http://mrisblog.com/2012/01/real-estate-iq-what-is-the-value-of-a-real-estate-pro/

Market values of real estate, market values of real estate practitioner…how does the average person establish value?  How does the average consumer evaluate all the information out there and make an informed decision?

I would posit that education is the key.  Educating yourself about any given product in the marketplace makes the decision making process less stressful.

But let’s focus on real estate.  Any homeowner has the ability to put a “for sale” sign in their front yard and decide on an sales price.  Take a few photos, post  to craigslist, and wait for the buyers to come knocking, emailing, calling.  Sounds easy, huh?

Maybe, maybe not.

Are you, Mr. or Ms. Homeowner, able to evaluate your neighborhood/community/county sales statistics at a glance?

Are you able to access information on comparable homes that have recently sold, or are going to sell within the next several weeks or months?

Because I would guess you know what you paid for your home when you purchased it, and I think you know what you want to sell it for now.  Unfortunately, neither of those numbers have any bearing whatsoever on what your house can sell for in today’s market.  Your perceived value on your home means nothing in the marketplace.

If your Realtor® has told you this, Bravo!  You have hired the right person to sell your home.  Your Realtor® has calculated an asking price for your listing that will fetch an attractive amount of potential buyers.

Advertising of all varieties: MLS, websites, pretty pictures, open houses, etc. are part of the job you hired your professional to accomplish, but ultimately, the goal is to sell the house.  And the simple key to selling is effective pricing.  Positioning your property correctly in the marketplace is the surest way to sell the property.

A successful real estate practitioner earns her living by selling properties.  Market value pricing equals sales.  Realtors® constantly and continually educate themselves on their local markets and the housing industry as a whole.  Hiring the right professional means you benefit from this education.

So when you think the time is right to sell your home, you can do it yourself.  You might get lucky.

Better yet, position yourself and your home strategically in the marketplace by hiring a professional.  Listen to her advice and then take it.  You will be on your way to the closing table much more quickly!

TBO (The Bossy One)

Their 70-33 victory over Clemson and 3rd BCS Bowl win should put to rest the haters and naysayers…well we can hope, right?  As noted by so many Mountain State folks, it seems there are a lot of people around the country who do not even understand that West Virginia is a state, for crying out loud:  oh ESPN and Brad Nessler…really???

http://awfulannouncing.com/2012-articles/january/brad-nessler-thinks-west-virginia-is-still-a-part-of-virginia.html

From hillbilly jokes, dentally challenged holler-runners and the inevitable marrying your cousin jibes, enough is enough.  If I sound thin-skinned, well I guess I am.  We have much to be proud of here in Wild, Wonderful: soaring mountains, winding rivers, and  a vibrant population who love this state and our own Mountaineers.

So here’s to Coach Holgorsen and the team, Congratulations!

TBO (The Bossy One)

I admit, I’m one of THOSE.

Frankly after the hubbub of the holidays on the heels of a tough year (ok, YEARS) of difficulties in the housing market, I do indeed welcome the infinite possibilities of a New Year.  Capital N, capital Y.

And in fact, The National Association of Realtors® may just agree with me.  In today’s news, it cited “Housing Predictor, The Best Housing Markets 2012,” and three of those markets are located in our own state of West Virginia!

Charleston, Huntington and Wheeling, also our 3 largest metro areas in the state, will likely be the harbingers of better real estate values for the country at large.  Certainly I do not live or work in any of the three, but I am thrilled to read that our state will enjoy the benefits of a more valuable housing market.  Not just good news for these 3 cities, but for the entire state.

After 5-6 long years of a declining market, maybe, just maybe, things are starting to look up.  Amy the Optimist is going to think positively…hey, its all about attitude, right?

Another interesting list in the same magazine highlighted rebounding markets.  10 of the 15 areas named were located in Florida.  This is huge! Florida was devastated with the burst of the real estate bubble and has been dealing with the foreclosure/short sale nightmare since 2006.  If many areas in that state are rebounding, surely California, Nevada, Michigan and others can’t be far behind.

And all of that means that economically speaking, we may be finally crawling out from under that big huge rock we’ve been under.  Housing is one of the major driving factors of our economy.  Until real estate values begin to appreciate, our economy can’t recover.

So, yes, this is one optimist who is very much looking forward to a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

TBO (The Bossy One)

A New Year, a New Blog…

maybe a little explanation is needed?  This blog will be associated with our real estate website: www.AskLeadingEdge.com, and therefore will naturally have a good deal of focus on not only my local real estate market, but also the housing industry in general.  For some amount of time, I blogged on ActiveRain.com.  That was a wonderful way to learn how to do this – there really are some great writers who also happen to be Realtors®!

But, real estate is NOT my life.  I’m interested and involved in other things as well, and I do tend to write about them too.   Thus, it seemed prudent to set up this blogsite, so I can talk/write about whatever strikes my fancy.  I have opinions about lots of things (which are not necessarily those of all the folks associated with Leading Edge Properties!) and I definitely enjoy a good argument, er…discussion.

As to the title of this missive, “Thoughts & Threads: Musings from The Bossy One,”  ’Threads’ refers to the fact that I enjoy crocheting, and “The Bossy One” is my family nickname.  Sister Molly is “The Mean One,” Sister Beth is “The Flighty One,” Brother Toby is “Switzerland.”  Probably enough said about that for now…

So here I go…new year, new blog, Post 1……Ta Da!

TBO (The Bossy One)