Various

In this day, it is important that your home be marketed to the buyers in THE WAY that the buyers prefer. 

What does that mean? 

Simply put, we all have our preferred methods of researching something we want. 

Customer A likes to read the morning paper with his coffee and uses the classified advertisements as his resource.  He decides that he wants to buy a house and starts checking the ads there and picking up the other print media options that feature homes for sale.

Customer B is on the go with her Iphone at her side at all times.  She never reads the paper, preferring instead to follow her RSS newsfeed for the news she is interested in.  When she wants to find something she turns to the internet and Google is both a noun and a verb in her mind.  She has decided that she wants to buy her first home and is on-line that evening.

Marketing to Customer A is standard real estate marketing.  The sign in the yard, the newspaper and magazine ads, open house ads, etc.  This is what any real estate agent will provide for you, the seller.  It is needed to reach Customer A, but Customer B will most likely never see any of it.

Reaching Customer B is where most real estate agents get confused.  Most real estate agents know that the internet is an important place to be, but they lack the knowledge and skills to place their listings in the optimum position to be found by the buyers.

That is where a REALTOR like myself (or another great one from across the state) comes in…

To appropriately market a listing to all of the buyers in the way that they want to find it your agent MUST have internet marketing skills.  They should understand how to optimize the listing for search engines and where to network to bring the best exposure to their listings. Does that agent understand how to work the on-line marketing to ensure that when someone googles the home’s address that home comes out first? 

Can they allow people driving by to text for more information including photos of the interior and feature sheets?

Will they do a video tour of the home and include that on their website, blog and social media sites?

If you want your home exposed to all of the buyers, you need an agent that can position your home to appeal to all types of buyers.  You can never be certain what avenue the buyer will take to find your home, but a good agent can offer some shortcuts to get them there faster.

If you are looking to sell your home in Western MA in the Greater Westfield/Springfield area: I would love to sit down and explain my complete marketing plan.  I am high tech with old fashioned service!

Call Lesley Lambert, The Real Estate Natural at Park Square Realty at 413-575-3611

Visit my website: www.therealestatenatural.com

Nothing, unless you are Lesley Lambert and happen to be showing 13 houses in Springfield, MA to your new first time home buyer client!

Never let it be said that being a real estate agent isn’t a constant adventure!

So, my day started out with meeting my new buyer client for the first time and doing a buyer agency counseling session.  After that we loaded up into my car and started out on our three hour journey.

The first home was normal enough.  Lock box where it belongs, house was ok…we moved on.

The second home was confirmed with the homeowner to let us in.  We find the street and my buyer points to a house with a sign and says “there it is”.  I park, we head to the door and knock.  No answer.  I try the REALTOR to see if I can use the lock box and can’t get in touch with him.  As I am getting on the phone with the listing office my buyer informs me that we are at the wrong house.  Color me dippy…I never checked the house number, sheesh.  With a laugh we make our way to the correct home which the buyer didn’t like.

We zig zag across Springfield (my showing order got messed up by the listing Realtors time requirements) and go to our next home which isn’t plowed or shoveled out.  After stomping through the foot of snow we discover that it is also not the right home.  Ah, the joys of showing REO listings in the winter in Western Massachusetts.

Next stop was almost not a stop as we slid sideways down the ice encrusted hill leading to the home.  We can’t go inside this one because the agent hasn’t called me back in four days with the lock box combo…of course, they love this one, so we have to re-schedule.

Moving along we use my GPS to find the next stop, only the road has been barricaded with barrels and chains.  We decide to park and walk vs. trying to find our way around.  This home is a treasure!  It is a large Craftsman home with a different inlaid floor pattern in each room, beamed ceilings, gorgeous built in features and wood galore.  The MBR has a bath AND a fireplace and we are all falling in love, until….we go into the bedroom with icicles on the ceiling.  This is a bank owned “where is, as is” listing and these buyers are not ready for that kind of project.

NEXT!

A series of homes that are just not quite right follow as we continue to loop around town.  We pass the same landmark a few times and I start making “Look Kids! Big Ben!” jokes a la the movie European Vacation.

We eventually land at our last home which looks adorable from the road and has a large lot.  The driveway has totally iced over and the three of us are literally skating to the back door to access the lock box.  After a few axles and triple loops we get inside the house, which is quaint.  This home is somehow been frozen in time, including the amenities which include this lovely AM/FM toilet paper dispenser.  I have been showing homes for 20years and I must admit, I have never seen this before!

At the end of the day, we had shared a lot of laughs and seen a lot of interesting things.  I know more about these new buyers and what they are looking for in a home and we will be going out for more adventures next weekend!

If you know someone who is looking to buy a home in Western MA and would like to make it an adventure…have them call

Lesley Lambert, The Real Estate Natural at Park Square Realty!

What’s the difference between Short Sale vs Short Payoff?

In our current real estate environment, here in Western Massachusetts, it is crucial that buyers and sellers fully understand the difference between a “Short Sale” and a “Short Payoff”.

A Short Sale is where the lender or investor agrees to accept an amount less than actual owed on the property. The Criteria for a Short Sale are that the borrower demonstrates a verifiable long term hardship.

A Short Payoff is when the lender agrees to release the lien (their interest) on the property and allow the property to be “conveyed” to a new owner. The lender agrees to accept less than the amount owed on the property to release the lien however they extend a certain amount of “credit” to the borrower in the form of an unsecured line of credit or promissory note.

The Criteria for a Short Payoff – The mortgage is current, the borrower has great credit, the borrower had and can demonstrate the ability to pay off the debt. When would you request a Short Payoff? – You would request a short payoff when the home has lost value dramatically and you do not have the ability to pay the large amount to get completely out of the property. Note – Not all lenders will allow for a Short Payoff, however you will never know if you never ask. Advantages of a Short Pay-Off:

• You are able to move out of the property and get on with your life.

• You SHOULD receive no negative feedback on your credit.

• You may obtain a lower interest rate on the loan. Sometimes 1-2%. If for some crazy reason your ability to pay changes and your client are not able to pay on the note, the credit ramifications are significantly smaller.

For more information on short sales, including who to contact and every states legal information, read my    FREE E-book on my website. 

Are you a homeowner in the Westfield, MA or Western Massachusetts area who owns a home that is worth less than you owe, but need to or want to make a move?  I am here to help!  Call Lesley Lambert, The Real Estate Natural at Park Square Realty at 413-575-3611.

I live in Westfield, Massachusetts and we are having one HECK of a winter.  Today was yet another snow day, no school, snowed in at home with my daughters.  Days like this give a real estate agent a lot of options, for example:

#1- stay in PJ’s and watch old musicals all day

#2- work from home

#3- clean the house

#4- nap

#5- chat with friends

#6- go outside and play

#7- read

I was in an a la carte mood today and took a few different options.

Option #1- I hope this isn’t too much information for you, but I love jammie days!  I didn’t, however, turn on the TV because of

Option #2 – I worked from home, as I often do.  I emailed everyone on my buyer list, I updated my email drip campaigns on my website, I spoke with a buyer (Thanks Clint!), I wrote a press release and I blogged. 

Option #3 – is a work in progress.  I don’t like housechores so I take it in little bites.  Cleaned the kitchen then emailed, folded laundry then blogged…you get the picture.  There is still a pile of laundry the size of the Berkshire Mnts staring at me as I write this, but I will get to it!

Option #4 – don’t feel drowsy today, so I get to stay productive..even in my PJs!

Option # 5 – Enter my new favorite addiction:  twitter.  Today I chatted with friends old and new in business and personal matters.  I am making contacts, broadening my referral network and LEARNING a ton!

Option # 6 – Thank goodness, my girls didn’t feel like going outside, because I am too snug here on the couch!

Option # 7 – I didn’t read my book (although it is terrific: Host by Stephanie Meyers) but I DID read a lot of blogs and motivational materials to keep me focused on staying positive.

My daughters have been cooperating and working beside me all day.  I think it is a great way for them to grow to understand how much effort it takes to be a working mom.  It also teaches them to be flexible and have a good work ethic.  They can see their mom is working, but I can take a break here and there to be with them at lunch or over a book.  Speaking of which…gotta run: the youngest wants help with a puzzle!