The Neighborhood

The holidays were spectacular

The holidays were spectacular in Tour 18 Dallas! This is one neighbors magnificent light display!

2012 is off to a great start!
Thank you neighbors for making us the #1 Homeseller in Tour 18 for 10 years now. This year I want to get even better. I want to expand marketing to include:
1. helicopter views of properties to give a larger, more elegant effect thats unique in the metroplex
2. realtor workshops to educate realtors about Tour 18
3. Heavy blogger and Youtube marketing campaign.

The housing market is going to be a great one this year!
contact me if you need anything.

Banner Sales Month!

In June I sold 3 homes that were not even listed for sale by connecting various home owners with offers.  Sometimes selling just makes sense!

I hope everyone has a great and safe summer!

Call us today to understand what your home investment is worth.

Amazing Sales

Sales in the Tour 18 Neighborhood have been hot this year! The neighborhood is growing in new neighbors and new homes.  With so much activity it is had to believe that just last year the market was slower. 

This home was just sold last week!

Do you wonder what your home is worth?  Send me an email or give me a call!

Mark Nolan - marknolan@email.com - 817-371-4872

Sold Sold Sold!

To the economy: Welcome back. Nice to see people buying again. But as with every good thing, it takes skill and hard work to show your product and the value of it in a sea of inventory.

Every house is about more than just a house.  My personal belief is that it's about building a life, giving to others.

How can you combine your business goals with the gifts you have to share?

A good life, a blessed life, is about more than just the rewards of business. But today, we celebrate all.  Enjoy this great moment life has given you!

 

CNN and the Real Estate Vultures

A recent report on CNNMoney talked about being an opportune time to grab bargains, and how real estate investors (they titles the article vultures) were hard at work grabbing up properties.

Across the world, commercial and residential real estate is distressed, and drawing in bargain hunters.  This is good for foreclosure or under valued properties, and bad for upscale neighbors in highly exclusive neighborhoods who need strong comparables to sell against.

There is an estimated $90 billion in commercial real estate in the U.S. alone that is "distressed", according to a New York based real estate research firm Real Capital Analytics.  These are properties that have been foreclosed on, or whose owners are in default on their loans or in bankruptcy. "On top of those properties, there is hundreds of billions more in debt coming due in the next few years," says Peter Slatin, editorial director at Real Capital.  "Some REITs are getting prepared for that."

In Tour 18, and other exclusive Flower Mound neighborhoods, it's important to always sell at the highest possible value, in order to get a strong ROI and keep real estate strong.  It's been increasingly hard at times though, when houses lapse into foreclosure.

Sometimes it is due to a divorce, other times loss of a job, other times, not planning well or saving for a rainy day.

My wife wrote a blog entry recently on her blog www.escapesuburbia.wordpress.com, called Chasing Oakleys, in which she referred to a story someone told her about nearly losing their life in pursuit of a pair of Oakley sunglasses. He'd been riding his bike in traffic, the Oakleys fell of, and he struggled to save them without thinking of the consequence.  He didn't care if he got smashed by a car. He slid across the pavement, arm outstretched, and he said the only thought in his mind at the time was his brand new sunglasses.

How many times have we chased the Oakleys, only to come up empty handed?  The blog entry was funny, but also a metaphor for the lives we lead.  How many times do we fund ourselves ignoring the risk, and chasing after something we shouldn't?

The entire Real estate industry may be just an example of that.  The way the housing market allowed the loads they allowed, the way homeowners were lured into loans or perhaps by their own making chose a situation that wasn't going to be good long term.  A lot of risky decisions were made, from taking out several mortgages to bad loads with bad consequences.  Today, there's finally a silver lining.  CNN may call them vultures, but I call them investors. 

Homes are selling.

House values are strong, particulary in my market, the luxury home area.

Laser Focus

Being in the Real Estate Industry is at times a bit like being a missionary on the mission field in China.  Or perhaps, an ethical attorney in an industry known for lawyer shark jokes. I say this because there are a lot of times when Realtors get a bad rap, and then other times when I cringe while reading a marketing pieces a fellow industry veteran has sent out.

Let's just leave it at that!

On the upside, the industry does have a small group of professionals who hail from various business backgrounds, and like to do things right. One of the groups I've been honored to be nominated for recently is the prestigious luxury home sales division.

This prestigious Keller Williams designation is awarded by achieving sales success at the Luxury home level at the top 10% of the market.  Bottom line: It will help me sell homes.

I believe in the Tiger Woods strategy of focusing on one core thing.  I've always focused on luxury homes and in Tour 18, one Texas neighborhood I have been the #1 Real Estate Agent for 7 consecutive years.  With the new designation, I'll be networked with luxury agents around the world.

It's backed by the institute for Luxury Home Marketing, (www.luxuryhomemarketing.com), and the institute founder Laurie Moore-Moore says, "The luxury home market is out-performing the real estate market nationally, so the timing of the Keller Williams Luzury Homes Program is absolutely perfect."

Through this exclusive program, I'll  be able to take advantage of new branding and marketing materials, an even greater International web presence and agent-to-agent referral oppourtunities, as well as discounted pricing for advertising in targeted print publications including the Robb REport, DuPont Registry, Unique Homes, The Wall Street Journal, L.A. Times and The New York Times.

the soul of a House

Reading a book by Derek Prince about our soul, recently, made me think about the soul of a house. Derek wrote that there are three elements of a human soul. Your will, intellect, and emotion. He said that a man’s spirit moves upon a man’s soul, and a man’s soul directs his body (actions, habits, daily character.) As long as man remains in submission to God, his soul remains in submission to his spirit and man functions in harmony to God. When we rebel, that inner harmony is broken. There is constant tension between spirit and soul. Wow, deep thoughts.

I love to read things that make me think, on a higher level. Everything is relatable to our lives, and the work that we do. In life, it’s about having as blameless a walk as possible, and being congruent. Congruency is when thoughts line up with actions, and when our inner and outer worlds match.

When I think of this as it applies to my own work with homes and technology, I think about how we can be congruent, and simplify things. Transparency is always important in a house sale, and making sure everything is congruent is important. In a home, the inside must match the outside. Everything should be at a congruent level, because if the outside has curb appeal but the inside is crumbling, it won’t sell. The soul of a house is more than just what we see with the eye. Is there an energy and life about it? Can we feel the joy? If not, why? Sometimes a small adjustment is all that’s needed to get everything aligned, and on the right track. It’s the same way in our own lives.

Home Sales Tip: Leverage the Power of Words

Selling a home is about using the right words to convey the best and most accurate impression about the house - and guess what? Great Realtors know how to do that in ten minutes or less.

My buyers sweep in, and sweep out, and the first ten minutes in a home is critical.  If they've got 15 homes to see in Southlake and 5 to see in Flower Mound, you can bet it's a full and tiring day and they're looking to eliminate. Yard too small? The buyer doesn't even want to get out of the car. I have to convince them to go inside. Small rooms or funky floorplan? Too many golf balls in the yard? Delete, delete, delete.

Buyers are only too happy to move on to the next house or the next neighborhood.  It's my job to point out the beauty and positive benefits of where they are right now, when they are standing in one of my listings.

Os Hillman wrote a great inspirational email recently about The Power of the tongue. Basically it's about how words have the power to change the way we think, feel, and relate in this world.  He wrote:

"Words have the power to motivate or destroy, energize or deflate, inspire or create despair.  Many successful executives can remember the time their father failed to give them affirmation as a child.  The result was either over achievement to prove their worth or underachievement to prove he was right. Many a wife has lost her ability to love because of a critical husband.  Many a husband has left a marriage because of words of disrespect and ungratefulness.  Stories abound regarding the power of words."

His words always inspire me.

Words have the power to build businesses, nations, and relationships. Business deals hinge on the words exchanged between parties.  They have the power to uncover the blind spots and overcome them. If only we were willing to listen.

Mark Nolan

Visit my blog for the 3 tips to sell your home.

www.theneighborhood.typepad.com

Selling Homes: Tips of the week - Search for Blind Spots

Everyone knows at least one person who doesn't see things clearly. Maybe it's your uncle, or perhaps it's a friend. Maybe it's someone under your own roof.

Sometimes someone you love or work with has an area of improvement they don't see. We all have limiting beliefs we picked up from childhood or from certain experiences in our lives.

In business, blind spots are something we simply have to work to overcome or it could mean lost sales. In the business of selling houses it is imperative to uncover blind spots. It might involve helping a buyer overcome a limiting belief such as "Tour 18 is just too far from any grocery store" (when the store is just six minutes away) or, "There are too many golf balls in the backyard."

Overcoming limiting beliefs are an important part of selling a luxury estate. You simply must be willing to step out onto the ledge and talk about the things your buyer might be feeling. It's about choosing the right words and uncovering what is not being said.

Is there something about the house that alters a first impression? Something like clutter, an overgrown garden, or simple paint repairs that can cause a busy buyer who is looking at tons of houses to check yours off the list. If I see something one of my potential buyers might not like, and it is easily rectified, it's my job to be honest about what that is and help the seller create a first impression that's as good as possible.

Email me today, for more information about the value of your home. MarkNolan@email.com