One of the more interesting pieces of selling the house this time is that the Realtors in the Triangle here use a service called Centralized Showing Service.  Basically, the service coordinates showings amongst all the Realtors in the area and also provides a means for giving feedback to the Sellers via a website.  This part in particular has become my favorite part of the whole process, as often times the comments leave you scratching your head, as I’ll show below.

First, however, let me set the stage.  We own a 4 bedroom, 3 bath house, 2600 (and some change) sq. ft. in the heart of Cary, which is this idyllic little burg near Raleigh that always ranks well in national rankings as one of the best places to live.  We are asking $284K.  It is centrally located to RTP and all major thoroughfares in a nice, quiet neighborhood on a wooded lot.  Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are both less than 5 minutes away, as is plenty of other shopping.  The lot sits on .4 acres.  We’ve updated most major systems including HVAC and Water Heater, as well as painted, etc.

Now that you have an idea of the house, here are some of the comments, most of which, in my mind, fall under the category of “why did you even bother to show the house?  Don’t you know your customer?”:

Buyers were here on their first trip and have not made the decision to move as of yet. However, they have decided they do not want to be in Cary. They need more land and more privacy, therefore Fuquay, Holly Springs, Willow Spring will be the spots.

Here’s a real classic:

My buyers have decided that this home is out of their price range.

This one, in fact, came from people WHO GAVE US AN OFFER! They offered us $269.  Not bad, seems like we could negotiate and meet in the middle.  We countered with $280.  They walked away.  What, did you think this process doesn’t involve negotiation?   I mean, seriously, isn’t that all part of the game?  Why go to the trouble of making an offer?

Another good one that falls under the category of Knowing your Clients:

My buyers’ space requirements and growing family knocked this one off the list.

What 4 bedrooms, 3 baths and a large bonus room and a full walk up attic aren’t big enough for you?  How fast are you growing?  Didn’t you bother to look at the specs beforehand?

And, sometimes the comments range to the more enjoyable:

Sweet gum tree – ugh.

Anyone who has one of those trees knows what I’m talking about.  They produce, for seeds, these annoying little spikey balls that drop EVERYWHERE, all year round.  Ugh indeed.

And another good one:

clients just felt it was too old for them, didn’t like popcorn ceilings

On the MLS, the house shows it’s age (1984, but with LOTS of updates).  I suppose it’s reasonable, though, b/c you never know what to expect inside.  The popcorn ceiling comment, however is funny.  I mean, if that is the only thing holding you back, just ask.    Geez, we’ll take $2K off the price and have them removed.

Which, of course, reminds me of the lack of savvy of some Realtors.  One potential buyer came to see the house 4 times.  We figured they were the one.  Then, they go cold.  Furthermore, they were actual clients of our Realtor (at the time, we have since changed.)  Three weeks later, she informs us that the major thing stopping them was they wanted a Jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom, otherwise they loved the house.  I about lost it on her at the time.  Isn’t your job as a Realtor to present that to the sellers?  I mean, if that is the only thing holding them up (and according to her, it was), why wouldn’t you ask?  Other than the fact that most people who have those things don’t use them in the long run, they don’t cost all that much.  We’d gladly have installed one if it meant selling the house.

At any rate, if you are looking to move to Cary/Raleigh area or know someone who is, drop me a comment and I’ll point you at the actual MLS listing.

Finally!

It’s funny how these debates always come down to “smoker’s rights”.  As my wife says, “I can never understand why smoker’s rights trump non-smoker’s rights”.  And since when did smoking become a “right”?

The other debate is also a non-starter: businesses won’t be able to compete.  Go look at NY.  What happened is more non-smokers started going out.  Businesses did not collapse.

I, for one, can’t wait for it to be in effect.  I know we go out less now because bars are smokey.

Seems like a great time to buy, what with the low interest rates.  I know on my new house, I got 4.875%.   Nothing like a cheap rate and a buyer’s market to get a great deal on a house.

At any rate, I’ve always been happy with their work and I thought I would let others in the Cary/Raleigh area know.

I love it!  We’ve gotten at least 2″ of snow here in Raleigh and the whole area is shutdown!  Wimps!  Schools, businesses, practically everyone is shutdown!

Of course, in their defense, the area is ill-equipped to deal with even the smallest amount of snow, since they don’t have the plows to manage the snow.  Not to mention the drivers.  Oh, the drivers.  How clueless they are when it comes to snow.  Which is really weird to me, since everyone that lives here, it seems, is from the North!  Have they forgotten how to drive in snow?  Here’s the only thing you need to know:  slow down!  Four wheel drive does you no good when you are doing 70 mph and slam on the brakes.

Forgotten how to shovel your driveway or need a better way of doing it without breaking your back?  Read how here!

If you live in this area, please help us find this person and report them to the Chatham County Sheriff.  The mere thought of it sends shivers down my spine and then makes me mad as hell.  I ride in that area often and have had close calls with cars, but I’ve never heard of someone being so deliberate.  WTF?  Sounds like attempted manslaughter charges to me, at a minimum.

Now, my monitor is finally at eye level and I don’t have to strain my neck looking down.  I guess “Progressive Plumbing and Piping”, “Sunrise Dental” and “Smiles of Cary” got their money’s worth when advertising in the Talking Phone Book and the Keystone Yellow Pages, as that is about the only one’s I can see.  Of course, I plan to cover them up soon enough with pictures or something.  At least this is a better use than the landfill or the recycling center.  Now, what to do with next year’s…  Heck, instead of a new coal plant near Charlotte, they could build a “yellow pages” burning plant.  Could probably power a small city

So, I got yet another phone book/yellow pages today.  Thank goodness, because I think I know have a complete collection.  I figure I can look up someone’s phone number at least 4 or 5 different ways now.

At any rate, I called Keystone Directories asking them if I could opt out and they say they don’t have a way to do that.  Of course, this is a complete lie.  The truth is they don’t have a way of doing it that is doesn’t require any additional cost.  I then asked the guy if the best way to stop this is to write my government officials (half tongue in cheek) and his response was “If you don’t want it, just throw it in the trash”  Spoken like a true idiot!   The least he could say is that I should recycle it.

At any rate, I would encourage you to write to your local and state government to encourage your officials to bring an end to this needless waste.  I know, I know, they have every right to publish their wasteful book, I am not saying you ban it.  But by the same token, I have every right to tell them I don’t want it.  You know, we always love to say in this country that if you don’t like something, then don’t buy it, but I think we also need to amend that to say, if I don’t want something, then don’t give it to me!

Yeah, we might finally get some real rain here!  Seems weird to be cheering for a tropical storm or hurricane to hit, but that’s how dry it has been here in the Triangle.

I will be speaking November 19, 2007 at the Triangle Java Users Group on Lucene and Solr.   The talk will be an introduction to the features and capabilities of both Lucene and Solr, as well as some basic compare and contrast information.