Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Real estate broker

REALTOR Safety On The Job – Time for a Change REALTOR Community

beverly carter
photo credit: The Lighter Side of Real Estate on Facebook

Yesterday was a rough day in the REALTOR community as we awoke to find out that Beverly Carter, a REALTOR in Arkansas that was missing for days after meeting a prospective buyer at a home for a showing was found murdered in a shallow grave.

 

“She was just a woman that worked alone — a rich broker,” said the man charged with her murder, Aaron Lewis, in response to questions about his motives.

This tragic and senseless murder has rocked the real estate community and brought  a public light via traditional media and especially social media the dangers that real estate agents face while on the job.

While I never met Beverly, I feel like I lost a friend or a sister in arms because I understand the life she was living and the work she did.  I watched the reporting of her disappearance with hope in my heart and a prayer on my lips….how many times could the very same thing have happened to me?

Hearing the news of her death and seeing the outpouring of emotions in the real estate community forced me to really take stock of how we do our business and what changes I think should be made.  We can’t bring Beverly back, but we can use her memory to fuel a sea change in our business that is long overdue.

We should all take personal safety measures and our offices should band together to create strategies, but what I am talking about is a community wide, global change in the way we all approach the business.  REALTOR community, it is time to band together to make a change in our level of professionalism, degree of respect we give each other and how we perform the job.

Why are we running out to show a home to a client we don’t know?  What other professional would do such a thing?  When is the last time your hairdresser came running to your house, what about a mechanic?  Does your attorney or doctor make house calls? No.  They all require an appointment and for the most part demand that you attend that appointment at their place of employ.  If consumers expect that we will and should drop everything to run out and open a door for them then I argue that we have created the problem by allowing and perpetuating that expectation.

Next up the agent cries, “But if I don’t go open the door for them they will simply call another agent who will!”.  This is my point….we need to bond up together and agree that the standard needs to rise for all of us.  Agents, STOP IT. Stop taking unsafe risks to be the “gung ho go getter”.  You are putting yourself and everyone in the profession in danger.

WE NEED STANDARDS.

I am not going to get into what best practices I am setting into place for my safety moving forward because we all have different thresholds by which we feel safe.  I am simply stating that every real estate agent needs to make it standard that we will not run out to show a home to a total stranger.  At the very least we need to meet at our offices or a public place and obtain a picture ID and share that information with a loved one or our office.  We need to make the public respect our time and safety and that will only work if we all agree that this is a necessary measure.

Take a stand agents.  As for me, if a client won’t work around my safety guidelines then I will let them loose and pray that they don’t find an agent who has no standards to protect themselves and our industry.

RIP Beverly.  You are not forgotten.

 

Don’t Stink Up Your House Sale with Too Much Scent!

stinky houseI showed a home in Westfield, MA this week that made me nervous.

It wasn’t because the condition or location of the house….it was the SMELL of the house.

Nope, not pet smell or musty smell – stinky candle smell was the culprit.

Let me tell you homeowners something….your house stinks and it isn’t helping me to sell it!

Cue the hue and cry “But we want the home to be inviting!” or “The smell of fresh baked cookies is what you are supposed to do, isn’t it?” or “But we have pets!”.

I know, I know, I have heard it all before.  Now you pull up a seat and listen to this 25 year real estate professional.  Your house stinks.

You want to make your home inviting?  Get the furniture staged, paint the walls the right colors, make it clean and bright and fresh.

Fresh looking AND fresh smelling.

Those cookies you baked?  The buyer wonders why you needed them.  What are you covering up?  The candles you light?  The buyer may be allergic or get headaches from the chemical scents and I am petrified that a listing is going to burn down to the ground from an unattended candle so I go around and blow them all out ANYWAYS.  The pets?  Yes, they smell bad….fix the origin of the smell.  And please for the love of all things DON’T plug in one of those stink making oil things.

Now, you ask….if I shouldn’t use candles, bake cookies or plug in stink makers, HOW do I make the house smell fresh?

The first answer is CLEAN IT.  I don’t mean a gentle wipe down, I mean a on-your-hands-and-knees and behind-every-nook-and-cranny cleaning with nice smelling products.   Natural scents are best, even though those products might be a bit more expensive.  Think lavender, citrus and herbal scents.  These natural smells are appealing to almost everyone and make your home seem fresh and clean.  Scrub the floors, clean the drains, wash the carpets, dry out the basement deal with the litter box and pet beds, you can’t cover these smells up, you need to make them go away.lavender

Then it is time to investigate some natural deodorizing methods.  I have my own chosen techniques that rely heavily on baking soda, activated charcoal, vinegar and essential oils, but I took a little trip to Pinterest and found gads of fantastic ideas on how to make your house smell GOOD. 

I haven’t tried a lot of these ideas, but they look fantastic and I will be testing them out.  If you try some of them, let me know how they worked for you in a comment below, too!

Onward to a stink free, sweet smelling SOLD!

Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty 413-575-3611

 

 

Why Should You Hire Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR? Client Testimonial

“It was a difficult process and Lesley was the glue who held everything together to completion – she’s terrific!” –Doug Johnson, home buyer in Agawam, MAhome buyer agawam, ma

I give you my client’s quote first, because I want you to hear about my work through his words.

Doug was presented to me by some past clients of mine and I was very flattered that they wanted me to be the one to help relocate their best friend back to Western Massachusetts.

BuyerTestimonial for Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR

 

 

We had some very specific requirements for Doug’s new home and it wasn’t easy to find, but find it we did.  It was not always easy to get through the process of purchasing this great new home, but we persevered.  I kept up the encouragement because I knew Doug loved this home and I am thrilled that we made it successfully to getting him settled in his new home.

So, welcome back to Western Massachusetts Doug and thank you for letting me be your Western MA REALTOR and buyer agent in the purchase of your Agawam home!

 If you are looking to buy a home in Western MA, please let me help you, too!

Lesley Lambert, Park Square Realty, Western MA buyer agent 413-575-3611

 

 

 

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Top Three Red Flags for House Flipping in Western MA (and how to succesfully navigate them)

Before and After house flip in Western MAAre you considering flipping a house in Western MA?  House flipping can be a great way to make a profit, but it can also be a quick way to lose a bundle, if you are inexperienced and don’t have the right help along the way. 

You will want to know what the top three red flags are for house flipping in Western Massachusetts and how to successfully navigate around them to make money.

ABC News recently reported that in 2013 there were 156,862 homes flipped in the United States.  That figure is up 114 percent over 2011.

That is a huge jump, but is it the right time for you to invest in a flip or did you miss the market?  There is still an opportunity to make money on flipping homes, if you take the right steps and work with the right REALTOR.

As a realtor in Western MA, I have extensive experience assisting investors with their flipping purchases and renovations.  I have several clients who buy and sell flipped homes with me multiple times throughout any given year.  Additionally, I grew up in a family that flipped Western MA houses and I learned from their experiences.  I am not an investor in flipping homes, but I use my experience and hands on knowledge to assist my investor clients and help them realize profits on their projects.  If you involve me in this process from the beginning I will do all I can to ensure you have a positive experience and turn a profit from your flip.  The following items are the things to understand, but if you understand the process you, too, could profit from flipping homes.

Red Flag Number One  – Initial purchase.  You need to be aware of several things when you are buying a house to flip.  These homes are always in some sort of distress, whether they are foreclosure or short sale or just merely rundown.  The reason they are less expensive and less desirable to traditional buyers is because there are usually mechanical and structural flaws.  These properties are sold as-is and sometimes you don’t even get to inspect them.  Be certain that you have done your research and understand the flaws and the expense in repairing them.

You don’t need to fly blind in this process.  Bringing along an experienced Western MA real estate agent to guide you with advice and negotiation power will help to protect you and ensure that you feel comfortable with your decisions.  Especially if this is your first time attempting to flip a property, you need to find someone you can trust and lean on their experience in making decisions.

Red Flag Number Two – Renovations.  It is very easy to get lost in the project.  There are always unexpected repairs that come up and inevitably something costs more than you budgeted for.  You need to be sure that you are prepared to weather a bit of surprise in working on the property.  Additionally, you need to take great care not to over improve the property.  Many investors make the mistake of finishing off a mid-range home as if it were a mansion and spend what would have been their profit at closing.

I advise my flipping clients throughout the renovation process.   I visit the house as it is being worked on and let my client know if I think they are over improving or making poor decor choices. As an agent working with buyers and visiting homes daily, I know what today’s buyer is looking for in style and color choices and I share that information with my investor clients.  There are also upgrades that I tell my investor clients are not worth doing as they won’t bring enough of a return.  My advice ensures that when the home is ready to go on the market it will have visual appeal and room to price it attractively.

Red Flag Number Three: Selling.  It is very tempting to want to ask top dollar or even higher for your freshly renovated project.  After all, it is gleaming and you put your heart and soul into it and shouldn’t someone pay more for that?  Be very careful in pricing.  There is an old saying “Greedy pigs get slaughtered”.  You should be very careful in making sure that you aren’t reaching too far because overpriced homes, no matter how pretty they are, will sit and grow stale on the market.  Remember, you have monthly carrying costs to consider.  Your goal is to get the house sold in 30-45 days for a reasonable price that will bring you profit.

Pricing is huge in flipping a home.  The time to know what the fair market value is for your flipped property is before you purchase it.  I run comparable sales figures for my investor clients before we even write an offer.  In doing this, my client can figure out what his top purchase price would be by estimating repair costs, holding costs, expenses and fees.  My clients all have a pretty fair idea of what type of profit range they will see on any given home they purchase because we do all the research in the front.

Flipping homes in Western MA is not for everyone, no matter how well prepared you are, there is still a certain amount of risk involved.  If you think you are ready to attempt a flipping project in Western MA, get in touch with me to discuss the process and allow my experience to guide you.

Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty 413-575-3611

 

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Checklist Guide to Prepare Your Western MA Home for Sale

living room staged for saleWhether the weather is cooperating or not, Spring is here and with that season of renewal comes thoughts of making a move in Western MA or beyond.

It can take several weeks or more to prep your Western MA home for sale, so you need to get a jump on the checklist if you are going to be ready to hit the market this Spring.

We are actually experiencing a shortage of homes for sale in Western MA so if you are considering making a move, you should get in touch with me right away to get the ball rolling!  Getting on the market ahead of the crowd means less competition for you!

According to Laura Gaskill on Houzz your order of operations is this:

First steps:

  1. Interview and choose a real estate agent.
  2. Assess your property — not just the value but also what could be done to the interior or exterior to appeal to more buyers.
  3. Decide what work you are going to do yourself and what you would like a pro to do.
  4. Hire a home stager. Your stager will have important input on what repairs and changes will be most worth your time and money, and which ones to skip.
  5. Hire additional pros as needed, starting with a landscaper. Remember, the landscape needs time to fill in.

Your first step in getting your Western MA home ready to sell should be to get in touch with me.  I will make a no obligation visit to your home to discuss what changes and improvements can be made to get the most out of your sale.  Often these are simple and not very expensive improvements, but they can take some time, so we should meet before you think you are going to go on the market.

To get started on selling your Western MA home, get in touch with me:

Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty 413-575-3611

For more tips from the Houzz article, see below.

Kitchen ideas, bathroom ideas, and more ∨Before starting a bathroom remodel, search for bathroom ideas and interesting products, including a one-of-a-kind bath, vanity and bath sink.
As you get ready to host an event, be sure you have enough dining benches and dishes for dinner guests, as well as enough bakeware and kitchen knives sets for food preparation.

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