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

Today I finished showing my "morning buyers" at 11:45 AM and my "afternoon buyers" are not due until 1:30 PM.  After a quick lunch I am back at my office waiting....I have an offer to write, mid-week showing appointments to set, but I'd rather fill in the little gaps of idle time with blogs and save the hard core real estate duties for Monday morning. 

In the past I was reluctant to blog in the middle of the day.  That time was reserved for hard core real estate work.  However, last week I received so many comments (and compliments) on my blog and web site I realized blogging is some of the most important work I do.  I do not pay for leads: I generate my own leads by providing a wealth of information for prospective buyers and sellers.

The end result is I am a better real estate agent because I blog.  I am better informed, more knowledgeable about the local market and current real estate trends.  As a result my followers have more information at their fingertips and knowledge is power.  Blogging is no longer an after-hours activity for me, instead it is an effective way to masterfully market to the world in 30 minutes or less--any time, any where. It does not get more "hard core" than that!

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

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses 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. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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

Palos Verdes Homes Blog - Rancho Palos Verdes Homes
Palos Verdes Horse Property - Palos Verdes Realtor Blog
Boitano Palms Lots for Sale - Homes with Views in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Homes - Palos Verdes Homes

Palos Verdes Photography - Palos Verdes Videos

Foreclosure Report for Rolling Hills, California during March 2010.

• Total single family homes for sale in RH: 17 Homes
• Foreclosed/bank-owned homes for sale in RH: 0 Homes
  
• Pre-foreclosure homes for sale in RH: 0 Houses
• Short Sale listing homes for sale in RH: 0 Homes

Foreclosure related and short sale listings make up 0% of the current homes for sale in Rolling Hills.

Rolling Hills - Foreclosure/Short Sale by Neighborhood (Active Listings)

• Rolling Hills: 0 Houses
  

Search for available foreclosure and bank-owned homes on our Palos Verdes website. You can view foreclosure sale homes in most cities in Southern California and no registration is required. Or email Norma for a free list of bank-owned properties.

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

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses 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. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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

Palos Verdes Homes Blog - Rancho Palos Verdes Homes
Palos Verdes Horse Property - Palos Verdes Realtor Blog
Boitano Palms Lots for Sale - Homes with Views in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Homes - Palos Verdes Homes

Palos Verdes Photography - Palos Verdes Videos

Foreclosure Report for Rancho Palos Verdes, California during March 2010.

• Total single family homes for sale in RPV: 84 Homes
• Foreclosed/bank-owned homes for sale in RPV: 1 Homes
  
• Pre-foreclosure homes for sale in RPV: 2 Houses
• Short Sale listing homes for sale in RPV: 5 Homes

Foreclosure related and short sale listings make up 8.3% of the current homes for sale in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Rancho Palos Verdes - Foreclosure/Short Sale by Neighborhood (Active Listings)

• Palos Verdes Drive East: 3 Houses
  
• Country Club: 2 Houses
  
• Silver Spur: 2 Homes
  

Search for available foreclosure and bank-owned homes on our Palos Verdes website. You can view foreclosure sale homes in most cities in Southern California and no registration is required. Or email Norma for a free list of bank-owned properties.

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

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses 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. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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

Palos Verdes Homes Blog - Rancho Palos Verdes Homes
Palos Verdes Horse Property - Palos Verdes Realtor Blog
Boitano Palms Lots for Sale - Homes with Views in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Homes - Palos Verdes Homes

Palos Verdes Photography - Palos Verdes Videos

Foreclosure Report for Palos Verdes Peninsula/Rolling Hills Estates, California during March 2010.

• Total single family homes for sale in RHE/PVP: 29 Homes
• Foreclosed/bank-owned homes for sale in RHE/PVP: 0 Homes
  
• Pre-foreclosure homes for sale in RHE/PVP: 0 Houses
• Short Sale listing homes for sale in RHE/PVP: 1 Home

Foreclosure related and short sale listings make up 3.4% of the current homes for sale in Rolling Hills Estates and the unincorporated area of Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Palos Verdes Peninsula/Rolling Hills Estates - Foreclosure/Short Sale by Neighborhood (Active Listings)

• Palos Verdes Drive North Area: 1 House
  

Search for available foreclosure and bank-owned homes on our Palos Verdes website. You can view foreclosure sale homes in most cities in Southern California and no registration is required. Or email Norma for a free list of bank-owned properties.

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

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses 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. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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

Palos Verdes Homes Blog - Rancho Palos Verdes Homes
Palos Verdes Horse Property - Palos Verdes Realtor Blog
Boitano Palms Lots for Sale - Homes with Views in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Homes - Palos Verdes Homes

Palos Verdes Photography - Palos Verdes Videos

Foreclosure Report for Palos Verdes Estates, California during March 2010.

• Total single family homes for sale in PVE: 78 Homes
• Foreclosed/bank-owned homes for sale in PVE: 0 Homes
  
• Pre-foreclosure homes for sale in PVE: 0 Houses
• Short Sale listing homes for sale in PVE: 2 Homes

Foreclosure related and short sale listings make up 2.5% of the current homes for sale in Palos Verdes Estates.

Palos Verdes Estates - Foreclosure/Short Sale by Neighborhood (Active Listings)

• Lunada Bay: 0 Houses
  
• Monte Malaga: 1 Houses
  
• Malaga Cove: 0 Homes
  
• Valmonte: 1 Homes

Search for available foreclosure and bank-owned homes on our Palos Verdes website. You can view foreclosure sale homes in most cities in Southern California and no registration is required. Or email Norma for a free list of bank-owned properties.

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

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses 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. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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

Palos Verdes Homes Blog - Rancho Palos Verdes Homes
Palos Verdes Horse Property - Palos Verdes Realtor Blog
Boitano Palms Lots for Sale - Homes with Views in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Homes - Palos Verdes Homes

Palos Verdes Photography - Palos Verdes Videos

This post will push me past 300,000 points on Active Rain. I have posted nearly 900 articles and reaped untold benefits including a tiny bit of fame (my real estate blog was voted one of the ten best in Los Angeles by Relocation.com), a tad of community recognition and was tagged as a go-to source for information about the local market.  All good stuff.

The real thrill for me is the increased level of information I can disseminate to my clients and prospective customer base. It still amazes me when an open house attendee tells me my blog or web site is on their "Favorites" page, or when I receive a phone call asking about a particular area of Palos Verdes and they mention they are loyal followers of my Palos Verdes Lifestyle Blog.

For me it is not the points, it is not even the posts, it is the people.  Oh, it's also nice to take checks to the bank.

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

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses 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. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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

Palos Verdes Peninsula Blog - Palos Verdes Homes
Peninsula Horse Property - Palos Verdes Listing Agent
Boitano Palms Lots for Sale - Houses with Views in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Estates - Palos Verdes Home Search
Palos Verdes Photography - Palos Verdes Property Videos

If you're looking for a townhouse in San Pedro, CA here is one you should see!  It is remodeled throughout with a granite and stainless steel kitchen, three gorgeous baths and hardwood and tile floors everywhere.  There are two spacious master suites, a private patio and a two car garage. 

Located in one of San Pedro's most sought after complexes, The Gardens, you can swim or play tennis every day of the week.  Starbucks is a short walk away!  Conveniently located close to shopping, theaters and freeway access.  $449,500.  Open House on Saturday, March 27, 2010 2-4 PM.  See you there!

What's a seller to do when she returns home to find a prospective buyer, or two, reclining on the bed in the master bedroom?  Yesterday, while showing high-end property a prospective buyer related this amusing story about her most recent selling experience.  It seems a showing turned into a three hour event and concluded with the buyers lingering so long in the master bedroom she decided to "check on" them.  The agent was still upright but the prospective buyers were lounging on the bed.

The story was told as we waited for a listing agent to arrive for our showing appointment. We were treated to a professional and informative showing, after all, who knows a property better than the agent representing it?  All doors were opened, all questions were answered so no snooping or decision making on the bed was necessary.  I am familiar with the neighborhood and even sold a home on the same block, but it was really helpful to hear the hyper-micro story of the property.

My client is informed, respectful and appreciative.  She is not one to indulge in bad buyer behavior, nor am I one to tolerate abuse of the privilege, but I do think her story is a powerful reason for listing agents to be present for showings whenever possible.

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

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses 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. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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

Palos Verdes Peninsula Blog - Palos Verdes is Home
Peninsula Horse Property - Palos Verdes Listing Agent
Boitano Palms Lots for Sale - Houses with Views in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Estates - 90275 90274 Homes
Palos Verdes Photography - Palos Verdes Property Videos

Since spring is here it may seen inappropriate to discuss snow, particularly after a winter of ferocious weather in many areas, but I am currently reading The Snowball, Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder.  The quote on the jacket cover reminded me how much a career in real estate has in common with a snowball:  "Life is like a snowball.  The important thing is finding wet snow and a really long hill."  Warren Buffett

I was halfway down the hill and living in a new state when I began my real estate career in 1992.  My nearest relative was two thousand miles away and my friends were scattered across the USA in the pit-stops I made from Chicago to Maine to Baltimore to Florida in my previous life as a corporate gypsy.  With a desire to put my transient days behind me, I enrolled my youngest child in kindergarten and myself in real estate school.

License in hand, I strolled into the closest real estate office, the broker assigned a desk, handed me the multiple listing book and with a smile told me to, "Go sell something."  With no relatives, no school or club chums and no SOI in sight I did not know the odds were stacked against me.  I gathered up what little "snow" was at my disposal (I held office listings open on weekends and spend endless hours fielding calls at the up desk). After weeks of immersing myself in the business and hurling small snowballs into the Universe, I took my first listing and as luck would have it I received an up call and sold it too.  Yes, dual agency in my very first transaction.

Over the years the snowball grew in size and moved forward with varying speed.  Word of mouth, direct mail, open houses, my love of writing advertorials for the local newspaper and a monthly newsletter started in 1993 added girth and growth.  Referrals and repeat clients became the core of my business. Active Rain blogging and Internet savvy gave me a new way to keep the snowball rolling forward.

Today is a perfect example of embracing the growing momentum:  A lead from my website will have me out previewing for an ocean view home.  Yesterday's listing appointment generated by a direct mailer requires followup, Later this afternoon I will list a past client's home.  A nurtured Internet lead wants to purchase income property.  Yes, it can get pretty hectic as the snowball grows, but the satisfaction grows too.

Those flowers in the photo are from a prospective first time buyer and a reader of my blog. Other current listings and buyers are from referrals, Active Rain, open house, past clients and my website.  They're all wrapped up in my real estate snowball.

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

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses 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. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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

Palos Verdes Peninsula Blog - Palos Verdes is Home
Peninsula Horse Property - Palos Verdes Listing Agent
Boitano Palms Lots for Sale - Houses with Views in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Estates - 90275 90274 Homes
Palos Verdes Photography - Palos Verdes Property Videos

Not every home needs to be staged; some homes absolutely need it. Other homes are somewhere in between.  So how do you determine what level of staging will benefit your property (and pocket) most?

If you are selling a fixer below market value prospective buyers will not expect it to be designer perfect and fully staged.  They will expect it to be clutter free and clean--de-staged!  On the other hand, if your property is a luxury home, buyer's expectations will be high and a beautifully staged house is the perfect way to meet or exceed high expectations.

If your property falls somewhere in the middle, neither fixer nor luxury, then selective staging is probably the route for you.  Perhaps a day or two of sorting, storing and tossing are in order.  Maybe a power wash on the exterior and thorough spring cleaning on the interior will add the only sparkle required. 

I once staged only the courtyard, living room and patio and received rave reviews for the mini makeover.  On another occasion I paid a professional to "thin out" some very cluttered bookcases.  The space went from disheveled to elegant in one hour!

Each house has a story.  Is it occupied or vacant?  Is there a view or other focal point to play up?  You would be surprised at the number of views hidden behind overgrown trees and shielded from view by heavy drapes or unopened shades.  Sometimes the staging is that simple.  Other times it is more complex.  The property may need a personality pop and full out staging is a great way to bid the boring house goodbye.  No imagination required--it is all there right before your eyes.

To market, to market, to sell your house--Part 4 How to Collaborate and Cooperate--It's a Team Effort.

More Seller Tips from Norma!

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

PalosVerdesLifestyle - Nominated by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.

South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses 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. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

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

Palos Verdes Peninsula Blog - Palos Verdes is Home
Peninsula Horse Property - Palos Verdes Listing Agent
Boitano Palms Lots for Sale - Houses with Views in Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Coastal Estates - 90275 90274 Homes
Palos Verdes Photography - Palos Verdes Property Videos