I just admitted I goofed.  It was something minor – a data field for a Destin FL Bank of America short sale.  I accidentally entered the wrong property tax amount. Or, shall I say, I was doing too many things at once and should have checked my work. No harm was done, but the negotiator had to re-create the task so I could do it right.  He didn’t say “You goofed, idiot!”.  He just asked me to re-do it. I had two choices.  I could have just done the task, or could have also admitted I had made a mistake.  I did the latter.  Here is my email:

“Got it!  Sorry I messed up before!  Happy Thanksgiving Week!”

This seems like a minor point, but it isn’t– in negotiations or in real life.  How does admitting you were wrong help?  First, bringing your mistake out in the open, shows you are human.  Acknowledging it shows you care.  In negotiations, it can disarm the other party.  It can bring them to your side, and create a connection.  How so? Human beings are “rescuers”.  They have sympathy.  And if you admit you are wrong, it allows them to be wrong, too.  Their defensive wall is taken down.  Dale Carnegie says this in his classic book, “How To Win Friends and Influence People” – “When you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.”  He goes on to say, “You will never get into trouble by admitting you may be wrong.  This will stop all argument and inspire your opponent to be just as fair and open and broad-minded as you are.”

Confess when you make a mistake, and watch what happens with the negotiator, the other agent, your seller or your spouse.   This negotiator melted and emailed me back three times to discuss his cold, while working on my short sale approval.

Admitting you were wrong is the right thing to do.

It’s Wendy!

What does a Destin Florida real estate agent do for vacation? When you live by the beautful Gulf of Mexico, in a small resort town in the South, you do the opposite, of course.  Head North!  And North I went, back to my roots in the Northeast.  Having grown up in Connecticut, it was time to visit my family and take a side trip to Massachusetts. The time of year was perfect – October cool and crisp.  We stayed in Boston, and walked the Freedom Trail. 

 If you’ve never experienced this part of Boston – you need to. No American should miss it.  You just follow the red bricks that wind around the city to sixteen lovingly maintained historic sites that honor our country’s history. 

Some of the highlights for me were the Bunker Hill Monument on Breed’s Hill and the Old North Church.  We also went to Boston Common, King’s Chapel, the Old South Church, the Paul Revere House, the Granary Burying Grounds, Copps Hill, the U.S.S. Constitution and Quincy Market. You can feel the stirrings of the revolutionaries, their fighting spirit, and the heart of our nation. When in the Old North Church, I stood where Paul Revere rang the church bells when he was fifteen. On the U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), the magnificent ship is all spit and polish. The Faneuil Hall Marketplace food court had more ethnic offerings in one spot than I’ve ever seen before. Of course, you need to have a cannoli in the Italian North End, too! And did I mention “Cheers“?

Another side trip we took in Massachusetts was to Old Sturbridge Village. This is a rural museum town which reflects life from the late 1700′s to the1830′s.  There we found homes, mills, a stagecoach, glass works, printers, farm, crafts, weaving and more set on a beatiful town green. I enjoyed the walk to the different houses (and outhouses) that were each mini-museums. Some had actors in period dress and character.  The  blacksmith was working his trade and answering questions for all who entered his shop. There was a woman  cooking in a rental house, and a printer who made me a document calling the militia.  Seeing a soldier walking by in period dress was very exciting, especially when he said in his formal English “Good day”. There is so much to see, that Sturbridge VIllage offers two day passes for true history buffs.

My favorite part of this trip? All of it!

 It’s Wendy!  Wendy Rulnick, Broker, Rulnick Realty, Destin Florida 850-650-7883

Where do you get your data when you get a new listing?  Do you just cut and paste square footage, room sizes and school district from a previous sold or expired listing without verification?  One of my Destin buyer agents just ran into this.  She had written a contract on a short sale listing.  Her buyer was searching around on the internet and noticed the MLS property size was about 200 square feet higher than the Okaloosa Property Appraiser website. Of course, the property appraiser website could have been wrong, and there might have been a good explanation for the discrepancy.  If the seller had an appraisal, or finished rooms not reflected in public records, or measured the house, it could account for the difference.  That’s what we were hoping.  So my agent called the listing agent and asked, “Where did you get the square footage for this house?”  Answer: “Oh, I copied it from the old MLS listing.”

Excuse me? This is a huge mistake. Here are the ramifications of not performing due diligence on listing information:

1.   With a short sale, the inflated square footage might cause the short sale lender BPO to come in too high, losing the sale.

2.   The buyer’s appraiser will measure the home, come in at a lower value based on less square footage, and the buyer won’t be able to get funding and close.

3.   The buyer closes based one erroneous information, finds out about the error, and sues you later.

Those are just the problems I can come up with off the top of my head.  I am sure there are more.  You might think “Our MLS has a disclaimer that says the buyer is to verify all information”, so there is nothing to worry about.  Even if that’s the case, not performing due diligence can look like negligence.

 

Even though this is a real estate blog, I have to tell a story that you might relate to. It’s about buying carpet. Yes, that’s me.  I decided to finally change out the old carpet in my house and get something new. Where did I go?  Home Depot, of course!  My adventure started with picking out the most plush and cat-stain resistant carpet I could find.  The brand happened to be Martha Stewart, (who would have guessed?).  I took the swatches home and found the color I wanted, “Twisted Pine” or some such.  I was excited, and went back to the store to arrange a “measure” of my home to get a price.

A few days after they measured, they called me with a final price quote– 25% higher than the original estimate.  “Wow, that’s high!   I’ll have to think about it”, I told them.  Meanwhile, I had to figure out what to do with all the books I’d collected over the years, so I could get them out of the way in preparation for the carpet.  It wasn’t going to be a quick process.

Almost immediately, though, the carpet company called again.  In fact, they called me every day.  My cell phone, my work phone and my home phone.  Hadn’t I told them, “I was going to think about it”? For three weeks, I would get messages on my answering machine asking me to call regarding the carpet.  After three days I was annoyed.  In fact, I considered going to a different store when I decided to move forward.

My thoughts turn to real estate. How could you apply this scenario when following up with new buyers and sellers who are are the fence about meeting with you, listing, looking, etc?  After the initial conversation,  how often can you call without being annoying?  What is the opposite of being “annoying”?  It’s being “polite”!

Here are my quick hints on how to stay “polite”:

1. Ask if you may follow up
2. Ask when you may follow up (“May I call you on Monday?”)
3. If they say they are going on a trip, give them a couple of days to get back
4. If they don’t  respond to your email, wait a couple of days  to try again – they might be busy
5. If they don’t respond again after a few days, wait a bit longer

If they never respond, move on.  If the carpet company had given me room to breathe, not been annoying, and been polite, I might have already had it installed.  

It’s Wendy!

Wendy Rulnick, Broker, Rulnick Realty, Inc.

Call toll-free 1-877-487-9639 or local 850-650-7883 ext 204

Email Wendy: itswendy@rulnickrealty.com

Destin Short Sales & Pre Foreclosure Help.

My first “Canoe Adventure”. My husband popped the question Thursday night.  You know how guys are?  They wait until the last minute to ask you something. His work group was going on a river canoe trip the next day. Did I want to go?  He thought I’d say no, because I don’t like bugs, hate humidity and don’t like getting in the water.  Well, I said “Yes” anyway, and off we went!

The canoe trip was sponsored by Adventures Unlimited in Milton Florida. Located on Coldwater Creek, they offer kayaking, canoes, zip-lines, orienteering, cabins and more.  We drove the hour from Destin Florida to Milton, getting up at a groggy-eyed 5:00 a.m.  It was far away, and I was sure we were in some other state, lost on a back road.  When we got to the site, though, it looked like a well-organized campground.  I told the clerk we wanted an “upgraded  kayak or canoe” (whatever you call those things), as I didn’t want to paddle, just enjoy my husband’s gondoliering skills down the creek. She said I could be like Cleopatra in the front,  so just take one paddle, and it would be no problem.  Uh, not exactly, as we’ll find out later.

Our next step was getting on a bus to be driven to the drop-off point, where we would get into our canoes and kayaks.  The guide announced, “The special group should get on the bus first – those who are going on the 15 mile trip.” Whew, I was glad that wasn’t us.  But wait – “Get on”, he said!  It is YOU- you are on the advanced trip.  Oh no, I felt like someone who had just enlisted in the military and there was nothing you could do to change your mind.  I was in, and there was no turning back.  I just hoped the 15 miles would be a joy ride.

We got to our drop off point to find out there was no extra “upgraded” canoe with the raised seat-backs for us.  We could wait for one and hold up the trip, or carry on.  One of my husband’s buddies whispered to me, “You really should have a paddle, too, just in case…”. “You’re right” I said, but it was too late.

At the send-off, the guide told us, you’ll be going by two bridges.  After the second bridge, you’ll be close to home.  Watch for the signs that say ”Stop”.  The trip should take about four hours. Not.

At first, getting in the canoe was glorious. A little shaky, but pleasant.  Then the adventures came.  We got stuck on the bottom several times, as the water was too shallow.  My husband got out and towed  us through the pebbles by hand.  Such a Herc.  I probably should have gotten out of the boat to help him out.  Then the rain came. Not a pleasant sun-shower.  A full-out downpour.  There I was, soaked to the bone.  I might as well have been swimming.  I thought it was a dream.  No help. No cover. In the middle of nowhere.  Finally, the rain stopped.  I tried to towel myself off, but the towel was sopped, too.

Onward we went.  Where the water wasn’t shallow, there were huge tree limbs and stumps to avoid. They were beautiful, but banging up against them was jolting.  My husband paddled on.  I realized I should have brought my own paddle to help, as the rest of the group was far ahead of us.  To avoid shallow areas, we had to skirt the shoreline.  A little too closely at times.  I did complete back flops into the canoe to avoid having my head taken off by tree limbs. That only happened three times.  The last time was when all of my husband’s friends were parked on shore waiting for us to catch up.  We went right into the trees, I slammed flat on my back, and they all clapped.  How embarrassing.

Are we there yet?  Two hours later, more rain.  We were only one-third of the way through.  I decided to pull a huge branch from the creek to use as a paddle to “help” out my husband. Apparently, the experienced river rats thought that was hysterical, and laughed at my “paddle”.  Onward we went. Maybe we’d never get out.  This was one of those movies.  After each curve of trees, I kept hoping for the “Stop” sign.  Maybe it was around the next curve? Nope.  This is the one!? Nope. Lost on a river.  Finally, six hours and 15 MILES later, we got back to our starting point.  Our adventure was over.

Did I have fun? Yes! I loved looking at the beautiful nature, trees, clear water, ancient stumps, feeling the cool breeze and enjoyment of friends.  Would I go again? YES.  But next time? Sign me up for the short course, and I’ll bring my own paddle!

It’s Wendy!

Wendy Rulnick, Broker, Rulnick Realty, Inc.

Call toll-free 1-877-487-9639 or local 850-650-7883 ext 204

Email Wendy: itswendy@rulnickrealty.com

Destin FL Real Estate

Destin Short Sales & Pre Foreclosure Help.

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