Real estate pricing jello

I love jello.  As Bill Cosby famously said, “There’s always room for Jello.” It’s jiggly, wiggly and always in motion.
Kind of like real estate pricing.
Before you go thinking I’ve gone off the deep end, let me explain.
Sellers invariably want to price their property with a “little room for negotiation”; meaning, if they want a selling price of $300k (and the property is worth $300 according to extensive research), they want to list at $310- knowing they will easily accept the $300. It’s a rational theory, but here’s the rub:
Buyers initially look at property based on one major factor, usually price. If a seller’s property is priced too high from the get-go, potential buyers won’t even drive by. There are just too many good options for buyer’s to bother with an over priced property.
If a seller truly wants to sell their property, they will price it accordingly and step away from the Jello.

5 things that could save your life

Recently, I attended a realtor-centered self defense course sponsored by the lovely team over at Sterling on the Lake; a lovely community outside the perimeter. I love that they provided Realtors this training just to help keep us safe, regardless of whether or not we had any listings in their community. Thank you to the folks at Sterling and Windermere! www.sterlingonthelake.com or www.discoverwindermere.com

Deputy Peter Sabella and his partner from the Forsythe County Sheriff’s office provided the training.

I honestly thought I knew a lot about keeping safe when showing property, and just in general. ….For instance, I know better than to enter a property first- allowing the client to walk through the door first keeps you in control if you need to run quickly.

That was about the only thing I had right.

5 safety tips everyone should follow:

1. Give it up- If someone demands your keys/purse/laptop, for goodness sake, give it to them. However do not hand it to them- that puts you in a position to get grabbed. Toss whatever it is on the ground near the assailant so they have to bend over to pick it up. When they bend over, turn the other way and run. Also, don’t chuck the item like an outfielder- that will just make the assailant more aggressive. Your body is the only thing that is not replaceable.

2. Use your head- We all have intuition- use it. Females really do have a sixth sense, I can testify. Males have a sixth sense with regards to their- ahem- private parts. Therefore use caution when going for the jewels, most of the time they sense it coming. Don’t cock your leg back to get a better swing.

3. Spray- Keep pepper spray out and handy- not inside the cute leather container on your keychain- also practice using the pepper spray on a tree (NOT on person, even if you don’t like them). Spray in a Z, trying to get near the eye/nose area. It only takes a tiny bit to incapacitate someone.

4. Elbows are better, but if you use your hands- Obviously, avoiding physical contact is the best situation- always run away if possible. If you find yourself in close contact with an assailant, do not use your fingernails to scratch, use them to gouge eyes (I thought if you scratched, you would have some of your assailants’ DNA under your fingernails…the officers politely mentioned they only look for that kind of stuff on dead bodies, the goal is to get away- not gather evidence). Also when striking out, don’t make a fist- use the fleshy part of your palm.

5. Train- Your body will react on it’s own if you train it to. It’s called “muscle memory”. Physically practice what you would do if someone came up behind you. Make sure you incorporate some yelling in your training, “Get Back”, “Go Away”, something like that.

It’s important to practice, even if you never use it.

I would say the repetitive training is imperative. Everyone should take a self defense training class in this business, even the For Sale by Owners…ESPECIALLY the For Sale By Owners. My heart goes out to those For Sale by Owner folks that invite unknown people into their safe space and do not even think twice….at least as Realtors, we have required awareness training.