Yesterday I was out with a client showing homes to try and beat the home buyers credit deadline. We had lost a week waiting on a response back from a bank on a multiple offer situation that we eventually ended up losing. In the course of conversation as we were driving around looking at homes in the Charlotte area he mentioned something to me that hit home. He said " You truly care about me and helping me find the right home at the right price".
I thought about that most of the day yesterday and evening. It made me think back to a time a long while ago when I had the opportunity to visit disneyworld and get a back door tour of the makings of disney and the experince. An experience that I never realized shaped the salesperosn I am today.
A lot like disney or any other theme park or vacation spot we visit it ssi about making the experince magical. To the point that they want to return year after year and refer it to all of their family and friends. Walt Disney beleived it was not the rides or the games but the "experince" that made Disney so magical to all of the million of vistors that walk through that parke each and every year.
As a Real Estate professional I have taken the lessons I learned many years ago from that and applied it to my business and life. A home purchase is the LARGEST purchase and sale a perosn makes in their lifetime. Nobody doubts that we will never spend as much money or ask that amount of money for anything else. So why are we not trying to make it as magical as we can for our clients?
I guess i have learned a lot over the years about sales and negotiating that has made me very successful in my career. But,the one thing that I beleive has carried me through the most is making the experince as magical as I possibly can for my clients.
By magical, it is more so answering the phone when they call, returning e-mails in a timely manner, sincerely looking out for my clients best itnerest throughout the transaction, searching for that pefect home for them, spending countless hours driving around and looking at homes, staying up late to make sure that you have their home marketed to the best of your ability, being there for them after the sale, following up with them periodically to see how things are going. It is the small little things that make the experince for my clients magical.
In today's economy as more and more Realtors are dropping out of the business I think the ones surviving are the ones that make the experince as magical as possible for their clients.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Live near Mass Transit? Your Home May Be Worth More..
As times have changed with the increase of the Internet and other technology changes; so has the perception and value of homes near mass transit systems. It used to be considered a hinderance to sell your home if you lived near the light rail systems or trains. Now, the reverse seems to be true.
A study I read recenly from California State Fullerton concluded that light rail transit has enhanced residential property values 2% to 18%. With the greatest increases being in cities with commuter rail systems.
As home prices have declined in the past few years as much as 40% in some metro areas. Homes that were within walking distance of the light rail saw their home values decrease by only 16% over the same period.
Now, if you are right on the light rail or train line your home value remained unchanged versus homes not near light rail. People did not want to be close enough to hear it; but be able to walk to it for their daily commute.
Another misperception with selling your home close to the light rail was that crime increases due to the easy access to public transportation. A study at UCLA found that to be false. It concluded that crime rates were no different in areas where there was a mass transit system than areas where one was not easily accessible. It found that the socio-economic makeup of the area influenced the crime rates; not the transit systems.
In Charlotte the area around the Lynxx line that leads to uptown has seen an increase in home sales since it's inception. As more people are conscious of the environment and the ease of use of public transportation. That coupled with the not having to sit in "rush hour' traffic has made mass transit more enticing. So, looking to sell your home? Near mass trasnsit? You may be able to get more for your home than you intially thought.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
A study I read recenly from California State Fullerton concluded that light rail transit has enhanced residential property values 2% to 18%. With the greatest increases being in cities with commuter rail systems.
As home prices have declined in the past few years as much as 40% in some metro areas. Homes that were within walking distance of the light rail saw their home values decrease by only 16% over the same period.
Now, if you are right on the light rail or train line your home value remained unchanged versus homes not near light rail. People did not want to be close enough to hear it; but be able to walk to it for their daily commute.
Another misperception with selling your home close to the light rail was that crime increases due to the easy access to public transportation. A study at UCLA found that to be false. It concluded that crime rates were no different in areas where there was a mass transit system than areas where one was not easily accessible. It found that the socio-economic makeup of the area influenced the crime rates; not the transit systems.
In Charlotte the area around the Lynxx line that leads to uptown has seen an increase in home sales since it's inception. As more people are conscious of the environment and the ease of use of public transportation. That coupled with the not having to sit in "rush hour' traffic has made mass transit more enticing. So, looking to sell your home? Near mass trasnsit? You may be able to get more for your home than you intially thought.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Quail Hollow Golf tournament Charlotte,NC--More Than Tiger Woods
This weekend is the Quail Hollow Golf Championship here in Charlotte North Carolina. A favorite among PGA players since it's inauguration in 2003. This year the tournament has received more press than ever before because of Tiger Woods playing in it. Now, he has played in this tournament in the past. However; this is his first non major golf championship since his infidelity surfaced last year. Thus, the press and media are vying for information and to see how he handles the pressure of playing while answering questions about his home life.
But the Quail Hollow Golf Championship is more than just the story of Tiger Woods. Besides becoming one of the top spots on the tour outside of the majors; it does a lot for local charities and communities. The Quail Hollow Championship has raised over 9 MILLION dollars in 6 short years for charity. The past two years they have sponsored one of the dearest charities to me. Teach for America. A program that takes college students and they commit two years of teaching in urban and rural public schools where the children are not at the grade level they need to be at due to social or economic situations.
The goal of teach for America is to have ALL children across the United States having a fair chance to receive the education they deserve regardless of their economic status. Because today children in these schools that they help are at a huge disadvantage starting at an early age. The average fourth grader is two years behind his or her peer in a more affluent area.
So, though the talk this weekend will be about Tiger Woods playing in his first non major golf championship since the majors; remember this tournament is more than that.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
But the Quail Hollow Golf Championship is more than just the story of Tiger Woods. Besides becoming one of the top spots on the tour outside of the majors; it does a lot for local charities and communities. The Quail Hollow Championship has raised over 9 MILLION dollars in 6 short years for charity. The past two years they have sponsored one of the dearest charities to me. Teach for America. A program that takes college students and they commit two years of teaching in urban and rural public schools where the children are not at the grade level they need to be at due to social or economic situations.
The goal of teach for America is to have ALL children across the United States having a fair chance to receive the education they deserve regardless of their economic status. Because today children in these schools that they help are at a huge disadvantage starting at an early age. The average fourth grader is two years behind his or her peer in a more affluent area.
So, though the talk this weekend will be about Tiger Woods playing in his first non major golf championship since the majors; remember this tournament is more than that.
Dave diCecco
Realtor/Broker
www.davedicecco.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)