Throughout the year I interact with and learn from the best of the best in real estate. These thought leaders talk about everything from the best way to follow up with web leads to keeping in touch after the sale—and everything in between. What I’ve heard more about these last few years is professional listing photos. So many feel a professional photographer must be hired for each and every listing to showcase it in it’s best light. Also, there’s the thought each and every customer should be treated the same way and your marketing plan should be consistent.

What would you think if I said I constantly argue with myself about this? How do I really feel?

Let me tell you, from a consumer standpoint, gorgeous listing photos that make a house look 110% better than it actually is make me feel as if I’m wasting precious time and being lied to. You see, my husband and I recently purchased a home. We actually felt we needed to tour more houses than we were interested in just because the listing photos made each and every house look like a gem.

It was almost comical to be on the buyer side of things and feel like someone just put lipstick on a pig and tried to sell it to me.

As a REALTOR, my argument comes down to the fact that it’s my job to get potential buyers through the door. It’s our job to market each property and present it in it’s best light. But, does the best light mean you must pay for professional photos on every listing? My answer is no. It’s not because I don’t love my photographers at Amoura Productions and want to give them every ounce of business I can. It’s the fact that I feel professional photos aren’t necessary every single time. So, what’s the best practice?

If you’re in a market and selling in a subdivision where all the competition is using professional photos—you’d better buck up and do it.

Sometimes a home is simply hard to photograph. If you take some photos and all the rooms look super small or you just couldn’t get the lighting right—buck up.

On that note, if the home is huge and you can only use 25 photos in the MLS, a professional will potentially be able to capture the foyer, living room and dining room in one photo. Isn’t it worth it then? Buck up. 🙂

Now, if everyone in the area is taking their own photos, you’re more apt to get away with using your own professional camera. However, use a wide angle lens and the HDR setting. Walk around and stage the home a little bit beforehand. Take the tips you’ve learned from the professionals and apply them when you’re taking your own and your photos will always look better than your competition’s.

Also, if it’s a handyman’s special and needs a good amount of work—those buyers would appreciate more accurate photos. Most investors buy and turn over several properties a year. Do you want to be known as the agent that wastes their time?

All in all, you’re running your own business and your budget might not allow for professional photos all the time. Take a proactive approach and consult with the sellers. If it’s not in your plan, the sellers may want to hire the photographer themselves.

 

It’s been a whirlwind of a summer. The chart above may be reflective of the stats, but it certainly doesn’t reflect all the activity. Here’s a breakdown of what we’re seeing in Clay and Platte Counties as well as the entire Kansas City Regional area.

Clay/Ray Counties

Clay/Ray County sales were down for the month by 23.9% from 2013. Units were at 318 versus 418 last year. Year to date, unit sales are down 0.6%, with 2,694 units this year versus 2,710 last year. The average sales price for the month was up 14.5% from last year, with an average price of $186,025. Year to date, the average price is up 10.1%. The average price is $172,751 versus $156,885 last year. New listings were down 45 units to 566 or 7.4% from last year’s 611 units. Inventory is up 0.7% from last year and is running at 2,020 units. Inventory is down 67 units from last month.

Platte County

Platte County sales were down for the month by 13.7% from 2013. Units were at 151 versus 175 last year. Year to date, unit sales are up 0.9%, with 1,181 units this year versus 1,171 last year. The average sales price for the month was up 15.5% over last year, with an average price of $241,119. Year to date, the average price is up 8.7% from last year. The average price is $221,599 versus $201,989 last year. New listings in Platte County were up 8 units to 264, up 3.1% from last year’s 256 units. Inventory increased 6.6% from last year and is running at 938 units. Inventory is down 7 units from last month.

 Heartland

Adjusted sales* for the entire Heartland area were at 2,801, down 9.4% or 291 units. The average price was up 4.4%, and averaging $205,109. Year to date, sales were down 1.0% or 210 units for a total of 20,557 for 2014. The average price for the year is running at $190,667, up 5.8% from 2013’s average of $180,252.

The Info You Don’t See

This is all important, but what you’re not seeing is the reason so many agents feel overwhelmed right now. The past 4 or 5 weeks have been full of frustration for buyers and sellers. There’s been many contracts that have fallen through because of financing, inspections or appraisals. Problems like this create a sort of log jam in the system since most buyers will move onto another property after not getting their first choice. Most sellers will make repairs and drop prices and try to attract the eyes of a new buyer. All of this boils down to real estate agents doing more and more work. While one could argue (and some will)  it’s what we get paid to do, the other side will argue that we actually don’t get paid until the property closes. So, for some clients, an agent will work three times as hard and much longer hours for the same amount of pay. While the end goal is always customer satisfaction, I hope this sheds some light on how frustrating the business can be at times. A great real estate agent will take the brunt of the frustrations and issues and try to keep the transaction flowing smoothly for all parties.

We’re here, we’re working, we may just be quieter than usual and the stats may look like we aren’t.

Trust me, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

It’s summertime in the Midwest and we all call it the same thing. Misery instead of Missouri. It’s unbearably hot most days with humidity levels that curl even the straightest hair. It brings most of us inside seeking cooler temps courtesy of the hard working air conditioner.

Now is the time of year we all share the same desire….swimming pool envy. We walk outside and as our clothes start sticking to us we hear something off in the distance. Laughter and splashing. We walk around a corner and what do we see?

I’ve had this pool envy disease for the better portion of my almost 40 years on this planet. I’ve always thought, “if I could only have a pool, summer would be awesome.”

Last year, my (our) dream finally came true. We found an affordable home with a pool and worked like crazy getting the pool ready for summer. New liner, chemicals, hubby worked on the pump and on, and on. We cleaned the pool often and truly enjoyed it every single hot day we could.

However, there’s something I never even considered when it came to owning a swimming pool and most pool owners don’t even mention it. Did you know owning a pool not only triples your water bill when you fill it, but it also more than doubles your monthly electricity bill. What? Yep. Who even notices that pump on the side of the pool that runs (usually on a timer) constantly during the entire summer? Running that pump is expensive. Buying the chemicals and keeping the pool clear is another expensive task. And guess what…check with your insurance company about random weather (or other) incidents that could cause damage to your pool. Because, you’ve probably guessed it by now, we’ve already had to replace the one we fixed and enjoyed last year. Our old one buckled under pressure one rainy day and, that’s it, we’re out a swimming pool. We’ve since torn out the deck, had the new pool installed and have enjoyed long hot days poolside—but there’s an awfully big price tag attached to that enjoyment.

My purpose here isn’t to scare you away from your pool envy (because nothing will). It’s simply to help you be fully aware of the real cost of owning a swimming pool and help lessen that craving. If you have friends that regularly invite you over….you should enjoy that to its fullest. Let them have the headache, heartache and wallet ache while you stop by and swim away.

Hug them lots and bring cold beverages.

Last night, a new friend wanted me to go with her to the movie God’s Not Dead. Her husband, who I’ve known longer was concerned that I wouldn’t enjoy the movie because I’m not religious.

I’m not religious. This is how my friends see me.

It almost hurts. Almost.

As the daughter of a Baptist minister, I see myself as such a square. You see, in my mind, there are a lot of things I consider immoral, sinful, greedy, etc. I’d like to say these behaviors simply don’t exist with me, but I’ve never been perfect.

However, I was raised in the church and will forever believe in God. There hasn’t been a second that I’ve wanted to deny that, but I’m obviously not shouting it from the rooftops.

My father, and God, and my family have all been instrumental into making me a person that would rather counsel than punish. I’d rather lift up than tear down. I’m blessed with incredible discernment, like my dad. And I have a conscience that keeps me in mental check, ALL DAY LONG.

I have to say, I don’t normally go to church. I feel like my relationship with God is personal and sometimes churches can be fake and judgemental (yep).  However, I do need to be ‘reached’ every now and then with a message.

Yesterday, the message came in the form of a movie with a friend.  The reminder had perfect timing. God’s Not Dead. Evil is all around us in many forms. And I really enjoyed the message ‘sometimes sin/evil makes the sinners life very comfortable so they are tempted to stay on the dark side’. This is why you see successful aka: wealthy, people living these totally immoral, sinful lives. That one hit home.

So, here’s where we end the day. I don’t consider myself religious, though I can argue the topic for hours. But, I am a believer. I’ll continue to live my life the way I think is right, and you can go on living yours with no judgment from me. Vengeance is NOT mine.

My hubby and I went out with some friends this past weekend and spent the entire evening on the ‘Kansas side’. Since Kansas is about ten minutes from my house, you would think we would hang out there all the time. Let me correct that, spend our free time there. I’m in Kansas several days a month for work. However, we don’t spend our time there and much of it is because of this interesting border war that we’ve never gotten past. For instance, when a band comes to Kansas City for a show, they shout from the stage about how they are in Kansas. (We yell and correct them all the time.) Or when you’re on vacation and people assume you are from Kansas because you said Kansas City. (We end up really liking the people that actually ask-KS or MO) So, when we’re invited to something in Kansas, there’s a little bit of eye rolling or ‘clear out there?’ that goes along with it.

How or where did all of this start? Is it from the rival colleges? A little (M-I-Z vs Rock Chalk). Is it something more historical? You bet. Feel free to read all about Bloody Kansas and the pro/anti slavery days between 1854~1861. (Ah, that’s where FreeState Brewing Company got their name!)

I think for me, it’s a couple of things. Part of it is the pride I have in the cool stuff Kansas city, MO, has to offer that I feel gets overlooked at times or lumped in with Kansas getting the credit. I’ve always lived in and near this awesome city in MISSOURI and enjoy its culture and beauty.

When I cross the border on the west side, I land in some of the most affluent neighborhoods in our Kansas City regional area in the cities of Overland Park, Shawnee, Prairie Village, Fairway, etc. There is a difference in incomes and cost of living, creating a massive difference in lifestyle and average real estate sales prices. I’ve heard Kansas people make reference to Missouri people as if we are poor hicks. In reality, it’s simply an old stigma. There are plenty of affluent areas on the Missouri side, too! See the stigma has gone a long way in making us Missourians defensive. But really, we do the same thing. We stick our noses in the air when we refer to crossing the border and poke our share of fun at their cars and clothes.

But, you have to admit, this identity crisis is pretty hilarious, especially the fact that we all ignore the less affluent areas we both have right at the border.

However, to our visitors and migrants, we are a welcoming lot. Above all else, both sides of the border enjoy showing off the assets of the entire region and set our border war aside to do so.

Welcome to our identity crisis!