Inspired Real Estate For Today

Grand Rapids, MI agents don't have to wait for the yearly announcement of the 'Good Neighbor Award' to support and celebrate one of our own local Realtors®.  It's wonderful to live in a community in which so many individuals give of their time and talents to serve our local community.  

And then, there are some agents like Sue Prins, a real estate agent with Five Star Real Estate, who stretch arms of compassion across the globe to touch the lives of those who are less fortunate.

I recently completed a transaction with Sue; one which took about 3 months to negotiate. It was really refreshing to work with a professional.  One of the unanticipated results of our 'extended deal' was that I became aware of Sue's interest in helping people in an impoverished area of South Africa become self-sustaining by starting a business.  The initiative is Vox Threads.

Here's a few excerpts from Sue's letter about the project:

I just read a post by Sally Cheeseman that stopped me in my tracks.  Sally quotes Qunicy Jones in an interview about  Michael Jackson.

Quincy goes on to say:

You have to be spiritually grounded and you are really a terminal for a higher power,

And if you don't understand that, you know, it can be very complicated.

And.....I've seen a lot of people misinterpret what success is all about.

One online descriptive defines a terminal in the following way: "a contact on an electrical device (such as a battery) at which electric current enters or leaves."  If a terminal is not grounded, the results can be disasterous and even fatal, because the electricity which is passing through the unit is so incredibly powerful.

Had you ever thought about how powerful the breath of life in you is?  Every human being is an expression of the Divine power of God.  Every gift and talent is an expression of His creative genius and inspiration.

It occurs to me that being grounded spiritually has it's base in humility; an understanding that whatever gifts and advantages we bring to this planet are a gift that simply flows through us...not a possession which we own. Humilty also serves to protect us from being blown away by hype, which will topple you over as quickly as it lifts you up with hot air.

Understanding this, as Quincy says makes all the difference in the world.

Picture is courtesy of jdl deleon on flickr

Copyright 2009 Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved

Yesterday, the world learned of the passing of two legends...Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Although their lives were very different, they both lived in the glare of the spotlight and endured the best and worst elements of what that entails.

While superstars live center stage in a larger than life fashion, what strikes me is the deep drive and desire for recognition that exists in all of us. We all come into the world with a desire to be somebody.

Life plays out our personal dramas. As I look back in light of recent events, I wonder to what extent we really are more in a search for significance and affirmation than recognition and fame...

*Post below initially posted in July 2008

Most of us emerge on planet earth with all the stridency that our 8 to 9 pounds of flesh can muster.  So much so that the infant who emerges without a lusty yell is promptly  spanked on the rump to produce one.  After all...one has arrived.  Say so!

Sideline living is against the grain of human ego.  A newborn baby in a household quickly demands just about everyones' waking and non-waking moments. While we relish the joy of observing the expansion of new life in a newborn, this quickly becomes old by the time the child hits the terrible twos.  Who can blame the toddler?  Relinquishing prime real estate territory at 'the center of a universe of ONE' cannot be easy.

But, I suspect that the inclinations of the toddler do not fully disappear.  In most of us, they simply retreat underground; temporarily masked by the need to adhere to social norms but always eager to assume center stage if and when the opportunity arises.  A silent witness to the most debilitating form of human suffering...the deep yearning to be given permission to live life with gusto.

Several years ago, I wrote a devotional which I shared with some staff members at a local church.  The mediation was entitled "Living in the Margins."  At the time, we were attending a church which had gone through a number of significant transitions which had left many feeling somewhat fragmented emotionally and spiritually. It was a feeling of disconnection and disorientation...a struggle to regain ones' footing; to reclaim ones' place.

It was around Easter and I was drawn to the story of the Crucifixion of Jesus from a perspective that I had never considered before.  I began to study the sideline characters in this well known narratives ...the possible stories of individuals  who garnered few eloquent sermons.  These ordinary folks whose contributions remain on the sideline of of the most important titanic drama in human history. 

It was their stories that engaged the imagination of my mind...

I started thinking about what it must have been like to be merely passing through Jerusalem and then suddenly conscripted, without the benefit of hire, to carry the cross of a man who was stumbling to His the death like an ordinary criminal. 

Then there was Pilate's wife, a well to do lady.  She had a nightmare about the man her husband was about to sentence to death.  This nighttime terror haunted her soul's dreams and forced an urgent entreaty to warn Pilate about her apprehension. 

Witness the women who were considered as little more than chattel to be owned by men...following at a distance, and watching the last gasping breath of the Son of God. 

I thought of a rich man who gave up his burial plot for a bruised body to be laid...a body which had been publicly scorned by passersby.

As my thoughts wove around the potential stories of these individuals, I was struck by the remarkable experiences that were only available outside the crowded confines of the scriptural text.  Lives whose contributions emerged within the margins and not on the central stage.

It was their position at the sidelines which afforded them the benefit of these unique and extraordinary moments. 

But, why is it that so often we yearn for the extraordinary but strive to find it within the crowded confines of the norm?  The middle place, the popular position, the cursed bane of compromise which robs us our uniqueness while promising us safety in numbers?

It is in this place of false security that we pay with hands outstretched; fiercely grasping the awful price required for our souls. Unaware that it is the one thing for which no earthly compensation is large enough to ransom. 

In this trade, the devil laughs at our naivete.  For he knows that we have not outgrown the proclivities of that tempestuous toddler, we have merely traded the newborns' scream for a dull, blunted soul searing roar. 

A meager return for an immortal life which entered the world unfettered, knowing that the cry which brought it here was never meant to be imprisoned within the limiting confines of conformity.  Nor could it be lulled by the lust for the limiting essential nature of personal fame. (italics added 2009)

And inside, the scream continues unabated...unheard by human ears, reeling with staggered desperation within the human heart.  For it knows that it was sent on a unique mission.  The scream bears silent witness to the inner desire to complete our unique mission in life with integrity, knowing that we enter into this life alone...and we we are all destined to leave it in the same fashion.

***********

Michael Jackson & Farah Fawcett...May their souls rest in peace.

Mouth picture courtesy of Phineas H's photostream on flickr.com

This entry is part of a larger series entitled..."What it Means..."

The story of the Crucifixion can be found in the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke & John

Copyright 2008  Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved

Just over three years ago, a select group of brokers and agents in Grand Rapids, Michigan got together in a conference room at the local board.  They had been tasked by the Board of Directors to study and make recommendations about a problem which seemed to be mushrooming across the local community.  Foreclosure and Short Sales has jumped from being barely a bleep in the statistics to trending into the double digits over 10%.

Click here to continue reading Part 1.

Meeting the Luxury Home Challenge!

As values tumble, the challenge of selling a home for a good price particularly in the luxury home market requires some special skills.  Let's highlight a few areas in which a home owner can make significant strides towards ensuring that their home is more likely to provoke a second showing encounter!

Know Your Market!

Do you know who your clients are? Where are they likely to come from and what their motivation for buying will be?

It is a loose rule of thumb to estimate that the average move-up buyer will be purchasing a home at a price range which is approximately 50% above their current home value. So for instance, if your home is priced at $500,000, your buying pool will come from the $325,000 price range.  It is prudent to make sure that you and your agent have a handle on the inventory and sale prices of the homes which will be likely to provide a source of buyer leads for your sale.

Present Properly!

I continue to marvel at the number of homes in the higher price ranges which don't have ANY pictures online or very poor quality shots.  With record levels of consumers searching online and skyrocketing gas prices, it is a real disservice to your home not to have it marketed in the venue which drives the most traffic...online marketing.  

Now, even the best photographer will be hard pressed to deal with a poorly staged and cluttered dwelling. If you're serious about selling a high end home, you'll have to put significant effort into making sure that your home stands out.  Luxury homes should be artfully staged.  They should also be clean, clutter free and available for showings. Recognize that a little inconvenience may be necessary to accommodate serious buyers. If you're in the market to sell, remain ready to show!

Price to Sell!

In the past 24 months, I have witnessed more multiple offer situations than at any other time in my career. Bidding wars are occurring on homes which are perceived to be a good value.  A well know agent in our area recently made a comment that went something like this...'if money is not an issue, there is not enough quality inventory in the area.'  This means that luxury homes which are staged, presented and priced competitively are still in demand.

Be Irresistible!

Remain irresistible and memorable!  While staging your home correctly will increase the chance that your home will linger in the buyer's memory as they trudge through multiple home showings, being irresistible will make people stop and THINK about why they really can't afford to miss out on a deal!  

Creative incentives when coupled with strategic pricing can make a real difference when it comes to selling luxury homes.  We've witnessed home owners paying for 6 months of the buyer's mortgage payment or throwing in high end upgrades and even cars.  While this may seem outlandish, when you consider that many home owners are reducing prices by $100,000 or more to entice an offer, it may be cheaper to be generous up front!

When You're Ready to Move...

Select the right agent!  A good agent will provide a comprehensive market analysis and pricing strategy. This plan should include advertising your home online in a number of popular real estate portals in addition to traditional advertising mediums.  In today's media savvy marketplace, the competition is driven by value and presentation.  

If selling your luxury dwelling will require the negotiation of a Short Sale, it is critically important that you deal with an agent who has successfully handled transactions which involve negotiations with lenders who are owed more than the sale of your home can support.  Don't saddle your sale with additional baggage by not entrusting your negotiation to a proven professional.  

Click here to read more articles about Short Sales... 

We're always available to answer your questions and provide informed counsel and recommendations.

Copyright 2009  Audu Real Estate  All Rights Reserved

You don't know you've lost Peace until you can't find it.  Sometimes you don't know you've lost Peace because you've never had it. 

Peace is not an absence of challenge or trial.  It is not a promise or guarantee of the avoidance of hardship.  Rather it is the stillness which draws from a deep well spring the knowledge that all that really matters...is well.

Peace is not about being popular or well-liked.  In fact maintaining it will sometimes require doing things which are deemed disagreeable and opposed.  However, Peace cannot be divorced from Truth and the Integrity to live a life which is free of duplicity.

Peace does not guarantee that you will never have aught with your fellow man.  However, it will provide the pre-requisite humility and wisdom to understand how to surrender in love knowing that the personal battles we fight are ultimately temporary in nature. Peace knows that real victory lies in understanding the profound and empowering universal truth of the power of Love. That is eternal.

Peace means you can look your enemy in the eye without malice in your heart because you know that the lessons he was sent to teach could never have been learned without the  pain of the gift of his strike.  Peace allows you to laugh again...It's not about forgetting about the wound, but being confident that the healing of the scar has made you stronger than you were before.

Peace is being able to leave it alone...lay it down.  It is the strength to walk away and be free from the temptation to look back. Peace is a good night's sleep & a refreshing wake-up in the morning.

Copyright 2008 Audu Real Estate All Rights Reserved

*This post was first written in July 0f 2008.  When I read it today, I was encouraged.  I hope that it will refresh and encourage you again in some way.  Peace & Blessings to you...