Talk To Scott

How Should You Pick a Realtor Anyway?

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:34:25 +0000

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?

Cool Things About San Angelo, The Chicken Ranch and Art Farm

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:47:49 +0000

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.

Cool Things About My Home Town, San Angelo Texas, Rust Street Ministries and The Garden of Eden!

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:28:38 +0000

Before I write, let me confess to several things: First, I am an unabashed bleeding heart liberal. Now I understand that is not in vogue in West Texas, but I’ll put my liberalism in a context that I know everyone in our community will understand. For me liberalism is making an impact, doing something that makes what I’m part of better. When I was a high school coach, the key question for a player to ask himself was, “Is the team better because I am part of it?” If everyone from the best player to the least talented could answer in the affirmative, you had a pretty good team. As a community member, I have to ask myself, “Is where I live better because I am here?” Secondly, I must confess that the thing that I believe that all of us have an obligation to do is help the least among us. I don’t believe that there is someone who is undeserving of a helping hand. I left the judgment business a long time ago. So I have been looking for a place to do something “good.” More importantly, I want my two young children to have a social conscience. I want them to know that part of “American Exceptionalism,” in which I believe, is an obligation to serve their community, their fellow man, and their country. By the way, I think my two older kids are doing very well in this regard. My son, Kris, is a Major in the U.S. Army and has hit the service mark well. His sister, Kathryn, just ran a food drive for the firm she works for in Los Angeles that collected 40,000 cans of food for a local food bank. Wow.
Having said all that, what has inspired my liberal self into action was a visit by Bob Knox from Rust Street Ministries who described all of the ways in which a person could help make San Angelo a better place. Of course, there is the chance to donate canned and packaged food, clothing, and sort and distribute the donated items. All these are very good things to do. But the thing that grabbed me was the Garden of Eden. There community members can grow food, keep some for their own use, and donate the majority of it to Rust Street. Wow! This was cool on a lot of levels. First, I do not want my kids, Kort and Abby, to think that vegetables come only from cans, bags from the freezer, and the shelf at HEB. I come from a long line of Central Texas Rednecks, who raised their own food. I want my kids to know what that is like, and do something worthwhile with the bounty of the harvest. This is absolutely a great deal. Volunteerism as it should be. So I am off to Rust Street to join up. The plan, which is percolating as I write, is to ask some of my similarly inclined friends to join us in tending our part of Eden, and learn about planting, tending and harvesting vegetables. Then, assuming that my black thumb does not cause blight to visit the crop, do something worthwhile with the harvest.
I think this is a great opportunity for service and a great chance to teach my kids something that will benefit them more than those they serve. I would hope that many of you would find a way to contribute. So I hoe, I hoe, it’s off to Rust Street, I go. Bad pun, I know, but I couldn’t resist. See you at the cabbage patch.

So Why Should You Use a Realtor?

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:52:02 +0000

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.

Real Estate Market Update

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:50:53 +0000

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.

What Makes San Angelo Special? We Love Rain Just Like Your Average First Grader!!

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:33:29 +0000

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.

San Angelo Neighborhoods: Paulann Park

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:30:15 +0000

San Angelo is like many cities that sprawl in one direction or another. In the last forty years, the city has moved south and west. I liken it to growth rings on a tree—in one direction. The city has moved southwest with one exception, Paulann. Located in the northeast corner of town, Paulann is the only new subdivision east of US Highway 87, which splits San Angelo in two. Why is Paulann there? I would say that the neighborhood is there because opportunity met vision. In other words, Goodfellow AFB provided an opportunity for Gary Cortese of Affordable Family Homes.

Gary Cortese saw a need for good housing in close proximity to Goodfellow. He filled it by building good brick homes at an affordable price. I once talked to Gary and he told me that his business model was Henry Ford. Remember the architect of the assembly line who said that his customers could have their car painted any color that they wanted as long as it was black. That is Affordable Family Homes in a nutshell: a good home at a good price. One other element of Gary’s genius is this: the houses fit the budget of enlisted personnel who are part of the permanent party at GFAFB. The house is close to the base; the kids can walk to the elementary school, and the family can be in the southwest corner of town at the mall in ten minutes. Not a bad deal.

Other builders have moved into Paulann, so it is not exclusively “Garyville,” but it certainly bears his imprint. It is a good place, with lots of bikes, basketball goals, soccer balls, and kids in abundance. I always like the feel of it. Paulann reminds me of the neighborhoods I grew up, base housing with lots of people at the same point in life that my parents were in and lots of kids for me. It is a vibrant part of a great town, San Angelo, Texas.

Where’s My Classroom?

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:50:06 +0000

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.

San Angelo Neighborhoods: College Hills

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:34:14 +0000

There are really three parts to College Hills: the original College Hills Subdivision, which was built for the most part in the 1950’s, College Hills South( built in the ‘60’s), which is wedged in between Loop 306 and the Red Arroyo, and College Hills West ( built in the “70’s), which is basically all of the streets that spill out onto Southwest Boulevard between Sunset Mall and Sherwood Way. Nice neighborhoods one and all.
Below are 10 things that you might want to know about College Hills but were afraid to ask.
• What in the pluperfect heck was the developer thinking when he named the streets? I mean I get it. All the streets are named after colleges. Someone who is familiar with the old Southwest Conference will feel right at home—except he left out Texas. Come on, this IS Texas! I mean how does SMU get in there but not Texas?
• How can you exclude Texas and add Harvard and Yale? What the heck? I mean the developer jumped up the IQ of the entire neighborhood when he added Rice. Tulane didn’t hurt either. Everyone knows that Louisiana is just extreme East Texas. For the life of me I can’t understand why he thought he had to add in the Ivy League.
• College Hills South streets are different. I guess the new builders ran out of colleges and chose a tree motif. Tanglewood, Hemlock, Oak Forest, etc. are the streets names that come to mind.
• College Hills West has another name among realtors—Pickettville. The entire subdivision was built by Freeman Pickett, who put up street after street on what was the southwest end of San Angelo in the 1970’s. Mr. Pickett’s floor plans still work today.
• College Hills is a great location. It is close to everything: mall, the university, HEB, Sherwood Way—San Angelo’s new entertainment area.
• Houses are affordable. Most of the homes are less than $150,000. The average guy and his family can live there.
• Good schools. Bowie and Crockett Elementaries service the area. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT DIDN’T FORGET THIS WAS TEXAS!!!! None of the streets are very far from Glenn Middle School, which Bowie and Crockett students attend. Ok, I know John Glenn is from Ohio, a pretty serious lapse, on the part of San Angelo Independent School District, but he is an American that we can all admire.
• Love the trees. I think that one of the neat things about our town is our trees. These neighborhoods are ones that would make the Arbor society proud. Lots of shade for our San Angelo summers.
• Good resale. I have owned houses on A&M, Oxford (after which I lost my Texas accent), University, and Inglewood and did well on each sale. I think that most people have to think about that. I did and it worked for me and my family.
• Oops, almost ran out of things and had to cut this one reason short. Great area for college students. Close to Angelo State University. It would be a terrific place for parents who are looking to get a house for their student to live in while in college. The math on that is really easy. Would you rather your money go to the dorm or to something you own and have a chance to built equity in? Easy choice, plus there is a tax write-off.
Special town, San Angelo, Texas—with special neighborhoods.

San Angelo Texas Streets

admin — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:54:46 +0000

As much as I love San Angelo, there is one thing that I haven’t been able to figure out…our streets. Hey, I am a real estate agent, so I drive around quite a bit. Knowing where I am and how to get where I’m going is really important to me. But San Angelo streets were laid out on a napkin by two guys with way too much Wild Turkey in them. That’s the only way that I can figure it out. And that’s just the old streets…the newer ones just keep up the tradition…nothing else makes sense, so why should I? Here are some things that are unique about our streets. Let me know about the other crazy things that I’ve missed.

· Streets that change names. Abe, er… Koenighiem, er…, Bryant, no I mean highway 87. What was someone thinking?
· Streets that disappear. Beauregard becomes Sherwood Way…then later it turns into College Hills. Harris becomes Pecos, which becomes Sherwood Way, then Harris again.
· Streets that meander . I mean if I am going somewhere, a straight line is not a bad thing. Try driving around in the Bluffs for the first time. I have known realtors with GPS systems to get lost for days( slight exaggeration) looking for Wicklow Court. While we are on the subject of the Bluffs, try and figure out the best street to enter the subdivision and get where you want to go. It’s like a rabbit warren, one way in—4 ways out.
· Illogical streets. Look at Santa Rita, one of our coolest neighborhoods. We start with Washington Street and begin to work our way thru the bearded Presidents. How did Grierson and Shafter get in the mix? It just seems to me if we were going to name streets after Presidents, don’t confuse all of the poor American history students with the other names. Speaking of streets named after Presidents, San Angelo doesn’t seem to recognize Presidents after Reconstruction. I guess Obama Boulevard does not have a chance.
· Streets with weird names. These seem to be unique to San Angelo, Texas. Who else has a Midget Street or a 24 1/2 Street.
· Streets that have changed names because of cultural changes. How else do you explain Gay Street becoming Grace Street?

Ok, I guess my point is that we are unique here in San Angelo, Texas and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We are small town, with strange streets and friendly folks with big hearts.