Friday, February 22, 2013

Home sales JUMP 30%

Yes...that title is correct. In fact, January 2013 posted the highest sales jump in 6 years. Our closings in January were the highest in 6 years, that's like since 2007 - remember 2007? Ahhh, good times...good times.



While January was down compared to December - this is actually fairly normal for this time of year. Average Selling Price January's home selling price was $139,213 vs. $137,916 a year earlier, which represents a 0.9% increase. The average price has increased year over year for 11 consecutive months. That's fantastic!

 Now, we just need some inventory. Seriously, our inventory has continued to decline to 9,451 homes from 11,003 a year ago, down 14.1%. With current inventory rates remaining low, and buyers beginning to come out actively purchasing properties, we have what is appearing to be a bit of a sellers market. As prices are firming and continuing an upward trend. Are you thinking of selling? Seriously - if you are someone that is interested in selling their home I have one bit of advice for you. GET IT ON THE MARKET! Don't wait for Spring to come rolling around when all those other sellers decide to do the same. Get it on the market now, when there is not that much inventory and buyers will come by to check you out. Contact your real estate agent to discuss what's happening in your market...because it's happening quickly. And if you don't have someone for real estate advice, give me a call - I can connect you with a fantastic, well educated and experienced real estate agent that can show you what is happening in your market area and how it affects your value. Chris Wood cwood@starone.com

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Is your broker helping you get where you want to be?

Many companies promise fantastic training and amazing programs.  The truth is often quite different.  Reality is this:  More than 75% of this year's graduating real estate agents will fail, and will be out of the business before the end of the year.  So what happens?  Why do so many fail, while others succeed?  There are a variety of reasons, but I believe we can boil it down to 2:

Rock climbing

Why Agents Fail:


  1. That person started in real estate with every intention of success, happiness and well, success.  But somewhere along the way they realized they had no idea what they were doing...and often times realized it too late.
  2. I believe that person and their sponsoring company never should have partnered in the first place.
Every company you speak with promises fantastic tools, tech gadgets and apps along with a fantastic split.  What could possibly go wrong, right?  I have all the tools to succeed - and when I do get paid, I'm not sharing much of anything. Of course its the getting paid that's the rub. Doesn't matter what you get to keep out of your paycheck - 70% of zero transactions doesn't really amount to anything all.

  Why Bother?

It boils down to something really simple. Many real estate companies are providing the wrong tools. All those tech gadgets and virtual tours and tablets won't do an agent good, if they don't know how to talk to prospects. If you do not have the necessary skills to identify your market, how to build that relationship with that market and then ask them for the business, you likely won't get very far in real estate. This is a relationship business - you have to show that you are a real person, and connect with folks by providing them with tools that can help them achieve their goals. Find out what their number 1 goal is, and make that your number 1 goal as well.

The Right Training

Having a company support you in your real estate career is far more important that any website they may give you. I believe one thing that makes Star One unique to other companies is that they find out what your goal is as an agent, and they tailor their training to fit that. Whether you work for Star One or another broker, we believe that your success translates into everyone's success. We're building a community here - a family - and we would love to talk to you about being a part of it. If your business is not achieving your goals, you should find out why. Come talk with us; We may be the right fit for you, but we may not. Wouldn't you feel better moving forward with all the answers, instead of a bunch of questions? Give me a shout - I'm here to help.

 Chris Wood
chris@chrisjwood.com