Stop being so GRUMPY!!!! There is still A LOT of Seattle real estate going on!

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I have seen a lot of great agents struggle this year – agents that I have respected or even competed with on some level in the past. Whenever I talk to them about how things are going I am seeing a very definite pattern. The theme coming out of all of their mouths is pure negativity. They really hate this market and are not selling anything in it. Here is my problem: I am selling houses in this market. I am successfully listing and selling houses in 2008. I have not only met my 2008 goal for my Seattle real estate company, but I have in fact exceeded it and we are just in the beginning of the fourth quarter of the 2008 Seattle real estate market. There is still even more time to break some additional goals!

I honestly believe that success comes with a good attitude and a clear set of plans. I have the advantage of a fresh attitude because I love my company and the excitement around it. So let’s talk about market times – my first listing in 2008 sold in roughly one week. I was able to sell another unit in the same complex in about a month. I listed a townhouse in Greenwood for about $10k more than the last sale in the same building and got an offer in less than a week. I listed an REO in the Seattle suburbs recently and had several offers in the first few days. I listed a home last week which had been on the market for six months with another agent only to get an offer in less than a week. I have had a couple mishaps in 2008, but none that were my fault or out of the ordinary and for the most part, I have focused on marketing the heck out of my listings and helping buyers along the way.

I have never been a Seattle Realtor to go after expired listings – I have traditionally hated the baggage honestly, but after the success of this last one, I am deciding on a different route. I am so excited for my clients on this latest one – to have them just about give up only to have a delightful buyer come along is just an amazing thing to see. We are in the process of getting final initials on it and I genuinely love my job when I get to help someone really make their dreams come true. I am thinking now that I want to help sellers out there who have lost hope in their shopworn listings. I want to add a fresh approach to these listings and get them sold! How can they possibly expect their house to sell when their agents are full of doom and gloom? I am certainly no Suzy Sunshine, but facts are facts. The lending environment changes EVERY single day. The stock market SUCKS. Many would be buyers have lost both their down payments and maybe their ability to get a loan based on tighter guidelines. Fewer buyers means longer market times and way more competition for sellers. But guess what? People are still moving. Seattle relocation interest is high because we have weathered the storm quite well. Employment here is strong. In fact, maybe some of these negative Nellies should either take a deep breath or go find another job because they are compounding their own predicament just by having a bad attitude. The truth is if you have the means to buy, then this is the market you have been wanting for the last ten years or so….get out there and look at some of these beautiful houses that are being offered!

How does a smart seller combat these forces? Hire a Realtor who cares and can actually do their job by making your house stand out from the pack. The old way does not work. If you want a fresh approach from a Realtor who is making this market work, please feel free to drop me a note: realestate@cooperjacobs.com Happy Halloween 2008!

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