Dear Ace Agent, Well the economy still continues to be elusive! Fed. Chairman Bernanke stopped a 10 month slide of the key interest rate that banks charge other banks on Wednesday. Probably a good thing he did because all this cheap money out there is going to continue to weaken the dollar and accelerate inflation. In fact if he had even bumped the rate by a ½%, it would have sent a much better message to the investment world. That would have also given us a little bit more reason for people to take action now, understanding the rates had bottomed out. Keep in mind though this is not just a U.S problem. Japan has been in stagflation for over ten years. China just had the biggest drop of its GDP over the last month in years. This whole credit crisis is rippling across the world. It doesn’t sound like good news does it? However, the sooner this credit crunch and cash crisis can alleviate itself, the sooner our market will start to return to normality. Just keep your focus and remind people who are considering buying what Sir John Templeton stated many years ago “I buy stocks when blood is running in the street”. Many think Warren Buffet said that but I think he got it from Mr. Templeton. If they are buying for the right reasons to improve the quality of their lives and build those memories that can come with that purchase, they will look back in three years and be glad they did! So will you! I don’t know what the future holds but thankfully I do know who holds the future. That’s what gives me a peace in the midst of this crazy storm that we are seeing. My Thanks,
Terry L. Weaver, MARKETING & SALES INSTITUTE
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"I just wanted to share the good news from Hampton Lake. In the last week and a half we have had 3 homes and a homesite purchased in the community. One of the houses was a couple who have 2 other houses to sell but felt so strongly that now was the time to buy that they went ahead and pulled the trigger before selling their other 2 homes. They knew they were getting an opportunity now that wouldn’t be around when they were able to sell their other homes." (Submitted by Allen Ware, Hampton Lake, Bluffton, SC)
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For the golfers out there…. The Business of Golf .According to golfbusinesswire.com, The National Golf Foundation (NGF) reports a 2.5% year over year increase in rounds in April. In spite of rounds having been down 3.5% through March, year-to-date activity showed a nominal 0.9% decrease. Private clubs and premium facilities were both on the plus side and the Northeast region exhibited the best activity, up 39% in April and 28.6% year-to-date. Not surprisingly, the Upper Midwest is down the most, - 18.2% year-to-date. Tuning In -According to golfbusinesswire.com, close to 100 million people worldwide tuned in to the 2008 Masters Tournament reflecting a 15% increase over last year. In all, the Masters was viewed in over 190 countries. Online viewing is growing as well as 5.4 million viewers watched on masters.org, a 16% jump from last year’s figure of 4.7 million. More good news. According to a study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, the mortality rate for golfers is 40% lower than for other people of the same sex, age and socioeconomic status. This equates to a five-tier increase in life expectancy. The effect of golf on death rates was most notable with respect to blue collar golfers with low handicaps. The study was based on data from 300,000 Swedish golfers. Keep those clubs swinging! (Courtesy of Bowden's Market Barometer, June-July 2008)
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Ready to Buy? 72% of Home Buyers and Sellers say 'Yes"! First-time home buyer findings include: - 83% of first-time home buyers are under the age of 40, with 39% younger than 30.
- 42% of respondents expect to own their first home between one and five years.
- First-time home buyers ranked “neighborhood upkeep” among the most important aesthetic qualities of a home.
- 44% said the size of the home was the most important feature they look for in a house. Other important features first-time homebuyers look for include a wooded lot and proximity to work.
- In terms of the most important things first time buyers look for in a home, “Proximity to place of work” and “availability of public transportation” received the most votes next to size of homes and number of bedrooms “With gas prices on the rise, public transportation and distance to the workplace will become more and more important. Also, markets with affordable property taxes and low traffic commutes also stand to benefit,” said Storti. Additional findings - 2007 vs. 2008 Additional findings of survey results indicated 24% of respondents are currently looking to sell their current home - down from last year’s survey when 50% replied the same way. Almost 35% of respondents plan to sell in more than 120 days compared to 21% last year, while 12% of respondents in 2007 were looking to sell in 90 to 120 days compared to 17% this year. As for reasons for moving, nearly 43% of respondents have outgrown their current home and almost 30% have had a change in life situation. Last year, 26% stated both “outgrown current home” and “change in life situation.” Similar to last year’s 70 percent, this year 72 percent of sellers think “it’s a good time to buy.” “More buyers are kicking the tires, while sellers are pacing. However, it’s important to note that interest rates are still historically low. So, a home in good shape and priced right will sell,” said Storti. (Article from RisMedia: Steve Storti, senior vice president of marketing for Prudential Fox & Roach, Realtors)
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Please…..tell me a story Jim Wedgeworth, a true master in this industry and a dear friend, once told me “Terry, people don’t really care what I think about the property. They want to know what other people like themselves think about it and why they have enjoyed it so much”. So therefore he tells story, after story, after story of other people and why they fell in love with certain aspects of his communities. He has had one story about a lady from New Jersey who commented how few people she saw on the beach on July 4th at Hilton Head, since 1983! He uses it to sell the quality and uncrowdedness of the Hilton Head beaches. I would encourage you to use some of this time to contact all of your owners, at least the positive ones, and ask them what they have enjoyed most about living in your community. Ask them about a couple of their favorite memories since they got there and then convert these into stories and third party testimonials to use in selling various points of your community. If anybody should know, Jim Wedgeworth should. He’s been the number one Realtor© in the State of South Carolina for seventeen years! To become a master, find out what the master does, practice it and watch yourself grow! If you would like a free report card, two pages that lead you step by step through the initial interview in the office, from the greeting to moving the prospects into the discovery ride of your community, email us at terry@msicorp.us and we’ll send it to you. Then get a couple of your other team members and start practicing with each other. Then when that ‘opportunity’ comes…..you’ll be ready to tell some stories!
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June 26th, 2008
UPCOMING EVENTS August - From Fundamentals to Sales Mastery 2008, August 24 - 26th Renaissance Concourse, Atlanta, GA October - Amenity Communities Marketing Summit, October 5th - 7th, Hyatt Regency Riverfront Jacksonville, Jacksonville FL Don't Forget To Send Your Good News! SUPER SUMMER SALE Click for Terry's "Sales Solutions"
MSI Super Summer Sale
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