JL's Columbia SC Real Estate Blog: December 2007

 Call me a sceptic, but when the politicians speak, I automatically assume that they are lying. This has always been my point of view and I find that more often than not I am correct.

 Currently here in Columbia we have voted in a 1% increase in the sales tax. This is according to the politicians going to lower our property taxes. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but six of one is still half a dozen of the other. Currently in Columbia the renters vs. homeowners statistics are nearly neck and neck at 50/50. So, half the people are paying all the property taxes. This is of-course leaving out the property taxes on automobiles.

 In my humble opinion, I believe it will simply be worked out in a way that not only is the sales tax higher, but our property taxes will not be lower. Either by raising the millage rate or by figuring out some other way to screw the tax payer, call me a sceptic, but I'm simply not buying into the program. One way or another, this will turn out to be not so great just like so many empty promises before it.

 My wife tells me all the time that I am too sarcastic and I don not give people enough credit for who and what they are. Therefore I write this blog to give credit to special group of people who quite frankly affect us all in our everyday lives. These people are stupid people. The Darwin types, if you catch my drift.

 This is in my opinion the largest growing number of individuals in the continental United States today. From that guy who refuses to let you merge onto the interstate, even though there is a perfectly clear lane to his left, to the creators and stars of MTV's Jackass. Don't get me wrong, it made the guys rich, but isn't that just further proof that all around the world only stupid people are breeding.

 It seems to me that the hardest thing to do certain situations is to just breathe. I am currently working with a couple who is about to purchase their first home. I feel very fortunate to take part in this experience. But at the same time they are a nervous wreck. I myself am not a very nervous person, and I wasn't very nervous when I bought my first house. I can however completely understand where they are coming from.

 Luckily they are just as excited as they are nervous. So, I gave them the best advice that I could. Take a deep breath, and everything else will fall in place. It's a shame that we have to remind ourselves to breath, but at least they have a reason to hold their breath. I'm positive that everything will work out just fine, and the breathing will soon return to normal.

 All my life I have simply loved a new adventure. Anywhere for any reason or without a reason, just as long as I got to go. It's not at all that I feel as if I'm getting old, because I can still go for days without sleep and I still love a good party as much as the next guy. But here lately I have come to the realization that I like my home much more than I ever did. I no longer embark on the unplanned journey's of my younger days. What bothers me the most, is that this does not bother me at all.

 I made myself a deal years ago, that I would never settle down and I would never slow down. But as time marched on and the world around me changed I realized that time itself did not know or care about my deal. Nor did my wife for that matter. Now I find myself calling home when I am going to be late and I no longer have the unsettled feeling I used to get by being "trapped" in one place. So now as I press forward with my happy life I come to one last realization. It was a dumb deal in the first place! Though, I must admit that all my wild oats have not yet turned into shredded wheat, the new calm content that I feel with my present situation can simply be summed up with one little word. Happiness! There I said it, I'm happy, and I don't care if you like it or not.

 I myself have heard several fellow agents speak poorly of their experiences with fsbo's. I know some agents who simply disregard them and make no effort to speak with them at all. In short, most of the Realtors I know avoid fsbo's as much as possible. Though, I must admit that my experience with fsbo's id somewhat limited, I have had no trouble with one's I have been in touch with. I even had one agree to pay my commission when I brought mt buyer clients. He was a little hesitant at first, but it really took no convincing on my part for him to agree to a one time showing commitment and pay my commission.

 Maybe I have simply been lucky so for, but the fsbo's I have dealt with all seem to be every day people rather than the monsters that some Realtors would have you believe they are. Hopefully my luck will continue, but if not so be it. I still believe that fsbo's can make excellent prospects and that most seem to be quite cooperative.

 My wife has now learned that the vast majority of the men in my family are not known for their longevity in life. That is, they simply don't live to be very old people. Instead the Boney men seem to feel very comfortable checking out somewhere around fifty. Being that my in-laws are seventy-three years old, I now realize that fifty isn't very old and I am not supposed to be going through a mid-life crisis just yet.

 So, in-case you're wondering about the whole war thing, well that's a war on mortality itself I do believe. After confirming from my family that most of the men in it die at an early age and of heart related issues, my wife has now thrown away all of the grease and cooking oil in the house. I'm no longer allowed to eat fried food, or junk food. I have to watch my in take of red meat and now must monitor my cholesterol as well as my blood pressure. You guessed it, they both run high in my family. Even after I explained to my wife that no matter how healthy we are, we will never get out of life alive anyway, so we may as well enjoy it while we're here, she didn't seem impressed with my theory. In fact she threatened to take away my occasional sweets. So, for those of you out there without a spouse who is determined to make you the first person to live forever, you don't know what you're missing. It's nice to know some one cares so much that their willing to take everything away that makes life great, in order to save it.

Recently I wrote a blog called dressed for success. It got mixed reviews from the people who commented, and in it I stated that I feel a bit old fashioned because I feel that we as Realtors should be well dressed. For taday's old fashioned feeling, I will turn to the Internet. I wonder if many of us a focusing a little too much on the Internet and not enough on the basics of just talking to people.

Before everyone gets up in arms, I will say that I spend time promoting my website, and I do enjoy spending time here on AR. But I simply feel that at some point, we spend a little too much time on the Internet instead of on the street. I know that the Internet is a great place to advertise, and that it is full of wonderful resources, but our best resource is and always will be people. My website and your website, no matter how well done, or well it performs in google searches simply does not tell the story of who we are as well as we can face to face with another person. I have had success with the Internet and will continue to use it, and I recommend that everyone else does as well, I just believe that sometimes we lose sight of how much more powerful our words are in connection with our voice rather than our keyboards.

 I often wonder this days if I have become what most people call old fashioned. I see great deal of Realtors in my area, who for lack of a better way to put it, look like bums. They don't seem to care about their outward appearance, as they regularly meet with clients in blue jeans. Maybe times are a little more relaxed these days, but we do need to at least appear professional in my opinion. I've never met with anyone on business terms when I wasn't in a suit and tie. I don't even stop into my office without being well dressed, just in case the situation calls for it.

 Again, maybe I'm old fashioned, but every person I meet with to open a door or do a listing appointment, is a job interview. And me personally, I want the job. So, if it takes wearing a suit and tie, well I've already gotten used to that.

 The truth of the matter is that over the course of time I have had more than one person claim that I am a bit insensitive. I simply don't seem to mind saying things that I souldn't, and don't really care whether or not people like me. Recently my wife, whose also an agent, suggested that I take some flyers to apartment complexes for one of my listings. This was something I had not done before, but I figured why not. So, I took said flyers to a complex and put them out on car windshields. Within 45 minutes I had two phone calls, and both turned out well. In-fact, one is buying the house.

 So, this of-course made me want to put out more flyers at more apartments. So, I did, and I return one morning I received a phone call at 7:45am from a lady screaming at the top of lungs about how " we don't appreciate all your flyers" all over the apartments. So, when I asked her if while she was on the phone would she be interested in buying a house, she hung up on me. It wasn't until a few minutes later that it dawned on me e she was likely some one who worked at the apartments, and not the head of the home renters association.

 So, that being said, I realized that angry phone call seemed to make me want to put out even more flyers. In fact, am listening to the copy machine now. Have a great day guys, I know I will.