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Happy Halloween!
It's the time of year to
transition into the cooler and shorter days. As much
as I enjoyed our long, beautiful summer, I now look
forward to curling up reading a book, sipping on my
Pumpkin Latte, and enjoying festivities of this season.
But I'll be working in between lattes, so as always, if
you or someone you know is
interested in selling or buying in the South Bay, I
would love to help them. Just forward me their
information and I'll be happy to follow up.
Melinda
310-265-4222 Direct
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Melinda Delivers Halloween Treats
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Oh sure, I could take your referrals and run
until the next time you have a referral for me or need
something real estate 5 years from now.
However, I prefer to stay in touch with you, connect
with you, and deepen our relationships in addition
to being your real estate trusted advisor and
resource.
Therefore, this week I'm
out on my broom delivering Halloween Treats (Spooky Gloved Munch Mix) and connecting
with those who have sent me real estate referrals, or
who plan to at the next opportunity.
I am grateful to be able to serve you and your
referrals; this
is just one of the many ways I work to give back to
you!
What will it be next
time?
Trick-or-Treat?! See my Halloween
Spooktacular on my website (scroll about halfway
down on the home page).
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Contest Offer from Featured Business: Victoria Lenhardt of Bottom Line Enterprises
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By now, you've probably receive my October Item of
Value in the mail. I've included some information
about Victoria Lenhardt and her company Bottom
Line Enterprises, which offers many solutions to
individuals and to businesses (large or small). One
part
of Victoria's business is to train people on The
Paper
Tiger© organizing system. Once
implemented,
this system enables you to find any document you
need when you need it--in 5 seconds or less!
Victoria is offering my database an
exclusive contest. We want to hear your personal
story of an experience you had from not finding the
right document when you needed it. The best story
will win The Paper Tiger© software, valued at $99.95!
Click here to
Submit your
story OR call
800-609-9006 x6912 (after your recording, stay on
the line and listen for more directions to post your
story).
Please visit the Bottom Line Enterprises website at
www.bottomlineusa.com or call Victoria at 310-
370-1254 if you have any questions regarding her
services or to schedule a consultation.
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Million Dollar Listing & The REAL Low-Down on the Real Estate Industry
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I haven't seen the Million Dollar Listing on TV yet, but
I
have heard it
portrays real estate as a low-down, cut-throat
business. Of
course, they have to show some wild stuff to get
people to tune in, and there are more than a few
agents out there who are over the top. The truth is,
in my
5 years of being in real estate, I have not
experienced this too much; most agents I know are
pretty normal,
fair, and ethical.
Of course, there
are some agents around who have a scarcity
approach to business who will do anything to make
the sale, and may throw out some pretty
interesting tactics to steal business from other
agents. (This is a pretty long article, but I hope you'll
stick around...)
For me and my business, I
strive to do
my best to
serve clients to become your best choice for real
estate needs, advice, and referrals. In fact, I am so
serious about my business that I have been nearly 5-
years coached by Buffini
and Company, a 300-person business
coaching company devoted to specifically to help me
serve you better. This is where I listen to monthly
conference
calls such as:
World Class Service: What can you put your
name to?
Mastering the Art of Time Management for
Success
Negotiating with Integrity
Buffini &
Company also helps
with my marketing, developing systems for efficient
customer service, business planning and goals, and
also
keeping my life in balance to pursue goals in each
circle of life (spiritual, family, business, financial,
personal which includes physical & mental).
Here's the REAL low-down about how I
work ("sorry, it ain't sexy and it ain't
Hollywood"):
As you
might imagine, marketing is very important in
real estate to generate new sales. In an effort to
grow my referral business, I market differently than
the majority of agents out
there. One way I do this is by marketing only to
people
I know, who already know my character,
competence, and business
philosophy.
Since I have
quality
referrals coming in from my database, I can use my
saved energy on following up with details for my
current clients and escrows and also doing neat
things for you, like
stuffing popcorn and Boo Berry Crunch cereal into
little
glovies for Halloween.
Most
agents
obtain new business by traditional methods like:
- open house (to find buyers)
- newspaper ads
- floor time (to receive incoming buyer/seller office
calls)
- door knocking
- cold calling (I hope you are on the Do Not Call
List!)
In contrast, I strive to add to and nuture my
database with
good people
like you (quality vs. quantity!) and serve people (who
may or may not be planning to make any real estate
moves) through
my Client Appreciation Program, which includes:
- monthly Items of Value in the mail
- exclusive offers from other local businesses (next
month: Shade Hotel is offering you an exclusive offer
you won't find anywhere else)
- monthly e-newsletter that provides all sort of tips
and information
- personal notes in the mail
- personal visits several times per year and bringing
you little goodies
- lunches/coffees for one on one time
- Client & Vendor Parties (coming soon!)
Of course, I also have to be good at
what I do to make people I work with want to
refer me. I do this by creating "low-stress
escrows" (oxymoron?) and making sure the details
of each and
every escrow and being proactive. (Stick with me
now...you're almost at the end of the article...) I do
this by:
- using detailed checklists for everyone
involved on the transaction to
keep things most efficient and organized
- communication, communication,
communication...clients hear updates from me a
minimum of once per day during escrow
- having transactional control over each escrow to
the extent that I can
- paying close attention to the small
details
Okay, I know you're busy with your lives,
your jobs, the kids, travel, etc.
In
fact, reading this long article, you're probably
already thinking that you have to go get your car
washed, get back to work, pick up the kids from
school, drop off the dry cleaning, or all of the above.
But it's
my job to help remind you that I want to be
the
foremost real estate name at the top of your
mind when
the subject of real estate comes up with others at
work, in the neighborhood, at a holiday party, at the
car wash, or anywhere
you may find yourself in a real estate
conversation.
I hope
I'm doing my job, and I hope you're happy with my
services.
In fact, I hope you're so happy
that you'll
call me today (or submit your Halloween Referrals online) with the name
and number of someone
you know right now who wants to sell or buy a home
before
the year's end.
310-265-4222
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Melinda's Advice to Buyers and Sellers Right Now
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People, people.
There's a real estate market
out
there. Prime for great opportunities for buyers and
sellers alike. You need a good real esate agent
to
give you advice and act in your best interest! My
number is 310-265-4222.
Here is some advice I'm giving my buyers and
sellers.
Buyers:
- Get preapproved (better yet: "approved!") for a
loan
- Target properties you like, that have been sitting
for 30 days or more
- We'll go out during the week when there aren't a
lot of other buyers out there and we can zip around
quickly
- Make a lower offer than asking price, but also
offer terms a seller will love (like a fast closing!)
- Read this article As Real Estate Market
Cools, 'Buys' Return
Sellers:
- Avoid the above scenario at all costs.
- I'll send you a free copy of my "So-Detailed-How-
Could-You-Not-Hire-Me"
Marketing Plan to help you with this.
- Get your inspections done, prelim appraisal, any
repairs you are willing to make.
- Price property in today's fair market price range
to increase the likelihood of multiple offers--that way
you can choose
the terms you want!
- Read this article 5 Tips for Selling a Home in
a Buyer's Market
Call me at 310-265-4222 to schedule a
consultation.
We'll formulate a timeline and a schedule based on
your needs.
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Ben Stein Commentary
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For what it's worth: normally I read and delete these
types of e-mails that come to my inbox, but
this one caught my attention and found it worth
sharing. It's a profound reading
about the status of today's world.
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