Questions for a Realtor - Part 2

Continuing our discussion with Sue, our friend who is a realtor, we asked her how does she go about finding out what her client is really looking for.

Sue said many people are not exactly sure what they want and don't want, but a good agent should be able to draw out this information. People usually do have some ideas, but as the search progresses, their likes and dislikes get narrowed down so that the realtor can now concentrate on what items are really important. It's an educational process, Sue said, and rarely do two people have the same taste, even the couple searching for their retirement property or home. Mostly her insights come from the feedback she gets from her clients while walking through the house, or walking around the property. She will then ask her clients a lot of questions, thereby identifying what their most important criteria are.

Sue inspires clients to have confidence in her. She lets them know that she truly has their best interests at heart, and she works hard to help her clients find out what they want, especially within themselves!  This should be the goal of the realtor you hire.

So now on to a situation that may seem a bit difficult.  I asked Sue, what if you begin working with a realtor, and then feel that your personalities aren't compatible, or that he/she just isn't working hard enough for you.
Her advice, Go To The Manager.  She said that is what the manager of the office is there for. (Who knew?)   She suggests being kind about it, saying the realtor you are presently working with is a nice person, but that you feel you need someone else to work with.  She feels it is very important to trust your realtor, to know they will put your interests first, that they truly are working for you, the buyer, and not for the seller, and is someone you genuinely like.

I would like to thank Sue for her time, and her help in clearing up these issues.  If anyone has any questions you would like to "Ask a Realtor", please send them in.

Till next time.

Questions for a Realtor - Part One

I was wondering, and thought you might be also, how people go about finding the right realtor for them. And what if you are working with someone, but realize you're not exactly hitting it off. What should you do?

I posed these questions to two realtors I know. One is a former neighbor, Sue, who is also 'building her retirement' in another (warmer) state, and is going through many of the same issues I - and maybe you - are going through. The other is our realtor, Eva, the one we were very lucky to have found when we began our search for retirement property. She is, however, still digging out from under a ton of snow, and the last I spoke with her, she still had no electricity. We'll have her thoughts and answers another time.

Sue, however, had this advice for us: Start your search online, and then call a few offices in the area, she said three, and ask these questions:

1. How many years have they worked in that office and how many years have they lived in the area?
A person who has lived and worked there a long time will know the nuances of an area and will have invaluable knowledge that a new person would not have.

2. How many years experience as a realtor do they have?
Sue didn't want to discount the enthusiasm a new realtor may have, she knows there are many newbies who would do a good job and work very aggressively for you, but she also felt experience is a BIG plus, not only with drawing out what you are really looking for, but also with negotiating a good deal!

3. When you go on vacation, or have to be away, who takes care of your business?
Now, this is a question I would not have thought of, nor would I have thought it was important, but Sue assures me it is. A customer wants to be able to reach their realtor pretty much at all times if there is a question or an issue. And if the realtor needs to be away, it is very important to have someone standing in for them to answer your question or help with an issue. She felt very strongly about the realtor you hire having a back-up plan.

In my next post, we will talk about how a realtor figures out what it is you are really looking for, and what to do if you start working with a realtor, then find out you aren't happy with them and you want to work with someone else.

Till next time.

Do You Need a Realtor?

The answer is a resounding YES!

By now, hopefully, you have narrowed down some areas you would like to look at. If they are in driving distance, you would benefit greatly from spending a day there, eating out, walking around the town, going in a few shops and talking with the locals and yes, stopping in to see a realtor. They have a ton of information, not only about houses and properties for sale, but about the area, and a half hour talk with them can save you lots of time doing your own research.

If the areas you are thinking about are not within an easy distance, of course vacationing there would be the best scenario. (What fun!) But connecting online with a realtor is also a great way to get to "know" a place. Most are happy to share information with you, of course hoping you may visit and use their services, but they know people are cost conscience these days and cannot just travel all over to check out a place, and they are very willing to "talk" with you via email.

We had contacted a couple of realtors, some of whom we never met, but only wrote back and forth to online. When we finally decided to check out an area, we called an office near where we wanted to start looking, and just through luck wound up talking to the most knowledgeable and astute realtor we could have found. She listened to what we thought we wanted, then asked us a bunch of questions, on some things we had never even thought about, and narrowed down what we were really looking for.

We spent many days, and many trips to the area (which was a little over four hours from where we presently live) very happily looking at towns and properties. She didn't waste our time on places or properties that she knew wasn't in our criteria, and we were even able to email her places we saw ourselves online, and she would let us know whether they were what we had in mind or not. Even if they weren't in her area. And we went to see them all!

We expected to spend about a year looking, but don't be surprised if it takes even longer, especially if the areas are far away, and you hope to visit them on vacations. The search is part of the fun!

Till next time.

Deciding Where You Want Be

This question, for us, wasn't too difficult. We both knew we wanted to be on the water. We already knew in what area of the country we wanted to settle, (east coast, near our family), then decided on what amenities we wanted to be near. We decided we wanted to build a home, so we would just look at "lots" (it wound up to be lots of lots!), then we narrowed down the "type" of body of water, (ocean, lake, river) and with that answer, we jumped in.

For some of you, though, it may not be as easy. You can start your search by writing down a list of what things will be important to you; health care and hospitals near by (of course), what climate zone?, cost of living?, housing costs, activities?, restaurants?, shopping? Will you want to be near family? Do you want the city life, where you can walk to all the amenities, or a more private setting, where you'll need to drive everywhere, but will have some peace and quiet. Did you always dream of living by a golf course? A lake? A ski resort? Do you think you want to look at an active adult community? There are many around the country, and more being built with so many of us reaching retirement age. This is the time to write down all these ideas, even if they seem crazy. Then, little by little, you will change your mind about some of your choices. Once you see them in print, and let yourself accept them as a real possibility, you will find that some were just notions, some just whimsy. And then you will find that some really have meaning for you. An area may call to you, and you can't get it out of your mind, no matter how impractical it may seem. That's where to start.

There is a magazine called "Where to Retire" that has some very good information. You can't access too much on the web site, www.wheretoretiremagazine.com but you can try a free issue, or request some free brochures from the current issue's advertisers. My advice is to get a copy once you've narrowed down your choices a bit. Each issue highlights certain areas, so you can buy or back-order one that has the area you may be interested in.

You can also check out www.epodunk.com, it has tons of information about different cities, or www.citysearch.com.

So first, write down your wish list of areas and amenities, then narrow it down it much as possible. This is just the beginning and you have to start somewhere, so don't worry too much that it's not complete or perfect.

In the coming weeks and months we hope to bring you some information from some of the people who we have had the pleasure of working with, our realtor, our builder, our landscaper, etc. If you have any questions, please send them in.

Till next time.

What'll We Do When We Retire?

These days, the question may be, CAN we retire. But, that's another discussion.
As we baby boomers get to be of a certain age, our kids grow up, they move out, (maybe) and we think, what do WE want to do?

Many of us are still taking care of elderly parents, (we are) or still need to work, (we do), but still want to start THINKING about what we'll want to do, where we'll want to live and how we'll want to enjoy our, let's say, later years.

This blog will be based around our search for those answers. It will, I hope, give you some ideas, and help you make some decisions about finding the right spot, finding the right people to help you develop your dream home, and how to enjoy the process.

I hope you'll join us.