One of the points I always make to homeowners is that emotion is what sells a home.  Realtors can blather on all they want in their marketing pieces about the square footage, and number of bedrooms, and location, and upgrades, etc. Consumers who are looking for their next home are quite inundated with the same junk in every listing they see.  They want to know… What sets your home apart?

So ,the goal you should have for marketing your home is to figure out what emotion will connect buyers and your home?  Find and illustrate that emotion..That is what will cause buyers to come see the home.  That is what will cause buyers to offer on the home.

The video below is the newest Coldwell Banker commercial.  I am showing you this because in a way it demonstrates my point.  Instead of saying any number of things that Coldwell Banker could have said about their technology, or how many transactions they did last year, or the typical, “Hey, we are #1,” they connected with emotion.  If you like dogs, or unconditional love, then you pretty much have to like this commercial.  It generates emotion.  That emotion affects buying decisions.

So, enjoy the video and when you get ready to sell your home, remember, emotion sells.

Gouging customers is despicable, regardless of what type of business you operate.  Authenticity and strong ethics are things that sadly are not found as often as we would like in the business world.  That is why when I find a business who is a champion for the consumer, I want to tell people about that business.  Freedom Family Dentistry is that kind of business… a champion for the people.

Why do I feel like they are a champion for their customers?  First hand experience is the primary teacher in this situation, but I have also heard several other experiences from friends that confirm my personal experience.  Let me elaborate a bit.

A member of my family was scheduled for an exam with another Fredericksburg area dentist firm, we don’t need to name any names here.  From this exam came a multitude of recommendations, and with that came a REALLY high price tag.  This information was also presented in such a way as to create a real sense of urgency.  The suddenness with which these problems seemed to have develop since the last routine exam was my first clue that something wasn’t right.  But, being the good dad that I am, we scheduled the first, and most pressing treatment.

During this treatment, the second clue that something was off came.  My family member sat in the chair for an extraordinary amount of time for this procedure.  A procedure that should have taken about 30 minutes according to other dentistry professionals, actually took  two hours!  I was ready to punch somebody in the throat!

Why did it take two hours for a 30 minute procedure?  Because they dentistry practice had obviously and intentionally overbooked.  The doctor bounced from patient to patient like a Jack Russell Terrier.  It was evident as I watched this unfold that no patient was anything more to this practice than an invoice…. a BIG invoice.
I didn’t wait for a third clue that something was wrong.  A friend told me about Freedom Family Dentistry, and we scheduled our follow up with them.  Wow.  EVERYTHING was like night and day.  Not only did they confirm that most of the things the other practice was trying to get us do unnecessary, but the rates were enormously different.  We found massive differences, not the least of which was the feeling that we mattered.  We weren’t just an invoice.

Since that time I have heard numerous stories about the referenced “bad” dentistry practice, but have heard at least an equal number of great stories about Freedom.  The latest story came just today.  A friend relayed the experiences she had, which were quite similar to my own.  She went from one local practice who was wanting to gouge them for hundreds and hundreds of dollars, to Freedom Family Dentistry where the only work that REALLY needed to be done cost her a mere $15 deductible!

So, here is the thing.  Could Freedom get away with doing a little gouging of customers themselves?  I think they probably could. But, it is apparent to me in dealing with them that they want to provide an honest, caring service at a fair price.  That causes me to identify them as a business who is a champion.  They have earned my business, and perhaps more significantly they have earned my referrals.  I will not miss an opportunity to refer them to friends, family, clients, and anyone else that gives me the opportunity to do so.

My disclaimer: This article was written without any consultation with Freedom Family Dentistry and is my opinion alone. Jeff Edmisten.

“We are being told that we just don’t qualify to buy.”  That was one of the earliest conversations I had with Mel, and as it turned out wasn’t true once she was connected with the right lender.  With a little work and guidance, by the end of that year she was living in an adorable home with lots of land for her kids and dogs.  It was a true story that rang a bit like a fairy tale, and a great success for our real estate team.  Unfortunately, the happily ever after part didn’t happen in Mel’s case.

Over the ensuing years she found herself in an abusive and dangerous relationship.  Her marriage became a ship out of control, and try as she might, she couldn’t right the ship.  Regrettably, as is so often the case, the abuse gained momentum and survival became the daily focus for herself and her children.  Finally, she had to make an excruciating decision to end the marriage, and pull herself and her children to safety.

Part of that plan was to leave the house that she and the kids had called home for four years.  There was a problem though.  The market didn’t seem like it would bring enough money for her to sell the home and get enough to pay it off.  There wasn’t any turning back at this point, however, and Mel was willing to let it go to foreclosure for the sake and safety of her family.  That wasn’t a decision she weighed lightly, and I saw tears in her eyes on more than one occasion as we discussed values and options.

We did all the normal real estate activities involved with potentially selling a home.  We looked at comparable properties, ran the numbers, painstakingly explored options, and even enlisted the help of an appraiser.  Yet every way we turned this over in our minds we kept coming back to a certain value number.  That number was AT BEST, a break even point for Mel, and actually trended toward her needing money to close that she didn’t have in her current situation.  Through it all Mel and I prayed a lot that God would intervene.

I then called my friend John Nicholls of Nicholls Marketing Auction Group and discussed the situation with him.  Over a few weeks of working on strategies we came up with a plan to offer the home for sale at auction.  We discussed the risks with Mel.  Financial risks for both her, my team and Nicholls Auction. Marketing Group, and finally we went all in.

Approximately 30 days later, the day of reckoning came… it was auction time!  I stood shoulder to shoulder with Mel, praying and watching as the auction unfolded in front of us.  As long as I am in real estate I will never forget the moment the bidding rocketed past the number we needed to sell the home and put a little toward her family’s future.  I will never forget that moment, because she laid her head on my shoulder and exploded into tears.  I thought to myself, this is what life is about… hearing their stories and helping when you can.

The story doesn’t end there either.  Today, I am happy to say that we have helped Mel buy another home.  She is living there with her kids, and her new husband.  I am also happy to report that she is living in an abuse free environment, with a man that loves and respects her.

When you ask my team about Mel, they always smile and say, “She is tough!”  If you didn’t know what she was going through, you never would’ve known it by looking at her.  She kept a smile and laughter on for everyone to see, even while her days were dark and bleak.  And here is the type of person that she is…. when I asked if I could share her story, she had a very simple and sincere reply…

You know I trust you and your judgement. I have total faith in you and I’m very proud of where I am. I know we may not always understand the situation at the time but I truly believe God had his own plan for me. I’m very blessed and thankful for all he has given to me. Thank you for thinking of me and maybe my story can encourage or strengthen someone in a similar situation. Let me know if you need anything.

Did you see that?  She focused on helping others, not herself.  I am thankful for Mel, and want to thank her for allowing us to share her story.

We have some valuable resources in the Fredericksburg area if you are the victim of domestic violence, like Empower House, Hope House and the Rappahannock Council on Domestic Violence.  I urge you to seek help if you are in an abusive relationship.

We recognize that you have many hundreds of options when it comes to selecting a real estate agent to help you buy or sell a home in the Fredericksburg area.  People typically make a decision to work with people they know, like and trust.  So, we want to use this space to tell you a little about us.

Authenticity is the driving factor behind everything we do.  If it isn’t real and honest, then we don’t do it.  This is not a popular statement to many, but that authenticity is difficult to come by in the real estate industry.  This is an industry that is largely driven by greed and egos, and authenticity is at best a fleeting thought.  It is an industry that largely teaches, as do many “sales” industries, that business is a numbers game.  If you call enough people, talk to enough people, beg enough people, harass enough people, then you will find someone willing to do business with you.

Our philosophy is the polar opposite.  We give you a little insight into who we are as a real estate team, who we are as people, and what we stand for.  Then we get out of the way and let you make the decision.

Leading the way in generosity.  We fully believe that we serve a purpose that far exceeds selling real estate.  We are members of this community, with husbands, wives and children.  We have a passion for teachers and staff members of our schools who work hard to do so much, with less than enough resources.  That is why we have committed to donating $250 with each closed transaction to our client’s local school of choice.  Our goal for the year is to donate a minimum of $10,000 for local schools.  $10,000 will not solve the problems, but it makes us and our client’s part of the solution.  It is a step in the right direction.

We also donate $100 to the local food bank with each closed transaction, and organize food drives throughout the year.  Hunger is a problem that persists all across our nation, and we are definitely not immune to it here in the Fredericksburg region.  Most of live a daily life where hunger isn’t a constant part of it.  But some are not so fortunate.  Each $100 donation provides about 300 meals according to food bank statistics.

Compassion is also a driving factor in what we do with our clients.  Our team members are fond of asking, “Is this what we would recommend doing if the client were our mother?”  That is the level of compassion we bring to every client relationship.

Over the years I have witnessed, and heard about, a number of “back room deals” between real estate agents.  The agents were much more concerned with the shortest path to their commission check, than they were with advocating for their clients.  That is a disgusting position to take when someone has entrusted you to sell, or to help them buy a home.  This is largest transaction in most people’s lives, and people deserve better.  They deserve to be treated like Mom.

We also believe in Excellence.  We have adopted the position a position that we call a +2 mentality.  I can’t say we created the philosophy.  It is actually a cultural value of our church.  However, it blends perfectly with how we serve our clients.  Everything that we do, we look for a way to do it a step better.  Once we have figured that out, we look for a way to do it even a step better than that.  That creates a culture of excellence with every member of our team, and for every client.  We also recognize that this is a concept that you must see in action, because everyone will tell you they strive for excellence.  The only reason it is here is because it is something in which we believe in strongly.  The proof is in seeing it in action.

We make a $100 donation to the local food bank with every closed transaction

We make a $250 donation to the school of our client’s choice with every closed transaction

One of the things we are taught in business about modern culture is that the consumer wants transparency.  So, a lot of real estate trainers, coaches, gurus, and brokerages insist we must create transparency in our real estate business.  I happen to agree with that wholeheartedly.

Then, nearly without missing a beat they teach exactly the opposite in their training.  For instance, if someone is trying to sell their home themselves (For Sale By Owner), so much of the training that is out there teaches you to be untruthful to get an appointment.  Yeah, it teaches you to say that you have a buyer for their property (when you actually do not) and you would like to preview the home for that buyer.  This is so that you can get face to face with the seller and bombard them with your sales pitch.

REALLY?  Does it seem prudent to anyone that a real estate professional should start a relationship regarding what is probably the largest financial transaction in the seller’s life, based on a lie?  Well, apparently it does to some… and I read articles, listen to interviews and watch videos where exactly this is happening.   It infuriates me when I suspect someone in the Fredericksburg Real Estate Market has fallen prey to this type of approach.

Transparent? Ethical?  Yeah, right.  Does anyone but me EXPECT that a relationship initiated and built upon deceit, will be anything more than deceitful?  Do you really expect that agent to tell you the truth on things that matter to you?  Do you expect that agent to protect you on issues that could cost you thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars?  Or, would you expect that agent to take the shortest and easiest path to a commission check?

The best possible solution if you are looking for a real estate professional, is to seek a referral from friends and family.  Ask who they have worked with and what were their thoughts and opinions.  Ask who they would recommend.  Seek a referral based on integrity and competence.  Then meet with that agent and see if you trust them.  You should never do business with someone you do not like and trust.

#NotYourAverageRealtors

One of the things we are taught in business about modern culture is that the consumer wants transparency.  So, a lot of real estate trainers, coaches, gurus, and brokerages insist we must create transparency in our real estate business.  I happen to agree with that wholeheartedly.

Then, nearly without missing a beat they teach exactly the opposite in their training.  For instance, if someone is trying to sell their home themselves (For Sale By Owner), so much of the training that is out there teaches you to be untruthful to get an appointment.  Yeah, it teaches you to say that you have a buyer for their property (when you actually do not) and you would like to preview the home for that buyer.  This is so that you can get face to face with the seller and bombard them with your sales pitch.

REALLY?  Does it seem prudent to anyone that a real estate professional should start a relationship regarding what is probably the largest financial transaction in the seller’s life, based on a lie?  Well, apparently it does to some… and I read articles, listen to interviews and watch videos where exactly this is happening.   It infuriates me when I suspect someone in the Fredericksburg Real Estate Market has fallen prey to this type of approach.

Transparent? Ethical?  Yeah, right.  Does anyone but me EXPECT that a relationship initiated and built upon deceit, will be anything more than deceitful?  Do you really expect that agent to tell you the truth on things that matter to you?  Do you expect that agent to protect you on issues that could cost you thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars?  Or, would you expect that agent to take the shortest and easiest path to a commission check?

The best possible solution if you are looking for a real estate professional, is to seek a referral from friends and family.  Ask who they have worked with and what were their thoughts and opinions.  Ask who they would recommend.  Seek a referral based on integrity and competence.  Then meet with that agent and see if you trust them.  You should never do business with someone you do not like and trust.

If you listen to the news and media outlets, you might get the impression that prices are dropping.  The fact is that as you examine most of the country, this simply isn’t true.  It definitely isn’t true here in our Fredericksburg Real Estate market.  What we are seeing however, is a slowing of appreciation.  In other words, prices are still going up, but the rate at which they are going up has slowed considerably.

If you look at the chart above you will see that in January 2014 prices were up more than 13% over the previous January.  Then, throughout the year that rate of appreciation slowed to about 4.5%.  This is a sign of a normalizing of the real estate market.  That number of 4.5% however is still more than the “normal” national average of appreciation year over year, which is between 3% and 3.5%.

Experts are predicting that we will still have a slightly above normal rate of appreciation this year, and then it will stable out next year in the normal range I previously mentioned.

So as far as prices are concerned we’re in a good place. They’re beginning to normalize. And that’s what we were hoping for ever since 2007 – a more normal market. We’re approaching that, we’re getting closer and closer to it as every day goes by.