Exciting Times

Last week marked an exciting day. It was when the first deal that I was apart of from start to finish closed. Mind you other deals we have done have closed since I have started, but this was the first home I assisted in listing. I also went through the home inspection with Paul Galvin, made brochures for, did several open houses at, found the buyer at one of the open houses, negotiated on their behalf and finalized the deal. I was really in tune with this listing and loved the clients we got to work with. This couple has now moved on to another province and all last week we were hoping their move went smoothly. We wish them all the best out east.

Other exciting news, we have joined the Twitter phenomenon. If you would like to follow us and see how the three of us work together our user name is Ring_A_Ross hope to be tweeting with you.
Sales Representative
Ashley Ross

Summertime!

Summertime is most people’s favourite time of year. Time to vacation, relax and let your hair down in the sunshine, unless you’re in the real estate business. While for many professionals this is the off season, in real estate we are go go go! The reason the summer is so hot (pun intended) is people want to move before school starts up again; people have time to look at properties during the day time since they may have time off and just have more time to look around and see what’s on the market. Often sellers go on vacation so it is much easier to arrange showings and open houses. And finally, it is much nicer to look at property when you can actually see it and it’s not under 4 feet 0f snow. If you’re thinking of listing your property we advise you to do it sooner than later. Buyers are out there; believe me I met about seven of them last Sunday and most of them want their new home before September hits. Speaking of that, I must be off. Time to start searching for suitable properties for those buyers. Enjoy the summer and HAPPY CANADA DAY!
-Ashley Ross
sales representative

A Few of my Favourite Things

I get asked a lot how I like my new career in real estate and there are the obvious ups and downs such as unpredictable hours and income, but then again I can make my own hours to a degree and I do enjoy the work I am doing. I must say that my favourite part is doing the open houses every weekend. I think I enjoy this part the most because I get to meet new people every week and learn from each person that walks through the door. I learn how to deal with different personalities, what they think of the house and even everyday things like what’s new and exciting in the Peterborough area since I do have a tendency to start chatting away.

I’ve heard from some people in the business that they dislike doing open houses because lets face it, they are on the weekend, but I really don’t feel like its work when I do them. It’s always exciting to see how many people are going to come, how the weather, location, price and time on market affect the number of groups at an open house. It’s interesting to see how the different elements really do affect the life of a house on the market. But my FAVOURITE thing about being a sales representative is when I do an open house and find the buyer. It’s gratifying to know that the time, preparation and handouts are not gone to waste and I really have helped sell my client’s home.
-Ashley Ross
Sales Representative

Jane Ross' Experience As A Client

I know how you feel. Moving is stressful. Listing your house is stressful. Knowing what the right thing to do is hard.

When we listed our house in another city 6 years ago I was nearly finished the educational program to become a real estate representative. I can tell you from my own experience as a client the importance of listening to the sales rep that you have hired to list your property. True, you know your property better than anyone and you like it as well. But, your sales rep knows real estate, the market conditions and the process better than you. I was about to find out.

First of all, after calling to set up the listing appointment that evening we were called right back by the rep to say that another rep had a client who was looking for just what we had and would we allow them to come through that afternoon with their rep. No problem. Glad to know that we had a desirable property. In fact so desirable they called during the listing meeting to see what the price was and they were working on an offer. No wonder I thought that I knew what I was doing!

When our representative talked about the price he said that he thought our house would sell for $275,000. I didn’t think that was enough. I had not done any comparables with listings or solds but I just had this feeling that the price should be $299,900. Our agent listed at $299,900 and told the other agent on the phone that evening and she said that she would be over with the offer shortly.

The offer was for $285,000. I was thrilled. However, the closing date was much sooner than what we wanted. Due to circumstances with our family we could not accommodate that early closing and no solutions were viable. The offer died.

That was the first week of March. Our next offer was presented the first week of September. It was a long summer, keeping the house presentable and accommodating showings with short notice as well as having open houses. The offer was conditional upon the sale of the buyer’s property and was accepted. Two days later another offer came. It was better than the first offer with dollars and closing times but the first offer had 48 hours to remove conditions. And it did. Their house sold in 1 day. The selling price for our house was $275,000.

What did I learn? I learned that the professionals have reasons for what they say and do. Listen to what they advise. I also learned that being flexible was a necessary part of making a deal. I now know that we could have accommodated the time line with a little more imagination and looked after family business at the same time. I also learned that the picture can change in a matter of minutes and that it can change again. The 2 offers within 2 days after 6 months on the market proved that.

The move was completed and everything has long settled. But, I remember. I know how you feel. Moving is stressful and listing your house is stressful. But, getting it right with the help of your sales rep is crucial to the fastest and best resolution to selling what you own and love.
-Jane Ross
sales representative

You Can't Push Things!

You can't push things. When I sit down to write these blogs sometimes I wonder what I should discuss. I get writer's block on occasion and I will walk away from it because I've learned, for me anyway, you can't push things. I believe that's true about all things in life, including selling real estate.

We are taught as agents to get the listing, pull out the pen, sign the dotted line, but truly you can't push people. Well maybe you can, but we don't like to. This week I visited with a potential client who is still dealing with cleaning out the home of a deceased relative.

We discussed to list that day or wait. We decided to not add more stress to their plate by rushing them to get the home ready or have the home on the market before it was ready to be shown. Rather, we decided to give them some time to get organized so they feel comfortable with the situation...we didn't push them.
Some agents (not all) may say that was a poor move on our behalf because another agent could come in and take the listing, but I'd rather do my job the way I see fit, without adding pressure and stress to clients. Now that's not to say that when I do meet people yes I offer my business card, professional help and the tools and skills I have, but I'm not pushy, there is a fine line between informing people and aggravating them. I think it is better to make a client feel comfortable, give professional advice and hope that they remember that if they do end up having a conversation with another sales representative.

I know that I am newer at this selling real estate gig, but I don't think that really matters when you’re debating how to treat clients. I just treat them as I'd want to be treated; it's as easy as that! I suppose that's why the saying is patience is a virtue.

-Ashley Ross
sales representative

Confessions of a Peterborough Realtor

I wanted to write this evening about something a little different, not mortgages, green homes or tips on buying or selling, I wanted to write about the experience I had when we sold our family home six years ago.

When I was four years old I remember my parents taking my sisters and I to see the new big dream home we were going to live in. It still had fake deer that the current owners had put in the garden for decoration and I thought that was the BEST THING EVER. To my dismay the fake deer were gone when we moved in, but I still loved our new home. As we all grew older the basement was finished, the backyard spruced up and every room was up to date with the latest interior decor trends. Just when it seemed every part of our home couldn’t get any better my parents broke the news, we were moving. Us kids had all grown up, almost all moved out and my parents needed a change in scenery. I hoped they would redo the living room again, but they insisted the house was too big and our time in Sarnia had come to an end.

The day the real estate agent put his sign up on the lawn I thought it was the ugliest landmark on the street and refused to accept that our time on Errol Road was coming to an end. Our house did sell as all homes eventually do and boxes we had to pack. It was hard on us all, but we had to say goodbye to our home of fifteen years. I hated every moment of selling our home, but you know what, I’m glad I went through it. I believe it has made me a better realtor. I’ve been working with clients who know a new home is needed for their situation, but are having a difficult time selling and saying goodbye to their home and I really do sympathise with these clients. I understand how hard a move can be on a family. Usually when people are moving it’s during a time of change, and change can be stressful.

Hopefully your getting ready to move because your moving into your first home, your a newlywed or expecting another baby, but there are changes in life that require a new home that aren’t so welcomed. Our goal is to help make your transition in life easier and not make you feel like someone we are just making money off of. So, if you’re about to make a move that is stressing you out, call us, we know it can be hard and want to help you. We won’t even get mad if your kid runs over the for sale sign with their bike, I’d be a hypocrite if I did.
-Ashley Ross
sales representative

A Sneak Peek!

SORRY I"M SOLD!