...well, I don't know about EASY, but the heat is here. And so is the rain, after a long drought. The poincianas are in bloom, which old Florida legend is supposed to mean the dolphin (mahi, not Flipper) are biting. My friend caught a 50-pounder the other day. That's a huge fish.
I just put two customers' homes on the market, and after a week, we've got an offer on one of them. Buyer activity continues to warm up, though sales are still down in most areas. Marketing and pricing are key. You've got to drive people to the listing with marketing, but unless it is priced right no one will be interested.
I've been going to more networking events lately. It can be tiring, but really when you're there it's great because they are like social events, where you can make some valuable business relationships. I enjoy that, because networking isn't just pulling your card out and sticking it in someone's hand, it's developing relationships, bringing others together, and taking a real interest in helping someone develop their business by sharing referrals. I went to one last night, and I'll be going to another tomorrow. This weekend, I'll be working with a wonderful young couple looking for investment properties. That's Saturday morning. Then I've got floor time at 1pm until 5. Floor is when you are assigned to the desk at the office, and whatever prospective business comes in from sign calls, walk-ins, etc, you handle it. There are times when it can be quite slow (good time to do things like update your blog) and there are times when it is hopping. You could get five buyer prospects and none of them turn out to go anywhere, or you could one winner. It happened to me a couple of months ago. Someone called on a sign, we made an appointment to see some properties, and a two months later we closed on an $860,000 house. So it can be worthwhile to work floor.
On Sunday I'll hold an open house in Cutler Bay, where we reduced the price two weeks ago from $490k to $449,000. We have a couple very interested now, so I'm hoping we can get that property sold so the family can finalize their plans to move upstate.
I went on a caravan this morning sponsored by Community Bank. Me and 9 othe realtors visited ten properties--including the one I just mentioned. It was good--you get to see what's available in other neighborhoods other than the ones you work in primarily, and you get to network with other Realtors. Tomorrow morning I'll be sending that offer up to the seller, and making showing appointments.