2nd February 2012
I had an appointment today at 1pm to take photographs of a property and prepare for marketing. As I walked up the path I spotted a For Sale sign we had up the road at another property looking a little battered. I quickly texted our Board Contractor asking him to replace it. Forty five minutes later, I returned to my car with my photographs and glanced up the road - the board had been replaced! Fantastic service from a fantastic Board Contractor. We've been together for the past 10 years or so; here's to the next couple of decades together...
Friday 30th December 2011
I'm in the mood for some statistics. With Christmas and New Year holidays, we've been open 3 days this week: today; yesterday and the day before. Last year I had regularly checked the emails and voicemail messages and on 29th December 2010 had received 25 emails and voicemails. We made a very quick decision to open the office the next day and sold 2 properties as a result. This year we stayed open, booked 20 viewings; registered 8 new buyers; dealt with 8 offers and boiled the kettle 7 times to make 3 cups of tea because the 'phone kept ringing. One cup of tea went cold if you're interested because I didn't stop from the minute I got into the office from when I left and there was no lunch break but I did manage to have 3 chocolate biscuits. I need to sort my diet out.
15th December 2011
'Tis the Season to be Jolly. I've just returned to the office after my appointments today, the last one being a house in Churchtown which is to come on the market. This involves full details for the sales particulars; full detailed measure up for the floor plans and the internal and external photographs. However, as I'm standing at the door waiting for an answer I see there's a rather pretty, fully loaded, rather large, Christmas tree in the window. That has to go...... we can't have it on the photographs because, well, it would be silly. My poor Client had to unplug it and drag it across the floor to the corner where he hemmed himself in and all I could see was his face peeking out between the branches whilst I twisted myself around the tree to get the shot! A Day In The Life Of....
8th December 2011
Whilst the news is reporting doom and gloom, we're still very, very busy. We sold 18 properties in November and we're working on our 6th for December already. One of them was inspected last Thursday; measured up, photographed and put on the market Friday; 4 viewings arranged Saturday; an offer of the full asking price Sunday and another offer over the asking price Monday. Result? One very happy Client and a delighted Buyer. So the market's dead then is it? I don't think so but we're just keeping our heads down and working at selling.
6th December 2011
BBC Breakfast news last week had a feature on how important the garden shed is for the husband of the house; a "bolt hole" and somewhere to hide or escape or just chill. They had lots of photographs of extremely impressive sheds to demonstrate how seriously some people took having a shed in their garden - some were a mess yet others were better than their house. I've seen a lot of houses (and sheds) in my time and it's always made me smile how many sheds have locks............. on the inside. I guess this supports everything the BBC chose to report last week on the importance of having your own haven and I have to say, what a delight it was to listen to an interesting story rather than GLOOM GLOOM and more GLOOM! I know the Euro is important but give me a story about a shed any day!
1st December 2011
I am still here! We're just so blinking busy!!!!!! I will be back to continue with the Blog. Promise.
13th October 2011
Every day I see about 3 properties for people who are considering a sale. Today I met a lovely family made up of Mum, Dad, little girl and even littler boy. When I walked in, the little boy had, apparently, been looking forward to meeting me (bless him). He looked up at me, quietly said "hello" and disappeared upstairs. Much later, his Father returned after seeing him to say his son had announced quiet seriously "I though Karen Potter would be shorter". Awwwwww ..... !
29th September 2011
I have a Client who is a real character. He gave me instructions to sell his Mother's flat in Southport which needed a fair amount of modernisation works but the asking price we agreed allowed for the cost of these improvements. We've now sold it for him and he called into our office yesterday. Just as he was leaving he asked "Have you learnt anything from me as to how to sell property?" Intrigued I asked him to elaborate.............. "It's simple" he replied "Tell them to go to H*ll with their silly offers and they'll come back with the full asking price!" With that he smiled, waved and walked out. If only it was as simple as that.
15th September 2011
When property in England and Wales is sold, within a couple of months after completion of the sale, it appears on the internet detailing the final sale price. Like it or not, this information is there for anyone with an internet connection to see. However, we as Estate Agents are not allowed to divulge information detailing the amount of an offer made on a property we're selling before it has legally completed. This is simply to prevent buyers being disadvantaged during the process of buying a property. Let's face it, there are enough problems facing buyers and sellers out there without increasing competition between everyone and encouraging "Dutch Auctions". The tactics some people use to attempt to extract this information from us is often admirable. We have had a gentleman ask us five or six times to tell him how much a sale was proceeding at. He had tried all sorts of tactics including speaking with just about every single member of staff and asking the same question (except me funnily enough) or asking if it was higher or lower than a certain figure (Bruce Forsyth springs to mind here). However, today was different because we were very much on to him. The member of staff he spoke with today simply explained that if she did tell him Karen would kill her and she valued her life. He then asked if it would be better if he asked Karen. ARGH!!!!!
9th September 2011
I LOVE THIS JOB !!!!!!
This week I was given the keys to put a top quality retirement apartment on the market within a particularly lovely block in Churchtown. The floor plan was a nightmare due to the unusual design and I took all the measurements, details etc to enable me to prepare the marketing campaign. I finished the job, as usual, with the photographs. As I was darting around the gardens taking photographs of sitting areas and pretty features, a lady spotted me and came over to talk................. A sale of the apartment was agreed to her the next day; a happy purchaser and a happy client.
3rd September 2011
We have three smiley "SOLD" signs outside three houses in Mill Lane, Churchtown. Our poor board Contractor had to go back yesterday to turn one of the boards round because it didn't match the way the other two were facing. Is that a little, erm "OCD" of me? 
1st September 2011
We have completed on a sale today in Marshside where the fixtures and fittings included a cat and a hedgehog. The owner dropped the keys into the office with instructions for the hedgehog; I guess instructions for cats aren't required. Life's rich pattern eh?
20th August 2011
We're expanding! We opened in February 2011 with just two of us, now there are nine and I'm planning for a tenth. Any business has to be careful in this current climate but as long as you control everything and knuckle down to delivering results, you stand every chance, despite what the Media is reporting. This week has brough more negative news from Reporters who claim to have crystal balls and can predict what might or might not happen. Well I can do that too; anyone can - we can all say what might or might not happen; I just wish they'd stop sensationalising negativity. If you want to know what the property market is doing, talk to the local Estate Agents, they'll give you an accurate indication of what's happening locally, not what might or might not happen across the national economy. Last week we sold 5; the week before was 4 and we had 22 sales in July.
9th August 2011
Every once in a while, something will happen that makes you realise what a small world this is. Nikki is one of our Sales Negotiators but in a past life was a Flight Attendant living in Bahrain. A lady came into our office today and spoke with Nikki, telling her she lives in the Middle East; Nikki asked whereabouts and the lady told her it was Bahrain. Turns out the two of them have friends in common and the lady even knew Nikki's God son who went to her school! Small, small world....
24th July 2011
What a week it was last week - a gazumping (another one) and 7 sales. There is a market out there but it has to be grabbed, otherwise it will sit looking at you waiting for you to do something. The schools break up this week and typically this marks the beginning of the traditional holiday period when it should start to quieten down a little for August. We haven't noticed this yet and we're all still rushed off our feet. I'm sitting here after another Sunday's trade and will most likely be working late again - as I say, we're still very busy..........and still loving what we do!
6th July 2011
It's days like today that you realise you are only as good as the people who support you. My diary is packed out full with appointments to meet new Clients and inspect their properties; our office is mad busy; the phones are non-stop; we have organised well over 100 viewings so far for this month, July, and it's only the 6th today. It's not just a case of fixing up a viewing and hoping for the best, it's the prime opportunity for a sale; you have to make sure everything happens as planned, often with us conducting the viewing at the property, following up for feedback, taking the opportunities for discussion and then relaying that feedback, and hopefully an offer to buy, to the owners. Last night I was working in the office from 7.45am to 9.45pm. Tomorrow my first appointment is 7.45am to ensure I can continue to be in the office half the day. That's how busy it is and thank goodness we have a fantastic team here; in fact, that's the reason we are so busy. As I started to say, you are only as good as the people who support you: Wednesdays are one of Di and Nikki's days together and those two work together as if they were one. Thank you to you both for yet another excellent day's work!
30th June 2011
Thirty days has September, April June and November. I still do that to work out how many days each month has and that means we've closed this month this evening. So, how many did we sell in June? That would be 22.
We had some good news today - Rightmove have ranked us 1st out of 77 Agents for new instructions in PR8 and PR9!
24th June 2011
 |
Have I said before how much I love this job? Well, one of the reasons is that every day is completely different and today was no exception. Never before have I sat discussing a sale in a Client's living room whilst their West Highland Terrier sat on their shoulder, licking their head. The funniest bit was that the owner was clearly used to the dog doing this and he simply carried on chatting whilst this was happening. Earlier on this week, there was a Killer Cat (pictured) who fooled everyone into thinking he was cute and cuddly but if you turned your back, he would launch himself at your ankles with all his claws and teeth. What he didn't bargain for was the fact his loving owners were onto him and had warned me. This resulted in having to inspect the entire house with him in my sights at all times; never turning my back on him. Not easy. |
1st June 2011
White Rabbits.........White Rabbits..........White Rabbits............How many times do I have to say that?
Saturday 16th April 2011
 |
Today we were at Southport Football Club to officially launch our new Sponsorship of the Craven Minor Junior Football League. We are delighted and when the opportunity arose to be their main Sponsors, we jumped at the chance. To support junior sport and see the joy of so many youngsters and parents participating makes it all worthwhile. We're looking forward to a long and happy relationship and pay tribute to all the incredible volunteers in the League who make it possible for it to run so efficiently week in, week out. Pictured are a few of the 2,500 youngsters in the League together with Officials, a couple of players from Southport FC and myself and Steven |
Friday 15th April 2011
We've been busy putting together the first of the properties we're displaying in our new Churchtown window. Thank you to Paul Monk from Balmoral on Cambridge Road in the heart of Churchtown Village for all his help in putting this together with us. Now our Clients who are selling property in Churchtown, Hesketh Park, Crossens and Marshside have their displays doubled up in their Village as well as our Town Centre Office. All in perfect timing for the Summer as locals take a stroll through the Village in the Summer evenings! Full sales particulars are held in Balmoral's office for browsers to take and soon, we'll also be displaying all our Banks and Hesketh Bank properties.
Friday 8th April 2011
We've just sold our fourth property in the same road in a year - Cornwall Way, Ainsdale. This one came on the market on Monday and by Thursday a sale was agreed. Fantastic - a happy buyer and a happy seller. That makes five properties sold this week.
Friday 1st April 2011
We have our new addition to the family - a fully branded Smart Car which you will hopefully see zipping around Southport every day. This is our viewings car and we have parked it outside the office to announce its arrival. The amount of people who have looked at and smiled is surprising but it does look very, er eyecatching. Thank you to the graphic designer, Ian at printing.com on Hoghton Street who put up with our never-ending list of specific requirements for the design of the car.
Friday 25th March 2011
Today I had a first. I was sat on a Client's sofa, planning their marketing with them when their cat jumped up to say hello, he gots lots of fussing from me because I adore cats - always have, always will. He made a lot more noise on the way off the sofa than he did on the way up because he had my big bunch of car keys attached to his collar. He was wearing a magnetic cat-flap collar and that had picked them up! The owner told me that he often comes back with debris/tin/cans attached to him! Brilliant.
Friday 18th March 2011
I valued a property today for a lady who was 8 months pregnant. We compared notes on the "joys" of pregnancy; being the size of a house and I asked her if, like me, she had experienced many people (often strangers) wanting to touch her tummy? She laughed and said yes, a fair few had and what's more she had let them! Very funny. I don't know what it is but I had that a lot when I was expecting my daughter and as I was sitting there chatting with her I have to admit it crossed my mind to do it too!
Friday 11th March 2011
LICENCE TO SELL - After years of supporting reform in estate agency, we are delighted to report we are the first licensed estate agent in Southport and one of the first licensed estate agents in the UK. The license is issued by the National Association of Estate Agents who have lobbied parliament to introduce this legislation but, as the Government have not yet introduced the scheme, they have introduced it on a voluntary basis with the intention of it becoming mandatory in time to come. The first stages have started. At present, anyone can open an estate agency without qualification, regulation or client protection. You wouldn't book a holiday with a non-ABTA travel agent - look for the logo!
Wednesday 9th March 2011
Last comment on leaflet drops, promise. This one is a good one. One agent is changing tactics by writing on a letterhead "Please call me" followed by a female name. One of our clients did just that, thinking it might be important and was irritated to be asked by the agent what his address is. He told them that they had written to him so they should know - they then said they had mail-dropped everywhere in Ainsdale which sent our client fuming that he had gone to the trouble of responding to such a note. He told them not to contact him again. When will the penny drop?
Friday 4th March 2011
"Tis the Season of Leaflet Drops" We've had three handed in this week from smiling clients who want us to know what our competitors are doing. This is where an agent spots our "For Sale" sign and posts a card through the door. I'd rather spend my time selling houses rather than chasing signs. Some of the cards are fantastically full of promises and digs at the current agent. Call me old fashioned but there really is no need for this sniping. I'm delighted we have open relationships with our clients to the point they bring them in .....with a smile. One of our more adventurous clients rang an offending agent and quoted back the fact they had "buyers waiting specifically for his property" - he asked if they kept these buyers in cupboards because it was being actively marketed already.... by us.
Monday 28th February 2011
Now this is funny. We took instructions to sell a house in Ainsdale that had been on the market for over a year with another agent. After the first couple of weeks of marketing, the owner came into our office to say that she had received a leaflet drop from the agent she had just disinstructed which said "We've noticed your house has been on the market for a while now and have you thought about coming to us?" or words to that effect. Hmmm.
Friday 25th February 2011
Hello David .........Thank you and please keep reading!
Friday 18th February 2011
We've upset a competitor and we're very sorry. Our advert in today's Southport Visiter quoted us as having "The Best Website Available.........just compare it". Exception has been taken and we're sorry - we should have said "Probably The Best Website Available.....". Please accept our sincere apologies for this. We should also have provided the source of this statement...................our Clients.
Wednesday 16th February 2011
This is a very difficult market we're working with. A market you have to go out and grab rather than waiting for it to come to you. There are a number of trends emerging as a result of the difficult economic climate. We, as a business, have to adapt and keep abreast of the ongoing changes. I valued a property in Birkdale today and, during the course of my research, found a property within the immediate vicinity which had been sold in 2006 at £375,000 and again in 2009 at £315,000 in pretty much the same condition as before. This represents a reduction of 16% in value in three short years, slightly better than the national average statistics. I am Property Spokesperson for the North West to the Bank of England and will use this in my next report to them. So many (because we're human) find this very difficult to accept. After all, it's great "Dinner Party" talk when prices are rising but difficult to take when they've fallen. This emphasises the fact you need professional advice.
Sunday 13th February 2011
We have a new addition to the business - keep an eye out on the roads of Southport and you'll see it scooting around! (You won't be able to miss it).
Wednesday 9th February 2011
I had a "first" today. Over the last 30 years I must have carried out thousands upon thousands of valuations; today I had five properties to look at; the first one in Birkdale. We talked about the property, their plans, marketing strategy and what they were looking to buy. During the chat, the owner's mobile phone rang with a special ring tone - The Beatles. I told the owner one of my passions was the Fab Four and he ran into the Living Room, picked up his guitar and started to sing Twist & Shout. Brilliant.
Monday 7th February 2011
Steven’s wearing a huge grin in the office because he found out today that his son’s fiancé is expecting a baby - his first grandchild (he knew that a couple of months ago and has just got used to the idea). Today’s beaming grin is because he’s found out ............IT'S A GIRL! Congratulations to Gareth and Vicky. We’re all delighted for you x.
Thursday 3rd February 2011
New Clients came in today to meet the Team and deliver their required documents. I told them everything was prepared, I could now “push the button” and it would be on the internet immediately and uploaded to Rightmove automatically. The For Sale board would be up tomorrow and I joked that we’d have it sold by Tuesday. They left to go home, very happy. We set to work ringing round our buyers and as the owners were pulling up their driveway, we were calling their mobile phone with a viewer. They are even happier.
Thursday 27th January 2011
So much of what we do is different to the typical Agents’ approach which, if you’re lucky, can bring a result by default. Our efforts are different because they are focused on finding a result rather than hoping for it. The temptation is to quote chapter and verse as to how we do it but that would give away some of our secrets.
Monday 24th January 2011
I work most nights, developing ideas and dealing with what I may not have the time to deal with during the day. Often the TV is on in the background and, one night, “Cowboy Builders” (or something like that) was on. I started to watch horror stories of innocent home owners having chosen a builder solely on the strength of how cheap he was. The results were abandoned, incomplete and dangerous building work together with incredible stress for the owner. Not one of the owners had taken a personal recommendation in order to choose who to trust but had focused on the superficial cost; resulting in three fold expense. This is their most valuable asset – surely the best place to start has to be a recommendation, past clients, testimonials and then, of course, their accreditations. Bit like us.
Wednesday 19th January 2011
We were instructed to sell a house which had previously been marketed by a high-profile Southport Estate Agent for an incredible 5 years. I inspected the house, waved our magic Potter Wand, did all that was needed to change everything that had gone wrong in the past for the Client and the first week’s marketing brought us two buyers in positions to proceed. Over 40 calls were made and received by us in a couple of days to ensure the right conclusion was reached and the property was SOLD for it’s full asking price. Result. One very happy Client.
Friday 14th January 2011
Two weeks ago there was an announcement by a large Building Society about property prices dropping 0.1% in the last quarter. The beginning of this week another announced they’ve gone up 0.1%. So much for the experts casting a wide opinion over the national market – talk to the local Agent for an accurate insight into the local property market – We’re busy!
Monday 11th January 2011
A phenomenally busy day. We've been working on 5 new sales from the weekend and 3 of them have been agreed already. We love what we do. A Client rang us today in the middle of all the activity and was very, very agitated. She had instructed us to sell two houses for her after a very disappointing performance from her previous agent. This same agent wrote to her today to tout for business from our "For Sale" sign without first checking if they had dealt with it previously. She's saved their letter for us but will be complaining to them, yet again. I can't believe the depths some agents go to when they're struggling for business.
Friday 8th January 2011
We agreed the sale to the lady from Spain today. I'm so pleased for both her and, of course, our Clients. Determination brings results. We've got 18 viewings booked in for various properties tomorrow and we're doing 11 of them. Poor Eric, no relaxing lunch for him tomorrow!
Tuesday 4th January 2011
Happy New Year! Back to normal now following the festive break. It usually takes until the end of January each year for the market to return but we've got plenty to work on. In addition, I'm helping a University Student with his project on the property market and he's focusing on Southport as it's his home town. He sent me an interesting email summarising his market research which includes average asking prices for various different types of properties for sale. He commented: "....... some estate agents are still in 2007 and there isn't a recession going on with some of their interesting pricing!".
Friday 31st December 2010
Well worth the effort (as always) - we have taken three offers and so far agreed one sale - the other two are promising. One is from the lady from Spain (see Thursday below) and we're confident we can reach an agreement.
Wednesday 29th December 2010
We've been checking the emails and responding to our website and Rightmove enquiries but tonight, we found 25 messages on our answering machine and on the computers. We're back in work tomorrow to deal with everything! Brilliant!
Thursday 23rd December 2010
We're winding down now for the Christmas holiday. After almost a year of working 7 days and most nights, we're looking forward to the break. A lady rang from Spain today requesting a viewing on Bank Holiday Tuesday - we couldn't say no so are meeting her there as we're confident she'll love it. We sold another house today (!) and have set up the office to work remotely from home should any enquiries come through. Phones diverted, emails ready to be accessed and we're all set. Merry Christmas!
Saturday 17th December 2010
Southport is a Winter Wonderland! The snow fell last night and we struggled to get into the office but, get into the office we did. We called all our viewers who were booked to inspect properties and they all postponed because the roads haven't been gritted and it's too dangerous. Merry Christmas!
Thursday 15th December 2010
Well, we're still selling. It's only just now starting to quieten down for Christmas and the levels of viewings are continuing to drop but the genuine buyers are still out there wanting to buy property. We're happy to help!
Sunday 11th December 2010
We had our inaugural Christmas Office Party last night and it was just perfect. Excellent company; great food; a Comedian who made us laugh so much it hurt with his impersonations of Kevin Webster from Coronation Street. A wonderful way to have fun and mark the end of our first year in business with people we respect and enjoy as being part of our Team.
Thursday 8th December 2010
We took instructions to sell a house that had been on the market with another high-profile Estate Agent in Southport for, wait for it, 5 YEARS. The price was OK but just needed adjusting by £3,000 to give it a boost; the owner was motivated to sell and there was no reason why it hadn't sold, it was a lovely house. We formulated our typical marketing plan, launched it onto the market and within a week had two buyers wanting it, both in a position to proceed. Over the following 4 days we made 46 calls to buyers and seller and the sale was confirmed to the right buyer. Success.
Tuesday 30th November 2010
Our Month End figures show 15 sales for November. There continues to be more property available for sale than there are buyers, but there clearly are buyers out there. The news last night offered a glimmer of hope in a forest of despair with the current economy: there may not be a "double dip recession" and the threatened widespread redundancies may not be quite as bad as first reported. Well how about that? Sensationalism and the Media - I could write a book.
Monday 29th November 2010
What twit would open an Estate Agency in this climate? This one did and this one thoroughly loves her job. As we approach the end of a year, it's often time to reflect and as I look back to last November with the sleepless nights; the worry; the mounting set-up costs; the planning; the endless "To Do" list and endless meetings with Suppliers and Service Providers, I am so pleased we did this. The only regret I have is that we should have done this a long time ago.
Saturday 27th November 2010
After another busy week I thought we would finally start to see the beginning of a quieter period for (wait for it) Christmas (have I mentioned this already?) No. Plenty of viewings booked in our diaries and lots of interest bubbling away indicating a promising start to next week.....
Friday 26th November 2010
Well, we did it. This week we agreed 5 sales and, funnily enough, 2 of them in the same road. We had a sale recently of a house that had, incredibly, been on the market for 5 years with another Estate Agent in Southport. The owner was convinced she was jinxed and had called me in a few months ago for a chat and an opinion. Last month, she rang me after a catalogue of careless mistakes made by her agent and subsequently switched to us. She would have done it earlier only she's a busy lady and thought it would be more hassle than it was to switch - it can be done seamlessly. We adjusted the asking price by a couple of thousand pounds and within the first week of marketing we had found the buyer. The next week another buyer wanted it and the following week was fraught with ongoing negotiations until all was finally agreed. The owner was speechless and we were proud.
Thursday 25th November 2010
I've been expecting things to slow down for Christmas (I keep mentioning this) as it does every year but each week we generate 3 or 4 sales. This week is different though; we're working on our 5th.
Saturday 20th November 2010
Steven and I were invited to the Law Society Dinner last night at the Floral Hall. We had an excellent night, great food, great company and lots of fun. Paid for it today though; after over a year of working day and night to either set up the business or run it, we're not used to good food and drink with a very, very late night. Or perhaps it's just that I'm getting old.
Monday 15th November 2010
Sales are still being agreed at a consistent number but the number of viewings arranged continue to reduce as we get closer to the festive period. This is typical for this time of the year and, whilst the retail sector braces itself for a hectic couple of months in the run up to and through Christmas, we begin to slow down. This is my 27th year in the business and it's the same every year but still I don't like it! Lots of sales being rushed through so everyone can settle round a roaring fire surrounded by the family for Christmas......
Tuesday 2nd November 2010
We've agreed 60 sales since opening. Not bad eh?
Saturday 30th October 2010
Just home at 6pm tonight following another busy day. Sales are still happening; we sold 4 last week and another one this morning. Incredibly, we had two gazumpings this week where the owners had already agreed sales to buyers but someone else in a better position with higher offers stepped in. This wonderful English system allows this to happen and it is frustrating for everyone. Not only for buyers who think they've bought a house but also for sellers who think they've sold. Both parties can back out at any time in the weeks or months leading up to exchange of contracts and, sometimes, they do. The national average for abortive sales is around 30%. That means when you agree your sale you have less than a 1 in 3 chance of your agreed sale proceeding. However, our statistics prove that through our determination, communication skills and specific focus we convert twice this number to completed sales. In other words, our conversion rate is more than twice as good as most Agents!
Thursday 28th October 2010
We are very, very busy, so much so we've had to put another advertisement out for a new member of staff which will bring our workforce up to six. We're looking for someone with excellent people skills: friendly, helpful, thorough, efficient and able to think ahead in the middle of dealing with the telephone and office enquiries. Someone who wants to be part of what we are and is prepared to go that extra mile. Someone who makes sure they do whatever they say they're going to do and never, ever misses an opportunity for a sale.
Thursday 21st October 2010
Chains! Chains! Chains! Argh! A chain of sales collapsed today and our Client was distraught. The chain was only three buyers long and it wasn't the first buyer who backed out but the middle one. They decided at the last minute that they didn't want to move despite the fact all the surveys were done; all the monies were ready for completion; removals were organised; time off work was booked and all the buyers were agreed and set to move............wait for it........... tomorrow. The devastation was felt by everybody and no real reason was given for their decision. I know that nothing should surprise me, in fact it rarely does after over quarter of a century in this Industry, but the lack of consideration shown by the buyer to the carnage they have caused left us speechless. We mopped up the mess but won't be dealing with this person again.
Thursday 14th October 2010
I am growing increasingly concerned about the number of blanket "Open Days" being advertised. These are when you agree to stay in for the day waiting on the off-chance a genuine buyer might want to come and have a look at your house but doesn't want to go to the effort of picking the 'phone up to make an appointment. I know it's an idea that's originated in America but the Real Estate Agents over there attend the house for the day and take all the trouble of waiting-in away from the Client. I'm speaking with some Sellers here in Southport who have agreed with their Agent to wait in all day on an agreed Saturday (one of their valuable days off work). What annoyed them was they couldn't make a sandwich; do housework or allow their children to be children and make a mess in the fear a buyer could pull up outside at any time. I'm told no-one turns up and their day has been wasted. That's an irritating inconvenience. However, my concern lies in the security of their home. No control is in place over who can turn up; it would be very easy for more than one or two to arrive and split up inside the house to the owner's dismay and confusion. Am I missing something here? Is this potentially dangerous? I might talk with a Police friend of mine.
Wednesday 6th October 2010
We ran out of SOLD slips for our "For Sale" boards for the second time since opening. Some may call me careless (oh no I'm not); others may say I didn't order enough to begin with (oh yes I did) - I say this is funny! Particularly in this market! We're so, so busy and continuing to sell. We've appointed two more members of staff; Eric and Diane who are proving to be great additions to our expanding Team. Poor them having to put up with my impossible attention to detail. I'm starting to think that, before long, we will need more staff.
Thursday 23rd September 2010
Aw.....Not good, realised it had been a week since my last blog and then not pleased to see it's almost two weeks. My aim is to update this every few days and I've failed badly recently. Why? Because we're frantically busy creating sales for our Clients. We sold an apartment in a day last week and whilst the odd few may say that's not good and would upset them (thinking they could have got more!) this Client was delighted. Delighted. It meant he could get on with his life and do what he wanted to do. It meant he could plan and get on with the next phase of his life. He was pleased with the price we achieved after months of marketing with another Agent and the buyer was pleased with what they considered to be a realistic and fair price. Another sale was the sale of a house referred to in my Blog of 19th August - as predicted, it did sell (in a week) and, again, the Client is now getting on with his life. The buyer is pleased with his purchase. This job is about creating a "Win-Win" for both the Seller & Buyer. It's not about just putting a house on the market and leaving it, hoping someone will come along to buy it. It's not about flogging them cheap. It's about selling it through exploiting opportunities and putting people and property together. Sales are achieved through our wealth of experience, professionalism, local knowledge, painstaking attention to detail, marketing power, professional expertise, sheer effort and putting long, long hours in for our Clients. We've got all that and much, much more.
Friday 10th September 2010
What a week! Busy Busy Busy.......... We've sold five this week so far and this is down to........? I'm not giving our secrets away. Sorry! This week is yet another reason why I'm delighted I decided to take the plunge and open the business. The adrenaline is flowing and I have a permanent grin on my face because I'm delighted. However, that's no reason to take a break or become complacent because I know as well as anyone that we're only as good as our last sale.
Thursday 9th September 2010
Thursday and Fridays are our late nights in the office. Tonight at 6.40 a lady rang and said "Thank goodness you answered the phone - our cat went missing yesterday and we've just looked through the windows of our neighbour's house you've just sold and she's locked in there!" The rescue plan was implemented immediately with Moggie and Worried Owner reunited without delay. I love this job. Exceptional variety to every single day!
Monday 6th September 2010
August brought us twice as many viewings but not as many sales with many viewing requests coming from those who have not yet put their own properties on the market or, if they have, they may not have sold them yet. A little frustrating for some of our more "motivated" sellers. However, typically, the children go back to school and the real activity returns: last week we sold three properties and two more this morning. With our unique marketing and competitive pricing.....................No messing around!
Wednesday 1st September 2010
Took a call from a buyer today who had had their working hours cut and, as a result, couldn't afford the house they'd agreed to buy last week. My Client is on holiday and I wrestled with the decision as to whether to wait until they returned or rang them on their mobile to deliver the bad news, potentially ruining their holiday. An awful decision to have to make but I knew deep down I had no choice and I was going to have to tell them today. When I rang, I gave them the headlines and they took it admirably; so much so they were consoling me!
Monday 30th August 2010
I'm starting to get seriously irritated by another Southport Estate Agent who has consistently copied my ideas. Every time I do something, that person copies it, to date there are six specific areas I can count. I know imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but, come on ...... develop your own ideas.
