Sheri’s Palm Springs Area Blog

A Little Advice Before You Hire Any Agent (Including Me)

If you plan on buying or selling real estate in the future, not just here in the Palm Springs area but almost anywhere, this information could very well benefit you. First some background.

Last month I was interviewed during a one-hour segment on the local Bloomberg financial news radio outlet. The host, Ron Siegel and I talked about our local real estate market and the fact that my team and I are busy enough that we don’t have to depend on the next transaction in order to make ends meet.

Looking Out For Your Best Interests

“If a real estate agent, or any financial professional for that matter, is not busy and successful they just might need to convince a client to buy or sell with them when in fact they should really be telling you to wait.” Ron said.

Now let me say right now that I believe that most agents are looking out for the better good of their clients. But what Ron said on the show made sense; “What if an agent’s mortgage payment is coming due and they haven’t sold a property in a while? What if they really need your sale to make ends meet this month?” Ron said.

This got me to thinking about all the times that I’ve been able to advise clients not to buy or sell a property at a particular time because it really wasn’t in their best interest to act then. And I’m certainly blessed to be able to do that.

Here's How You Can Benefit

So here’s the information that I promised to share earlier that could benefit you in buying or selling your next home. It’s quite simple really. Be sure to check out each prospective agent’s references and their recent sales transactions. Ask them for a list of their sales transaction over the last twelve months.

Here in the desert, 24% of local agents did not complete a single sales transaction last year. And in the U.S., the average agent completes just seven sales transactions per year. In my opinion, it’s hard to stay on top of the Palm Springs area real estate market if you only work at it part-time. You wouldn’t be as familiar with as many communities and properties, and you certainly wouldn’t have much experience negotiating transactions on behalf of your clients.

So before you walk into that open house and buy a home from the nice agent sitting behind the desk, or list your home with an agent who is a friend of a friend, please consider doing your homework. Past results don’t guarantee future success, but what else do you have to go on?

Palm Springs Home Buyers & Sellers: Don’t Take It Personally!

Golf Homes At Andalusia, La Quinta

Here's a little advice for Palm Springs area homebuyers and sellers. Never take purchase negotiations personally. No property is ever sold unless there's a willing buyer and a willing seller. And getting to that point can be a dance, and sometimes it can be a little tougher. But please don't take it personally.

I do this almost everyday, and every transaction can be a bit different. Every buyer and seller has a unique personality. Some people buy and sell homes as often as cars, while others might buy or sell just a few times in their lifetime. People's situations and their reasons for buying or selling here in the Palm Springs area can also be varied.

Your Palm Springs Realtor's Job: Part Guide, Part Negotiator

Part of an agent's job is to guide their buyers or sellers through the negotiations while keeping their sanity and their cool. It's counterproductive to take anything personally. Yes, there can be some stress involved, but an agent's job is to keep their clients stress level to a minimum and to do any heavy lifting for them.

A seller receiving a low-ball offer simply needs to submit a counter offer. We're here to help guide you with that. If a buyer gets no response to their submitted offer, their agent can find out why and go from there. But if there is no offer on the table because on side or the other took it personally, then negotiations cease and both sides can lose.

Don't Hit The Panic Button Unless I Tell You To! 

After completing hundreds of client transactions, the one thing in common that I share with our clients is 'don't panic until I tell you to!'  That little 'fire' during negotiations today, or during escrow tomorrow might seem like a big deal now, but it will likely be water in the swimming pool in just a day or two!

Most Palm Springs area real estate transactions actually flow pretty smoothly. The ones that don't are a bit more work but that's my job, and my team's job, to put forth what ever is needed on our client's behalf.

Know that I work with and therefore get to know a lot of the local real estate professionals, and as such I usually know in advance which transactions will be more work than others. That's when our team rolls up our sleeves up so you don't have to. You can get ready to move, and don't forget the sunscreen!

And during negotiations, like I said, please don't take anything personally, unless I tell you to!