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REALTOR

What you may not (want to) know….

by Dru Bloomfield on January 5, 2009

Calie Waterhouse and Gay Potter tagged me for a meme last week.

I like the way @Tyler Hurst says it: “The rules are simple. Write seven things about yourself and then tag seven people, link to their blogs and ask them to do the same.”

  1. I leaned over the handlebars of my tricycle when I was 3 years old, in the garage at the top of the basement stairs, trying to talk to my mom who was downstairs doing laundry.  Next thing, I know I’m flying through the air, then on her lap, crying.  Result: I love to bike ride.  I do wear a helmet, as occasionally, I’m still fearless.
  2. I’m an early riser. It started when my son was a toddler, waking up and wondering around the house during the middle of the night.  Sometimes, I justify my early mornings with Benjamin Franklin rattling around in my head. “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
  3. My husband had a dark room when I met him.  We’ve been married 21 years, and until this past year, I’ve always deferred to him to be the family photographer.  With the discovery of Flickr, and having my Scottsdale photos picked up for use on blogging articles around the world, I’m starting to feel a little more confident.  I’ve even signed up for a photography class!
  4. I believe in the power of the mind.  Think about positive things and they will happen.  For example, when I was looking for my first job after getting my Bachelor’s degree, I attended a job fair where Bell Labs had a booth.  I’d become fascinated with the Snobol language in school, and dreamed of working where it was created.  I walked up to the recruiter, and made some inane remark, like “I’m here.” Six weeks later, I was relocated and reporting to a job that was paying me to get my first Master’s degree.  Still amazing to me, and constant reminder that clarity of thought and intention, coupled with a little patience, works wonders.
  5. I trust my gut.  Sometimes, I let my logic and intuition duke it out for awhile, but ultimately, I find that my sub/super conscious are much more in tuned to a situation than my rational mind.
  6. One of my life goals has been to be a writer.  I wrote some pretty creative pieces in high school, but when I got to college, I froze up.  Somehow, I managed to put off English 101 and 102, until my senior year.  By that point, I knew who the best instructors were, and had a fabulous time getting to know my inner muse.  I’ve journaled off and on, since then, but until I discovered blogging, never had the inclination to put anything out there for others to read.
  7. I’m fascinated by numbers, and was so disappointed to discover that most of the upper level classes I took for my Math degree were actually more about logic than manipulating figures.  Nonetheless, I finished, a bit wiser, and I still think statistics rock. 

Here are seven people I’ve met or hang out with on Twitter, that I’m curious to know more about:

I did this meme thing a couple times before. 

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming!

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The Power of Volunteering

by Dru Bloomfield on November 2, 2008

Five years ago, when I was looking for a brokerage to work under, I chose John Hall & Associates.  My previous real estate agent had suggested I consider the company, because three of my prior real estate transactions had involved John Hall agents.  She said the transactions were handled smoothly, and the agents were extremely ethical and very professional. My interview went very well, and I remember getting a thank-you note afterwards.  I was impressed with the followthrough. 

Once associated with the company, I discovered a culture of volunteerism that was not readily apparent from the outside.  Jim Sexton, our broker is very involved at a professional and REALTOR association level.  He hosts an annual golf fundraiser for the the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.  And he is not alone, I’ve found many others in the company who contribute to society and their communities in countless and unseen ways.

Sometimes though, a person’s contributions are highlighted publicly, today I’d like you to know about Reita Hutson, who is a Realtor with the company in Scottsdale.  Later this month, she will honor at the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) convention in Orlando, as one of five winners of its Good Neighbor Awards.

The Arizona Republic ran an article Friday, and I think you will enjoy reading more about Reita and her contributions to our world:  Gabriel, Lost Boys led by their angel.  She’s also featured on the cover of this month’s NAR magazine, Reita Hutson: Meet the Smile Maker

Congratulations, Reita.  You inspire us.

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Why Do I Write?

by Dru Bloomfield on September 1, 2008

Not much in the way of writing or blogging has come out of me in the past couple of weeks. I’ve wondered if it’s writer’s block, or if I’m getting bored, or if there’s just nothing new to report about.

It’s a combination of all that, and more.

A couple months ago, I had a transaction fall apart on the day of closing. For all my efforts, I couldn’t save it. If you’ve ever skied, you’ll be familiar with being “on your heels”, not a good place to have your center of gravity when going down hill. Anyway, I can honestly say that I’ve been on my heels, afraid to offend, afraid to make a mistake, and stuffing a sock in my mouth not to share anything about what’s been going on in my world. All out of fear.

Fear is not any way to lead a life. Run a business. Be a parent. Write.

Which takes me right into my second reason for being so quiet on the keyboard. I have a son with autism, who was not diagnosed until he was well into his teens, after receiving special services and education since he was three years old. I left my successful corporate career over ten years ago, so I could be closer to home, to guide his development and education. At the time I resigned my position, my son was 95% unintelligible. Quite a talker, but no one, except his parents, could understand a word he said. We used American Sign Language, and I became quite proficient at augmentative communication devices. And, over time, Matt’s speech cleared, and his other challenges became more apparent.

Leave it to say that transitions are sometimes very difficult for him. School started mid August, and he is just now getting into his rhythm. Any parent with a child that has any kind of sensory sensitivities, OCD, or other social behavioral issues, will tell you that there are times that you just have to drop everything, and figure out what’s going with your child who lives in a different time-space continuum. Because, nothing else will move forward, until peace and harmony are achieved. At least that’s the way it is, in our house.

And then the third possibility I considered, was that I was just getting bored with blogging about real estate. So much has (not) happened in real estate over the summer. Yes, buyer assistance programs were voted out of existence (for now). And, we have a government assisted recovery plan, that includes a no-interest loan disguised as a home buyer’s tax credit. Buyers are still nervous. Home prices are still going down. Not much has really changed over the summer, or so it seems.

I considered that I might really have a stale outlook, but then thought of the many new clients that I have, the true adventures we’ve been experienced viewing homes, all the offers that we’ve been writing, and I realize that I’m not really bored. I’m just underwhelmed.

We all want something to change for the better. We do.

How we got here is old news. Where we are going is what people want to know. Now.

Sellers are pricing better. Buyers are making offers, with the market in mind. And agents are positioning real estate offers more.

This real estate market absolutely requires us all to be better communicators. The reality of a real estate transaction in Arizona is that the buyer and seller most likely will never meet or talk to each other. Real estate agents provide real-time, street-wise real estate knowledge and expertise, craft the offer, procure a contract acceptance, and manage a closing. Negotiating a contract to a mutually agreeable result and completion, requires communication, creativity, flexibility, and finesse, ultimately resulting in a meeting of the minds. And today more than ever, negotiation is a core skill that is needed, must be refined, and leads to a completed home purchase or sale.

We all need to work together. Today, I showed one of my listings to two separate couples, represented by another agent, who called me in a panic. She was out of town. My listing was perfect for both of her clients, and time was running short, they were ready to make a decision. Could I help her out? I have a motivated seller, in a short sale situation, so yes, I did work my schedule so I could show the house.

At the same time, I was negotiating two contracts. One for a buyer who has been looking for a home in Scottsdale for over a year. And another who is relocating to the Phoenix area for a new job. Both are very motivated.

(Some much for the holiday. I guess that’s why they call it Labor Day.)

Back to my original question….why do I write?

I write because I have things to share. Information that will help buyers and sellers make real estate choices more easily when they are armed with good, solid information. My mom raised me to “not say anything, unless I had something nice to say”, and I have to confess, this statement really pretty much defines who I am, 99% of the time. And with all the havoc in the real estate industry, I sometimes just hunker down and plow ahead, knowing that there are brighter skies ahead.

And when the skies clear, and there’s something promising, or insightful, or just plain cool, you can count on hearing from me. I’ll always have something positive to say.

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A New Face At Home in Scottsdale

by Dru Bloomfield on June 3, 2008

My real estate business has been growing, yes, even in this down market.  I’ve been cautious in creating a team, but have decided that in order to best serve my clients, it’s time to grow. 

Calie WaterhouseToday, I’d like to introduce you to Calie Waterhouse.  I met Calie about five years ago, when I was actively attending the AZREIA meetings in downtown Phoenix.  Calie was one of two stagers, presenting at one particular meeting.  My husband and I talked with her afterwards, and then ended up hiring her several times to help us stage properties we were selling.  Several of my clients also used Calie’s services to sell their homes, and were always extremely pleased with the results.  She provided top notch service and a great product.  Over the past year, Calie decided it was time to try something new.

So, I’m very happy to announce that Calie is now a licensed REALTOR®, working with me, as an assistant.  Beside her great eye for getting properties ready for market, Calie loves taking photos, and she’s a computer whiz.  With these talents and skills, she will be working with me to keep listings in their best showing condition and enhancing our already extensive on-line marketing capabilities for selling your home.   

Welcome, Calie!

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Have I Forgotten I’m a Scottsdale Realtor?

by Dru Bloomfield on May 11, 2008

This has been one of those weeks where I’ve had so much to write about in the world around me, that I feel like I’ve neglected to share much what’s going on in the world of Scottsdale real estate. 

I have a half written post on what constitutes a low-ball offer in today’s market.  I’m waiting for the Altos updates which come out tomorrow.  I am adding another assistant to my team, and I’ll have more to post on that soon, so I can introduce you to her. 

What has been most on my mind this week after taking care of my active clients and potential clients, is testing our new Flex Multiple Listing Service (MLS).  Those of us who have offered to test the system are working double time, setting up our Buyer Reports (home listing reports,) and completing our Comparative Market Analysis (CMA’s) twice, in both our existing and the new system, and then comparing for discrepancies.  It’s an exciting time, and we are very ready to have our new tool in place to help our real estate clients better, faster, and more completely. 

FlexMLS map
Sample search with our new system where I can identify an area on a map, such as above, where the blue area highlights McCormick Ranch north of Via de Ventura and south of Mountain View, east of Hayden and west of Pima.

So the answer is a definitive “No”.  I’ve not forgotten about Scottsdale real estate, not at all!   It’s just that in real estate (and blogging) much of the work takes place behind the scenes.  The good news is that often this background work serves to make me a better Realtor, so I can provide you better service.

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Unrepresented Home Buyers – Why?

by Dru Bloomfield on February 9, 2008

Yesterday, I was reviewing the status of  a repair negotiation for one of my clients with one of my assistants, and she made the comment that I protected my buyer clients like a bobcat mama.  I’ve thought about that statement repeatedly since then… and I’m concerned.  Let me tell you why.

I participated in one of the recent Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) focus groups a couple weeks ago, and also in the ARMLS Strategic retreat where the results of all of the focus groups were presented.  Once of the most interesting observations repeated from group to group was that buyers are shopping for houses, then for an agent. 

This is a trend that I’ve been experiencing, too.  Buyers are coming to me via the Internet, sign calls, and open houses.  This past weekend, I got a call from a guy who found one of my listings over the Internet, and said that he only worked with the listing agent.  I got another call on Thursday from an investor, who only works with listing agents.

I’ve been a very active REALTOR for four years, and purchased a good number of properties personally and as an investor prior to that.  I always preferred my own representation in negotiating a contract.  I wanted my own agent who had MY best interests in mind, not someone who was working for the seller, too.  My agent was a pro, and I relied heavily on her experience, her instincts, and her no nonsense style.  She’s served a  model for me as I’ve crafted my career.

So back to being a bobcat mama…. I believe that buyers are doing themselves a huge disservice when they do not interview and choose a real estate agent that they jive with… one who knows what he/she is doing and has the ability to communicate AND negotiate effectively.

Let’s face it. Real estate is a contact sport this year, and it’s only the first quarter.  As a buyer, you need someone who is going to assist you in researching properties and neighborhoods, someone who is going to write a solid contract that protects your interests, and someone who will guide you through the home inspection process.   In our market, repair negotiations have taken on a life of their own, and are more critical than ever.  Contracts can easily fall apart at this stage if a certain level of finesse and dose of creativity are not injected.  In my opinion, buyers who do not consider having their own buyer representation are selling themselves short.

Other agents have written extensively about the specifics of why you want your own buyer representation, and there are many reasons.  Ultimately, it comes down to:  Do you really know enough about the current real estate market, the art of effective contract writing, and the nuances of real estate negotiation to effectively represent yourself?  Or, would you be better served, to find an agent, build some trust and rapport, and have the benefit of someone who solely represents your best interests in today’s rough and tumble real estate market?

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