How do we get there from here?

The number one problem facing buyer is usually not "Can we afford this home?" It typically is, "How do we sell our home and find the one we want all in the same time frame?" The short answer is....you probably won't. It has happened and will continue to happen, but with such a small percentage of buyers, that it is in your best interest not to plan on it.
Written goals and methods of how to acheieve those goals are your best solution. If we know that we want a different home, then we must sell the current one first. What happens when we sell our home, and the one we were looking to buy, is no longer available? It is at that point, because there is no plan, that many buyers become discouraged and lose heart, thinking, "We'll never find the right and perfect place for us." You see, there is a common misconception and it even runs rampant in the real estate sales professional ranks. That is, there is no perfect place! I disagree!!!!! I believe that there are perfect places and perfect homes, just not buyers who are ready to move when the perfect opportunity for them comes along. Buyers usually have to sell their home first, which means that they have to do some minor painting and repair and then list it and then show it and then.......well you get the idea. By the time all these things are done, it has been 60 days and the home that they were going to purchase is looong gone. Then comes the discouragement and let down and then they forget their original goal was to move. It all comes down to mental preparation and the proper order in selling a home and moving into a new one. Written goals and methods are the way to go. In the next post, I will outline for you the proper order of selling a home, and if you do this, it will be the best way to find that perfect home!

Looking up!

GREAT NEWS! Our real estate market in Ottumwa is starting to pick back up. A typical recession lasts for about 14-16 months and we are in month number 15 right now, but if you listen to all of the news outlets, you would think that we are in the middle of the second great depression. Yes, all of us have decided to cut back in one area or another in our life but we are far from the great depression. Has our local economy suffered? The short answer is yes. However, since this is my blog, we are going to focus on the positives. Everyone heard that John Deere layed off 43 workers in the past month. Why did we focus on that, instead of the 700+ workers that did not get laid off. Also, when was the last time you heard that John Deere had hired new engineers. Well, you won't, but because I am a real estate agent, I can tell you that new engineers are coming to town all the time. How do I know this, it is because I am showing them homes to buy. That's right, I said buy! Why are we such a negative society? I think I know the answer. I think, that when we focus on the struggles that others around us are having, it makes us feel better about ourselves. So I leave you with this challenge. Instead of focusing on the negatives around us, look at the opposites that the news offers. When they tell you about the 3,000 jobs that Home Depot lost, think about the 125,000 that are still working there, and then check out the classified section of your local paper and ask yourself this question. Are there really no jobs, or are we just unwilling to work?

Nothing to do with Real Estate

I had a great weekend. I hope everyone else did as well. I did nothing with houses, properties, or real estate of any kind this weekend....we did basketball! Ben played in the "Swish'N'Dish" basketball tournament in Milwaukee, Wisconsin over the weekend. All in all it was a good weekend as the Attack boys finished in second place. They took home some hardward, and had a great time playing in five games. I know you wanted to talk about real estate, but today, I just wanted to talk basketball. I will be back to real estate next time but for now, Go Attack! You can find their website at alliowaattack.com.