Classic Homes Northwest

I was really tickled, not to mention intmidated, to be invited to be a guest blogger on Scott Cowan’s blog. This is like finally getting a date with someone you’ve been flirting with who you never really expected to ask you out. Now you have to put up, (not out, really!) or shut up.  Be engaging, creative, interesting and interested.

Title insurance would not be my best first date topic.

So I want to share a little exercise that will hopefully be entertaining,  hands on, and maybe awaken a little part of your forgotten creative soul. By the end of it, you will have some basics that will help you draw a human face.

Ready?

Get this-the human head is remarkably similar in shape to an egg.  Obviously every face has it’s nuances, but in general for the proper placement of features on a face these guidelines will really help you. So get out a piece of paper and a pencil and play along.

1. Draw a shape as close to an egg as possible. Run a light line down the middle of the
oval dividing it in half lengthwise.  If you are a bit challenged by drawing the egg shape, get one out of your fridge and use it as a model.  Then you will have to willingly suspend your disbelief.

2. Find the middle of the egg and draw a line horizontally. This is where the eyes will be. Eyes are big marble shaped things that sit inside the sockets and are protected by eyelids, but the basic underlying shape is round. Just above the marbles is where the eyebrows will sit. Draw a line there too.

3.  Now, halfway between the brow line and the chin is another horizontal line,which will be the bottom of the nose. Of course a head wouldn’t be right without ears, and they generally lie between the brow line and the bottom of the nose.

4.  Lastly, divide the space between the bottom of the nose and the chin into thirds, and the upper third is where the mouth goes.

Now, aren’t you proud of yourself? You took the first steps for drawing a head!

Ok, so I really am a better painter than graphic designer,  which is why my digital drawing didn’t make it into the post,  but you get the gist. When you break down a seemingly complex and difficult thing like the human face into segments,  find the underlying constant and remember the basic principals, then you can start to have fun with adding dimensions, nuances, life.  Kind of like dating….

Thanks Scott!

Today we are thrilled to announce that Janet Matzke has agreed to be a guest author for our humble blog. Janet is a wonderful person and a great title insurance representative. We are sure you will enjoy what she will be bringing to the table. You can find out more about Janet the Renaissance Woman (our words not her’s!) here.

Here is her bio that she has provided for us.

Janet is a seasoned vet in the real estate industry, with a 15 year career that involves title insurance, non-profit REALTOR association management, and, yeah, selling real estate.

She is passionate about art, kids, and the outdoors. She is committed to not breaking any more bones in 2010!

(we wish you well on your goal Janet!)

Janet also organizes the bi-weekly Internet Marketing Roundtable that many real estate and other professionals attend both in Gig Harbor and Tacoma. If you’re interested in learning how to leverage the Internet for your life or business you should be joining us.

Who’s the right realtor for you?

I’ve worked with a lot of them. Some just starting out in their 20’s, many in their 40’s, most of them in the US are now around 50,* and I know several still at it in their 70’s and even 80’s. They come from everywhere and every background. Most of them didn’t grow up in real estate. They chose it as a second career after doing something else and more often than not they came to real estate because of the entrepreneurial life style and saw it as an avenue to serve their community.

Where they came from, how old they are, what their greatest passion is, or how formerly educated they may be has absolutely no bearing on the quality of service and/or the level of expertise they can bring to you. I learned that by working with them for over 20 years from the title insurance side of the fence. It’s in the blood or not (kind of thing). They learned real estate by doing it. They showed up to the party one day, fell in love, and stayed.

Young or old, the best experiences I have working with realtors (and the most fun) are those running around with their hair on fire. Okay, I jest (sort of). Most of them have a very cool and calm exterior, but really, the fun one’s are those with the bright eyes who care, they’re purpose driven passion machines; you can hear it in their speech and see it in their body language. They have urgency before them and they don’t hesitate to face challenges. They get involved. They like people. They’ll make that phone call nobody else wants to make. Most important, they return phone calls, email, and text messages.

Which one will you choose?

Statistics tell us that you’re more than likely to pick a realtor who’s someone like you. Is this wise? I say not necessarily, but the fact remains its human nature and we do it often. But don’t be foolish. Take advantage of the means at your disposal and find the realtor that’s right for you. We all have an aunt, brother, friend with a son, sister or cousin that just got their real estate license. I’m not saying don’t choose them. Just don’t take the path of least resistance, look around.

Realtors are in the relationship business.

Personally, I want one of those. I want one that’s really good at relationship and very well connected. To me, that means the greater likelihood they’ll sell my place and/or help me find and purchase the new home I want. A lot of that ‘likelihood’ today takes place on the web and an agent who is online can be a fabulous resource.

Communities are conversation and conversation is opportunity. A realtor who knows their craft and spends time online building relationships is making a big investment. It takes commitment. If they make an honest and consistent attempt to authentically contribute to the online conversation, they bring a lot of value to all of us. They’re investing in community and paying it forward (as we say in social media parlance). They’re building a network of opportunity and resources and we all benefit.  As a home buyer or seller, I want to work with a realtor that has this larger view and connection.

Where might I find one?

A good place to begin your search for a realtor is where you begin your search for most every one of your wants, needs, and desires… the internet. So, Google it. In today’s consumer web-savvy world you’ll find the forward thinking realtors here. Those of us who work online and have worked in real estate related industries know from the endless pedantic stream of industry market studies that most of you (duh) are already online and you very likely started your search with Google then moved on to other real estate sites like Trulia.com, Zillow.com, Realtor.com, CraigsList.com, and many others. We know millions of you do that every day and many of you when it’s time take action, will choose your realtor online.

It’s important to choose a real estate professional that’s adept at new consumer behavior and proficient online. This is the new status quo. Any realtor who’s taken the time to create a good online presence has not only made a monumental leap of faith, they brought their careers and themselves to a very global and transparent stage. It won’t take long to separate the makers from the fakers. Look for one’s that have something to say, not just the one’s with the biggest baddest slickest websites.

Look for the bloggers who talk about their neighborhoods, shares statistics, alert you to what’s going on, and rally to good causes. They’re demonstrating professional commitment. Not all realtors are bloggers, and they need not be. As I said above, realtors are in the relationship business. You have to be in a conversation to build relationships.

For example, Google them… What shows up? If they’re involved online, they will show up. If they have a common name you’ll have to tinker with your search terms a little, but usually “agents name, company name” or “agents name, city” or “agents name, realtor or real estate” will get results. You should see links to their website or blog and the networks and sites they associate with in your search results. Follow those links. You’ll learn a lot. It won’t take long and the time is well worth spent.

Dig a little deeper. Do they have a Facebook.com account? Do they have a Fan or Business page? Are they on Linkedin.com the largest professional business network online? If they are they’ll have a profile with work history, recommendations, and associates. Are they on ActiveRain.com, the largest network online for real estate professionals? They might blog here, check it out. They’ll be rubbing virtual elbows and be in conversation with other very net savvy realtors. This is important. If relocation is part of your real estate plans they’ll likely know someone in that area.

If you use Twitter, are they there? What do they tweet? Follow them and find out. Are they involved with Biznik.com, a network of business entrepreneurs, or Meetup.com for special interest groups like photography, hiking, web design, you name it? Both of these last two hold events around town, most are free. A lot of realtors show up at these networking events. So can you.

In today’s world, we still have a lot of real estate professionals lagging behind. They’re stuck in the heavy boots of outdated marketing methods. They’re marketing to an empty room because everyone left the building. I’m not saying if you interview a realtor you tell them you do not want your home listed in the Sunday paper, don’t send post cards, or don’t have an open house. That might be very appropriate. But what else is in their toolbox?

The two most important questions you can ask a realtor today are:

“What is your internet marketing strategy?” and, “What do you do online to create opportunity?”

Our world changed. Now days we need to know a lot of people to maximize our opportunities and those relationships are often cultivated and maintained online.  I work with realtors everyday that proactively make the effort to stay on top of current trends, technology, consumer behavior, and the marketplace to bring the best service possible to their clients. They’re hip, savvy, honest, giving, and authentic. Pick one of them. Choose the one that fits your personality, but more importantly choose the one that’s well connected online and off. They have more resources.

If you’re selling, they’ll know how to give your listing global exposure. They have networks to talk with and can rapidly disseminate wants and needs to a vast number of people. If you’re buying, they’ll know the neighborhood, the inventory, schools, issues, prices, and amenities better than anyone.

Happy hunting…

René

• The median age of a realtor in the USA is 52 years old.
• The median age of the first time home buyer is 30 years old.

So I thought I’d post since Scott did such a lovely job with his intro. Not too much going on tonight but my youngling is baking cookies for a bake sale to be held to benefit the people of Haiti on Friday at my office. Henry is a very giving lad and he does a lot to help those of us less fortunate; he rides his bike for diabetes in the annual Tour de Cure, walks the Susan G. Komen 10k with his Mum a breast cancer survivor herself, helps raise money for the Edmonds, WA rotary as a yearly volunteer at the local festivals and etc., etc.

Margaritas and Guac

So tonight I’ll just share the quick Mexican themed finish to my day yesterday. As the post mentions, the local ‘ritas are just about $9 each but mine at home are substantially less. Even accounting for the overinflated prices for liquor here in Washington, I can make great margarita at home for about half of what it costs to go out. This recipe ended with a 16oz drink for about $5. Now there is the initial outlay but if you’re a margarita lover it is worth it. Plus if you like you can always run a shortcut or two. I would not recommend ever starting with a tequila that is not 100% blue agave as many are. These will leave you with a bad head in the am but instead of Cointreau, a good quality triple sec will do nicely and that cuts a large part of the cost. Originally margaritas were made using a Mexican Liqueur called Controy but I’ve never seen that in the US.

Anyway, I was able to turn a regular ol’ Tuesday evening into a bit of something special so check it out…
http://musingsonthepathtofrugality.blogspot.com/2010/02/tuesday-2nd-february-2010.html

We are thrilled to announce the first two of our new guest authors! In our continuing effort to be the best real estate resource for anyone who is looking to buy a home or sell a home in Tacoma or the areas around we are expanding and Jim Hunger and René Fabre are our first new contributors.

Jim Hunger is the author at Musings on the Path to Frugality. He is also a client of Classic Homes Northwest. Jim will be covering topics on how to save money and still live a lifestyle that will you enjoy. The savings can be used to help you purchase or upgrade your home. His wit and outlook on life will make you laugh out loud. His ideas will help you save a lot of money on your monthly expenses and will tempt your taste buds. For more information on Jim please take a moment and read his bio here.

René Fabre is the founder of ARFCO Media. After spending over two decades in the title insurance business René has recently become part of the free agent workforce. René is a sought after speaker on marketing and social media. René has been teaching Realtors and other real estate professionals how to leverage the power of the Internet to build their businesses. Now he will take that same knowledge and will help consumers learn how to use Web 2.0 and social media sites to find the Realtor or professional best suited to help them with their home purchase or sale. Besides being a genuinely nice guy René is a great writer and we are thrilled to have him contributing here. Please take the time to read René’s bio here.

We know you will enjoy reading both René and Jim’s posts. We are bringing on two more authors later this month and we are looking for more. If you enjoy talking about real estate and or life in Tacoma and would like to contribute please contact us. We would love to sit down and have a conversation with you about writing here on Classic Homes Northwest.