Beat the February Chill with a Sweet Party at GLO 10 !

                                                                                       Thursday. February 11th

                                                                                                                         1- 7 p.m

• Tastefully Simple - Simply delicious palette pleasing delights !
• Gemma Rae's Home Style Cheese Cake - Unique flavor favorites old and new
• Cella's Jewelry Unique Jewelry, scarves and bags
• My Essential  Body Wear  Complimentary Bra Fittings
• Cocina Deleon Homade enchiladas with old world Mexican flavor
• Feathers and Fur Suet Feeders and Gourmet Dog Treats
• Precious Metal Refining Services  Top dollars for gold, silver & platinum
• Free Botox Consultations
  
• Teeth Whitening Special - $59  6-9 pm

             A new "do"...color, cut, curl.....a relaxing massage, a healthy tan, a new makeover for a whole new YOU !

                                 Find it ALL at GLO 10

                                    (414) 427-1130

   It has been a whirlwind of activity and a prosperous, educational, technological, wonderful jump to Keller Williams Realty...we have barely scratched the surface of all that is offered to agents....to grow our business...our business....not adding another brick to the brick and mortar of a building...trying to help a broker pay for overhead that would have been better not incurred. What does your broker invest in you ? What kind of cutting edge technology do you have that is not a program someone monitors...but changes, is updated....and keeps pace with the market.

   There are sooo many aspects of the business model...the culture...the philosophy of the third largest....fastest growing real estate broker in the country.

    You don't have to dislike your present broker....you just have to be curious enough to find out about a different way a broker does business....who hasn't heard of Gary Keller ?  Who doesn't know that SHIFTING is a good thing..? Time to stop reading about it....and just do it....Call us if you want to take your business, your career, your life to the next level.  Let us share a confidential conversation with you,...If you are in southeastern Wisconsin, let's sit down ...enjoy some good conversation and find out how you can take your career to the next level and beyond.

  A very good friend of mine was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.  She religiously had mammograms every year and it was caught in the very earliest stage. She went to the breast surgeon "everyone" went to....and was told that a mastectomy was her only remedy.  Early stage....mastectomy...hmmmm. She decided to get a second opinion.  Her little voice spoke loudly...the once drastic mastectomy that was recommended by the first surgeon....was not the recommendation of two other surgeons...they both recommended a much less invasive lumpectomy...less drastic, faster recovery....greater breast conservation...more peace of mind and less discomfort for my friend. Every woman, every year should have a mammagram...early detection is vital to a cure.

    Upon further research...and documented by several physicians....the midwest has an abnormally high number of mastectomies performed when compared to the rest of the country. If you know anyone with a breast cancer diagnosis...encourage them to get a second opinion.  While conservation may not be possible for every woman, each woman owes it themselves to learn all they can about their condition....and the possible cures available.

  In Wisconsin Real Estate. we have an expression:

     We know that must be especially hard for Margaret Rome in Baltimore,...Jay Markanich in Virginia...to remember as they dig themselves out of their homes, slide down the driveway and peer carefully around the snowbanks before proceeding thru the intersection. 

      Be thankful....we know that according to our personal Groundhog....Wynter, at the Milwaukee County Zoo..beyond a shadow of a doubt...Spring is just around the corner and Mother Nature has just thrown a few flakes in for variety in climate before the crocuses bloom and the tulips grace the landscape.  Whenever we have been hit by extra large snow balls and have open houses and showings scheduled....we know that people who come out in weather that is less than sunshiney....really, really want to buy a house !  And that is the very good news..

    Soooo...turn that snow shovel upside down...go make a snow angel, and know that winter wonderland is not going to stay long...the buyers will come out of hibernation...and those who brave the elements now to make that home purchase...will remember your service for a lifetime amid the snow drifts, icicles,.....

    Celebrate the end of the football season with Legendary Packer Greats...!

           Come on Over to Matty's Bar in New Berlin...shake the hand of the man who:

• Started at Center for 8 straight seasons with the Green Bay Packers
• Has a Super Bowl Ring - 1997
• Played in the 1996 Pro Bowl
• Inducted into the Packer Hall of Fame 2008

  You'll come for  the fun...You'll stay for the Food...mmmm...appetizers....burgers...great drinks...or a whole dinner....make it a night full...a mouth full....enjoy ! 

   Matty's is always where it's happening in Waukesha County....

   There are lots of situations these days that we hear the blame game being used as a reason for why things didn't turn out as the "blamer" expected.

• The bank never should have lent me the money for a house I could not afford
• The Home Equity Loan was too much stress on our budget, we should never have been approved
• The Realtor "made me" pay the asking price and now I can't re-coup my investment
• If I had known my spouse wanted ______________I would never have married him/her
• My broker is all about the Broker....where is the training/education/technology I am paying for to succeed ?
• I would never have taken that job if I knew the company wasn't financially sound

  Instead of worrying about who to blame...why anyone voted for...being angry, getting frustrated, why not just think...You made the best decision you could make with the information you had at the time.  Now...Move on with an open mind....and know that there is resolution to the situation.

•  Can you do a loan modification that would make payments more manageable
• How can you best reduce your home equity loan payment; reduce expenses, find ways to add income (they are out there of you look)
  
• The realtor (we  hope) gave you the best information there was at the time...and that may have meant writing a competitive offer for the house you loved
• People change, situations change...seek counseling if you are willing to invest more of yourself i the relationship...if not, See a divorce attormeya nd get on with your life
• Your Broker is in business to make money...how it's done may be at YOUR expense...be open to other business models...you may be pleasantly surprised
• Not every company is prepared to handle a drastic downturn in business...You found the best job then and you will again...no company was built on the premise that they wanted to fail.

        Be open to change...it may not be comfortable at first...sticking to the "same old" is comfortable even if it is not "comforting"....Widen your horizons...keep your mind open and attitude up...You'll be surprised at the results !

   We sure don't negate the importance of children taking part in the process...exploring new homes...choosing their bedrooms, checking out the yard and imagining the hide and seek games throughout the house...imagining therein lies the key word...as opposed to re-arranging the house to find hiding places.

    Children left to their own imaginative investigation have been known to:

 - Try out the whirlpool bath...climb in, turn on the water and jets to see if it "really works"
        - Help themselves to the - Cookie Jar...Refrigrator contents...ice cream in the freezer
        - Experiment with every toy visible in the bedroom and inside the toybox 
        - Removing and hiding toy batteries
        -Flicking the garage door opener switch while another child "rides on the door"
        - Saddling up the lawn ornaments and riding the deer on the lawn
        - Picking flowers, throwing snowballs     
        - Dirty hands and Feet...on walls...floors...countertops...
        - Not as destructive; my husband's favorite -exchanging orthotics in the agent's shoes...right for left..

      The list unfortunately goes on....without a parental "Time Out" word...Please Parents....if you bring your children to showings, supervise them...teach them the meaning of respect for another person's property. You wouldn't want other people's children misbehaving in your home and causing possible damage...the sellers of the home you are seeing would like the same courtesey.

    Consider getting a baby sitter for the initial showings and including children ...supervised at a later date to pick out their rooms...see the new yard...and be a "part" of the decision to buy a new home they will enjoy.

  "Hi, it's Agent Suzy, my buyer has an accepted offer on your listing at  1234 Park Place."

   "Yes, Suzy....How can we help you today ?"

  "My Buyer wants his father to do a pre-inspection tomorrow morning and then decide if he wants to proceed with the purchase...call in other experts or just what he should do...."

  "Is your Buyer's father a licensed home inspector ?"

  "No....But.....he knows a lot about houses....."

   "Sorry Suzy, if your buyer's father is not licensed, any issues he would raise without a licensed inspection are not valid under the contract.  Our sellers who work different shifts and have children to get to other places really can't be expected to leave the house for an inspection that isn't valid."

"I thought you might say that....OK....I will let the buyer know your decision."

 "It's really not our decision Suzy, it's (I wanted to say real estate 101) contract law...a licensed home inspector is the person who does an inspection that is the basis for the buyer making any claims that may result in termination of the contract."

   This blog is respectfully dedicated to Russel Ray and Jay Markanich and  home inpectors everywhere who safeguard homeowners from coast to coast with quality, professional home inspections.

Zoo’s New Groundhog, Wynter,
to Make Expert Weather Prediction

Wynter has made her 2010 prediction:
She did not see her shadow, so we can look forward to an early spring!

        Let's hear for the 2 year old female ground hog at the Milwaukee County Zoo !  Wynter....how  cute a name is that....did not see her shadow and we can all look forward to less of a deep freeze and an earlier spring !   We are very proud of our world class zoo....and glad to claim Wynter as our own local weather psychic !

     Come on out  to our zoo and visit Wynter,....and all the other truly spectacular exhibits at the zoo...an early spring will give you more zooooooooper time to meet all the animals and enjoy an educational and fun day at this very special local attraction we are proud to call our own.

   If my Gradfather were living today...he would be celebrating a brithday well pst his centennial year...he had a grade school education and came  here from Yugolavia and was a cabinet maker ...doing everything from the doors and windows in the now "locally famous" Greendale Wisconsin "originals" (homes that were part of a government construction project for which he got the contract to do the windows and doors...which my Mother said was truly a lifesaver for the family during the depression.)

       My Grandfather was less than five feet tall...and used to say..." All the taller you have to be is so your feet touch the ground."  Being all of 5'2" myself....I would have to agree of course.  I was the yongest grandchild for quite a while and spent lots of time with him...he used to tell my mother that he would "Rather watch a bushel of fleas all day than Sally for 5 minutes," Maybe those sage words were why we elected to have cats rather than kids !

         We called my Grandfather Papa....pronounced Puppa...and he always waited anxiously on his brothday to see what the groundhog had to say about how much more winter we would have in Wisconsin.  When you earn your living in construction in the midwest, weather...especially in those days....was a force to be reckoned wth....Sooo...when you hear the report today about the Groundhog's Shadow...and the forecast for more or less winter....Remember Papa....all the taller you have to be is so your feet touch the ground...You can soar to great heights no matter what your size....the determination to do so is up to you !

  When you have been a realtor in the same market for a long time, you are likely to run into the same agents...soemtimes we "trade places" and we have the buyer and the other agent the seller and vice versa.  One agent, Agent Suzy, believes, that as a buyer's agent, it is her job to take deep discounts on prices without regard to the market. That's fine....the seller always has the option to counter the offer or reject it if they choose. It is our policy, when we have more than one offer, to make all selling agents aware that there is more than one offer on the property.

     This buyer's agent...always knows better.  We believe that we price homes to sell...we study the market and the sellers bring the house into the best possible condition before putting it on the market.  We have our sellers put their "best house forward" both in terms of condition and price. Agent Suzy always tells us that her buyer "really, really wants the house."  Ok Suzy....we told you there are multiple offers....and how does it serve your buyer to write an offer far, far below the asking price...the market....and offer after offer is countered, rejected or unanswered.  It doesn't.

                Being a Buyer's agent is a tremendous responsibility...you want as does the buyer, the best value for their housing dollar...you want their choice of a home to be a good investment. We are working for the seller...but understand your position...we have been in your position as a buyer's agent. Not studying the market....deciding "Because you are a Buyer's Agent" regardless of market conditions, the price of the house, the competition for the sale, that you are right...doesn't help your buyer get a home. Being a buyer's agent is serious business...and it is more than about "being right."

         If you are a buyer, working with a buyer agency contract have the agent do the homework...what have similar homes in the area sold for ? If your offer is far, far below that number and there are competitive offers, don't look for a mover anytime soon. If the home is a short sale or foreclosure, that does not mean the price can be cut by 50% and as we have heard sooo often...."the bank will take whatever we write."  Not the case...not for any house...choose to work with an experienced agent, who has earned the Buyer Agency and understands the market.

  While Texas and Wisconsin are not close geographically....the Short Sale Buyer profile applies EVERYWHERE....and it is our privilege to re-blog this blog thoughtfully written by Lorena Yeo from Frisco, Texas...Thank you Lorena...Blog On !

   We always try to find closing gifts that are client/customer appropriate. Gift certificates may be the best for first timers with sooo many things to do....yesterday, we celebrated a short sale closing.  We had both the buyer and the seller ...the sellers relieved of what they called "the financial monkey on their back. The buyers thrilled with an updated lake home with frontage, shed, updates and a entertainment venue for family and friends at a great price. When we wrote the offer and presented it to the sellers, we had a batch of onion pies and gave them each one....they have begged for the recipe....and I promised one ingredient for each referral....

    We decided to gift them with the recipe, a decorative pie dish on a serving tray with placemats and our thanks...for their superior cooperation and wished everyone well as they began the next chapte of their lives....and the all lived happily ever after.

  Every listing agent has to manage a listing...short or traditional the way they see fit...within the laws of the state they live in....and  keeping in mind that the foreclosure clock continues to run during the term of the listing on short sales.

    We require, with short sales, that earnest money is deposited and an inspection done with time running from acceptance of the seller(s)....not the lender.  For us, it works...more importantly...it works for the seller. Buyers don't run down the street, around the block, to the other side of town when they have some "skin in the game."  Just like no money down mortgages in the end (and really since the beginning)  were not a good idea....we don't feel it  is a good idea for buyers not  to have stake in the transaction.  The other day, an agent was going to write an offer on one of our short sales...and she confessed that she had never written a short sale offer.   I explained to her the way we work with our short sales and why....and that if we got offers that had the buyer using the lender's approval to mark their timeline, it would be countered.

   We got the offer...sure enough....no earnest money...no inspection until the lender approval not the sellers'.....true to our word...the counter was sent to the selling agent with exactly what we had told her ...earnest money and inspection now.  We are confident based on experience and experience with this particular lender, the transaction will close...and everyone will live happily ever after.  The buyer LOVES the house....if we were playing by the "procuring cause rules" he would have been our buyer as he came into an open house, saw a lender we recommended..then his agent called...it was her ex-brother in law...so in the interest of keeping peace....we told her to go ahead and write it...she thanked us a zillion times.

       No counter offer returned to us...call to the agent...."I would never allow any buyer to put down earnest money and do an inspections for a transaction that may not close."  All right then....Ms Never Wrote a Short Sale Offer....we know your buyer still wants the house...he told the lender....the lender told us....and you...don't get to decide...

     Other buyers are interested...there will be another offer...the point is...know what you don't know...and if the buyer wants the house, you don't get to make the rules.