Grant Wiebe - Blog

Are You Curious?

grant.wiebe@century21.ca — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

I've never met anyone who wasn't at least a little bit curious about the ongoing real estate activity around their home. If you would like to get the inside scoop on properties that are listed and sold on your street, in your building or complex, on just in your immediate neighborhood, I have the ability to set up an automatic MLS search that will send you a weekly automated email with details of new real estate activity. I can customize the search to whatever geographic parameters that you wish (street, building, vicinity to your home) and then the best part is that the results are fully automatic - no one bugging you or pestering you, just the detailed information you're interested in.

If you would like to benefit from this free service, and you live or own property in the Kelowna area (Central Okanagan), send me an email and I'll get you set up.

Grant Wiebe 250-869-2279 grant.wiebe@century21.ca

Professional Real Estate Photography - More Than Just Making Your House Look Pretty

grant.wiebe@century21.ca — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

When I first started hiring a professional photographer to shoot our real estate listings about 6 years ago, very few REALTORS® in my area (Kelowna, BC, Canada) were doing it. I probably wouldn't have done it either, but my good friend (who was an accomplished photographer) was branching out his practice and specializing in architecteral real estate photography. Back then, the real estate industry was still buzzing on the high of our 1990's revelation that we could buy our own digital camera and load our pictures right on MLS® without having to develop them.

Nowadays, a number of REALTORS® have adopted using a professional photographer to take pictures of their listings. Some agents do it because it's convenient, but most do because it impresses their clients when they bring a professional over with his/her fancy equipment to capture all the perfect angles in just the right light. These are both valid reasons but the reason why I think it is an absolute "must" for real estate photography to be handled by a professional is a little more strategic...

In today's world, people shop differently; differently than they did even 5 years ago. They shop for music differently, clothes, cars, insurance, and yes, houses. When I first became a REALTOR® 10 years ago, home buyers would look either online or in the paper at the current inventory of homes. Depending on where they were looking, they would see 1 to 4 pictures of each home. Their information sources wouldn't tell where the home was located on the street, what all the rooms looked like, what the nearby homes looked like, or what the FSA score of the nearest school was:). Because of this "lack" of information, buyers behaved differently; they didn't have the information to make educated decisions about homes that fit their criteria until they had actually seen them so they would physically visit all the homes that fit their criteria and compile a "short list" based on what they had physically seen.

With todays accessable information and online tools, buyers are comfortable making big decisions using the information they find online. Consumers buy expensive used cars online and then fly accross the continent to pick them strictly using online information. People buy elabarate vacations strictly based on the online recommendations of strangers. Just as shoppers are used to getting the feel for the items that they buy online before they decide to buy them, home buyers expect to make their first visit to your home using their computer or mobile device, and they will decide whether they want to view your home in person based on what they see and how it makes them feel. That's right, the "shortlisting" process described above now happens in a very big way before they ever step into the door of your home.

So what does this have to do with professional photography? In light of the information above, my job in effecticely marketing a property is to present it in its best light so that it has the best chance of being "virtually shortlisted". Indoor pictures taken with a "point and shoot" camera by an amateur usually look small, dark and off-colour. Professional skill and high quality equipment can capture an indoor space like your eyes capture it, with the natural light and openness that your eyes naturally see. Nowadays, homes that have just a few photos online or bad photos create from buyers like: "what are they hiding" or "yuck". Even if these reactions may be based on an inaccurate or incomplete impression, buyers are prepared to write you home off due to these feeling without thinking twice.

If you've shopped for a home, you've no doubt seen the "1 Picture Wonder" listings or the "Did That Guy's Camera Just Fall on the Floor and Accidentally Go Off" pictures. When you consider that each one of these properties represents someone who wants to sell their home and has important reasons to do so, it's sad that these properties are being so poorly presented. When you analyze how the dynamics of today's marketplace, it seems like a bit of a no-brainer...

In case you haven't already guessed, every one of my listings is captured by a professional photographer and presented online with 21 high resolution images. Everything I do as part of my comprehensive marketing plan is for a reason and has strategy behind it. If you need a down to earth REALTOR® the Kelowna (British Columbia, Canada) area who is professional and experienced, contact me.

Grant Wiebe 250-869-2279 grant.wiebe@century21.ca

Choosing a REALTOR® Based on Past Performance

grant.wiebe@century21.ca — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

"The best indicator of future performance is past performance."

Although past performance isn't the only criteria that a seller should use when choosing a REALTOR® to list their property, a REALTOR®'s past success is a critical factor that is often missing from many REALTORS® listing presentations.

Think about the job interview process as a comparable example. A business owner or H.R. manager would never think of conducting a job interview without looking at a potential employee's previous experience and their level of success (or lack or it) in their field.

When hiring a REALTOR® to market and sell your most valuable asset (your home), it's so important that you look beyond the professional appearance of a REALTOR®'s presentation and take some time to focus on the hard facts related to his or her competence and experience. REALTORS® in the Central Okanagan sold an average of approximately 10 properties each last year, which means there are a number of REALTORS® who sold 2, 3 or 4 properties last year - is that the level of practice and experience that you would expect when hiring a listing agent? Here are some examples of things to consider when interviewing a REALTOR®:

How many years has a potential REALTOR® been in the business? How many properties have they sold over their career? This is easy information for a REALTOR® to provide and it will give a potential client an idea of the scope and diversity of experience that a REALTOR® has.
How many properties has a potential REALTOR® sold each year for the last two or three years? This is also easy information for a REALTOR® to provide and it gives a potential client a good picture of how currently active a REALTOR® is in the business and how sharp and up-to-date their knowledge and skills are. Don't be afraid to ask for a detailed list of recent sales.
What do a potential REALTOR®'s past clients have to say about him/her? If he/she doesn't provide an extensive list of testimonials on his/her website, ask for a list to be provided. It's also a good idea to ask if it's okay for you to contact a couple of his/her recent past clients.

Strategic online marketing strategies are very important and shouldn't be ignored when choosing a REALTOR®, however, if Sellers take some time to step back from the "bright lights" of a typical REALTOR®'S listing presentation and focus a little more on the hard facts of a REALTOR®'s past performance and track record, many sellers will go into the selling process with more accurate expectations and hopefully, a better experience. REALTORS® in the Central Okanagan sold an average of approximately 10 properties each last year, which means there are a number of REALTORS® who sold 2, 3 or 4 properties last year - is that the level of practice and experience that you would expect when hiring a listing agent?

If you (or someone you know) are thinking of selling your home in the Kelowna area, call me (250-869-2279) or send me an email (grant.wiebe@century21.ca) and we can discuss how I can help. In addition to my cutting edge strategies & marketing plan, I promise I'll provide you with the info I've outlined above:).

The "Real Estate" Market or the "REALTOR®" Market?

grant.wiebe@century21.ca — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

"How's the market?"

This is a question I get asked on almost a daily basis and although this three word question seems simple enough, I believe this basic question is the cause of much confusion and misunderstanding about the state of the real estate market.

When people ask my "how's the market?", I like to clarify what they mean by responding with the question: "Do you mean the Real Estate Market or the REALTOR® market?". Although this may sound like a silly response, I believe it brings to light a common communication breakdown between REALTORS and the people that they meet every day. You see, we REALTORS are a pretty narcissistic bunch, and when people ask us how the market is, we like to assume they're interested in how our individual business is going. That's why you often will get answers like, "quiet", "dead", or even "crazy!", which are not words that describe the true state of our current Kelowna real estate market but they may describe an individual REALTOR'S week, month or year.

The thing that causes the confusion and missunderstanding that I mentioned earlier is the fact that when a member of the public asks a real estate professional about the market, they are usually interested in the general state of the local market and how that will affect him or her and the property that his or her family owns. When they hear dramatic answers like "dead", or "really slow", or even "crazy", they relate those inaccurate terms directly to their own situation.

You see, the "real estate market" and the "REALTOR" market are two completely different things. Let me give you some details to help explain:

In the last 30 days, 166 residential properties sold in the Central Okanagan through the MLS system. With 2 REALTORS participating in each transaction, this means that less than half of the REALTORS in the Central Okanagan had a sale in the last 30 days (over 700 REALTORS). It's not surprising that a lot of REALTORS are feeling the crunch and using dramatic terminology to describe the current state of their individual business.
in 2011, there were 3638 residential transactions throught the MLS system. Althought this is about 60% of the sales recorded in the record breaking year of 2007, it is also a very stable, sustainable number of transactions for a balanced market on the low side of the real estate cycle. The number of transactions has remained quite stable over the last 3 years.

Although a lot of analysts and experts would use words like "balanced, "recovering" and "sustainable" to describe our current local market, the reality still exists that a lot of REALTORS are struggling and will respond to questions about "the market" with answer about "their business". If you hear high-drama answers out there describing our current low-drama real estate market, make sure you get some facts and figures to back up the drama.