

It’s a funny market - some people negotiate with the thought that it will, or already has, hit the dreaded economic forcasters predictions regarding a loss in home values; while others think this area of Silicon Valley will bounce back faster, economically speaking, verses over the nation, and may not go up in price but won’t lose as much value either in popular neighborhoods.  As sellers don’t want to be the ”evil one”  that brings the neighborhood down, buyers don’t want to be the “biggest losers” at buying a home that will come down in price either.  

Buyers need to remember that the only ones that have full control over neighborhood values are them.  They are the ones solely responsible for setting a fair market value with the price they are willing to pay for a home in any given neighborhood.    Therefore you’d think buyers may not want to bid so low, so that the neighborhood retains a bit of its price stickiness ceiling. 

As with doing appraisals, the last sold comparable is a key element in determining a property’s worth.  One property sale can have a domino effect in an average looking neighborhood.  One home sold way below market is all that is needed to get it started, and will set the bar down a couple of notches. 

I truly believe when it comes to deciding on what price to pay for a home one must  compare different neighborhoods and consider all factors, including those properties around the subject property, down the street from it, and up to the major streets accessing that particular neighborhood.  If the majority of the neighbors have done some big remodeling projects, lawns and landscaping is kept up, and the home is in a choice location, then it only seems fair that a home with quality upgrades deserves to retain its equity position.  However, if a neighborhood is fair and is filled with original condition homes, junky cars are on the street, and has a lot of homes that are rentals, then these neighborhoods should not be selling for $800,- and need to be brought back down to reality. 

To just blanket San Jose and say 40% drop all over in prices, makes no sense to me - determining a particular micro market for each neighborhood with some of the tips above is the key to buying a home that’s  a sound investment in any market.   

Buyers if the home has quality upgrades, in superior condition and is in a choice location, please try not to add insult to injury by giving a  low blow offer to the sellers as your first initial offer price, be reasonable and have facts that support your offer.  For example, if you are willing to buy a home listed at $870,- and your bottom line price is $830,-, don’t come in with a $780,- offer.  Sellers are offended right from the start and you have not painted a positive picture about yourself in convincing them to sell you their home.  Other sellers are emotionally wrapped up in price and are concerned of offending any longtime friends/neighbors.  That shouldn’t effect price but it is one of the emotional responses I’m hearing right now from sellers. 

It helps to use an agent who is well hearsed in negotiation, that can get a listing agent and a seller to understand why your offer is at the price it is at.  I’m tired of hearing agents quote ”because the forecast is predicting it so”!  Give concrete proof, use your offer price and the factors like repairs and neighborhood condition to explain your price stategy.   

I remember this same occurrence around 1989…. Anybody with me? Real estate moves in cycles and roughly this valley experiences two year intervals.  That will be another post for another time. 

  photo courtesy of www.Flickr.com

Every year I wait until the stroke of midnight the night before Halloween to decide upon how I’m going to spend this delicious holiday.  I understand there are those folks who do not like the thought or practice of such a holiday, but for me I see it as a holiday for letting the imagination run wild and I love watching kids make believe and allowing them to be fun, freaky, and free. 

Here is an exhausting list of enchanting events happening all around the Bay Area leading up to Nov 3rd.  http://www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/calendar/listings.asp

For Halloween Fun Seekers, visit

http://www.zvents.com/search?swhen=&swhat=halloween&trim=1&st=event&swhere=San+Jose%2CCA&sort=0&srad=50&svt=map&ssi=0&search=true&new=n&srss=50

For Dia de los Muertos seekers check out the link here:

http://www.zvents.com/search?swhat=day+of+the+dead&swhen=&swhere=San+Jose%2CCA&srad=50.0&st=event&svt=text&search=true&srss=50

What’s Dia de los Muetos you ask?  Check out a very cool Wonka’s tutorial about the “Day of the Dead”  http://www.wonka.com/wonkafactory/shome.htm?section=dod

And check out these websites: www.Dayofthedeadblog.com  http://www.crizmac.com/online_catalog/store.cfm?step=results  www.mexicansugarskull.com  lots of oddities!http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/flash/dod.html.co

For a small history about Halloween and the other three holidays click on http://www.floramex.com/lihallow.html ionalmuseumofmexicanart.org

Ironically when I looked up All Saint’s Day which is the day after Halloween not much came up. Here’s a taste http://www.homiliesbyemail.com/Special/Saints/saints.html 

And no mention would be complete without a list of the Saints. http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/saintday/index.html

Or about All Soul’s Day which is the day after All Saint’s Day  http://all-souls-day.123holiday.net/

I did find an interesting web site that is well stocked with interesting facts for the days of November.  http://members.aol.com/TwoGeekInc/nov96.htm

If you have the need to feel normal, learn what others are doing at this time in a post about the 13 freakiest attractions around the U.S.

http://cg.channel.aol.com/freaky-attractions-photos

Find stories and people who do believe at http://www.aimpages.com/paranormalAIMPg/profile.html -Chat with these folks about the latest calling out the dead live event that just took place last weekend at our very own Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, Ca. 

Want real haunted house stories that may make you stay in for the evening read on at http://www.realhaunts.com/ 

http://www.ghosthaunts.com/

http://www.haunted-places.com/

A site for souls twisted enough to know about Horror with all its blood and guts visit their blogs at http://www.aimpages.com/masshorrorbuff/profile.html

Or view an extensive blog list of the spookiest and scariest movies of all times as well as the hottest horror girls at http://www.cinematical.com/tag/Halloween2007/

I hope your last days of October and beginning days of November is filled with nothing but sweet memories. 

My current furry friend lover bloggers just put out a scoop about newspaper advertising and how this source of advertising has gone to the dogs.  See articles at:  http://sandiegohomeblog.com/2007/10/18/paper-trained/

I loved their antidote about moving on to new territory and how agents should be marking their territory with newer sources like Web 2.0. - a more community felt forum rather than a one dimensional ad campaigning like advertising in newspapers.

At every open house (and yes, I still do open houses and Twilight Tours, http://parkalmaden.roots2realestate.com/instant-message/ ) I always start off my first initial conversation with the question  “How did you come to find the open house today”?  I do this survey so I’ll have more than just the number of heads that walked through my clients door, but a further analysis of what type of buyers were out looking at my clients house.  Surprisingly the answer “From the newspaper”, is still one of the comments I receive.  See it really depends on the type of neighborhood your hosting an open house at.  Demographics largly play an important part on who is searching for homes and where.  Un-savvy and not connected to the Internet people are still alive and they do depend on the more traditional way of getting information like newspapers.  I call them for the sake of this post the ”Can’t teach a dog a new trick click”.  They are people like my Dad, who sold computers for a quarter of his life, a man who could tell you all about a computer’s interior guts and all about its motherboards but a man who doesn’t know anything about the software system it runs.  Or another close relation of mine my aunt, who wants a computer but only when she doesn’t have to type or use a mouse, for the mouse makes her dizzy to operate.  I keep telling her that a software has existed for awhile now, but that she needs to train the software to recognize her speech pattern; she then follows with “Well then I’m going to wait until I don’t have to do that”.  Or my husband, who doesn’t get the liberty to be online at work and who hardly gets the time to do so at home, only because email and social networking is relatively new to him and all his time online goes to www.FantasyFootball.com.  I also have several clients and affiliates (26 of them in fact ) who fall into my “Call Only” part of my address book.  Ironically most of these people are seniors, or at least in their minds they are.

At the beginning of this year, I met and listed a home in a neighborhood from an open house newspaper advertisement.  One of the main reasons this client hired me was the fact I advertised in my print ad a website to go to.  This ”I’m too old to learn something new like a computer” senior, knew nothing about creating a virtual online personality but liked the fact that I did.  They also liked how I demonstrated another creative way to advertise the property that I was holding open at the time, by doing something different in hosting a twilight tour of homes for the area, (Think of it like speed dating for open house hunting).  They were intrigued enough to call me and the conversation started from there.  When we met in person, they had a flyer in hand from a door-to-door campaign I did in the neighborhood from two years ago that I had used while I was looking for a home in this particular tract!  This same family was kind enough to give to me right before their move to San Diego all of the flyers they had liked and collected throughout the years from the many agents who had targeted their house along with all the open house flyers that mostly she had visited.  The reason they said they chose me over the other Realtors (besides my patience with them) was that I did something unique, that it matched their pace and I had an appreciation of the neighborhood being a now newer resident of Blossom Valley’s Allen Heights / Santa Teresa Foothill neighborhood.  From their set of open house events that I hosted for them (4 weekends total), I got to meet and list another new client who owns a home that can be seen at: www.AllenHeights.Roots2RealEstate.com

Now of course this scenario doesn’t happen all that often, and yes, there are more buyers and sellers online now more than ever.  So I do agree with one thing my furry friend lover bloggers touched upon, that it’s very important to create something that stands out, similar to marking on a fire hydrant.  By creating a unique presence using web 2.0, it should help an agent attract a stronger more educated type of potential customers.

Or just until the moment before when every agent jumps in and is then doing it too - at that point something new will have to be done to be the next big hype.

If your niche market is filled with folks who don’t want to go online, show them the importance and the power of an agent who can.  Use this opportunity to teach them how, so you may build a stronger connection and relationship with them in the future.