Palos Verdes Lifestyle - Norma Toering's PV Real Estate Blog

I held an open house Sunday.  Maybe you haven't heard, but it's hot here, really hot.  I wondered if anyone would brave the heat and use $5 a gallon gas to see my listing at 2321 Chelsea Rd. in Palos Verdes Estates, CA.  Even though it is only one block from the ocean, with no breeze blowing the house was hot---sweat-through-your-blouse-hot!

With my iced tea slushy stowed in the Sub-Zero I prepared to soldier on. Hey, I'm not the type of agent to close early or cancel out on a scheduled commitment! 

 The people trickled in. The sweat trickled down my back. Nine groups attended.  I met some really nice people.  There were curious neighbors and serious buyers.  There were also some professional lookers and out-of-state visitors.  As I pulled the open house sign from the yard, I was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I left with two prospective buyers' information, and I believe a couple of showings will be generated as a result of holding the open house.  Not bad for a hot Sunday afternoon.

I stopped by my office to write a counter offer, and cool off.  I also checked in on Active Rain.  Hmm, what's this?  There it was, a contact from a consumer inquiring about property in Palos Verdes.  During the open house a past client called with a referral.  A trickle here, a drip system there; a SOI, an open house; a blog, a blitz; a referral, a relocation; it's all good!

All those trickles keep the pool of prospects overflowing.

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

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We've made another trip around the sun and summertime is back!  There's no doubt about it today.  We are sizzling hot in Southern California!

The mood changes with summer's arrival.  Thoughts turn to more time with family and friends, vacations, and casual entertaining.   I reflect this change in attitude with the photos featured on the MLS and online.  So if you still have winter pictures of your listings posted, the first day of summer is an excellent time to make a seasonal change.

1. If there's a pool or other water feature, make sure it's sparkling clean and post an inviting photo.

2. All outdoor living areas should be featured.  People love to dine outdoors and an outdoor kitchen or eating area adds to the casual summer atmosphere.  Buyers are anxious to shed their winter cocoons.

3.  Shade trees, porches and sunrooms offer places to linger on a hot sunny day.

4.  Are bike and hiking trails nearby?  What about golf courses and tennis courts? Include a snapshot of neighborhood amenities too.

5.  Make sure your photos show your listings in all their summer glory!

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Find Norma on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - Email Norma

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No, we were not in a horrific car crash, but she is a heavenly buyer! 

 So Ms., Mr. or Mrs. Buyer here's what makes your real estate agent willing to scour the MLS for you, send regular emails of potential purchases or use a full tank of gas showing homes to you:

1.  You are pre-approved with a reputable lender. ( Do this before you begin searching for a home.)  You can't shop with confidence until you know what you can afford.

2.  You plan to purchase a home in 2008 as opposed to those dreamy "someday" buyers.

3.  You know what you want.  (This helps us narrow the search, saving time for us and not wasting yours.)

4.  You know what you do not want.  (Again, this saves time for all of us.)

5.  You return phone calls. (Phone tag is no fun to play by yourself.)

6.  You acknowledge emails and phone messages. (Communications is a two-way street.)

7.  You give advance notice regarding your availability to view properties. (It takes time to set   appointments.)

8.  You give adequate notice when you must cancel appointments. (Showing property must be orchestrated and coordinated with sellers, listing agents, buyers and the showing agent.)  It takes a village to show some properties!

9.  You communicate your likes and dislikes after viewing individual homes. (Again, the elimination factor is at work.)  We can't show you what you like unless you tell us what you like!

10. You phone your agent if you are running more than 10 minutes late. (If you're 30 minutes late or worse yet a no-show, your name and your agent's may be on a short list of lists you never want to make.)

Your home hunting experience will be more productive if you follow the above suggestions.  You may even find yourself having fun!

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Find Norma on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - Email Norma

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Are you an endangered species?  You may be on the list and not even know it.  Today's savvy agent is relying on technology, market knowledge and plain old survival tactics.  Darwin knew what he was talking about, when he coined the phrase 'Survival of the Fittest' and it still holds true.

How do you score on the real estate fitness test?

1.  Do you show up for work five days a week?  Someone once said showing up is half the battle and it's true.  A few months ago I had a 'drop in' at my office.  In the course of the conversation he mentioned his son was attending a few open houses and beginning to get serious about purchasing a home in Palos Verdes.  A few weeks ago we closed escrow.  The lead was dropped in my lap because I was there.


2.  Are you procreating your own leads?  Or are you procrastinating and passively waiting for the market to improve?   While many agents are cutting back, taking a break, and hoping the market will change, the savvy agent is enlarging his piece of the real estate pie.


3.  Do you have a plan of action each day?  The key word is action.  A plan is good, but without action the best laid plan will fail.  You must interact with the principals who move the market--buyers and sellers.


4. Do you hold yourself accountable?  Yes, the market is slow, but it is not dead.  Breathe more life into your segment and stop commiserating with those who continue to suck the life out of it. Stop whining and start winning!


5.  Are you making each ordinary day extraordinary in some way?  Take a few moments and write down three, yes just three extraordinary things you are going to do today to bring more business your way.  Three is a very small number but the results may surprise you.  The elite pool of extraordinary agents has room for you.  Dive in.

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Find Norma on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - Email Norma

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True, it was not front page news in the Wall Street Journal but nevertheless it was positive news found in Section C page 4. "Billionaire hedge-fund manager Edward S. Lampert is placing new bets on the U.S. housing recovery, buying stakes in beaten-up home builders, mortgage lender and a home-improvement retailer."

Yippee!  High five, fist bumps and air kisses to all!

Managers of hedge funds pride themselves in seeing the opportunies early and months ahead of the general public.  They are the risk takers, but some analysts think the housing market's decline may be nearing an end. Buying housing related stocks is a vote of confidence cast by Mr. Lampert.

It is the goal of every hedge fund manager to buy low and sell high.  Lampert obviously sees the opportunity to do this now.  If he's buying now how long will it take for his confidence to trickle down to the house hunting public?

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Find Norma on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - Email Norma

Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog - Palos Verdes Real Estate Website
Palos Verdes Home Search - More information on Palos Verdes

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‘If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe.' - Abraham Lincoln

I showed six high-end properties in Palos Verdes last weekend.  The actual showings took four hours, but the preparation took many more hours and a circus worthy juggling act!  Fortunately, I'm religious about previewing and attending broker open houses, so I was familiar with four of the properties.  Another home was a model in a new development a few years ago so this was going to be easier than I anticipated. Or so I thought.

The sixth property was in the same ocean front community and the same floorplan as the model, so I would be able to show it with ease and familiarity too.  Since the homes were scattered all over the Palos Verdes Peninsula I routed the properties and made guesstimate on showing times.

Next came the fun part--scheduling apointments with several listing agents.  The coordination took hours of phone tag, but with only minimal backtracking along the coastal coves, hills and canyons of Palos Verdes the plan was set.

I prepared folders for the buyers with information on each listing.  I familiarized myself with days on market, even checked the tax record to see when the current owners purchased the propety and how much they owed.  I checked recent sold comps for each property. I emailed the buyers with the address of the first property and oops, they needed to change the start time from 1:00 to 11:00.  It's time to reschedule and re-route!

The day of the showings I was at the carwash when it opened for a quick wash and fillup.  While my car was being cleaned I placed a confirmation/reminder call to the buyers.  It went to voicemail.  Yikes, is that panic I feel?

With only thirty minutes to show time and agents waiting in the wings to show their multi-million dollar listings, I received the most welcome call from the prospective buyers, "We're on our way, but we're running a bit late." 

I breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the files and hit the road, but not before making a few calls to the waiting agents.  Showing property is not as easy as it seems.  Just like Abraham Lincoln suggests in the above quote, we have to spend more time preparing for the task than it takes to perform it!

Footnote:  It was a seamless day that concluded with refreshments at Donald Trump's restaurant in Rancho Palos Verdes.  It was helpful to listen as the buyers discussed what they liked and disliked about the various properties.   Only a few hours later the buyers sent an email saying, "You made house hunting fun."

Abe, thanks for the advice.

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Find Norma on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - Email Norma

Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog - Palos Verdes Real Estate Website
Palos Verdes Home Search - More information on Palos Verdes

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Palos Verdes Houses Neighborhood and MLS Area Map

There are currently 249 Single Family Homes for sale in the four cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. 

54 Single Family Homes are in escrow and 167 Single Family Homes have sold year-to-date in 2008.  In March there were 226 Single Family Homes for sale, so inventory shows a slight increase.

An eye-catching price and eye-pleasing condition are crucial to moving from 'for sale' to SOLD.  In this balanced market buyers have many choices.  I showed property last Saturday and the buyers were not interested in seeing overpriced listings. We spent very little time at properties that did not show well. 

 There is only one home the prospective buyers want to see again.  It was priced competitively, stood out from the competition on condition and cooperation of the seller and the listing agent.  The lights were on, the drapes were open, and the pets were out walking their human. It was pleasing to the senses and sensibilities of savvy buyers. The buyers lingered and walked through a second time.  I was not surprised when they revealed it was their top choice of the day!

Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333 / Office Phone: (310) 831-0800

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Find Norma on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn - Email Norma

Palos Verdes Real Estate Blog - Palos Verdes Real Estate Website
Palos Verdes Home Search - More information on Palos Verdes

Boitano Palms - Boitano Palms Video - Boitano Palms
Custom Desert Home Boitano Palms - Palos Verdes Homes Videos

Subscribe via ActiveRain - Subscribe via Email - Start your own blog on activerain!

Palos Verdes Horse Homes Blog - Palos Verdes View Property Blog

Palos Verdes Estates Homes for Sale Market Reports

Norma's REMAX Palos Verdes Realty Office Phone Number

Palos Verdes Houses Neighborhood and MLS Area Map