Wednesday, May 7, 2014

You're Fired!


It’s probably odd to think that a Real Estate Agent will headline their blog with ‘You’re Fired’ and expect to be taken seriously, but I am.  Actually, since I work with a partner, I should say, rather, ‘Fire Us’.
Did you know you could?  Fire your real estate agent?  It’s not something we advertise – though I don’t know why not because you can and you should be told.  It’s that simple. 

Realtors talk talk talk so much, so fast and slide contracts in there and by the time a listing presentation is done, there’s a signature on the bottom line and a confused Seller who may or may not be happy with who they've just committed to and the Realtor walks away happy with your commitment and a listing but you, perhaps not so much.  Do you see what’s wrong with this picture?

Isn’t it YOUR home? Your Money? Your Dream?  Shouldn’t it be the other way around – Me Committed To You?

That’s my commitment.  Fire me, sorry, Fire Us.  If you don’t like our service, our commitment, what WE are doing for YOU, then hand us that Trump moment.  We've never had it happen and I won’t say yet, because if the day ever comes when I anticipate being fired because I have not stepped up to my commitment to my client, I’ll find a new career because Real Estate would no longer fit.

So what CAN I do for you?

Let’s start with:
  • Exclusive Home Value Audits.  No obligation.  Whether you are curious or serious. 
  • Customized Multi-Level Marketing Strategy for Your Home – a plan of action detailing what we are committed to doing and where we’ll be doing it. 
  • Platinum Home Buyers Program – the listings will appear in your inbox before they’ve hit the public market.

Call me now to discuss how I can commit to you, your needs and your home (416) 388-7384.  If it’s easier, you can reach me by text or email to nicole@gtalisted.com.


No pressure. No obligation. No tactics. Just a conversation.


Nicole Kreutzberg & Laszlo Koos
Realtors with Sutton West Realty Inc.
Serving the Real Estate needs of: Toronto & the GTA in Ontario, Cda.



This blog is not intended to solicit anyone under Agency Agreement (Buyer or Seller) & is not be considered legal advice but is the writers opinion.
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Tuesday, April 22, 2014


Who Writes This Stuff?

I keep reading these posts about the things that your Real Estate Agent won't tell you.  There seems to be a trend of articles devoted to the cause and I'd like to know, Which Agent? Which agent is not giving you the truth? The right information? Honesty?  Because I'll tell you (the truth that is) - I don't hold back and frankly my reputation and career is based on honesty and transparency with my clients - not lying and misinformation.  Here's some of the popular items on the list that's been going around:


  1. Open Houses - the articles suggest that there is no benefit from an Open House to the owner and that it's merely a way for the Agent to secure new clients.  Well first off, new business is great. Not going to lie.  It is in fact a great way to meet new potential clients but we don't do these based on that.  More often than not Open Houses are filled with potential Buyers who already have agents and thus, we spend our time - the whole weekend in fact, schmoozing Buyers who are not using our services but the services of their own Realtor.  Isn't the goal to sell?  We are also introducing your house to the neighborhood and more often than not, it's a neighbor who has a cousin who is looking in the area and this would be perfect.  It's called advertising.  The more exposed your home is, the better chance of it being sold quickly and for your asking price, if priced correctly. Isn't that the goal?  My weekends are not spent inside homes merely to prospect - I am there to sell - and sell YOUR home.  Send in a friend undercover if you don't believe me.  I'm okay with that!
  2. Real Estate Fee's.  Yes they are negotiable.  We do talk about this and we will negotiate but honestly, if I don't have to put money on the table, I am not going to.  Do you? Would you arbitrarily offer to reduce or put money on the table in your own business if it wasn't asked, suggested or required? I'll tell you another secret - while I will offer up portions of my fee (absolutely!) the Buyer fee is usually not negotiable.  Agents are offering 1% - but what they are not telling you is that they are charging 1% but you are also still paying 2.5% for the Buyers end.  So 1 = 3.5%.  The dirty truth of it is that most agents won't show a property if the commission is less than 2.5% (sometimes 2%) on the Buyers side.  It seems greedy but in all honesty, Real Estate is the only business where we must pay to work.  A Realtor in Ontario realistically pays over $10 000.00 in fee's, insurance, associations and desk costs - all of which are mandatory in order to keep their license - whether or not they make a sale that year.  In addition - all related costs - marketing, gas, car, tools of the trade, cell phone etc are the sole responsibility of the agent as well.  It costs alot of money for the privilege of having our career.  And I do treat it as a privilege.  But please remember - the entire cost of marketing your home - from website, social media, advertising, feature sheets, all of the calls, emails, texts and follow ups - are solely the financial responsibility of the agent.  We do not get reimbursed.  We pay all expenses out of pocket.
  3. There are Offers You Don't Know About. No. There are not.  We, in Ontario, are legally obligated (if not ethically) to report every single offer on the table.  It's not our property - it's yours.  Being sued for not relaying information is not how any agent wishes to spend their time.  I tell every owner about every potential offer.  It's not my decision.  Even if it's the lowest of the low - absurd - I will always tell my Owners.  This statement is just ridiculous.
  4. You Don't Need a Real Estate Agent - You Can Do It On Your Own.  Yep - that's true.  You can. It may save you money and you may very well get it done and done well.  Is this how you want to spend your time? If it is, than great.  Anyone who feels they can FSBO (for sale by owner) their own property, I say, Power To Them.  Really.  I do know that as an Agent, I have access to so many things that you, as a lay person do not.  That being MLS, my website, my social media connections, all of the Agents in my office and in every single office of every agency in the province.  I have the knowledge and skill to price your home - using the same models and information as the Appraisers from the Banks and I have the knowledge and skill to go through your home and show you how it will best show.  It's my job to field all calls, appointments, inquiries and information regarding your property and it's on me if something goes wrong - which is why both my Broker and I carry huge insurance policies.  I don't know of many Agents who show FSBO properties to their clients and so based on that alone, you are missing out on a HUGE pool of Buyers.  Buyers who don't want to deal with a private deal and wish to leave the contracts and legalities up to their agents & lawyers.  Buyers who know that their Agent will garner all necessary information regarding zoning, easements, neighborhoods, history and the multitude of other seemingly unimportant pieces of information regarding a purchase that makes a Buyers time less stressful than it already is.  I am not suggesting FSBO homes don't sell - they do, absolutely, but for a huge stream of Buyers - they have no interest in the process and stick to properties with less stress.
I'm not saying that all agents are awesome, honest, driven or have your back - I just know that I am and I do and many of my colleagues do as well.   In all honesty, I went into real estate because of some shady agents we had used in the past and I vowed I would never disrespect any client the way I felt I had been.  That's the truth.

I honestly love people.  I understand people and mostly, I respect other people's money.  Looking for a property in the $500 000 range? I'm not going to show you  $600 000 homes, I am going to respect your budget.  Just divorced? I'm not telling anyone - it's your business and I'm going to help you find a property that will suit your new normal.  Just starting a family and looking for the move out of the core into the Burbs? I'll help you consider the long term plan - schools, neighborhood, transit and all of your other needs that you hadn't really thought about yet. My career, my goal is to ensure all my clients feel comfortable, welcome, valued and heard.  What's important to you becomes important to me - whether it's finding a yard for your dog, being near a mosque, church or house of worship.  No matter what your persuasion, orientation or inclinations - my job is about conversations.  I am your agent, it is not my place to judge anything.  My job is about Information. Honesty. Integrity and Listening.  

I'm always here, so if you're in the GTA & looking to Buy or Sell - give me a call.  I'd love to help.  It's why I do what I do.


As always, questions, comments or if you are just plain curious about the value of your home,
Website at:: www.gtalisted.com,
Twitter: GTAListed 
Text me at: 416-388-7384



Nicole Kreutzberg
Realtor

This blog is not intended to solicit those under agency agreement and has been written as the agents own opinion not to be used as legal advice or otherwise




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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

GTA Real Estate Mash Up


Latest Headlines:


Reported by the Canadian Press Wed. March 19: Loonie lower, Bank of Canada chief says interest rate cut can't be ruled out


Reported by Globe & Mail Tues. March 18: First-time home buyers’ average budget rises to $316,000: BMO


Reported by the Toronto Star Wed. March 19: Real estate association trims 2014 home sales forecast as year off to slow start

Taken all togethor it certainly sounds like Mortgage rates will drop in the up coming Buyer's market where your first property will cost you more now than it did a few years ago.

Everything is all speculation until it is fact. It's that simple.  Interest rates MAY go down.  They haven't today though.  Eventually they will go up, it's the nature of the cycle.  When? Who knows.  Do you bank on the interest rate? No.  Bank on your income and your ability to make mortgage payments.  If you can afford a mortgage of say, $400 000 at 3.49% with payments that are $1994/month can you afford $2104/month? - that's the difference between a closed and variable.  Sounds simple and easy enough but you really need to make sure you can. When rates rise so do your payments.  Careful not to borrow so much that you max out on your monthly payment affordability.  You need a cushion.  One day that mortgage will come up for renewal - will you be able to weather that, should rates increase dramatically?  Don't bank on what could happen, just bank on what you know about YOU and YOUR finances and what the rate is doing now.  The rate will always go up and always go down.

First time home buyers average budget increases? Well ya. Of course.  It's called cost of living, inflation and the nature of the market.  No one buys property in hopes that it will depreciate so naturally prices all over Canada will nominally increase year to year.  What that percentage increase amounts to varies from City to City and area to area.  I think the biggest key here is 1st Time Home Buyer education.  

There's been a dramatic shift in today's generation from generations prior.  Today's 1st time home buyers want it now, want it all and want it cheap.  What ever happened to a starter? The one where the buyer works their way up, puts in some time and effort and slowly collects resources to renovate slowly as budgets permit, their first house.  Today, that first Buyer thinks they ought to be able to move into a 3 bed, with hardwood, granite, stainless, finished basement, attached garage with a fenced yard in a good neighborhood for next to nothing.  Why? Because they see it on HGTV.  Lower your expectations.  Realize the value of compromise and know that the first home is not typically forever.  It's the first.  It's the one that helps you see what you want next.  

Trimming the forecast for 2014 on home resale? Well glad they are finally becoming realistic.  As an agent, I find too often it's the media, not us, who fuels the fire.   Reported statistics and media create a frenzy of want, need, have to sell, need to buy, get in before it's too late, have to price it 100K over value... then the agent steps into the picture after frantic client calls and we must, please don't laugh, be the voice of reason. Yes sales were down in January in the GTA - why? Because it was freakishly cold and we had an unusual amount of snow.  It's quite simple.  But back in January, those same statistics people were reporting above average sales.  Why?  Stats are numbers.  Mathematical equations.  One large or luxury home sale skews those figures.  One home that is undervalued by $50K and then sells at 125% over asking, skews those home sales.  

I certainly wish the stats would compare apples to apples when they release numbers.  Show the figures for say, the 'average bungalow'.  How long on the market, average.  Average listing price.  Average sales price.  How many were sold.  Do the same for 2 story.  The same for luxury.  The same for condo's - 1 beds compared to 2 beds.   More often than not real estate statistics are a stew, what you are looking for are individual dishes.

In this media age all buyers and sellers are far more savvy & intelligent than ever before and that is most definitely a good thing but too much information, too much competing information, too many numbers and all the info becomes a mash up which does not create a more intelligent real estate client, but a more confused one.  

Finally, in the great words of Benjamin Franklin, "do not believe everything you read online, some of it is just not true".  Good guy that Ben.

As always, questions, comments or if you are just plain curious about the value of your home,
email nicole@gtalisted.com,
visit our website at www.gtalisted.com,
our facebook page at  Sutton West Realty,
follow me on twitter: GTAListed 
or text me at: 416-388-7384

Would love to help.

Nicole Kreutzberg
Realtor

This blog is not intended to solicit those under agency agreement and has been written as the agents own opinion not to be used as legal advice or otherwise
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Thursday, February 20, 2014

The Ad Game


I work with Buyers in all price ranges and am always faced with unique challenges.  Every range has its own.  The Ad Game is designed to make me look bad to my Buyers and make it seem like I am hiding something, which, trust me, I am not.  I really and truly want to find you that property in that lower budget as much as you do and with your specifications it can be a challenge but one I willingly accept, so trust me when I tell you to ignore the Ads. It’s a game.

Scenario:
Buyer, lower budget, needs may include 2 washrooms, parking, not a Condo or Townhouse and no maintenance (condo/HOA) fee’s.  Preference is a Detached but Semi – Detached better.  In a housing market like the Greater Toronto Area where the average is about $400 000.00 on the really lower end, this is truly difficult but not unattainable.  Again, challenge accepted.

The Ad Game

“Hot New Listing $320 000.00 Amazing 3 Bedroom home, renovated call: 416-555-1212”
“Great Townhome $279 000.00, 3 Bedrooms with walkout to yard, call: 416-555-1212”

My client’s see these ad’s, immediately call me and demand why I haven’t showed them the property – it’s exactly what they are looking for and in their price range!

The Truth
Ad # 1 Truth… while it appears to be local (the agent has a local area code consistent with the GTA) it’s not.  I call the Agent who’s not excited by my call because I am not a potential client but just another ‘agent’ and find that the property is actually located an hour outside of the GTA.  An hour. That’s a huge commute. Huge.  I provide the info back to my client and they are disappointed.  I go so far as to send them the actual MLS listing so they see I am not trying to keep them from this great property and they realize that I am telling the truth and no, they are not willing to commute an hour, in low traffic.

Ad # 2 Truth... again, it seems right up their alley.  A townhome, okay, we can settle for a townhome, it’s under budget, why haven’t you showed it to me?  So again, I call.  Get the MLS number and send it over so my clients can read the fine print – specifically where it states that there are maintenance fee’s over 300-400 dollars a month – something they specifically do not or will not pay for.

I am not suggesting that real estate advertising is wrong or that the agents are doing anything unseemly.  In fact as real estate agents, we are held to Federal Laws on all advertising and could face both criminal and punitive penalties should we mislead the public.  What I am stating is this.  If you see an ad that doesn’t provide all the information and the price does seem too good to be true, it probably is.

A good advertisement wanting to sell the actual property instead of wanting to provide potential clients for the agent will tell you where the property is: what area and probably what street.  It will let you know that if it’s a Townhome, there’s maintenance fees.  If it’s intercity, there’s a mutual drive.  It will in a few short words provide the pertinent information and provide an MLS number or website info so that you can get more information instead of the agent trying to get information out of you, when you call.

When I sit down with a potential Buyer I have a check list of info that I use to begin my search on the MLS system.  It includes price, area, bedrooms, driveways, maintenance fee’s, washrooms, square footage and any other relevant information that can help me search accurately.  Sure I will search outside the ‘box’.  If your price range is so low that there are no listings, I may increase the range search by 10-20 thousand because maybe there is a listing in there that has been so long on the market that it may be negotiable.  I may see a listing that only has 2 bedrooms, when you need 3 but there is a potential 3rd bedroom in the basement.  I may decrease the number of washrooms you require because sometimes the search is about compromise but if you tell me you’d like to live in say, Mississauga – I am not looking in Whitby.  If you tell me that you require a home with its own driveway because you own a large Ford F150, I know that a mutual drive won’t work so I don’t include those in those I show you.
A responsible agent who cares about what their clients’ needs are will show them the properties as close to a match to their wish list as possible. 

Obviously there will always be compromises but our goal is to make you the most satisfied Buyer we possibly can.  I have access to all the MLS listings in the GTA long before you do and believe me, if a home comes up with your needs – you will know about it, that’s how the MLS is designed when used properly.

Don’t let the ads fool you, many are a game designed to bring the advertising agents new clients – and there’s nothing wrong with that, but trust in your own agent, they really are working diligently to find you the one that you want.

If you have any questions regarding real estate, are interested in interviewing me as your potential agent or would like some neighborhood info on prices, please contact me at your convenience.  Always here to help and always happy to meet new clients!

Nicole Kreutzberg
Realtor
Sutton West Realty Inc., Brokerage
(416) 388-7384

This blog is not intended to solicit those under agency agreement and has been written as the agents own opinion not to be used as legal advice or otherwise
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