October 2005 Issue
Page 3

LISTING INPUT REMINDERS

OR: "Top twelve ways to save your appraiser lots of time so your appraisal gets done quicker and, perhaps, the estimated value is what you think it should be."

More ACCURATE searches for everyone, not just appraisers, are much easier to find if the following steps are observed:

• SqFt refers to above grade square feet only.
• Number of bedrooms refers to above grade bedrooms only.
• Bedrooms are private areas with doors; do not necessarily have built in closets.
• In "split level" homes, an area partly or completely below grade is basement space and should be so indicated.
• Generally, tri-levels have 50% basements - Quad-levels and bi-levels have full basements.
• Only one indicator should be made for foundation; i.e., Full basement - Partial basement - Crawl space - Slab - Etc. Remarks like "Part basement, crawl" fault the search.
• Basement rooms (including bathrooms) should be noted in basement information only .
• Room count refers to "living areas" - Not foyers, utility rooms, baths, etc. - Room count for a home with a foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, den, 2 baths, and a laundry room is: 7 rooms - 3 bedrooms - 2 baths.
• Exterior should reflect actual siding; i.e., "Vinyl" - "Brick, aluminum" - Stone, cedar", etc. A home cannot be "All brick, aluminum."
• If there is a partial basement, approximate % should be indicated when possible.
• 2-4 unit properties should be in the multi family list section. May also be in single family when appropriate.
• Modulars, manufactured housing, condos, etc. should be appropriately noted at "style."

Reference: Charlie Nye

Stretch Your Business By Stretching Yourself
by John Hagerman

Are you having a tough time trying to "grow" your business? If so, try stretching yourself instead. As Realtors, we're constantly told to grow our business by setting higher goals, by expanding our farming area, by adding names to our mailing and call lists, or increasing our advertising budgets. We're told, and most of us believe, that we have to continually find ways to do or add more to our business efforts. What we're not told, is that the most effective way to "grow" our business is to "stretch" ourselves.

There's an old adage that defines insanity as, "doing the same things you've always done, but expecting different results." By that definition most Realtors® are indeed insane.

We find a few marketing tools we feel comfortable with, and resist trying anything new. We find a few prospecting methods we feel comfortable with, and resist trying anything new. We claim we want to increase our income level, but in actuality, we get comfortable with where we are and unconsciously resist doing those things that might actually yield results. It's called our "comfort zone." We like to do what we've always done, and it's hard to change.

If you have difficulty "changing," try a new analogy. "Stretching" simply means taking one thing, one idea, which pushes beyond the boundaries of our comfort zone, and giving it a try. They key is doing only one new thing, one small thing at a time. For instance, if you set a goal of calling 100 new prospects every day, and you didn't call that many new prospects all of last year, you're probably going to fail. Setting an impossible goal is setting yourself up for failure. Instead, try keeping it small enough to guarantee success. Instead of 100 new prospects every day, try ten.

If you're not used to making prospecting calls, making ten calls per day is definitely out of your comfort zone. It's also close enough to your comfort zone for you to possibly be willing to take the risk and commit to giving it a try. Do it for three weeks, (research has shown it takes 21 days to create a new habit, a new "comfort zone") and you'll discover that you've "stretched" yourself, "stretched" your comfort zone to include the new behavior.

Once you've stretched yourself to include the new behavior, you're ready to stretch again. Perhaps you'll decide to add five more calls a day -- a manageable amount. Perhaps you'll decide to find ten new people per week to add to your mailing list instead. Maybe you'll decide to close your office door to visitors and interruptions for 30 minutes per day, a couple of days per week, instead of always having it open and inviting in anybody who wants to distract you from doing the things you know you have to do to make your business succeed.

Think of yourself as a balloon. You might be a big balloon with lots of room to wander around and try new things, or you might feel the skin of the balloon pressing in on you, stifling you. Whichever way the balloon feels to you, if you stretch the balloon just a little, you all of a sudden create new space for new possibilities. And the funny thing about balloons is, they were made to stretch. Like people, they weren't made to stay deflated or stay one size, they were made to keep expanding, to stretch. But, like people, they were made to stretch a little at a time. Stretch them too fast or too far and they pop. Stretch them at a slow and steady pace, fill them with fresh air, (or fresh ideas and behaviors) a little at a time, and you'll be amazed just how far they'll stretch.

So the next time your manager tells you need to grow your business, try stretching yourself first.

Published: April 29, 2005
RealtyTimes.com

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