COMING SOON - TO A BEACH NEAR YOU!!

You know what I'm talking about: Glorious, Stupendous, Fabulous, Incredibly-welcome-relief-from-a-winter-that-seems-to-never-end SPRINGTIME! Oh yeah, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

You can absolutely feel the change of the season. Sure, we will still have a few nasty winter days - another couple feet of snow will probably dump on us - we'll probably have a few more periods of numbing, frostbite-inducing wind chills - but what the heck, if you are a TRUE Minnesotan, a little cool weather is not going to discourage.

I know March has arrived just by sitting down for my morning coffee (Caribou Coffee . . . Mahogany - the best coffee to have on your team when facing mornings). The sun is breaking over the horizon much earlier than a month ago - and once that sunshine starts coming through the windows: WOW! There is nothing like a good healthy sunbeam to warm the spirit and chase off the doldrums. Out on the streets - even below freezing - we see the snow melting. It is because we are gaining the benefit of the sun's changing position in the sky - pulling back north - if you will.

There is something else: the Internet traffic at my real estate websites ramps up at an incredible rate. Folks are starting their search for the perfect summer lake home, or the perfect lake lot, or maybe just browsing for new primary digs. Whatever the reason, the web begins to buzz with people searching real estate this time of the year!

Anyone that has spent even a single summer's moment on one of our pristine lakes understands the sense of calm and renewal one gains. Summer and lake properties go together like macaroni and cheese - and once you start enjoying the combination the craving for more lake time will always be there - carrying you through the winter - back to the warming glow of sand, water, and sun!

In closing I just want to extend invitation to tour my websites - I maintain a portfolio of sites - each with a little different emphasis - each designed to provide the best available local real estate information. Here is a quick rundown of the key three:

• FergusFallsRealEstate.com - this is the hub of my online services. Even though the web name refers to Fergus Falls, you can find any listed properties in the Otter Tail County Region by visiting this site. You can create customized alerts via email to inform you when a fresh listing has hit the market. They say time is money - and this is very true - especially with real estate. It is important to review the market trends (local, relevant information is available on my website). It is equally important to know when the property you want becomes available so you can act on it quickly.
• OtterTailLakes.com - this is probably my favorite site for checking out both Otter Tail County lake homes as well as regional residential homes. The reason I like this site so well is because it is also linked to the Minnesota DNR LakeFinder web pages. You can click on the 'Lake Information' tab, choose from a list of Otter Tail County lakes, and be directed to the DNR's web website - providing loads of information specific to that lake - things like water clarity, lake size and depth, fish species, etc. Be sure to check it out!
• OtterTailLakeHomes.com - this is basically a custom search of current Otter Tail County lake homes. The nice thing about this site is you can quickly review all current lake properties - just scroll through the pages. Additionally, the site can be customized by adding or removing specific areas (by zip code). A convenient search for lake homes!

I have a few more custom real estate search sites in the works - one of next to be available will be a search for undeveloped land, lots, acreage, lake shore, etc. I think it will be useful for people with building/development plans and - as with all my sites - provides valuable information regarding current market pricing.

Remember: SPRING IS COMING - SOON . . . (well, at least pretty soon)! Let me help you get the MOST out of your summer season by putting a plan in place NOW! And in the mean time, I hope you find a warm sunbeam to relax in while you are enjoying your morning coffee!

Jon Drews with Keller Williams Realty Professionals
Serving Otter Tail County - and beyond!!

Meat & Potatoes Real Estate News

Time for some hard real estate news, folks! Let's take a look at how today's consumers feel regarding the housing market.

Fannie Mae recently completed their National Housing Survey - and compiled the input from roughly 1000 respondents. From this survey we gained insights into consumer confidence and optimism - and we have GREAT news!! Check out the following results:

• 23% of respondents said now is a good time to sell - up 12% from last year!
• 41% of respondents are expecting home prices to rise.
• 50% of those queried expect to see housing rental rates increase.
• 65% of respondents who rent say they would buy if they were to move.

Let's summarize: Consumer confidence is growing! This is fantastic news because homes are worth what the market believes them to be worth. Buyers and sellers set prices. If consumers are expecting home prices to rise, they will. Equally important, rental rates are on the uptick and two-thirds of current renters say they will buy if they move. Why? Because consumers believe home prices are increasing and they don't want to miss out on a great deal!!

On the flip side - for the same reason - more consumers feel now is a good time to sell. We will be seeing an increase in listings for the same reasons we will be seeing an increase in buyers.

More buyers and sellers are entering the market - confidence is up! Interest rates are still incredible. And remember this: many, many buyers have been on the sidelines going back several years because confidence has been low for an extended period of time. This is going to create a bulge in the line as increased buyer demand will need to be satisfied with an increase in inventory.

A healthy housing market is foundational to the greater economic health of our nation so, LET'S GET MOVING!!

Life Begins . . . at THIS Moment!

If you are like me, you've maybe had self-struggles with what you should do when you 'grow up'. Hopefully, for most folks, these struggles develop around age five and end by high school graduation! For myself, I wrestled with the question for a bit longer - into my late 30's!

Good grief! A third of my life spent trying to figure out where I fit in. Through the counsel of immeasurably valuable friends - and guiding faith - it finally occurred to me: what if I am already doing what I am supposed to be doing!?! What if I have been doing it for years and just was simply unable to grasp the role? Hmmm. Could it be possible? Yeah, it could. I can be pretty dense at times - especially when I let self-doubt and lack of confidence have a say.

It is a funny thing: All my life I wanted to work for one of the BEST organizations in the country. At the time I was working for what I considered to be one of the best organizations in my community but I wanted MORE. I started doing searches for 'best places to work' and came up with a variety of organizations that seemed light-years from my present location in terms of aptitudes, interests, and geography. Why couldn't the BEST place to work simply be the place I was working? It was a transforming moment - the dots connected - I finally could see the picture. If I felt what I was doing was not important, I needed to make it important! Similarly, where I worked WAS the BEST place to work. Aaaaah. Peace at last! So often the changes we most need come from the inside.

That brings us to the present - and guess what? The organization I serve, Keller Williams Realty, has been voted as one of the BEST workplaces in America! What a hoot!! Keller Williams Realty: now the largest real estate company (by agent count) in America! Keller Williams: Ranked Highest in Customer Satisfaction amongst Home Buyers and Sellers! Now how's that for going full circle!

I think it is pretty amazing how my career path connected with one of the best places to work in America, but here is the REAL message: even if Keller Williams didn't make all these BIG splashes - even if they weren't 'the best' - where I am today is the BEST place to be, the people surrounding me are the BEST people in the world, and how I am serving - right now - is the BEST opportunity I can possibly have. Embracing a lesson taught to me by our Golden Retriever, Nikita: TODAY is the BEST day of my life!

 So for those who skip to the end for the 'bottom line', here it is: Do your BEST to live your dreams and BELIEVE in what you do - every day! Life is not about where you end up, it is ALL about the journey traveled while getting 'there'. Life is THIS MOMENT! And for those of you that measure life's achievements with a Bucket List, here's what I keep on my list - in my bucket: Contentment. It is not really a very long list - I don't really need a bucket. It is not really a summary of what I have done or want to do - instead, it directs me back within to discover what matters most. Seek contentment in the life you are living and savor the contentment you find. Live the day like it is the best day of your life and the world becomes a better place - because of YOU!

Folks have asked me why I joined with Keller Williams Realty. The short answer is the culture was a perfect fit for me! I felt an energy that had faded over the years. It was a new beginning - working with enthusiastic people and state-of-the-art technology. I am more productive, my administrative responsibilities have been simplified - allowing more time for what is most important: Serving my clients and customers.

Reaffirming by confidence - check out the following article!!:

Keller Williams Realty, Inc. Ranked in America’s Top 10 Workplaces

AUSTIN, TEXAS (May 16, 2012) - Keller Williams Realty, Inc. announced today it has been recognized as one of America’s Top 10 Workplaces, according to the first annual National Top Workplaces list compiled by Workplace Dynamics.

 

“Our culture is our strongest asset and the reason that so many people want to be with us," Mary Tennant, COO of Keller Williams Realty shares. “Imagine what it would be like to work in a culture every day with people that you feel love, kindness, caring and humor with. Imagine working in an environment where there is a passion for every single person to succeed at the highest level."

 

“If this award proves anything, it’s that we only succeed when our associates do," added Mark Willis, CEO. “We are proud to be in business with the best who are lifting us up each day and proud to be fulfilling our mission of building careers worth having, businesses worth owning and lives worth living."

 

The list of National Top Workplaces is based solely on employee feedback surveyed from 805 companies of more than 1,000 employees, which included over half a million survey responses. According to survey results, Keller Williams’ ranking was based on its overall culture and high levels of organizational health including training, benefits, compensation, and work-life balance. “Put simply, the most successful companies appear to be the ones that employees believe in," said Doug Claffey, CEO at WorkplaceDynamics.

 

For more information and the full list of the Workplace Dynamics Nation’s Top Workplaces, please visit http://topworkplaces.com/stories/americas-top10-workplaces.php

 

 

 Part of the Keller Williams Team - Living the Dream!! Rock on, KW!!

Jon Drews with Keller Williams Realty Professionals in Fergus Falls MN

Keller Williams Opens New Office in Fergus Falls

Check out this article published on February 6, 2012 at FergusFallsJournal.com: Keller Williams Opens in Fergus Falls

I am so incredibly thrilled to be part of this team! Allow me to set my modesty aside for one moment . . . WE'RE GONNA ROCK!!! . . . Wow, that felt good!!

Check us out - we are located at 1110 N Union Ave. in Fergus Falls.

Hope to see you there!!

Jon Drews with Keller Williams Realty Professionals
Fergus Falls Real Estate

A Question for Sellers in Today's Housing Market

Here is the question: Is today's housing market best described as a price war zone or - a beauty contest? It is both! We still have a strong supply of inventory and, unfortunately, some of that inventory falls into the bank owned/short sale* category. Enter the price war zone!

* Just a quick explanation of the terms: a 'bank owned' property is a property that has gone through the foreclosure process - the bank 'gets the house back'. The problem with this is banks don't want to own houses and will drop and drop and drop the price until the house is sold. Good for buyers but bad for competing sellers. 'Short sales' are still owned by the individual but the individual has made appeal to the bank and the bank agrees to let the property sell for less than the existing mortgage balance. This is also great for buyers but tough on competing sellers.

What is a seller to do? Stage, repair problems, stage, clean until everything sparkles, stage, de-clutter and stage. Seriously!! And to do that I strongly recommend utilizing the services of a professional or team of professionals including painters, handymen, and staging experts.

When I'm working with a new seller I almost always have a staging expert review the property to make suggestions. Some recommendations are as simple as re-arranging furniture or opening the view to a window or clearing a counter top of extra items. Sometimes we might suggest re-painting a room, cleaning or replacing floor covering, or replacing a cracked or fogged window unit. Very often we can transform a wallflower into an absolute beauty queen for just a few hundred dollars. That is money well spent when your house sells faster - and for more money.

The goal is to transform the property to show its absolute best!

Let's face it, we live in our homes - we get used to things being where they are - we put up with the dingy paint or the piles of clutter. It is our 'home' - it is comfortable - let the new buyers take care of that stuff after the sale. Right? . . . WRONG!

If you are committed to selling your residence, you need to SELL your residence! It has to look its absolute best - more importantly, it has to look better than everything else - you are in a beauty contest!

Cracks, blemishes, nicks and chips need to addressed. Fogged window units need to be replaced. Clutter needs to be eliminated. Even the air in your house - it needs to be fresh and inviting!

Everything about your house needs to scream out, 'Look at me!' Sellers will pass in a heartbeat on a house that looks like work, feels messy, or smells grungy. The house has to welcome the prospective buyer from the moment they pull up to the curb - and it has to continue to invite! The house must be in top form - competing with every other house on the market - until something magical happens. The buyers need to feel that house becoming something very special - a home - but not just any home, their home!

Jon Drews, Associate Broker with Century 21 Vista, Inc. - selling Fergus Falls Real Estate smarter and faster for YOU!

Understanding the Fergus Falls Real Estate market: a Seller's Perspective

It is only fair that I provide equal time and guidance for property sellers in today's real estate market. My last post related to buyer opportunities. This time we will focus on opportunities available to sellers.

To put it another way, let's leverage our strengths as sellers to kick the 'Hee Haw' out of the market seesaw. Seller's need to flex their property attributes to balance the seesaw market. Instead of having prospective buyers 'holding sellers up', let's look at what sellers can do to restore a balanced and level playing field.

But before I speak on specific strategies for sellers, we need to be certain we understand our local market and debunk some myths - a.k.a. 'obviate the rubric'.

We have all heard the latest national real estate news. It reminds me of that refrain from the late '60's 'Hee Haw' show with Roy Clark and Buck Owens: 'Gloom, despair, and agony on me.' National housing market news trends often focus on worse-case scenarios, and averages at best. Here is what we need to keep in mind: Local economies and markets may bear no similarity to national trends. In fact, the local market might be far healthier. What sellers need to overcome is the national media mindset that has been embraced by prospective buyers.

For the remainder of this post I am going to highlight some statistics specific to the Fergus Falls market. I believe this information will clearly show our local market is making improvements in key areas and, more importantly, potential sellers need not hang their heads as though they were on their way to the gallows.

This first graph shows a geographical comparison of foreclosure rates as of December 2011. The graph displays, a national rate, a rate for the state of Minnesota, an Otter Tail County Rate, and the rate for Fergus Falls. Please note the marked difference in rates from the National level to those of Otter Tail County and Fergus Falls. (Be sure to see more foreclosure information at my RealtyTrac page.

This second chart shows foreclosure activity and average mortgage rates for Fergus Falls as of December 2011. I'm hoping this information is alleviating some seller heartburn! As we Minnesotan's are prone to say, 'Things could be worse.' Again, this information is provided by RealtyTrac. More RealtyTrac information can be viewed at my RealtyTrac page.

Just a couple more numbers and I'm going to wrap this up. According to our local MLS data, 134 Fergus Falls homes were sold in the last six months of 2011. This compares to only 102 in the same period of 2010 reflecting a gain in unit sales of 31%! Wow!! Here is one catch: the average selling price dropped in 2011 compared to the same period for 2010. Bummer. But all is not lost! What this means is, although sale units were UP, the average selling price of the sold properties dropped. What we observed in this time frame is the bulk of homes sold were in the $60,000 to $115,000 price range.

I'll conclude this discussion for now to allow a little time to digest this information. Be sure to check out my next blog post: What can a seller do to maximize their return if there property is valued above the average range of sold properties? Stay tuned . . .

Jon Drews, Associate Broker with Century 21 Vista, Inc. in Fergus Falls MN.