The thought is that their Realtor doesn’t know how to get “in” on the good stuff or that they are lazy.

Meanwhile the Realtor goes home, every night, and laments, “I have no good homes to show my buyers!”

So, what is really going on, here?

Rather than focus on the bad, let’s talk about what a great Buyer’s Realtor does for their clients.

Finds out what the buyer truly needs

• This goes for everything from house to neighborhood to price
• Then they help to identify what is negotiable and what is “gotta have”

Educates the buyer on what to expect

• Sometimes a buyer’s “gotta have” list is doable, but difficult. A buyer should expect infrequent matches
• If it is not possible, the buyer needs to know.
• A bad agent will “hope” the buyer will see that it is impossible and “hope” they will buy what is available.

Defines a game plan

• How quickly can you come and see a match?
• Are you prepared to offer if it is the right house?
• What information will you need in order to feel comfortable making an offer?

Communicates Frequently

• A game plan for communication should be defined.
• How often? What medium? Expected response time?

If the buyer’s Realtor lacks any of these skills, the buyer will feel like they are not playing on a fair playing field, and, they are not. If the best agents in town are experiencing frustration and buyer fatigue- what hope does a lessor quality agent have?

The message is not a new one, folks. Find and hire the best Realtor you possibly can. I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t.

If you’ve ever driven on Chevy Chase Dr. you know this house:

The L.A. designer who owns this home has both money and impecable taste- it has so much personality and soul it could be it’s own character in a Hollywood movie.

It starts with an amazing entry.

The Living Room features a spectacular carved wood ceiling- I would expect to see something like this in a castle in Morocco or Spain.

Every bathroom is a study in texture and detail.

And did I say this was a Romantic Spanish home?  What says romance more than a claw foot tub and sheepskin rug in front of a crackling fire?

The backyard is just as fantastic as the rest of the house, with fully equipped kitchen, pool, spa and plenty of lounging space.

There is simply not enough room in this blog to show you all of the detail in this house.  I haven’t shown you the Moroccan Alcove, or the closet bigger than my first house, or the hair styling room (YES!!!  A room dedicated to hair- it would make a great additional bath), the light fixtures or the viewing balconies…

Click to see this Romantic Glendale Spanish Home- and you can make an appointment with me if you think you might want to buy it!
Listing courtesy Keller Williams Realty, Shel Downing

“How do I go about buying a home?”

“There is a lot of conflicting advice what to do first.”, “It feels like all the Realtors are just trying to sell me something now.”,  and “I thought the real estate market was terrible, where are all the bargains?” were typical statements uttered at the open house.

The truth is that the easiest and most intuitive first step is to look at houses- and I think it is the worst first step you could take.

I have seen logical rocket scientists fall head over heels in lust for homes that did not serve their purposes and I have seen savvy business people bamboozled by skilled (and slightly amoral) salespeople.  No one is immune to great marketing but simple ground work can prevent you from making a big mistake.

Here are the steps I counsel for my buyers in their most strategic and logical order.

Pick the Best Realtor

• I am shocked at how little thought most buyers put into this crucial step.
• Take a look at what a great Realtor can do for the buyer
• Caveat- if you are not sure “where”, hold off.  You need a Realtor who is an expert in your chosen area.

Make sure you know WHY you want to buy a home.

• Ask yourself, “What will buying a home do for me?”
• How long do you anticipate living in this home?
• What will happen if you DON’T buy a home?

What are your main priorities?

• Everyone wants price, safety, convenience, prestige, pretty or (?) – but which one is the most important?

Figure out the Money

• What do you want to spend?  Think about down payment and your monthly budget.
• Get pre approved for your mortgage
• Consult with your financial advisor or tax advisor

Narrow Down the Neighborhoods

• With priorities and budget in mind, use the internet to find the neighborhood that best suites you.
• Search Glendale, La Canada and La Crescenta by clicking on these links.
• Drive the neighborhoods.  Use my website on your mobile device and it will automatically ask you if you want to see the mobile version. Click on “Nearby” and my website will tell you what homes are available for sale close to where you are (slick, huh?)

Pick the Best Realtor

• Interview the neighborhood experts
• Find out if they represent buyers or have a buyer rep on their team
• Make sure you know what kind of commitment you are getting

It is a great question and the answer is, “it depends”.  My lender gave me a nifty chart today.  It outlines the types of “significant derogatory credit events”  ( I love it when he talks dirty like that) and the waiting periods required before purchase.

For a short sale the waiting period is 2 years, if you purchase with 20% or more for your down payment.  For a 10% down payment the period is 4 years and for less than a 10% down payment, the waiting period is 7 years.

Contrast this with a 7 year waiting period if you let your home go in a foreclosure.

In both short sale and foreclosure circumstances the wait period can be shorter with “extenuating circumstances”.  These circumstances describe a catastrophic loss that was not in the control of the borrower.  In other words, prove that it wasn’t your fault and they might let you buy a home sooner.

It is worth noting that the rules on this sort of thing are very fluid.  What is accepted as fact today may not be fact 3 months from now- so take all of this with the appropriate caution.  The banking industry is trying to figure out what considered acceptable risk in this new economy.

Have you ever been to the #Montrose Harvest Market?  Each Farmer’s Market has a distinct personality, and Montrose’s personality is more of a family gathering than snooty, artisnal produce.  In addition to the organic produce and stunning cut flowers we have pony rides, kid activities and arts and craft booths.

This is a vital part of the fabric of our community.  Come on by- you’ll probably see your neighbor.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Now, as usual, here are my best bet recommendations for your open house pleasure!   First up is 2864 Pinelawn.  This spectacular La Crescenta view home has been perfectly remodeled and features 4 bedrooms and an awesome viewing deck.

Word on the street is that those who missed out on the fixer on Pine Cone wil be all over this remodeled lovely.  Better check this one out ASAP.

In keeping with the “view” theme- take a drive up to 3703 Hampstead- located right on the border of La Canada and Glendale.  This Glendale house is has a ton of EVERYTHING- remodeled to the nines, over 3000 sf, resort-like yard with pool and those views….

The house is stunning, too, but you’ll need to click on the complete open house list above to see everything.  I am saving my blog space for pictures of the current love of my life….

3609 El Camino Corto.  A stunning La Canada Mid Century Post and Beam that has been lovingly restored for both hippys and executives.  I. Am. In. Love.

It starts with a intimate courtyard…

Transitions to a perfectly appointed interior…

And maintains it’s sense of soul through to the backyard, complete with Kumbaya fire pit and dreamy meditation bed.

If you don’t get the chance to visit this home in person, at least click the hyperlink above- it will take you to a full listing where you can see all the glorious pictures.

Those are my top recommendations, but there are a lot of cool homes to see. If you see it and you want to buy it- remember, you saw it here first- call me!

First, let’s take a look at the lowest sale in town.  Clocking in at $100,250- 408 Burchett #10 is a one bedroom condo that sold in early February.  It has 640 square feet, common laundry room. and the HOA dues were $250/mo.

Since we are talking about condos- the most expensive condo or townhouse to sell this quarter is 1894 Caminito de la Playa.  This newer unit located up in the Camino San Rafael development up off the 2 freeway closed escrow a couple of weeks ago for $590,000.  These luxury units have everything the busy executive family would want- light, open, splashy kitchen and a little city view.

The least expensive single family home title goes to a home featured on this blog before, 660 Milford- recognize it?

Listed at $179,00, I predicted this would sell in 6 seconds for more money.  It actually tok 10 seconds to get into escrow and then took a little under 3 months to close at $190,000. For a short sale- that is nearly the speed of light.  The home was 600 sf and the lot 1829 sf- tiny and mighty.

And now, can I get a little drum roll please?  The most expensive home to sell during the first quarter of 2012 was…

1862 Greenbrier.  The reason you don’t recognize this amazing home is that it is located way up a private drive at the very top of Greenbrier.  The sales price was $1,400,000 for nearly 3000 sf of house located on 3.7 very private acres of land.

If television show “Bonanza” had been filmed in Glendale, this is the home they would have used for the set.

This mid century ranch is a unique home and I hope it went to the unique buyer who appreciates it’s soul.

I want to give special mention to the largest home to sell this quarter- 2080 El Arbolita in the Montecito Park area weighs in at a whopping 6176 square feet of living space on a 16,000+, not very flat, lot.

This was a short sale that closed escrow in early February for $1,310,000.

There you have it folks- The large, small, cheap and expensive home for the first quarter of 2012.

The entire experience, both coming and going, was hell on this earth- but we will get to that in a moment.  As I sat in travel purgatory I couldn’t help but think about the customer experience and what this incident could teach me about how MY customers experience buying and selling real estate with me.

But, first, here is my travel nightmare story.  Those of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter got to live it with me, wasn’t it fun?  (Not. Clue- never piss off a woman with a smart phone and internet access)  We flew American Airlines from LAX to Norfolk, VA via Dallas International.  On every flight the plane was over sold and packed.  Dire threats and warnings concerning our carry on luggage were frequent- if our bags didn’t fit we would be escorted off the plane!

There was no food, very little to drink, and the attendants were mostly absent. On board entertainment was non existent- in fact, there was almost nothing to distract us from our misery.  Bad weather delayed our flights and the process for finding a way home was utterly absurd.

(They wait list you on the next flight and you scuttle over to that gate, hoping your name will be called.  If you don’t answer when your name is called you lose your chance AND they remove you from the next wait list, so you can’t move- not even to get a bite to eat.  If you don’t get called- and that was most likely- you scuttle on to the next gate and the next flight’s wait list and start the process again.  It is a bizarre Kafkaesque experience)

One flight was particularly memorable.  Our plane was equipped to “service” us for three hours, but we were on it for eight.  In those eight hours I got one can of tomato juice and I saw the flight attendant three times.  In eight hours.  They didn’t even come around to pick up trash.  Wow.

All of this made me think, a lot, about customer experience.  The weather can not be controlled and the economy is forcing a host of changes for all industries.  Given those realities, has anyone at American Airlines thought about the customer experience?

Charging the customer to check their bags seems like a revenue producer, but the inevitable and predictable outcome is an increase in carry on baggage.  Has anyone thought about how to adjust the customer experience at the flight gate?

Weather delays are laughably common at certain airports.  Has anyone thought about a better way to deliver the wait list experience?  How about equipping the onboard staff to handle these frequent flight delays that leave customers on board for far too long?

I felt the American Airline system was only designed to handle the ideal circumstance.  Anything outside of ideal is simply not considered.  And, this is why American Airlines is failing.  I am dead certain I will find any way possible, including paying more money, to fly with someone else.

And this is what brings me to real estate.  If the situation is ideal, anyone can deliver a great customer experience.  However, twists, turns, drama and mishaps are as laughably common as a weather delayed flight in or out of Dallas.  At the end of the day, is your Realtor equipped to handle a situation that is less than ideal?

I believe that very few buyers or sellers (or Realtors, for that matter) understand that a real estate transaction is incredibly complex- numerous people must do their jobs in a very specific way or the deal is delayed or collapses all together.  Your Realtor is the one who oversees all of these bits and pieces and it is your Realtor who needs to adjust things along the way in order for you to have a great experience.

I spend time, money and effort to anticipate common and predictable bumps in the road.  After 25 years and hundreds of sold homes, I have learned the best case plan for each of these scenarios and I make sure that everyone- myself, my team and my clients- are ready to shift, easily and without drama.

The consequence of a bad travel experience is, mostly, many lost hours or a lost day.  The consequence of a bad real estate deal worth hundreds of thousands- even millions of dollars?  Think about it- do you really want to find out?