Open Houses and Photo ID

I recently hosted an open house for another agent and she requested that I not admit anyone without signing in and checking photo id.

The issue of requiring photo id has been discussed and is encouraged at my brokerage but it's not something that I've done so far.

I must admit that I was very uncomfortable with the idea because it feels a little heavy handed to me.  I dreaded this open house because of the "ick" factor of this one particular part and normally I LOVE doing open houses!

On the other hand I really do understand the need for it!  If I were the homeowner I know I'd feel more comfortable knowing that my agent was keeping a tight rein on who was going through my home!

Ultimately I'm responsible for the home for the 2 hour open house and if something were to happen then having a sign in sheet with accurate information on it is obviously what the police need to get to the bottom of the situation!

I expected visitors to be unhappy about it and some were, I expected that I wouldn't make any good contacts because we were starting from a place of distrust and I would be trying to make people do something they didn't want to do and I guess that remains to be seen...

My husband said that he wouldn't even bother to look at a house with that requirement just on principle and another visitor said I could check their ID as long as it wasn't recorded....sigh...

Overall it wasn't as bad as I thought and nobody walked away when they saw the sign, as a matter of fact it was probably the busiest open house I've hosted yet.

I'm curious to know what other people think about being required to show photo id and not being admitted without it.  Please take the time to comment, I'd love to hear different perspectives on this!

Until Next Time…

Kelly

Hot Properties!

There's nothing more fun than holding an open house for a property that's well priced, well marketed and well presented! The energy is amazing!

Recently I hosted a double and it was so busy that people were lined up waiting for it to start!

I would say that this property offers a good lesson to homeowners and potential sellers on the value of making smart reno choices, keeping your home well maintained, and once on the market, ruthlessly clean and staged (in this case) just enough that it's easy to show but not difficult to live in.

For these sellers the hard work paid off (and make no mistake, preparing and having your home on the market is hard work)!  After less than a week they received an offer!

Some people believe that receivng an offer so quickly means that your Realtor underpriced your home.  While it's certainly possible, it's more likely that they simply did their job well!  Our job is to give price recommendations that are realistic and to market aggressively in order to get your home seen by as many people as possible! And remember too that it's a partnership and you have to do your share as well; this means make it easy for buyers to see your home, keep it clean etc...If all these things come together then your odds of receiving an offer quickly are greatly increased!

In a future post I'll talk about the importance of that 1st 2 weeks on the market, but that's it for now!

Until Next Time…

Kelly

5 Things I've Learned From Showing Houses

1.  Lock boxes with letter codes should be outlawed....I can't work'em (at least not the 1st time and sometimes not the 10th ~sigh~) and they make me feel like a moron, lol!

2.  MLS photos and descriptions are designed to pique your interest and do not necessarily reflect the home in real life!

3.  #2 leads right into #3 which is preview as much as you can!  It's very difficult to determine things like how the floor plan flows etc., from pictures and you'll save your buyer some time...what looks good "on paper" or on the internet may not be suitable in the least!

4.  The GPS app on my Iphone is not necessarily that reliable!  If you like the scenic route then it's all good but the more direct route...not so much! :(

5. Sellers should really try to put their Buyers' hat on when they're either getting ready to go on the market or while they're there!  If you would get grossed out by a toilet that looks like it's never been cleaned EVER then my potential buyer(s) is probably going to feel the same way!  My hats off to my customer Marie who was a real trooper at one particular home that we looked at together!  The experience makes for a good story but not an offer....it's a shame too because on paper the house had all the right stuff but its condition was a total turn off!

So there you have it! Do you have any stories to share about looking at houses? I'd love to hear them!

Until Next Time…

Kelly

Getting Involved In The Community

I'm super excited because I'm sponsoring my boys' softball team this year!!

The Durham East Softball Association is a terrific organization that I'm proud to be a part of and not just as a sponsor!  Our kids have played in the league since it started in 2006 and my husband is the new President of the Youth league while I'm going into my 4th season as President of the DESA Fun League (Adult league).

Being a volunteer can be very rewarding as well as very trying at times.  I try to stay focused on the rewarding part, lol!  I've met so many terrific people through this experience and I'm so glad I got involved!

We tend to live very over-scheduled lives these days and when we set our priorities it's hard to fit in extra stuff like getting involved in the community through volunteering.  I wish that more people could see what a difference a few hours and a few extra sets of hands can make to a community organization or at your children's school! I've seen so many great ideas get put on the back burner because there were just not enough people available to implement them!  Worse than that is when the volunteers that ARE making things happen get burnt out because there's not enough help!

It's funny how even things that benefit us directly in our own lives just don't make the cut! A few years ago I helped organize the Neighbourhood Watch in my immediate area and was shocked at what a hard sell it was to get people involved, we just barely squeaked by the criteria necessary to get the designation! I'm also saddened to know that the Block Parent program is no more due to a lack of volunteers!  Both of these initiatives are about keeping ourselves, our children and our property safe which are usually our top priorities, right?

In any event, off my soapbox and back to Opening Weekend for ball!

Saturday, was for the kids league, meet the coach, get your stuff and games start this week...I love watching my guys play, it's my favourite thing to do! 1st win in the books on Tuesday for Re/Max KellyBayne.Com! Go Team!

Sunday was our 1st game for the Adult league!  With just a few changes over the years our team has been together from the start!  Here's a picture of  "the Joiners" otherwise known as White Lightning in our stylin' new tye dye shirts! We're missing a couple of players in this shot so I'll post a new picture with everyone in it soon!

Unfortunately we lost our 1st game on Sunday...those darn Bow Sox! :( Not the way we'd hoped to kick off the season but there's always next week! Could this be the year we take the Montgomery Cup??!!! Stay tuned for that, lol......

Until Next Time…

Kelly