Talk To Scott

So how do many people pick their realtors ? That is something that has always interested me. Before I became a real estate agent, I was a high school coach for 31 years. I bought and sold houses often….too often, in fact, but that is the subject of another blog. I did what other people do. I made an assortment of decisions. I picked someone off of the sign; I picked someone out of a phone book; chose the mother of a player I coached(really bad decision); got a recommendation from a friend; I even chose someone from a newspaper ad with either a tumor or a phone stuck to her ear. One thing was certain: I didn’t put a great deal of thought into my decisions. We (meaning, my wife, my various realtors, and I) muddled along and managed to achieve the goal of buying and selling houses. Obviously, I could have done better. Here are some things that you might consider.
 Time on the job. Experience does have its advantages.
 Number of recent sales. The average agent sells about 6 houses a year. I hope that you are looking for someone who is above average. Past performance is generally an indication of future performance.
 List price versus sold price for you potential employee. In other words, does the agent you are employing have the skills necessary to price the house correctly? That is a sales skill, which is rather important for a person in sales.
 Does the realtor have a network of professionals that aid in the transaction? Can he/she recommend someone who can help you find a mortgage, make home repairs, stage your house, provide a home warranty, or inspect a home once it is under contract?
 What kind of support does the agent’s office offer? Is it a one man band—operating on a cell phone, or is it a professional business with support staff, a relocation department, multiple websites, and name recognition which attracts buyers?
 How will I be updated? Phone? Email? Text?
 Referrals? Can your potential agent provide you with the names of his most recent clients?
Let’s face it. You are going to hire an employee, someone who is going to help you with the most important purchase of your life. Doesn’t it make sense to hire someone whose professional skills are worthy of the task?

Hey, who says San Angelo doesn’t have anything to do? Saturday we went to the Chicken Ranch on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Interesting doesn’t begin to describe it. The reason we went last Saturday was the fact that the first Saturday of the month is supposed have interesting things for kids. I think I enjoyed it more than they did. Here is what I found at the Chicken Ranch.
• Renaissance dancers. It certainly wasn’t the Texas Two Step that the strangely clad people were doing. Pretty cool.
• A band with a fiddle player, local legend Coy Moses, playing a country favorite , “Faded Love,” among others. You can’t do much better than that
• Incredible jewelry. Booths abounded with handmade jewelry. Move over Santa Fe, New Mexico.
• Pottery. I could watch clay on a wheel, taking the shape given to it by experienced and artistic hands.
• A homemade lathe. My son and I got to see how a craftsman might make furniture. He and I actually shaped wood.
• Fact painting and portraits by local artists.
• Paintings of all kinds. Every gallery held the promise of something exciting. Western, abstract, Christian, and who knows what awaited me.
• Canned and pickled vegetables of all descriptions. Ok, where else can somebody buy pickled watermelon rind? I bought some and it is amazingly good.
• Homemade root beer. Good stuff.
• Someone welding a statue of assorted pieces of metal. It was someone on a horse…I think.
• Interesting people. I have always been a people watcher. The folks at the ranch are a collection of aging hippies, curious yuppies, people with puppies, ladies with babies, and people who just like a good time.

I am not a regular at the Chicken Ranch, although I have been several times, but I can assure you that there is something for everyone. Get your kids, load up and go visit. I’ll certainly come back, but I have yet to see a chicken.

My broker, whom I always listen to, told me a story recently about his son, who was looking for a home in San Antonio. The conversation went something like this: Dad, “Well, my son, do you want me to find you a realtor? I can get you a good one.” Son, “ Gee, Dad, I don’t see any need to get a real estate agent; I can find out everything that I need to know on the internet.” A long, awkward pause followed that conversation. There is something important to learn from that anecdote. Aside from the fact that sons often don’t listen to their fathers, the lesson here is that many people don’t understand the value that the real estate agent brings to the table.
• Expertise is not a bad thing. It’s a pretty complicated process. Disclosures, inspections, deeds, settlement statements. Even if you have sold 3 or 4 houses, a really good agent will sell over 50 a year. He might know more than you.
• Objectivity is a really good thing. A good agent will know if a particular house will suit your needs and can tell you about what might happen when you sell it, which most people will.
• Insider trading is a good thing in the real estate market. A good, active agent will know about properties that aren’t listed with a broker but can be sold.
• Been there, done that. Negotiating is an acquired skill, which your agent has hopefully acquired. Be wary of an agent who can’t successfully negotiate for his own commission. How well will he/she do when it’s about your sale or purchase?
• A good agent can remain dispassionate. It his business; you have an emotional stake in this that clouds your judgment. Sometimes that other pair of eyes helps.
Just some thoughts about real estate, of course. Oh, and a bit of advice, listen to your dad.

I get asked all the time “What’s the market like?” My response is always a sunny, “Great!” People often greet that with some skepticism, figuring I guess that a salesman would try to offer the best possible outlook on a grim picture. I guess that my friends are right to be doubtful, given the national news. Here is some news that substantiates my “sunny” outlook on things. This is national news, but good news. I also want you to remember that San Angelo is in much better shape that other parts of the country. Our unemployment rate is about 6.3% and our housing market is still pretty good.
The good news?
• 30 year fixed mortgages are now at 4.89 %. That is sweet.
• 15 year fixed mortgages are now at 4.32%. Sweeter
• The mortgage rate index is up 38.4% compared to this week last year. Applications are up. Yea!
• The purchase index is up 12.9% over the last week. People are actually buying.
• The stock market continues to rally. Ok, some of those guys on Wall Street don’t make our pulse race, but this is and will always be a great economic indicator.
So what does mean? I guess the sky is not falling after all. If you have been hesitating to dip you toes into the market, now is a pretty good time to do it. Oh, by the way, I got my information from Realtor.org, which is a very good source for information about real estate for guys like me.

My dad used to say that the little things are what made life worth living. Of course, like all of the pearls of wisdom dispensed by my father, this one was on the mark. One of the little things that we San Angelo residents enjoy is the sound of rain on a roof. The recent Seattle-like weather made me think about the things that I think about when it rains.

• I think about the smell of rain. Of course, our fifth grade science teachers taught us that it not the rain we’re smelling; it’s the wet earth that we scent. Whatever, it is, when it rains, it smells good.
• I think about the sounds of rain. I like the pitter-patter on my roof, the sweet sound of a good drip into my flower bed, the gush of running water flowing down the street.
• I think about seeing the rooster in the newspaper. Rain is such an event in West Texas that our newspaper chronicles the event with a special symbol, a red rooster. I don’t quite get why a rooster is linked with rain, but, oh well, I don’t get a lot of things.
• I think about dueling rain gauges. I have a rain gauge in my garage that I will put up when I get around to it. But most West Texans have a rain gauge that they actually use to measure God’s output. It works like this. It rains; my friends all run to the rain gauge, measure their total, and race everyone to the coffee shop to brag about who has the most rain.
• Farmers fit in their own sub-category when it comes to rain. It’s never enough; it’s never at the right time; and it is either a blessing or a curse. I am not giving farmers a hard time. If my job was totally dependent on the weather, I would worry about it too.
• I think about churches and how we alternately pray for or give thanks for the rain. It’s a sign of the rain’s significance to our community.
• I think about turning off my sprinkler system for a while and saving money.
• I think about how this charges wells, fills up lakes(hopefully), greens golf courses, and cleans the streets.
• I think about how it makes everyone feel better. Think about how many people you talked to in the past few days who said some variation of “Isn’t this incredible.” Rain creates a buzz in West Texas.
• One last thing that rains does for me is make want to lay around and snooze. I think about that a lot.

After spending 32 years of my adult life as a classroom teacher and coach, I retired to start a new career as a real estate agent. It has worked out pretty well and is a very cool job. But there a couple of times a year that I really miss the old job—coaching. The beginning of a new school year is definitely one of them. I used to teach English, Government and Economics, American History, and sometimes (when the principal was really desperate) Word Geography. As a result, I am a relatively good Trivial Pursuit player and not too bad at anything else that requires knowledge of the obscure. I thought that I would just make a list of the things that I miss about being a teacher. It’s somewhat like one of Letterman’s lists—as I am trying to save the best for last, but it won’t be perfect.
• Other teachers. Teachers get an unfair rap, actually multiple raps, and get blamed for everything from “Johnny can’t read,” to failing to teach values. Teachers come in all shapes and sizes, but they get in front of a room of kids every day because they love their subject and the kids.
• Fall and, believe it or not, football. High school football season always starts as a time of possibility. Kids believe that they can make something wonderful happen in their lives if they just believe and work. You know what? Often they can, and not just in football.
• Being a teacher. Teaching is a buzz every day when done right. Watching lights go on, seeing someone get excited about Shakespeare or understanding the Constitution is a special thing.
• The gym. I was a high school basketball coach for over thirty years. I spent about 200 days a year in a gym. There is nothing quite like a good one. The smell of crowds and popcorn, the sound of a leather ball hitting the wood floor, the squeak of pair of basketball shoes, and the sweet harmony of a tightly spinning ball swishing through a net. Gyms are great places. My ten-year-old son told me that the only bad thing about me retiring as a coach was that I no longer “had a gym.” He was right.
• Coaches. I miss them all. The football guys with their matching outfits; the track coaches with their ever-present stop watches; the volleyball coaches, who really have the best jobs, because not one of the dads has a clue about what is going on; tennis and golf coaches, and any other one you can name, because they have a passion for what they do. Great people
• Buses. Yellow dogs. Hounds. Getting on one always meant that you were going someplace special. Nothing is better than walking onto a field or better yet into a gym with a bunch of kids who were ready to give their all in pursuit of victory.
• Referees. Really good people. I have said some awful things to many of them. My only defense is that I was always right about the call—but not about them. By the way, I am kidding about that “always right” stuff.
• Players. Coaching kids was a blessing. I am glad that I was able to do it for so long and achieve some measure of success.
Anyway, that is what was great about being a teacher/coach. Hey, life changes, and my life continues to be great. I am thinking tonight about all of those students/players that I had the good fortune to be around and the special opportunity to be called “Coach” in my lifetime.

I am a baby boomer who has vivid memories of John F. Kennedy’s admonition to the citizens of the United States to, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” Many people of my generation took that to heart in the tumultuous days that were the 1960’s. We marched for civil rights, urged our government to implement laws to end poverty, uplift the uneducated, end past injustices, and extend the promise of America to all of our citizens. There were so many things that united us.

As I watched President Obama take the oath of office , I was reminded of those days when we Americans thought that we could perfect our beloved democracy.  I wondered what had happened to the optimism and hope of the people I had grown up with.  Then I saw it again today in the faces of the hundreds of thousands who had journeyed from all points of our great land to witness a historic event. People in Washington and elsewhere are embracing the ideals of civic duty and responsibility.

Our citizens need to embrace these notions as well. Americans face enormous challenges. A credit crisis, rising unemployment, a health system that is failing, the challenge of educating parentless children , and soaring national debt. When one looks at the enormity of it all, it is easy to think: “I can’t do anything. This is beyond my ability to impact.” Nothing could be further from the truth. We as a people are better than that. We are in this together.  Government alone shouldn’t be expected  to do all of  the heavy lifting ; we all need to shoulder some of the load.

What we must all recognize is that we are all our brothers’ keepers. There is something that you can do right here in San Angelo that makes us better. What?

Volunteer:

1.     In our schools

2.     For our elderly

3.     For our impoverished

4.     At our churches

5.     To help your neighbor

6.     To clean our community

Give:

1.     Blood

2.     Food

3.     Clothes

4.     Money

5.     Time to your children

Organize  Politically

Make your voice heard, then lend a hand to those who run our schools, our city and our county. Something that has motivated me for many years is this simple question: “Are we better because you are part of us?” That tells me my family, community, neighborhoods, and workplace and country are better because I was here. Our ancestors worked to give us a great nation. Our civic responsibility extends beyond voting and paying our taxes. Our responsibility is to ensure that we continue its greatness.  It starts right here at home. Our city is a great place; let’s all do something to make it better.