Susan's Blog

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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

I saw the perfect video to get us off our backsides and get busy moving our businesses and lives toward where we want them to go.  I tried to figure out how to imbed it, but wasn't able to do it.  It was on facebook, and appears to have been posted first by Chris Record.  It allowed me to share it on my facebook page, but I thought I'd also share it with my Active Rain friends. 

                                                     http://tinyurl.com/ces9j9

I know we all waste some of what we get each day, and some time-wasting is healthy and important, but when I have on a couple of occasions tried to write down everything (and I mean everything) that I did from when I woke up to when I went to bed, and how much time each timg took, I was stunned to realize that although I got a lot done, it wasn't as efficiently as it might have been. 

From that experiment I learned to plan more carefully and organize my chores and duties in such a way that several things can sometimes be combined to save time, steps, gas, and effort, and cut back on my feelings of sometimes being overwhelmed by "to-do's".  I have improved significantly, but there is room for improvement, and I promise myself to renew my efforts. How about you?

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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

Reuters is reporting that US consumer confidence posted its biggest jump in more than three years, and that for the first time in 16 months the fall in home prices didn't set a new record.  Together, these two facts support arguments that the US economy is suggesting hints of stabilization.

Clearly, with the swine flu crisis and concerns that some banks may still be in trouble, we face more obstacles, but it does provide hope that the economy may start improving.

Many potential homebuyers have been staying on the sidelines waiting for the drop in prices to stop and the economy to stabilize.  Once this happens and the housing market turns around, prices may start inching up, so buyers should be careful about waiting too long before they buy the home they want.

Those of us who have seen the housing market go through up-and-down cycles before (albeit not this drastically) know that no one rings a bell when we hit bottom.  We usually don't even recognize where the bottom was until sometime after we hit it.

For those waiting for the "smart" moment to buy a home, I would urge them to run, not walk, to an experienced Realtor in their area and get the process started.  In Sacramento County, inventories are much smaller than they were 6 months ago and there is more competition for them, so that homes are staying on the market a shorter time before receiving offers.  Some properties receive multiple offers above the listing price.

In other words, while it has been a buyers' market for the last year or so, the playing field is beginning to level itself.  When you consider the additional fact that this year, there are great government programs to help homebuyers, and interest rates are currently very low, there may be no better time than right now to buy a home.

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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

The real estate market these days is ever-changing, and we may need to learn even more new ways of dealing with things in our lives as well as in our businesses. I believe we should never stop learning, and that sometimes means learning how to do those short sales we thought we didn't ever want to do, or it may be learning a different way to do a listing presentation or figuring out some of the strange twitter-talk or texting abbreviations that are becoming more and more the way of life.

It may also involve listening to the way we present ourselves and our listings to prospects and the language we use. With many agents feeling a bit desperate for business, they may be coming on so strong that prospects recoil because they don't like being pressured. Sometimes it can be a simple matter of not choosing our words wisely.

An example is the difference between: "Wouldn't you like to buy this home?" and: "Wouldn't you like to own this home?" In the first instance, you are asking for their money, and in the second, you are letting them picture themselves happily living there. (pain vs. pleasure).

Another example is the use of "price" vs. "investment" (spending vs. reaching a goal). Both of these are examples I learned at seminars presented by speakers at our office meetings and our local Association of Realtors. Take advantage of all learning opportunities, and you may discover that it is simply a matter of tweaking your language that can make a difference in how comfortable your clients feel with you.

Meanwhile, here is another example:

Here is an opportunity for those who live in California and/or those who care about California's future to express their wishes for at least one government fleet to switch to clean, domestic natural gas.  Now is the time, as T. Boone Pickens explains. 

Let's help be part of the solution by encouraging the betterment of our environment.  There is nothing political about this, as it will help everyone.  Thanks for reading.

                                                                    

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From the desk of T. Boone Pickens:

Hey California Army!

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have been working to replace old trucks burning dirty, imported diesel with new trucks running on clean, domestic natural gas.

The program has been working, but too slowly.  The way these trucking companies rotate their fleets, this is the year when a huge percentage of the trucks will be replaced.  They need to be replaced with trucks running on natural gas.

Click here to sign this petition to push forward the Clean Trucks Program.

In California there are 3,700 premature deaths every year due to air pollution.  Pollution-related disease and medical conditions, including childhood asthma, costs Californians $19 billion per year.

Helping truckers trade trucks producing diesel fumes that everyone has to breathe - especially children and the elderly - for new trucks which produce no particulate emissions and a fraction of greenhouse gas emissions is an excellent investment for California.  It will also be another example of California leading the country in protecting the environment.

Just the other day, California's Air Resources Board approved regulations for its Low Carbon Fuel Standard which will have a real effect on reducing greenhouse gasses from petroleum-based fuels.

Click here to sign this petition to push forward the Clean Trucks Program.

T. Boone Pickens

 

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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

 

For the past 60 years, Fair Oaks California has been putting on this great celebration the first weekend in May.  It was previously known as Fiesta Days, but only the name has changed.  All the fun, games, great food, and one of Northern California's best car shows are still favorites that attract fans from all over.

The fun will include entertainment for the whole family, and the event includes a parade, toilet bowl races, frog jump, children's games, food and craft vendors and much, much more, including some great raffle prizes. 

All of this takes place in Fair Oaks Village, at adjoining Plaza and Village Parks, and the theme this year is "Pirates of the American River."   Come and join the fun from 10 am - 4 pm each day.

The parade starts off the festivities on Saturday morning, with Miss Fair Oaks presiding.

Last year the car show had more than 200 entries, and if you enjoy classic cars and gorgeous and unusual vehicles, you should be sure to be there on Sunday.

The schedule is set forth below, and for full enjoyment, you may want to come both days.  While the village proper will be closed to traffic, there is some parking on surrounding streets, but the best plan is to park across Sunrise Blvd in the parking lot of Scandinavian Designs furniture store (Sunrise Blvd and Winding Way), and a shuttle will pick you up and bring you to the festival.

I'll see you there!

Schedule for Saturday, May 2:

8:00am - 4:00pm                         Shuttle Service
10:00am -                                   Parade
10:00am - 4:00pm                       Food / Craft / Information Booths
11:00am - 4:00pm                       Children's Games / Carnival
11:00am - 4:00pm                       Fair Oaks Historical Society Display
12:00pm - 4:00pm                       Frog Jump Competition
12:00pm                                     Children's Play
1:30 -                                         Toilet Bowl Race
2:30 -                                         Martial Arts Demo
3:00 -                                         Raffle Drawing

Schedule for May 3:

8:00am - 2:00pm                        Shuttle Service
7:00am - 11:00am                      Pancake Breakfast
8:10am                                      Kid's Fun Run
8:30am                                      5 Mile Sun Run / 2.3 Mile Sun Walk
9:00am - 3:00pm                        Car Show
10:00am - 4:00pm                      Food / Craft / Information Booths
10:00am - 3:00pm                      Children's Games / Carnival
11:00am - 4:00pm                      Fair Oaks Historical Society Display
12:00pm - 4:00pm                      Frog Jump Competition
2:00pm                                      Car Show Awards
3:00pm                                      Raffle Drawing

 

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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

 

This year's Mother-Son Dance will have a western hoedown theme, and should be a great time!  Sons can take their moms to a party as a nice Mothers' Day celebration.  Usually we hear about father-daughter dances, and Fair Oaks has those too, but this is a special mom-son date.

There will be refreshments, great music, and lots of fun.  Pictures will be taken to remember the evening.  Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door.  It is organized and conducted by the Fair Oaks Youth Advisory Board, and if you want to order tickets ahead of time, you can get them at the Fair Oaks Recreation and Parks District Office.  Hope you will be able to join the fun!  Dads - tell your sons about this special way to honor Mom.

The party will be on Friday, May 8, 2009 from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Fair Oaks Community Clubhouse at 7997 California Avenue.  For more information, you can call (916) 966-1036 or email kalbers@fairoakspark.org.

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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.

 

For me, one of the harbingers of spring is the return of the bumblebee overhead as I am planting and working in my spring garden.  Yesterday and today, as I was potting some geraniums, I was watched by a big roly-poly black bumblebee.  I took a couple of quick photos this morning of one who was supervising my work.

I guess they can sting, but I have never feared them and think they are like tiny buzzy stuffed animals.  The ones I always see are all black, round, and fuzzy, and not at all aggressive.  Some have said those are carpenter bees because they are all black, but carpenter bees have a longer body and are shiny.  These are round and fuzzy, and they are 1/2 inch or more in diameter. 

Both bumblebees and carpenter bees are great pollinators, so they should be welcomed to your garden.  Besides - they look pretty cute (I think).

I have heard all my life that bumblebees should find it impossible to fly - aeronautically, they are not built for it, with wings that shouldn't be able to support them.  But the bumblebee is happy in its ignorance.  It believes it can fly, and it can! 

Maybe that is a lesson for us all in this springtime, when we are all wondering how the real estate market will turn next and hearing news stories about how we can't see improvement in our businesses for another year or so.  I refuse to believe that, and I intend to operate as if I will continue to do well, and I will! 

I put every bit as much effort into my marketing as I did when business was the hottest, and I don't understand those Realtors who are cutting back on marketing themselves and their listings because they aren't making as much money these days.  It makes no sense to me.  I believe I need to work even harder and put even more money and effort into marketing my listings and making sure that everyone knows I am still in business and that my listings are the best at the best price. 

I CAN fly, no matter what the talking heads say.  How about you?

 

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Full time real estate services in Fair Oaks CA, with friendly professionalism, 20+ years experience. I work hard to give my buyer or seller a low-stress transaction. "Happy clients make me happy."

For all your real estate needs or questions, call me at (916) 705-8951 or visit my website at www.SusanNealFineProperties.com.