New Listing: 3202 9TH, Moline, IL, 61265

New Listing! 4 bd | 1 bath | 2,003 sqft. Priced at $82,000 Click Here for more details.

Dont Give Up. Dont Ever Give Up.

By Nico Hohman

We have all failed at some point in our real estate careers. We didnt get that listing, we lost a client, or one of our clients didnt get the house they wanted because of failed negotiations.

But people are not failures; we are not failures. Failure is simply an event that adds to our learning experiences. Failure is just the first step on the road to long term success. Let me give you an example to show you what I mean.

In my free time I play on a slow-pitch, co-ed softball team with my friends. We play in a recreational league, and we mostly play for fun. That being said, I am competitive super competitive and I always want to win. Which makes what happened in my last game even more miserable.

I struck out swinging.

I struck out badly. The pitches I swung at werent even strikes. The last pitch was a good foot above my head and outside the plate by a country mile. Plus, we had the bases loaded with two outs, and we were down by three runs about mid way through the game.

I was mad. I was upset. I felt defeated, even embarrassed. How could I strike out swinging in slow-pitch softball?

Once I had time to stew over my personal defeat (I still had to go play in the field in the next inning after all) I realized why I did what I did. I also knew exactly how to fix it. I lost sight of my goal. I lost sight of what I needed to do in that situation. My job was to get a hit and bring the runners home to score. Instead, I tried to be a hero and swing for the fences.

The next time I was up to bat, I was the first one up in the inning. There was less pressure since my team was leading by a few runs at that point. I took a deep breath, dug my foot into the batters box, and then, PING! My hit sailed over the fence for a home run.

Before that second time up to bat, I remembered my fundamentals. I remembered my training, and realized that just because I struck out in an important part of the game, it didnt mean I was a failure. It didnt even mean that the game was over and we were hopeless to win. The strike out was just an event. It was the first step on the path to long term success.

In real estate, we should all refocus our mindset to realize that while losing out on a listing presentation or potential transaction is not a big deal. It does not mean we are failures. It is simply a learning experience. We take a deep breath and examine what we did right and what we did wrong. Then, we take these learning experiences and apply them to the next time we step up to the plate.

We dont give up. We dont ever give up.

Nico Hohman is a Tampa-based real estate prowith NextHome Discovery who works on renovation and rehab properties. Learn more about Nico at hohmanhomes.com or connect on Twitter: @thenicohohman .

Source - Realtor.org

New Listing: 2024 15TH ST A, Moline, IL, 61265

New Listing! 3 bd | 2 bath | 1,400 sqft. Priced at $74,900 Click Here for more details.

Design Trends That Make People say No!

By Justin M. Riordan, Spade and Archer Design Agency

Design trends are just that: trendy. They change from day to day, year to year, and decade to decade. The ones that are popular now wont be soon. The ones that were popular years ago arent now and the ones that were popular decades ago are already back again.

Interior design trends tend to follow fashion trends about three years later. As colors gain popularity in fashion, they follow shortly thereafter in interior design. The trick is being able to see what are trends and what is classic. The difference is that classic will never go out of style, whereas trends always eventually go out of style.

Here are some major trends from our recent past that are turning people away from houses:

1. Carpet in the master bathroom. The 2024s brought us so many fine trends, carpet in bathrooms was one of them. The thought was that cold tile on your bare feet was unpleasant. You know what else is unpleasant? Mold in your carpet pad.

2. Plantation shutters. They are expensive, I know. Every single one of my clients who has them tells me over and over how expensive they are. Plantation shutters were designed for plantations. Hot, muggy places. The shutters were designed to block light and still allow a breeze to come into the house. The issue today is that they still block light, over 50 percent of the light that would have come through a window is blocked by plantation shutters. The fact of the matter is that nobody wants to buy a dark house. If the shutters arent there, they wont miss them.

3. Curtains over closets. The odds of the next buyer having the same taste in curtains as you is slim. Curtains over closets scream YOU HAVE WORK TO DO to your potential buyers. Do yourself and the buyer a favor, take the curtains down and put the doors back up.

4. Family, Friendship, Love, Laugh, Dance BARF! Word art inevitably tells a story of the sellers life and is distracting to the buyer. Nobody cares how deep your family roots run, or that this is Emmas crib. Take it down.

5. Accent walls. The term accent walls is a misnomer, they should instead be called focal walls as they tend to provide a focus point for the room. Unfortunately, as the focal point of a room, they tend to dictate how a room should be set up and what the color scheme should be for the room. If you have a purple accent wall and all of your buyers furniture is red, they are going to have to work to remove that paint or more than likely just buy some other house.

6. Faux is french for fake. No matter what language you translate it to faux paint is fake and is as out of style as pleats on mens dress pants. The overwhelming commonality of all of cultural trends is truth people want real food made by real people in real time. The time of fake and fast is over. Faux painting will send your buyer away faster than you can say marbleized!

7. Wallpaper. Wallpaper is hard to take down and, again, the chances of them having the same taste as you and having furniture that will go with it is slim.

8. Curtains. See item 7. Wallpaper and item 3. Curtains over closets.

9. Platform beds and other Feng Shui items. Feng Shui is the Chinese thought system of laws considered to govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy, and whose favorable or unfavorable effects are taken into account when siting and designing buildings. It most likely works great in China where most people are acutely aware of the thought system, but in Western culture it just looks like a giant platform bed with a mirror and a stick above it. Your buyer will most likely have no idea why you did it and it will distract from the room.

10. Collections. Using a collection to highlight built-in shelves works well, so long as the collection does not overshadow the shelves themselves. Completely overwhelming a house with a collection or series of collections will overshadow the house and positively or negatively take attention away from the house. Pre-pack these items to proudly display them in your next house.

11. Rounded outside gypsum board corners. These became popular in the building boom of the 2024s because they required less time and skill for laborers to mud and tape. This, of course, was a very cost effective way to build homes. However, we quickly realized that rounded corners left us no place to end wall finishes like paint and wallpaper. Needless to say, the trend faded away and now we have tons of houses with rounded outside corners.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Justin Riordan, LEED AP, is founder of Spade and Archer Design Agency based in Portland, Ore. As the creative energy behind Spade and Archer, Riordan fuses his formal training as an architect with his natural design savvy to create beautiful and authentic spaces for clients. Prior to opening Spade and Archer in 2024, Riordan practiced interior architecture and interior construction for 12 years, bringing an esteemed skillset and diverse background to home staging. Since founding Spade and Archer, he has personally prepared more than 2,100 homes for market.

Source - Realtor.org

Build a Real Estate Business, Not a Job

By Ryan Fitzgerald

Let me ask you a question: Do you want real estate to be the only job you have for the rest of your life?

For some, the answer might be yes. For me, the answer is easy: No.

I dont want real estate to simply be my job; I want to operate a real estate business. If you share in this goal, then here are seven ways to build that business.

1. Build a Strong Foundation

If youre going to build a successful real estate business, you need to start with a strong foundation. Its similar to building a house, your foundation is going to be what your real estate business is built on.

Everyone has a different foundation, whether its through networking, honing in on a certain market or niche, cold calling, door knocking, social media, direct mail, buying leads online, or a combination of methods there are many different types of foundations. My foundation is my real estate website .

A strong foundation for your real estate business sets your path toward creating a memorable brand and generating leads.

2. Branding

Your brand should embody the personality of your business and what people can expect from you.

If youre building someone elses brand, you have a job. If youre working to build your own brand, youre building a business. And every business decision you make is going to have an impact on your brand. Always ask yourself, how will this decision improve my brand and does it line up with my company values?

In the end, a successful brand will help you generate more leads.

3. Generating Leads

What are your strengths? If youre a great networker, networking will generate leads for you. If youre great on the phones, cold calling will generate leads for you.

There are different strategies and ways to find leads, just dont waste time on something that isnt your strength. Tap in on your natural abilities. For instance, if youre really good at social media, dont make cold calls. Generating leads through social media is a skill; it takes work and dont let anyone tell you differently.

Part of the reason people fail in real estate is because some brokerages continue to promote outdated real estate marketing techniques . I know this all too well because it nearly cost me my business. I was told the only way to be successful in real estate is to make cold calls. That was simply not true for me.

Be the best at what youre already good at.

4. Lead Conversion

You should always be working on your lead conversion and follow up process. Dont expect to convert every lead you generate. You need to set proper expectations for yourself and your business.

Its wise to underestimate your lead conversion percentage (from lead to closed transaction). This is one of the most important business metrics youll come across because it allows you to reverse engineer the lead generation process.

If you have 3,600 leads per year, and you are converting at 1 percent, you are closing 36 deals per year. Now figure out where/how youre converting the most leads and look at where youre losing leads. Maybe you need to tweak your lead follow up process. Monitor your successes and connect that to your daily, weekly, and monthly prospecting activities and goals. If you go from converting 1 percent to 3 percent of your leads, youd then be closing 108 deals per year.

Carefully and consistently monitoring your lead conversion will help you determine what results you need in order to accomplish your goals.

5. Systems and Processes

You need to be documenting everything you do especially when it comes to your systems and processes for generating leads. You should also find ways to automate your lead generation tasks such as through your CRM. Plus, easier tasks will slowly begin to fall on the shoulders of others as you hire assistants and eventually grow your team. You need to be OK with this. Letting go will allow you to grow your business because it gives you back a valuable asset: time.

6. Customer Service

Customer service is everything in real estate. None of these previous points matter if your customer service isnt impeccable.

Whether youre generating new clients with your time, money, or effort, finding business is expensive. Whats not expensive is providing great customer service so that your clients stay with you for life. If the experience your client has is 10 out of 10, they are going to promote you to their friends as being the best local real estate agent.

If your customer service takes a backseat, you will reach a tipping point and never be able to grow your business any further. Without great customer service, even a lead-generating machine is only going to grow as big as his or her new clientele.

7. Be Patient

This is something I struggle with personally. Sometimes I find myself wanting to press fast-forward on my business so I can get to where I want to be. Then I realize that pressing fast-forward takes away from the joys (and process) of getting there.

Dont allow a lack of patience to control your decision making early on in your real estate career. Stay true to what youre trying to accomplish and understand what is in your control and what is outside of your control.

The best views come from the hardest climbs; appreciate the struggle.

Ryan Fitzgerald is the owner of Raleigh Realty in Raleigh, N.C. Connect with him on Facebook , Google + , LinkedIn , Twitter , or Pinterest .

Source - Realtor.org

Design Tricks to Transform a Family Room with Wood Paneling

By Charlene Storozuk, guest contributor

As a home stager, sometimes you have to work with what youve got.

I was given free rein in this family room with one exception: The husband insisted that the wood paneling stay. What is it about men and wood paneling? There, I said it. Maybe Im stereotyping, but I come across this quite often. Men seem to really like wood paneling; women not so much. This was, however, a very good quality of paneling and it was a redesign project and not a staging job so I agreed to do it. After all, I love a good challenge.

I should add at this point that this family room happens to be in our home. Yes, the stubborn husband mentioned above is all mine. Im totally OK with him wanting to keep the paneling though. Its the only thing in the house that he has insisted on. I was able to do pretty much anything else I wanted to in our home, so its only fair that he got his way on this one.

The above photo shows what the family room looked like when we bought our home. The first thing to go was the dated and tired furniture. With that out of the way, next on the list was to replace the orange carpet with a taupe berber.

Next, we had black wooden blinds installed to add drama. (Ill never forget the look on the sales reps face when I told him that I wanted black. Thats OK, Im sure hes over it by now.)

Next was to bring in some newish furniture. I say that because we bought the sofa, loveseat and chair from a staging client after their home sold.

Then came my favorite part: styling.

Bringing in black accessories helped to add richness and depth to the paneling. I dont usually place an area rug on carpet, but in this case I made an exception. I think the black rug pulls together the look I was going for. It draws the eye away from the paneling and makes it more of a subtle backdrop.

Installing several pieces of Northwest Coast native art gave the room added character and an organic feel to tie in with the paneling.

A couple of throw blankets and a sheepskin rug were then added to soften up the room and add texture.

The family room is still a work in progress. There are still three more things left on the to do list:

(1) Reface the fireplace with floor-to-ceiling black granite;

(2) Paint the baseboards and window trim black and

(3) Build black window box valances for above the blinds.

By the time this room is completely finished, its really going to make a statement.

I wanted to share this post with my REALTOR friends to show you that with the help of a professional home stager theres hope even with your most dated and challenging listings.

When were eventually ready to sell our home, who knows, I may just leave this room as is. I didnt think Id ever consider keeping that darn paneling, but I just might now. Maybe thats a bit of a risk, but its one that Ill consider taking. Love it or hate it, it is what it is.

What are your thoughts? What WOOD you do?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Charlene Storozuk is the owner of DEZIGNER DIGZ , a professional home staging, interior decorating and redesign firm based in Burlington, Ontario Canada. She is certified as an International Staging Professional, International Design & Decorating Professional, Professional Colour Consultant, and Feng Shui Design Professional. Her work is published in the book FabJob Guide to Become a Home Stager, 2024 edition. Storozuk is recognized as a local leader in the home staging industry. She founded the Halton & Hamilton-Wentworth Real Estate Staging Association Chapter and served on the associations Executive Committee for two years as Regional Vice-President, Canada. Storozuk is a past recipient of RESA North American Leadership Awards for Chapter President of the Year (2007) and Regional Vice-President of the Year (2011).

Source - Realtor.org

New Listing: 4002 8TH, East Moline, IL, 61244

New Listing! 3 bd | 1 bath | 1,144 sqft. Priced at $67,115 Click Here for more details.

New Listing: 2412 12TH, Silvis, IL, 61282

New Listing! 3 bd | 1 bath | 950 sqft. Priced at $55,528 Click Here for more details.

Millennials, Markets, and Housing Mobility

By Lauren Campbell

According to a recent Urban Land Institute study , most millennials are not living in the urban core though the research shows that they would like to be.

Millennials the generation that bore the brunt of sluggish hiring cycles during the recession only a few short years ago are not bringing home salaries comparable to what their parents did at their age. What this means for millennials, then, is compromise. They rent instead of own in trendy downtown settings. They live on the fringes of downtown, soaking in what they can of the live/work/play model while often struggling to pay for it.

So, who is buying downtown? Surprising to some, it is empty-nesters and retirees who have found walkable urban cores so attractive. This quasi-retirement style living appeals to them on many levels. Amenities, downsizing, and proximity to entertainment and work all play a role in their exodus from the suburban ring to the big metropolises. In contrast, many millennials cannot afford the high prices of ownership in a downtown setting, and worse, rents have begun to skyrocket as well. This is pushing many a young renter out of the downtown core.

With this, the recent success of urban neighborhoods outside the downtown ring can be seen across the country. In Greenpoint (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 14 percent of the residents are age 25-34. The same goes for South River City (Austin, Texas), Clarendon (Washington, D.C.), Wicker Park (Chicago), and North Loop (Minneapolis) all showing 14 percent to 17 percent of their residents are millennials. The success of these areas is proof that the younger crowd are landing just outside the core of downtown centers.

Or, if they cant afford that, they move to nearby suburbs that are more or less considered sub -urban rather than entirely suburban . This is something you may want to take note of in your market.

While the vibrant resurrection of these often-historicsuburban neighborhoods is absolutely beneficial to the overall success of the local real estate market, it is worth noting that perhaps the neighborhoods would not be as attractive to the millennial generation if home/condo prices and rents were attainable in the downtown core.

As with all real estate, and throughout history, balance is key an overpriced market will eventually correct, and an overly saturated one will too. Millennials are finally able to access jobs that can afford them the ability to survive on their own and even buy, this will eventually lead to a dramatic increase in new households for many regions in the U.S. These salaried positions point to stability, which will allow the millennial generation to choose how they want to live instead of their living situations being a product of necessity.

The question is, what will they choose? Will millennials buy condos? Continue to rent? Or, like their predecessors, will suburban communities with fences and yards and space away from neighbors still draw them to the outer-ring suburbs? Only time will tell.

Lauren Campbell is a commercial real estate agent working in Tampa. Connect with her online at http://www.tampabaycre.wordpress.com .

Source - Realtor.org

New Listing: 1423 19TH, East Moline, IL, 61244

New Listing! 2 bd | 1 bath | 998 sqft. Priced at $26,500 Click Here for more details.