Inspired Real Estate For Today

Fulton Street Farmers Market is a vibrant market located in the heart of Grand Rapids on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday between the hours of 8:00 a.m.  - 3:00 p.m.  

The market features all sorts of goods including locally grown produce and arts and crafts.  It remains one of my favorite things to do on a summer weekend morning.  But as life speeds up with work and family obligations, it's easy to forget the joy of simple pleasures such as a visit to the market.

A few years ago,  I rediscovered why I love the Fulton Street Farmers Market.  It was the tour of homes organized by the Women's Council of Realtors (WCR) for F.L.O.W. which had me driving past the market and unable to resist, we decided to pop in to see what was going on. 

When we arrived at noon, the place was packed!  We were lucky to find a parking spot.  It had been a very long time since I had visited, and the market has certainly grown in popularity.

The stands had a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh bread, some select meats, arts and crafts, spices, health and beauty products and fresh flowers.  Talking to local farmers was great.  On more than one occasion, I heard merchants say they were selling out of products.

The appeal of the fresh market has grown as more people become concerned about environmental issues and supporting the local economy.  Did you know that the average product in your grocery store travels over 1000+ miles to get to your table? 

Today, several area restaurants, including popular sites like Marie Catribs, the Green Well , GRAM Cafe and Restaurant Bloom also highlight the fact that they strive to serve locally grown produce and food items on their menus.

The Fulton Street Farmers Market is located at 1145 E. Fulton Street, in Grand Rapids, MI.  49503.  The Market is the oldest of it's kind in West Michigan, having started in 1922.

Permanent stands have been set up in the middle of a parking lot which allows local farmers to back their trucks in and unload their wares.  Visitors to the market walk through the middle.

What I found especially delightful was the diversity of people...old, young kids and babies, moms and dads, foreigners, black & white...everyone was enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of the market.  

Music is also an active part of the experience of visiting the Fulton Street Farmers Market. On a recent Saturday morning, a four piece folk band set up shop at the entrance and on another occasion, a guitarist delighted passersby with his upbeat songs and smile.

This weekend we can all add an additional day for the 4th of July Celebration due to the fact that the holiday falls during the weekend.  The weather in Grand Rapids, MI is great this Friday and hopefully this holds true throughout the remainder of the weekend.

The 4th of July has always been on of my favorite celebrations.  There is a great line up of activities taking place in the Grand Rapids area if you can resist the temptation to head out to Lake Michigan or any of our numerous lakes in lieu of staying in town. Here the link to a more complete list of happening in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan over this 4th of July holiday weekend.  There are a number of events, concerts and off course Fireworks displays.  Hoping you enjoy time with family and good friends this 4th of July!

picture courtesy of laudu on flickr

The year was 2005.  The call was from a struggling homeowner who needed to sell their home.  However, there was one significant barrier.  They had mortgaged their property for more than they could sell it for.  Hard luck had resulted in a job loss and they were faced with the stark prospect of making a difficult decision.  

The term 'short sale' was not a term that most people were aware of in our area at the time. The negotiation with two banks took several months, but the process finally concluded with a resolution that enabled the home to be conveyed to another party and one which stopped the financial bloodletting which had depleted my clients.  While, not a perfect outcome...it was likely the best given the circumstances.

Five years later, short sales are a part of the nation's popular lexicon.  Last nights' segment on the 60 Minutes news broadcast chronicles a rapidly spreading viral movement known as strategic defaulting. Strategic default refers to the decision to walk away from a home which you CAN afford because the home is now worth far less than the mortgage note. It's considered by some, to be an ECONOMIC decision or an investment alternative of sorts.

However, what was most troubling to me in watching the segment is one myth which underlies much of the reporting on this issue at the present time.  Strategic Defaults are NOT always the decision of a homeowner. As a real estate broker who has negotiated short sales for nearly half of the past decade, I have witnessed a remarkable SHIFT in the process of negotiation with some banking entities recently. Sometimes, the instruction to miss payments can come from an unlikely source!

Most notably, within the past 3 months, we have witnessed some banks giving EXPLICIT written directions to some mortgage holders to DEFAULT on their payments in order to be considered a 'qualified applicant' for a short sale.  The home owner is faced with the threat that the file will be closed or denied UNLESS the borrower strategically defaults on their mortgage payment. We have witnessed this even in cases the homeowner has suffered a JOB LOSS and/or JOB TRANSFERS.

Which raises the question...Is it possible that while many struggling homeowners are trying to do what is right and negotiate with the banks, there is a bizarre movement to FORCE them to damage their credit and walk away from their homes by a Strategic Default?  This approach is peculiar on a number of fronts, as statistics indicate that there is significantly LESS damage economically from the negotiation of a short sale for the community AND the mortgage investor.

The 60 minute segment indicated that 7 MILLION homes have payments which are in arrears.  I wonder how many of these homes are behind on their payments because they have been INSTRUCTED to do so by the mortgage servicer holding the note?

At some point we will awaken from this nightmare.  I am concerned that we will discover that much of the chaos has been our own horrific creation...borne of a myopic view of society which forced short term gains at the expense of the reality of long term consequences.  

underwater shot courtesy of Stig Nygaard on flickr

RE-Thinking the Customer Service Business...

Today, while going through a very busy car wash, the attendant who is wiping off my windshield indicates that they have a' new service' They are going to check your windshield for dings & dents PRIOR to taking your car through the car wash.

I'm surprised & even a little impressed...

HOW PRO-ACTIVITY  IS BEING RE-DEFINED...

Being Pro-Active is a term under-going metamorphosis. When I started my real estate business almost 15 years ago, pro-activity meant that you quickly took care of the problem once it was brought to your attention.  It was considered ill-advised to go 'looking for trouble'!  Prior to getting in line for the wash, I was not concerned about dings and dents on my windshield.  But now that they mentioned it...

What do you think?  Would it have been wiser for car wash attendant to NOT say anything and ONLY bring the issue to my attention if they noticed a problem?  

Some additional questions come to mind.  Was the local car wash really concerned about dents to my windshield or were they simply trying to protect themselves from complaints in the future?  Had their equipment been known to damage windshields in the past?  Questions which were non-issues to me prior to the mention of their 'new service' offer.

WHY FOLKS ARE ANXIOUS...

Because unpleasant surprises are increasingly common, consumers have taken the management of expectations into their own hands.  Real estate consumer experiences are no exception.  Take a moment to view the entries on this site. How we manage the customer service experience will determine the future value of our industry.

Our Board recently introduced an Integrity Pledge.  The 3 page document details an exhaustive list of items that brokers and agents who sign it will do to serve the customer.  You can view the detailed document here.  It's a valiant effort to deal with the fact that there is an increasingly unbecoming lack of professionalism in our industry.  I've signed the pledge.  I want to raise the bar.

RAISING THE BAR:

However, questions arise: Are we inadvertently bringing attention to the fact that our minimum service levels contain elements which the average consumer assumes are a part of the package or were not concerned about prior to the reminder. After all, I wasn't concerned about my windshield until they mentioned it.  

Do consumers rightly assume that professionals will do what's right by virtue of the term? Or is it prudent to pro-actively define the level of expectation?

On the other hand...does signing a pledge better serve as an appropriate attempt to forestall the impact of negative ratings which may paint a distorted picture without presenting the other side of the story? Will it serve to effectively raise the bar by bringing into clear focus intrinsic elements of customer service?

Our Integrity pledge is aspirational in nature and enforcement rests with the managing broker. The hope is that the aspiration will serve as inspiration for our agents to do a better job of service.  

I'm curious...how is your company or board dealing with the new challenges of customer service? Are you being pro-active or hoping these consumers will loose this 'desire' to share their experiences with with the whole world?

Picture courtesy of sappymousetree on flickr

Picture of weigh lifting courtesy of jontunn

Well, 2010 is finally here. At Audu Real Estate, we were working hard until the end of 2009.  For those who predicted that the end of the year would lapse quietly into oblivion, they didn't factor in a number of hard working agents in Grand Rapids, Michigan who were busy helping buyers get homes in time for Christmas and assisting homeowners in preparing their homes for sale.  

Although, there were days that we wondered if the Christmas presents would ever make it under the tree, as time for shopping was a premium, the ultimate satisfaction came in helping our growing family of clients reach their goals. 

As we enter into 2010, we are reminded that we've been given a clean slate.  Unless we choose to carry it forward, the old baggage of last year can be dropped off at the curb.  It's time to determine what road map you're going to follow.  Best Wishes to all our clients who have helped us to practise the Art of Real Estate as an ongoing source of inspiration.  Here's to you!

Presenting: 4910 Weatherstone Lane, Kentwood, MI 49508...

Presenting: 3136 Locke Ave SW, Grandville, MI 49418

Presenting 319 Burt Ave, Wyoming, MI 49508

"If you follow the usual prescription, not only will you put yourself on a path to burnout but you'll also miss a singular opportunity to turn the issue of fear to your advantage" 

Tyler Lewke - Founder of Lewke Partners in Crystal Lake Ill.

Mr. Lewke made this arresting statement in the Commentary section of the latest issue of the Realtor magazine.  It was response to a question posed about the biggest challenge facing today's unsettled marketplace. 

How would you have answered the question?  Would you say our biggest challenge is technology, new national players in the real estate marketplace, broker profitability, inadequate training, the credit market...to name a few?

According to the author, in his opinion "Fear has become the largest obstacle in transactions.  All the skill in the world, all the prospecting, all the social media won't matter if we don't recognize the fear.  If you listen to what customers and your colleagues in the industry say between their words, you can hear the fear, and you need to address it."

Are you hearing the fear?  Are you aware of the fact that you need to listen for it?  It shows up in some many different ways.  For some, its' an inability to focus.  Time spent playing around on the computer is somehow easier than actually getting out and meeting people.  For others, it's the exact opposite...frenzied activity, chasing every 'potential solution' fearing that stopping for a second may signal the end of a career.

Real Estate has always been a numbers game like most sales based professions, but lately playing the numbers game is likely to be a recipe for the disaster.  I'll never forget a real estate team that I encountered during my early years in the business.  They were so focused on the numbers game that they asked the broker to literally take away their desks and chairs and install only a counter to facilitate the hundreds of cold calls they were making every single day!

Cold calling definitely has it's place as a viable form of prospecting, but in an era in which a negotiation for a short sales can take months, Mr. Lewkes points out that this type of 'militaristic approach to prospecting is a path to burnout and will also cause us to loose sight of some unique opportunities to address the issue of fear in ourselves and our clients effectively.

Dealing with Fear starts with awareness.  Fear drains huge amounts of energy.  When we're locked in it's grip, it's hard to think clearly and even harder to respond proactively.  Awareness of the fact that our thoughts and actions are being influenced by fear has a way of dispelling the shadows.  Fear drives with ruthless cruelty when it is shrouded in darkness.  When we admit our reservations and our fears to ourselves and others, we often find that we are NOT alone and there may be far more support than we could have ever envisioned.

Facing the Fear within ourselves also allows us to listen to what our clients are really saying in between the lines and to address real issues rather than phantom ones.  Facing the Fear enables us to invest energy into creative solutions and can facilitate the patience to persevere in spite of the odds. 

Courage is not about the absence of fear, it's the ability to walk through the vice-grip and face Fear head on.  Experience proves that Fear will always blink first when faced with the power of Courage.  Recognizing, admitting and dealing with our fears greatly aids our ability to counsel others who are facing the same issue. And in today's world, the field of the afflicted is crowded.

Courage transforms into compassion when it links arms and walks another through the trouble to the other side.  It is this sort of action which has the ability to transform our lives and our profession because it presents an incredible opportunity to support those we serve and provides an intrinsic value which goes far beyond the dollars and cents!

picture courtesy of flickr photostream of Mr. Kris ~ creative commons' license.

Click here to read Mr. Lewke's inspiring article on Putting Fear Behind Us in it's entirety.

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The world of real estate has always held a fascination for folks like me.  But things have a way of getting really strange when people who don't spend their waking, working moments around the mayhem and milieu of the brokerage world start telling astounding tales about their recent 'encounters' in real estate country.

Over the past month, I've had several conversations which would have been considered 'beyond bizzare' just a few short years ago.  Folks talking about people they know walking out the door of their homes and just giving the home back to the bank as casually as they might refer to a decision to perhaps purchase a car.

I know you might be thinking at a cursory reading that this reckless attitude is just symptomatic of the chaos that has been the hallmark of so much recent madness, but often during these exchanges, I actually sensed something else.  As I listen intently, the story involves so much more than initially stated. There's an underlying, increasingly recognizable sad thread.

The bundle of trial includes years of struggle, trying to find jobs, being laid off, piling up debt to survive, ravaging investment accounts, pulling home equity out to last just a little longer, and then the straw that breaks the camel's back occurs...one more thing that could not be anticipated which tips the scales. 

Absolute & total weariness...and with resources strained beyond measure, it seems that the only thing to do is ...WALK AWAY.  But before you do...

STOP.

Before your feet set in motion a chain of events which will potentially impact your life for the NEXT DECADE, please consider ALL your options.  TALK to someone.  I'm astounded by the number of people who go through the ENTIRE Foreclosure process without talking to ANYONE about their options.

That's right...

You do have OPTIONS.  Before making a decision to simply stop attending to your obligations, ASK someone for help.  Speak to an Attorney, contact a Real Estate Broker or your Mortgage Lender.  Preferably, engage with all three sources or more...  Information is power when it comes to a decision which can handicap not just your ability to get a new home, but your ability to have a measure of control over your financial life for the foreseeable future.

Just for Starters, Ask about the following:

Will your bank accept a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure AND forgive your debt in it's entirety?

Can you pursue a Short Sale?

What are your options for Loan Modification?

What are your legal options and obligations?

An old African Proverb reminds us that "No Condition is Permanent in this world."  Remember this truth...especially when things are tough.  This too shall pass...eventually.

picture courtesy of hoyasmeg on flickr

I'm one of those people who checks things out online BEFORE I go.  Why not?  I figure there is more to be gained from taking advantage of the benefit of other people's experiences before spending the gas, time and money to discover the truth myself.  Apparently, there are a lot of folks like me.

Did you know that the according to Wikepedia, the first ratings site was created by Michael Hussey and called 'RateMyFace.com.  I was intrigued to discover that ratings sites started out as dating sites for the most part and evolved over time to include all sorts of other services, including sites rating professionals such as lawyers, doctors and teachers.  

It was also interesting to learn from this book about the founding of Facebook that this popular site also had a ratings component behind it's inspiration. It's founders envisioned it as tool to enhance their social/dating scene during the college experience at an Ivy league school.

Today, the concept of consumers determining the Value of a product or service through ratings is quickly developing a huge cache in terms of credibility.  People trust what other people have to say about something, even more than the owner or creator of the product.

The viral nature of social media has accelerated the trend. In Grand Rapids, the concept of ratings by a community took a giant leap forward through the launching of Art Prize this fall. Artists from all over the world will be displaying their work from September 23 through October 10, 2009 in venues throughout the city.  The winner of the Art Prize ($250,000) will be decided on by...you guessed it, members of the public who register to vote!

This is why I find it especially intriguing that a Google search for the term 'Rating Services for Realtors' with a hit total of approximately 2 Million, does not highlight a single comprehensive ratings database for real estate professionals or their services on the first 2 pages!  A perplexed consumer asks the question on Ask.com... wondering WHY one can find information on a number of other professions, but not a comprehensive database for Realtors?

There are a few associations which are exploring the utilization of a Ratings Service such as the Houston Association of Realtors®, but these are few and far between.  It might also interest you to know that the Google search results for Rate your Realtor number 13,000,000!  Some of the sites on the first page are powered by consumer generated content and data exchanges.  This is something consumers want, are searching for...and may ultimately successfully create for themselves.

And it won't just be about Realtors®. Can you foresee a time in the near future in which community ratings will play a bigger part of defining the value of any particular area?  Today, Walkability scores for neighborhoods are increasingly a part of the data supplied to prospective new home owners on some aggregate databases.  

The list of options which consumers might be interested in about a community is potentially endless...think school ratings, environmental awareness, diversity, employment opportunities, medical services.  From a consumer perspective, it would be helpful to be able to download a comprehensive profile of a community, then select the issues that were most important and see what others are saying or not saying in one place. What do you think?  Are Realtors® missing the boat by their lack of proactivity in this area?

Picture courtesy of Wolfgang Staudts' photostream on flickr

Watching oyster boats on the Chesapeake Bay puts one relaxed vacationer (my hubby) to sleep.