Ramesh Nyberg's Real Estate Blog

If that sounds haughty, then my apologies. Everyone in our office at the Pinecrest North Office is still riding the high of coming in as the #1 office in Florida for the second straight year, and the #1 office in Miami-Dade for the seventh straight year.

We have a family-like atmosphere, but a professional work ethic. It's a joy to do this type of work, with these people. I can't say all this without mentioning that Joanna Sherman, our manager, should take most of the credit for where we are, and what we continue to do.

This week I am continuing to work with more buyers, quite a shift from the pre-2006 Holiday season, where buyers were hard to find, and listings were sitting on the market in frustrating stagnation. I just sold my two Broward properties, thanks to being able to work closely with my sellers on realistic market positioning. 

Pricing is what it is all about right now, and I am very glad I chose to pursue the Home Marketing designation, because it helps me communicate with sellers and prospects so much better.

Today I'll be contacting three For Sale By Owners I have written down while driving to appointments. I do not drive by one without making a note of it and following up. I've found that For Sale By Owners need professional representation and they need a marketing consultant more than ever. They need a true advocate on their side in this market.

I had better get out and make those contacts now. I do have some computer updating to do on my website, but Brighton Collectibles sent us a cake today, and of course I had to have a piece. Last night, my daughter made brownies with my wife. I've had enough goodies in the last 12 hours, don't you think?

I've certainly encountered more buyers lately. That's a good thing, given this market we're in, where, week by week, inventory keeps piling up and sales are slow. We need buyers to come in and start taking these homes off the market.

Some Realtors don't like working with buyers-- I do. I like working with both buyers and sellers, but with buyers there is a certain excitement involved: they are moving into a new home, and they have put their trust in you to find them the right place. You have to communicate a lot with them, learn their likes and dislikes, and it's a challenge to search and find the right properties to show.

Today is Sunday, and it's usually a big real estate day for me. Today though, I have no open houses (my next one is a broker's open on Wednesday, then a public open the next Sunday).

I am helping my friend/client Leon with getting his house emptied. We sold his house in February, and we are scheduled to close April 2nd. Leon told me to take his rolltop desk, so my friend Tim and I are going up in his pickup truck to get it. Tim and I haven't seen each other in a while, so it will be a nice ride. We know each other from the Bluegrass Assocation, of which I am a member but I haven't been to the meetings or jam sessions in way too long.  Tim is an outstanding mandolin player, and hopefully in this trip we'll find a way through our busy schedules to get together and play again. I miss that. My guitar and my banjo have been sitting there silent for too long.

Recently, one of the buyers I was working with told me he was a musician. As we were riding, I asked him what kind of music he played, and he said, "Mostly acoustic stuff, most people haven't heard of the people I like." So I said, "Who do you like-- Leo Kottke? Bela Fleck? David Grisman?"  His eyes flew open and he said "You listen to them??" We talked about music in between the showings, and it created a nice bond.

Time to head to Tim's--so long until next time.

It's been a real busy week. I've been working with two buyers who are looking for large homes in the Falls or Palmetto Bay areas. One of them is a couple who have completely different tastes, so it's been a real challenge. I think we're finally whittling it down, though.

On top of that, I've been getting things going on my new listing in Cutler Bay. Yesterday I did the first open house, and we only had two visitors. It happens. I've had worse, actually. Perhaps it's because of a Spring Break weekend, and a lot of parents might be out of town, or because of the Deering Seafood festival, which was about a mile away, who knows. You can never really tell what type of day you are going to have.

Today I am meeting the other buyers, who are purchasing something for their son. I find it fascinating, and really very enjoyable, to consult with people, find out what is driving their likes and dislikes, and what they need and want in a home. Then, digging into the MLS and finding something that excites them is very fulfilling.

More on that later.