Hi Everyone,
About 3 weeks ago I sold a house to my friends Dave and Michelle Levie. Dave has been a buddy of mine since we met at the University of Arizona and through Dave I of course met his wife Michelle.
Since the offer was accepted (they bought a house in Walnut Creek,) Dave has been very bummed that I didn't mention him on my blog. I think the quote went something like this...
Dave: So Conor, I see you haven't updated your blog in a while.
Conor: Yeah.
Dave: I was a little bummed that you didn't say something about selling a house to one of the coolest guy you know, or something along that line. Not even a mention, jeez.
Conor: Yeah, I will make sure to get on that.
So to one of the "coolest guys I know" Congrats on getting an amazing house. I couldn't be more excited for you and Michelle and I can't wait to see you make the place your own.
Conor
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Close of Escrow
Well today is a good day. I have officially closed my first Escrow! Although I have been working very hard it wasn't until today that I finally felt like a legitamate Real Estate agent.
Although it seems like the hard part is actually finding a place for someone, it turns out that going through the month long escrow period is the hardest part of selling a house. Not only are there piles of paperwork but there is negotiating, inspections, reports, not to mention waiting around for the lender to approve the loan. It is a trying experience but well worth it in the end. I was so happy today to hand over the keys to my buyer and be a small part of them buying their very first house.
On another good note, the weather is warm and it appears Spring is finally here...although I could definitely do without the seasonal allergies.
Conor
Although it seems like the hard part is actually finding a place for someone, it turns out that going through the month long escrow period is the hardest part of selling a house. Not only are there piles of paperwork but there is negotiating, inspections, reports, not to mention waiting around for the lender to approve the loan. It is a trying experience but well worth it in the end. I was so happy today to hand over the keys to my buyer and be a small part of them buying their very first house.
On another good note, the weather is warm and it appears Spring is finally here...although I could definitely do without the seasonal allergies.
Conor
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Writing the Offer
It's been a while since I have posted a blog. I have to keep reminding myself to update this site but I have actually been pretty busy which is great.
Last week I wrote my first offer. I have been a part of plenty of contracts and deals but this was the first offer that I wrote on my own with a client that I had procured. It was a great experience doing it I was able to gain a ton of confidence just from actually doing it instead of being walked through. Once the offer was turned in, we got a counter but chose not to respond to the counter. Although I was a little bummed about the counter offer not being where we wanted it to be I was still happy for the first of many of these nerve wracking experiences.
This past Saturday was my first day off in almost 2 whole weeks. Although people might not think I am working as much (because I am not 9 to 5,) the reality is that I am working 24 hours a day. I am answering work related calls at 7 in the morning and then again at 9 at night. Not only that, but I can't screen calls anymore! If I see a number I don't recognize, I have to pick it up because I don't want to miss a call from another agent. No worries though, I can still screen my friends calls because their name actually pops up on my phone.
All in all, things are going great here. I love coming into my office because it is a nice place to be. I like working with people, and I love the feeling I get when I see someone get the house that they were looking for. This is a feeling I can't wait to have myself someday.
Last note...in the next few days I have to go and check on a house in the skits of Oakland again. You can reference my story (poop in pants) to see how excited I am to do this. Best part is that it is the same exact house, I just have to see if they've left. I am putting it off for as long as possible...wish me luck. I hope everyone had a great long weekend.
Conor
Last week I wrote my first offer. I have been a part of plenty of contracts and deals but this was the first offer that I wrote on my own with a client that I had procured. It was a great experience doing it I was able to gain a ton of confidence just from actually doing it instead of being walked through. Once the offer was turned in, we got a counter but chose not to respond to the counter. Although I was a little bummed about the counter offer not being where we wanted it to be I was still happy for the first of many of these nerve wracking experiences.
This past Saturday was my first day off in almost 2 whole weeks. Although people might not think I am working as much (because I am not 9 to 5,) the reality is that I am working 24 hours a day. I am answering work related calls at 7 in the morning and then again at 9 at night. Not only that, but I can't screen calls anymore! If I see a number I don't recognize, I have to pick it up because I don't want to miss a call from another agent. No worries though, I can still screen my friends calls because their name actually pops up on my phone.
All in all, things are going great here. I love coming into my office because it is a nice place to be. I like working with people, and I love the feeling I get when I see someone get the house that they were looking for. This is a feeling I can't wait to have myself someday.
Last note...in the next few days I have to go and check on a house in the skits of Oakland again. You can reference my story (poop in pants) to see how excited I am to do this. Best part is that it is the same exact house, I just have to see if they've left. I am putting it off for as long as possible...wish me luck. I hope everyone had a great long weekend.
Conor
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Summer in January
Wow. For the past few days I have been walking around in what amounts to jeans and a t-shirt and I've been perfectly comfortable temperature wise.
Now, read that last sentence again, keeping in mind that it is January 13th. Seriously, The last time I experienced weather like this in January was back when I was in school at Arizona. Part of me wants some rain so that we won't have a drought, but a bigger part of me is absolutely loving this (relative) heat wave. It made it so much easier to go out and look at houses last weekend. At one point I believe I even uttered the phrase "wow, it's getting a little hot out here."
So here I am looking at houses this past Sunday with my dad and a family of three (the couple has a young son,) and I am in a pretty darn good mood. After looking at a few houses in the morning, it is getting close to lunch and the little guy, Felix, is getting pretty hungry. When asked what he wants, he says Chicken McNuggets, shocking that a 4 year old wants McNuggets, I know. So we stop at McDonalds and sit around the table and just start chatting and eating when I realize that life is pretty good. I mean, seriously, when someone asks me what my job is, from now on I will just say, eating chicken nuggets at McDonald's with a happy 4 year old. Pretty tough right? It turned out to be a long day of looking at houses but it was a good one.
Conor
P.S. McDonald's, if you are reading this, you owe me $100 for free McNugget advertising.
Now, read that last sentence again, keeping in mind that it is January 13th. Seriously, The last time I experienced weather like this in January was back when I was in school at Arizona. Part of me wants some rain so that we won't have a drought, but a bigger part of me is absolutely loving this (relative) heat wave. It made it so much easier to go out and look at houses last weekend. At one point I believe I even uttered the phrase "wow, it's getting a little hot out here."
So here I am looking at houses this past Sunday with my dad and a family of three (the couple has a young son,) and I am in a pretty darn good mood. After looking at a few houses in the morning, it is getting close to lunch and the little guy, Felix, is getting pretty hungry. When asked what he wants, he says Chicken McNuggets, shocking that a 4 year old wants McNuggets, I know. So we stop at McDonalds and sit around the table and just start chatting and eating when I realize that life is pretty good. I mean, seriously, when someone asks me what my job is, from now on I will just say, eating chicken nuggets at McDonald's with a happy 4 year old. Pretty tough right? It turned out to be a long day of looking at houses but it was a good one.
Conor
P.S. McDonald's, if you are reading this, you owe me $100 for free McNugget advertising.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Neighbors Know
Well, it's Wednesday and I've made it halfway through the week. It's a tough task for many of us to get this far but don't worry about me, I'm doing alright. I assume everyone has made it passed their Thanksgiving food coma at this point. I just came out of mine yesterday (not really, but that's what it feels like) and realized that Christmas is going to be here before we know it. I will be spending my holiday with family down in Buenos Aires, Argentina and I couldn't be more excited about it. Onto the weeks activities...
I am working with a client who is looking for a place in Oakland. Recently, she found a place she liked but wasn't sure how safe the neighboorhood was. We decided that the best way to find out was to knock on some doors and see what the neighboors have to say. She set out that very day and started knocking on doors, good for her! it turns out that she met a bunch of very pleasant people during her door knocking and it made her feel much better about the property she was looking at. She also made her way down the street to talk to some of the local businesses, all the while getting a great amount of information about the area and even some other areas in Oakland that she might like.
After hearing all of this I realized that neighboors love to talk about the area that they live in. They are full of information and they know a lot more about certain areas than I do. I need to be open to listening to everyone and even make it a priority to just get myself out there and talk to people. Shouldn't be too hard to do right?
That's it for today. I hope everyone has a great week!
Conor
I am working with a client who is looking for a place in Oakland. Recently, she found a place she liked but wasn't sure how safe the neighboorhood was. We decided that the best way to find out was to knock on some doors and see what the neighboors have to say. She set out that very day and started knocking on doors, good for her! it turns out that she met a bunch of very pleasant people during her door knocking and it made her feel much better about the property she was looking at. She also made her way down the street to talk to some of the local businesses, all the while getting a great amount of information about the area and even some other areas in Oakland that she might like.
After hearing all of this I realized that neighboors love to talk about the area that they live in. They are full of information and they know a lot more about certain areas than I do. I need to be open to listening to everyone and even make it a priority to just get myself out there and talk to people. Shouldn't be too hard to do right?
That's it for today. I hope everyone has a great week!
Conor
Monday, December 1, 2008
Thanksgiving
Well it's Monday and everyone is back to work it appears. I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday, I know mine personally was very relaxing. I ate lots of food and played a horrible round of golf. The company on the golf course was great, my game was not.
From what I have learned so far, this time of the year is the most important time you can spend working as a real estate agent. Not many people are buying houses right now but this is a great time to keep in touch with people and set yourself up for the upcoming year. With that in mind I would like to formally invite all comers to a Santa Photo day at our office. Info below...
Santa Photos (Free!!)
Where: Coldwell Banker Danville
When: Saturday December 6th, 2008 from 10am to 1pm
Why: Because who doesn't want a photo with Santa?
I hope to see many people there!
On the photo note, one thing I do like about the holiday season is getting cards with family photos. It's always nice to hear from people that I haven't seen in years and at least get an update on how the family is doing. Always fun as well, is looking back at the photos your family has sent out in the past just to compare how funny you looked a few years back.
That is it for now, no witty banter today, just the facts and well wishes during this Holiday Season.
Conor
From what I have learned so far, this time of the year is the most important time you can spend working as a real estate agent. Not many people are buying houses right now but this is a great time to keep in touch with people and set yourself up for the upcoming year. With that in mind I would like to formally invite all comers to a Santa Photo day at our office. Info below...
Santa Photos (Free!!)
Where: Coldwell Banker Danville
When: Saturday December 6th, 2008 from 10am to 1pm
Why: Because who doesn't want a photo with Santa?
I hope to see many people there!
On the photo note, one thing I do like about the holiday season is getting cards with family photos. It's always nice to hear from people that I haven't seen in years and at least get an update on how the family is doing. Always fun as well, is looking back at the photos your family has sent out in the past just to compare how funny you looked a few years back.
That is it for now, no witty banter today, just the facts and well wishes during this Holiday Season.
Conor
Monday, November 17, 2008
Training
Sorry I haven't posted for a few weeks but I have been busy with formal training. This is my first day back in the office after a solid 2 weeks of sitting in a classroom and learning about everything real estate. I would love to say that it was an epic 2 week adventure filled with stories and comaraderie, but alas, it wasn't. Either way, I am glad to be back and posting, hopefully I will have a good story after this week.
*Random Real Estate Joke*
Joe walks up to St. Peter's Gate on his way into heaven. Before he can go in, he gets stopped at the gate by God. God says,
"Joe, we have been doing things a little bit different lately. Today, I am going to give you a tour of heaven. Tomorrow, the devil will give you a tour of hell. After you have seen both places, you can make a decision on where you would like to go."
Joe agrees and walks with God through heaven. On his left he sees crystal clear lakes filled with 78 degree water perfect for bathing. On his right he sees men and women in long white robes playing gorgeous melodies on harps. In front of him, he sees an endless line of fluffy white clouds and he is immediately at peace. Joe tells God that he is happy in heaven and doesn't even need to see hell. God responds by telling Joe that everyone has to see both places so they can make an informed decision.
So the next day Joe walks into hell lead by the Devil. On his left he sees an open bar with gorgeous women holding drinks for him. On the right he hears music by his favorite band being blared throughout the grounds and in front of him he sees baseball being played nonstop.
The next day he goes back to God and says, "I can't believe I'm going to say this but God, I think I want to stay in Hell."
God grants him his wish and the next day he shows up in Hell. He arrives in Hell only to find fire where there was a bar, nails on a chalkboard coming from the right and people doing jumping jacks in front of him. He is very confused and finds the devil, only to ask "Devil, what happened to everything I saw yesterday?"
The Devil responds, "Well Joe, yesterday you were a prospect. Today, you're a client."
P.S. Don't get the wrong idea because working with me wouldn't be like that!!
*Random Real Estate Joke*
Joe walks up to St. Peter's Gate on his way into heaven. Before he can go in, he gets stopped at the gate by God. God says,
"Joe, we have been doing things a little bit different lately. Today, I am going to give you a tour of heaven. Tomorrow, the devil will give you a tour of hell. After you have seen both places, you can make a decision on where you would like to go."
Joe agrees and walks with God through heaven. On his left he sees crystal clear lakes filled with 78 degree water perfect for bathing. On his right he sees men and women in long white robes playing gorgeous melodies on harps. In front of him, he sees an endless line of fluffy white clouds and he is immediately at peace. Joe tells God that he is happy in heaven and doesn't even need to see hell. God responds by telling Joe that everyone has to see both places so they can make an informed decision.
So the next day Joe walks into hell lead by the Devil. On his left he sees an open bar with gorgeous women holding drinks for him. On the right he hears music by his favorite band being blared throughout the grounds and in front of him he sees baseball being played nonstop.
The next day he goes back to God and says, "I can't believe I'm going to say this but God, I think I want to stay in Hell."
God grants him his wish and the next day he shows up in Hell. He arrives in Hell only to find fire where there was a bar, nails on a chalkboard coming from the right and people doing jumping jacks in front of him. He is very confused and finds the devil, only to ask "Devil, what happened to everything I saw yesterday?"
The Devil responds, "Well Joe, yesterday you were a prospect. Today, you're a client."
P.S. Don't get the wrong idea because working with me wouldn't be like that!!
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