What Makes a GREAT Realtor?

What Makes a GREAT Realtor?

Every day, all over the country, people are searching online for what to look for in a realtor.

Let’s start with the basics.

First of all, any realtor you hire should tick these boxes:

• Experience with the entire sales process

• Education and understanding of the current market

• A negotiator that is willing to be a buffer between all parties involved

But what takes a realtor from good to GREAT?

Great question.

Here are the Top 3 Qualities I value,
and what I look for from others in my industry!  

 1. Passion

Something more than just “being happy” or “liking what you do.” Passion is a calling, a dream or a goal, that is brought to life by action. It’s when you can’t help but put your whole self into everything you do.

Unlike most realtors, I have a passion that goes beyond just selling homes. My passion is for you and your dreams. It’s for customer service. It’s for making sure everyone gets the best treatment and guidance they can receive from a realtor.

My goal is to infuse my passion into the real estate market, bringing my energy, joy, and optimism to help people reach higher, dream bigger, and achieve their goals!

 2. Integrity

It’s too common to find realtors all about Image and not about Integrity. 

John Maxwell wrote: “Image promises much, but produces little. Integrity never disappoints.” Because, as he later says, “Integrity is not so much what we do as much as who we are.”

Integrity is taking everything you teach others to do, and living it out on the daily. It’s not just saying things; it’s doing them.

Integrity means not being flaky. It’s about sticking to your word and committing to what you say you’ll do by having an organized calendar and setting reminders.

It means following through and keeping yourself responsible to your word when no one else is there to make sure that you do.

  3. Diligence

Diligence is needed to have integrity.

Diligence is working to the best of your ability, investing in yourself, loving your family, sharing with your community and, in everything you do, being INTENTIONAL.

This also takes an amazing amount of patience. I have a next-level I’m working toward and I know it will take time, but you have to take action to get to where you want to go!

Make a plan and go after it, every single day!

 4. Community

This isn’t exactly a personal trait, but it’s a value that is very important to me.

There’s an old proverb: “If you wanna go quickly, go alone. If you wanna go far, go together.”

It’s true. You have gifts and skills and dreams, and they were meant for the world. When you serve others, you’ll find purpose and joy!

Find a realtor who values working together to get things done, sharing skills, being part of a team where everyone is involved and everyone wins.

Being in a community is also about being in a family. I don’t want to be just another used-house salesman trying to sell you a product. I want to be your family that will work with you to sell your home, and to be someone you can rely on for answers and guidance.

Just how family goes above and beyond to help you, that is what you will get from me, no matter if you’re selling a $200,000 home or a $2,000,000 home. 

The wonderful thing, is that all 4 of those qualities can be applied to everyday life, to take you from Good to Great!

So I want to ask you,

What are you going to do
to get to where YOU want to be?

Here’s a good place to start:

• Get out there! You have to start by stepping out of your comfort zone. Be part of new circles, meet new people, get involved! You can’t get where you’re wanting to go if you’re still on your couch!

• Educate yourself! Invest in yourself by doing research and continuing to learn and grow. The humility it takes to say “I don’t know” is the motivation to keep exploring, taking in information, and getting better at what you do.

• Have patience. They say it takes 10,000 hours to learn a new skill. Do something small today, and then do it tomorrow, and after time, you’ll do it without even thinking about it! That’s how you get to where you want to be.

• Be the best YOU you can be. No matter what you do, put your whole self into it. Be passionate and commit to your dreams!

Whatever your dreams are, a realtor can help, but you have to initiate. Set a plan and get after it!

Don’t just cross your fingers and hope to get a good realtor that is only passionate about what they do. Get a GREAT realtor that cares about YOU, your needs, your dreams, and your goals!

-Phillip Bachelder, Realtor #PBRealty

Top Tips for Selling in the Winter

Top Tips for Selling in the Winter

Today we tackle a common homeowner question that has not been fully answered yet.

“Should I sell a home in Winter?”

There’s a reason why no one has given a definitive answer. As always, in real estate, the situation is always unique to you, your house, and your local market.

There are a lot of pros and cons that should be taking into consideration with your realtor.

I believe the Winter season can be a great time to sell! Yes, you may have missed the warm Summer weather and the popular month of May. But if it is winter, and you have a house to sell, don’t dilly-dally! Let’s get on it!

Let’s start with…

2 reasons WHY you should sell in the Winter:

• Less competition.
  The seller’s-market may be low, but the competition is too. Foot traffic and showings won’t be as busy as it is in the spring, of course, but people need to buy homes all year.
  If you are one of only a few houses up for sale in the Winter, you will definitely have prospective buyers!

• More serious buyers.
  Market your home towards empty-nesters and millennials who will be looking for a home after the holiday season arrives.
  With fewer homes on the market to choose from, prospective buyers will be more interested and motivated for a quick close!

Now, that said, selling a house in the cold months isn’t an easy task. But with persistence and the right steps, it can be done!

To help you get started, here’s my

Top 5 Tips for Selling Your Home
in the Winter:

1. Make the Price Right

Even though it is later in the year, you don’t have to set the price way below what your home is worth. You should always price your home to compete in the current market.

There’s no need to settle for less than what your home is worth. Most lower offers might not be worth taking, so always discuss these offers with your realtor!

2. Keep the Decor Neutral

When following the holiday season, You want to keep your home cozy. This will be a first-impression of the buyer’s dream home.

Some of us may LOVE pumpkins, Santa dolls, or lawn decorations. But, when selling your home, too much of a good thing can be a turnoff to prospective buyers.

Tastefully appeal to the senses by adding a wreath, a vase of seasonal flowers, unlit candles, and other festive (but clean) pieces around the house.

Pro-tip: Instead of burning heavily-scented candles, add chopped apples, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, orange rinds, and ground clove to a pot of water. Boil a few hours before your showing for a fresh holiday scent.

3. Keep Up Curb Appeal

It doesn’t matter the season, curb appeal is important! Keep the grass mowed, leaves raked, and brighten up the front porch with some fresh yellow and orange flowers!

Of course, don’t forget to water those flowers so that your home's exterior always looks bright and welcoming.

4. Get a Realtor!

This seems like an obvious step, but it can be crucial to find the right realtor to sell your home in the Winter.

Only confident and experienced realtors will be up to the challenge of selling a home in the Winter. These realtors will research your particular housing market and help you decide whether it’s a good time for you to sell.

A good realtor will put your house in front of the right buyers, efficiently finding your buyers. For instance, businesses commonly relocate employees in the Winter. As they relocate to your state, they will be on the lookout for homes in both rural and urban locations!

And for my last tip:

5. Know When to Wait

If you want to sell your house before the holidays, by all means, discuss it with your realtor!

But once it’s Thanksgiving, both you and the buyers get busy with holidays. It might be easier to wait until at least late-January before putting your house on the market.

If you want to sell your house this Winter, don't feel like you have to wait until the busier spring/summer months. Take advantage of the lower competition and the motivated buyers that Winter brings.

Send me an email or give me a call, let's set a plan, and go for it!

-Phillip Bachelder, Realtor #PBRealty

more resources:

Can You Sell a Home in the Winter? Here’s an example! via Youtube.com/phillipbachelder

3 Tips To Sell Your House In The Fall via Realtor.com

How to Move Into Your Home -- For the 1st time or the 10th time!

How to Move Into Your Home --
For the 1st time or the 10th time

Moving into a new home is exciting!

It’s a wonderful to have a fresh start, and the chance to change your habits to match your new space. (“I am DEFINITELY going to cook healthier in this new kitchen!”) And who doesn’t love going shopping for decor after spending hours on Pinterest?

However, for most people, it can be a stressful time between packing and planning the move.

Moving in takes a little work, but it doesn’t have to be stressful.

So, today, I have for you 5 Steps on How to Move into Your Home.

But, before we jump into it, how about those of us that aren’t moving?

Maybe you haven’t moved in a few years, or a few decades. Either way, this list is for YOU too!

 After a few months of moving in, the honeymoon-phase fades away and you start to itch for a new home and a change of scenery.

But, before you go buy a new house, it might be a good time to think about moving into your home— again!

This will refresh, reorganize, and redesign your space in a way that will have you loving it like it was brand new.

“How do I do that? Where do I start?”

I’m glad you asked.

Here are 5 Steps to Move into Your Home,
for the 1st time or the 10th time!

1. Deep Clean

It’s always a good idea to do an intense deep-clean of the new home before moving all of your stuff in. Hire a professional to give your home a good once-over!

Same with moving into a house for a second time! Keep it inexpensive by doing the easiest, but most valuable, tasks: Clean the ovening, wash the sofa, do a simple white-out pen over the shower grout lines, deep clean the carpet, take a magic eraser to the baseboards, etc. 

When your home is deep-cleaned, it will be MUCH easier to take on the rest of the house without stress.

2. Sort Everything

Moving is much more stressful when you have to unpack who-knows-what into who-knows-what-room.

To easily pack, start by putting a different color Post-It note on each item in the house, one room at a time. Have each Post-It color represent:

• Throw Away
  This is for anything that’s not worth it to you, or to anyone else in the world. Yes, you might wear those run-down sneakers again someday. But it might be best to let them go with a “thank you for supporting me for so long” and throw them away. Open up that space in your closet for newer, brighter, and better.
  

• Give Away
  Things that might be of use to someone, so you don’t want to throw it away, but you never use or that you don’t like owning. Anything that doesn’t give you joy, let it be a joy to someone else. Now, if it’s expensive…
  

• Sell
  It’s not a bad thing to want to sell your more expensive items. But only do so if it’s worth it to you, in the long run, to find a buyer, negotiate, and finish the transaction. I would generally not bother with anything worth less than $50. Note that some things you’ve owned for a long time might be worth something to you emotionally, but might not be worth as much to a stranger.
  

• Keep Anything memorable, a must-have, or a need. You want to want this item. Don't keep it because it’s always been there.

Start with the easiest step and do a Trash run/Goodwill run. This clears out a lot of space for you to start renovating your home.

Now that everything is sorted, it’s time to

3. Organize and Put Away

This involves creating unique storage space. Give priority to the things you access every day over things you only need occasionally.

Make sure everything has a purposeful place, so that certain areas of the house don’t turn into a clutter-zone.

4. Re-design

This doesn’t necessarily mean buying a bunch of new furniture. It can be done by repurposing things you already own. Whether that’s changing the room each piece belongs in, or how a shelf is used, or using it in a way that you are not used to.

Here are a few more things to try: Hang new art in the room. Paint a single wall with an accent color. Add some comfy or colorful pillows to the couch. Or simply switch out those old light bulbs for some new brighter lights.

Do the little things to maximize your daily comfort and style!

And my last tip for Moving into Your Home:

5. Ask for Help

When you move houses, you need the help of a realtor, a photographer, an interior-decorating stager, a moving crew, and more. Gather a support crew of people who want to see you win!

And yes, never feel bad for asking for help when you’re redesigning your home! Offer pizza those who help clean, move furniture, or haul trash to the curb.

Pro-tip: Get your friends together for a house-renovating day, and then suggest doing it for their homes as well! Share the joy of a clean home!

Moving in takes a little work, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Even if it’s a new house, or a house you’ve lived in for 10 years.

Do you have any tips and tricks for moving? Comment down below!

-Phillip Bachelder, Realtor #PBRealty