Pearland couple finds great success Selling Home

Cathy and Michael are Very Happy that SamSOLDit.com

After over a year of anguish about selling their home in Pearland, Michael and Cathy are on their way to a one-year adventure away from the hometown they love.  "We'd lived in Pearland for 13 years, and we love our home in West Oaks Village."  But Michael's career path requires a year in Tyler, to where they are on their way.

"As soon as Michael is done, we're coming back to Pearland," Cathy said, "because we love it here.  We can't think of any place we'd rather be."

And of course, they'll be calling The Sam Team to provide the same level of service with our buyers' team as they found with our sellers' team.  "We sold our home in just 16 days with the help of Sam's 'stage 'n shoot crew' that worked with us to get our home looking perfect for the market.  This definitely helped us create an advantage in the market, and we got what we asked for!  Thank you, Sam Team!"

And thank you, Cathy and Michael, for being wonderful clients to work with.  Our home selling system is second-to-none, and we give each customer the individual attention that they need to Get Theirs SOLD.   In fact, we currently have over ten homes "in the works" in various stages of the process, as we help home sellers in Houston and Pearland get their homes into top shape to achieve maximum return.  Want to Get Yours Sold?  Investigate our Dynamic Marketing Plan today . . . and you, too, will be Sold on SAM!

Sam Ferreri is a 38+ year veteran of the Houston-Pearland real estate market, and has helped over 8,000 homebuyers and sellers in his career.  He has assembled a dynamic team of real estate professionals that work together to help customers and clients achieve their goals.  And . . . we're never too busy to give you the attention you deserve.  

Now . . . help us pick the best logo . . . which do you prefer, 1 or 2?

 

Pearland Realtor Has Customer Service Nightmares!

Pearland Realtor Story . . . Can you help me???

Yes, I'm up at 4:00 am with nightmares about the customer service issues I had to deal with yesterday.  One thing about a changing market is that everyone reacts.  Good, bad, happy, sad, greedy, opportunistic, needy, impatient, overzealous, sweet, kind and many other adjectives could be used to describe the emotions and reactions of buyers and sellers in today's marketplace.  It's all over the board. Mostly, they've read the media hype about a sudden upturn in the market.

True that.  The story of Jane Doe (not her real name) is the epitome of the market change.  Jane listed her home for sale in one of the oldest sections of Silverlake in August 2012, after having purchased it in September 2010.  I have sold this particular house 4 times in the last 15 years, and am very familiar with it.  The prior owner spent $25,000 in renovations on this -- one of the smallest, least expensive homes in the area.  It had granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, updated bathrooms, and much more.  However, through this ownership, the carpet was worn out and it needed a paint job.  But after owning it for only 2 years -- and a high loan balance -- our mutual objective was to "get her out of it" without a huge loss.

Being young and single, the home required extensive staging to get it ready for market.  Enter my exceptional "stage 'n shoot" crew who got the job done.  Two weeks later, we were ready for market and created an exceptional photo package for online marketing.  Over the next 5 months, the home had 83 showings and (at least) 3 offers.  (Remember, this is the end of 2012 . . . nothing was selling.)  The best offer was $3,000 less than list price, for cash.  Jane said "no."  She was only willing to take $1,000 less than list price (which was $10,000 more than she paid, just 2 years prior).

The market had been FLAT since Hurricane Ike, so we figured that this was going to be difficult.  Other offers came in, but at much lower amounts (more like $10,000-15,000 below list price).  As Realtors, we are duty-bound to present ALL offers to the seller for consideration, no matter how low or ridiculous.  It is the seller's job to make the decision -- with our advice -- as to how to proceed.  As it turned out, a buyer came along in January 2013 who was willing to pay exactly what Jane wanted, subject (of course) to inspections and appraisal.

As you can guess, the appraisal came in $5,000 below list price (or $4,000 below the contract amount). Since financing is dependent upon the appraisals -- and with my appraisal background -- I began an appeal of the appraisal on my client's behalf.  With supplemental data that I provided, the appraiser raised his estimated value by $3,000, making it just $1,000 below the contract amount.  The seller accepted it and we closed.

Yesterday, on my way home from work, I received an email complaint that this seller filed -- now almost 4 months since closing -- claiming that we did not represent her best interests.  Really?  Seriously?  Are you kidding me?

My team closes over 200 transactions each year, ranking us in the Top RE/MAX Teams in Texas, year-after-year.  So one complaint in the last several years?  I just need to reply and move on . . . please help!

Using my best customer service skills, I want to reply as follows:  "thank you for raising your concerns.  We strive to hit our customers' and clients' goals through diligent market research and conscientious negotiations.  Sometimes, timing and market conditions have a profound effect on our work.  I am sorry that you feel as though you "broke even" rather than profited from your home investment in just two short years.  And no, I'm also sorry that we cannot refund your money."  (Funny how that became the focal point of her email . . . now 4 months later!)

Help me!  You would advise me to add or say:  "___________________."

Google Today at RE/MAX Top Realty

Everything Google Goes Great Guns, by Sam Ferreri

There seems to be a "war" between Facebook and Google these days, as both add new features almost daily.  At first, it seemed to me that social media (nee "Facebook") was "the opiate of the masses," commanding inordinate amounts of time spent finding auld lang syne.  We were younger, more careless, our bodies were more taut (except my friends I've seen recently who've been to the plastic surgeon . . . but that's another story!).  Nonetheless, we go back to high school and college and reconnect with our old friends.  Kinda makes you feel good.  (By the way, the links I included take you to my profile pages in both media, so that you can reconnect with me!  :-)

But Facebook and Google have become far more than memory lanes.  They have become savvy business tools.  And every marketing guru in the nation has been trying to figure out how to turn these social platforms into the marketing coo of the 21st century.  And they're effective, but not with the degree of effectiveness and certainty that we're used to with more direct marketing media.  On the contrary, they require interaction with the people, rather than simply conveying messages to the people.

So today, at RE/MAX Top Realty, we're going to begin our weekly "Top Tech Tips Talk" (tick-tock, cucu, cucu) -- sorry, that's an alliteration tongue twister and I digress -- on the power of everything Google.  From Google+ (which I thought would never take off, but it has.....big time....) to Google Sites, Google Blogger (you're reading in it now), Google Analytics, Google Trends, Google Webmaster Tools, Google Apps, Google Finance, Google Wallet, and the rest . . . wow . . . it can be overwhelming!  But we're digging in, because the internet has become a Realtor's primary tool.

I continue to share the power of the proprietary system, LeadStreet, with our agents, as this is a great RE/MAX Tool.  But adding the power of Google and Facebook to the mix can help us develop our own, unique social platforms in the cyber world.  And, I believe that creating "information on demand" for the consumer is the next trend away from flooding inboxes with spam.  Maybe it's "spam on demand?"  Because sometimes, people need the info that was previously contained in spam.  (Did anyone ever eat "fried Spam sandwiches" growing up?)  Sorry, Hormel, but yuck.

Ok....now you know.....it's about Everything Google starting today.  Want to learn more about Google and RE/MAX Top Realty?  Call me at 832-200-5656.  by Sam Ferreri . . .

and visit online, www.BecomeATopAgent.com 

So which do you prefer . . . Google?  or Facebook?

100% Business -- That's the RE/MAX Top Realty way!

The RE/MAX Top Realty Way

We are 100% business people serving buyers and sellers of real estate.  We take our responsibility very seriously, as we know that our clients and customers are business people, too, and the business of their real estate investments is not taken lightly.

There.  I've said it.  I enjoy saying what I think.  So yesterday, some agent came into our offices looking for a RE/MAX agent from another company.  Yes, she was in the wrong place.  (This is the same agent who hasn't returned my text messages for a couple of weeks.)  But she wanders into the wrong place and sent me a text message stating that our office was "heavy."  Yes, it is.  We are highly productive and business-oriented.  (I think she meant to be derogatory, but I didn't take it as such.  I thought it a compliment!)

As I woke up this morning, I remembered the last time I saw a group of agents from this office with their team leader . . . it was at a "Broker Open House" in Silvercreek.  The team leader was dressed like a soccer referee (with black striped shirt) and a whistle.  Apparently, they'd had "skit day" that morning at their office meeting before coming to the Open House.   So, I'm assuming this is what she meant by stating that our office is "heavy."

Yeah.  It is.  We do business . . . never had a "skit day."  (It's no wonder our agents outsell their agents by more than 2 to 1, year-after-year.)

[Looking for a 100% productivity-oriented environment in which to grow your business?  
Visit www.BecomeATopAgent.com . . . and call me.]   By Sam Ferreri

Cut Refinancing Expenses

Every single day, homeowners who are excited about lowering their rate have a tendency to ignore the refinancing costs because they’re being rolled back into the new mortgage. If the payment is lower than what they’re currently paying and there’s no money out of pocket, it seems like a good deal.

Refinancing your home because a lower rate is available is one thing but the closing costs associated with that new loan could add several thousand dollars to your mortgage balance. By following some of the suggestions listed below, you may be able to reduce the expense to refinance.

•  Tell the lender up-front that you want to have the loan quoted with minimal closing costs.
•  Check with your existing lender to see if the rate and closing costs might be cheaper.
•  If you’re refinancing a FHA or VA loan, consider the streamline refinance.
•  Shop around with other lenders and compare rate and closing costs.
•  Credit unions may have lower closing costs because they are generally loaning deposits and their cost of funds is less.
•  Reducing the loan-to-value so that mortgage insurance is not required will reduce expenses.
•  Ask if the lender can use an AVM, automated valuation model, instead of an appraisal.
•  You may not need a new survey if no changes have been made.
•  There may be a discount on the mortgagee’s title policy available on a refinance.
•  Points on refinancing, unlike purchase, are ratably deductible over the life of the loan.
•  Consider a 15 year loan. If you can afford the higher payments, you can expect a lower interest rate than a 30 year loan and obviously, it will build equity faster and pay off in half the time.

A lender must provide you a list of the fees involved with making the loan within 3 days of making a loan application in the form of a Good Faith Estimate. Every dollar counts and they belong to you.

 

Postcards in your mailbox . . . Do you read them?

Postcards in Pearland?

By Sam Ferreri        

It's no secret that I consistently mail out lots of postcards to the Pearland marketplace to keep the "Pearland Sam" brand in the minds of consumers when they need a Realtor.  Consequently, customers tell me that "they see me everywhere."

But I wonder . . . does anyone really read those postcards?  Or do they even look at the pictures?  Or do they simply get "weeded out" with the big packages of bulk mail that seems to appear in everybody's mailbox on a daily basis?

So....do you read them?  Do you like them/hate them?  Do you use direct mail in your marketing?  Here is a sample of an old postcard that we mailed to our marketplace.  Did you get one?                                                  

I guess I'm feeling insecure!  The cost to continually keep these postcards "going" is climbing . . . and there are less and less homes for sale in the market.  So . . . help me justify this cost of doing business!  Read the postcards and say, "Sam, keep 'em coming!" . . .  or tell me, "Sam . . . stop 'em!"

Websites -- Pretty or Useful, which is best?

LeadStreet Sam asks a question . . . will you comment?

So I've been looking into a new tool offered by some folks in Michigan to help LeadStreet users make their websites prettier.  Their offer includes SEO and quite a few other features, for a low monthly fee.  It sounds great!  And they definitely have some pretty designs.

However, I caught the "tail-end" of the video presentation that stated that you give up access to your site builder, should you sign up for the service.  Which seems to add a limitation to the functionality of the website.  Also, as I've traveled around the country, agents WANT a "pretty" option.

My contention, however, has been that "it's not how pretty the site is, but what it's content is."  The unique flexibility of the LeadStreet site builder allows the user to customize whatever he/she wants to say, and present it to the public.  But, as the argument goes, Realtors are not web masters!

So . . . my question:  which is better, "pretty" or "useful?"  And I'm only talking about websites here!  Your comments will be taken seriously.  Thanks.  By Sam Ferreri