General Musings

Phoenix is a pretty laid back city - guys can get away with a golf shirt and a nice pair of pants all year long for just about any occasion.  And during the summer, when it’s 100+ outside, wearing shorts is not uncommon.

This week has been interesting, though, and the dress code conversation has come up several times among my friends and colleagues.  Here’s the problem:

Today is October 2nd.  Autumn.  Fall festivals.  Leaves changing colors.  All that stuff.  Time to get out the winter clothes and enjoy the changing of the seasons!

Today is going to be 102 degrees.  Few things are less fun than showing homes, and getting in and out of the car a dozen times, while sweating profusely in your good, winter dress clothes!

Personally, I tend to use the thermometer over the calendar.  You probably won’t see me wearing anything other than shorts from the time we break the mid 90’s in May until the time we come back down into the 90’s in October. (that didn’t sound right - I actually wear shirts, too.)  Some people go the other way instead.  Tomato, tomahto.

It looks like the debate will be short-lived this year, as we’re supposed to get some autumn weather this weekend:  80’s, here we come!

Here is some historical average information regarding Phoenix temperatures and participation.

Source:  USAToday.com

Your dusting off his long pants Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

I’m going to be making some changes to this site over the next day or two, so please bear with me if you see anything funky going on!  I’m a big-time tech-user, but not much of a programmer, so wish me luck.  Hopefully I can do more good than harm…

There will be a new MLS system in place beginning next Monday. Actually, all new activity in the current MLS system will be suspended on Thursday in preparation for a weekend conversion to the new system.

I spent a little bit of time test driving the new system this morning; it’s going to be quite a change. Although it’s radically different from the current system, at its core it isn’t all that different at all. Here are some of the things that jumped out at me right away.

The single biggest difference between the two systems is the access to, and ability to manipulate, data. Our MLS system contains millions of pieces of information. However, it hasn’t always been easy, or even possible, to find a particular piece of information. The new system will make searching, sorting, finding, analyzing, and presenting various data much easier. Of course, it will have pros and cons, and some people will pine for the good old system.

Pros:

Access to Data. I’ll be able to manipulate, search, sort, and analyze like never before.

Time Savings. Many of the things I do today require multiple steps, and sometimes I have to use multiple applications. Most of these functions are built into the new system.

Polygonal Searching. The new system allows me to search by map, using my mouse to click my way in and around neighborhoods or along a diagonal border. Say goodbye to often-useless rectangle search borders!

Cons:

Ease of Use. I don’t think many of my competitors had the ability or desire to get everything possible out of our current MLS system. Now that a lot of that functionality will be only a few clicks away, more of the less tech-savvy Realtors are going to be able to figure it out.

Learning Curve. It looks like I’m going to be spending a lot of time over the next couple of weeks learning all the ins and outs of the new system… Oh well, at least it gives me something to do.

Your looking forward to a better system Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: FlexMLS

Well, sort of. I was on tv last night, in the news, but my last name never got mentioned..

In the last year I’ve been interviewed by various magazines and news media 5 times – twice for magazines, once by a local newspaper reporter, and twice on camera for the local tv news. Yesterday was the first time I made it through the editing room and into the story!

If you didn’t catch the Channel 3 news last night, you can click the picture above to see a video of the story. (the link takes you to azfamily.com; I can’t get the video embedded..) Unfortunately, the final cut didn’t include a proper introduction or a screen graphic with our website’s address. Maybe next time…

Reporter Kristine Harrington and I spoke for almost 15 minutes (on camera and off), covering a wide variety of angles regarding the current market, many of which I’ve written about on this blog at one time or another. But the cover story was ASU’s new report showing a year over year drop in prices, so obviously that’s where the focus was.

Your telling it like it is Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

 ps - Thanks to Jay Thompson for not being available!

Technorati Tags: Channel 3 news

Right now I’m working from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at 75th Ave & Bell (free wi-fi access.)   I ordered something to drink, and the barista asked me “Do you need whipped cream on that?”

The question got me to thinking..  I’ve never been asked that before; usually I’m asked if I *want* whipped cream!  And then I thought..  No, I don’t really *need* whipped cream - in fact, I don’t really *need* this drink at all.  After which I thought..  which of my services do my clients want, and which do they need?

Sometimes clients don’t know exactly what they need, which is half the reason they hire me in the first place.  Sometimes a client’s wants and needs aren’t the same thing - like when a client wants to sell their home for $500k, but they need to sell the home within 45 days, and the current market value is $450k!  And sometimes a client isn’t even sure what they want, but they’re awfully happy when I provide it to them anyway.

In the end, I think serving my clients’ needs is what keeps them legally protected and keeps their transaction from having problems.  But serving my clients’ wants, known or unknown, is what top-level customer service is all about, and it’s what generates future repeat & referral business.  Serving needs merely makes a realtor competent; serving wants is what makes a realtor good.

Your just thinking out loud Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: customer service

Good things seem to happen while I’m on vacation, but few things could be better than this! You’ve probably already read Heather’s announcement, or Jay’s announcement, but I’m going to talk (brag) about it anyway!

I’m always happy to meet people who are smart, energetic, motivated, funny, reliable, forward-thinking, and customer-centric. It’s even better when I get a chance to work with them on the same team! Heather’s got all of these attributes and more, and I’m thrilled to have her as part of our team.

Now if I can just continue to surround myself with the best people, eventually they’ll be able to hide all my shortcomings…!

Your learning from his team Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: NorthPhoenixAgent, Thompson’s Realty, Butterworth Group

It’s official..  We’re Phoenix Real Estate Guys!

Two months ago I announced that HomeSmart had acquired Dan Schwartz Realty, and that we would be exploring all available options. I wrote at that time:

People Matter Most. We’re currently with Dan Schwartz Realty, not because of the commission splits, the office facilities, the training, or the support. In fact, we operate as an almost autonomous group. We’re with this office because of one man – the owner and designated broker, Duane Fouts. Duane is someone whom I respect, trust, admire, and genuinely like. (and I think/hope the feelings are mutual!)

We may move our group over to HomeSmart, or we may move to a different brokerage entirely. I’m not sure exactly when we’ll make the change – probably within the next couple of months – but I can guaranty 2 things:

1. The move to a new office, whichever office that might be, will NOT have a negative impact on our clients. If anything, hopefully we can use this opportunity to provide even MORE value.

2. We will end up at an office owned and operated by someone whom we respect, trust, admire, and genuinely like. You can count on that.

I’m happy to say we succeeded across the board. Jay and Francy are terrific Realtors, and they’re even better people! We’ve had many conversations, and each time it feels as though I’m talking to someone on my team – we share the same business and life philosophies. Not only that, but Jay’s one of only a handful of people in Phoenix who can help us improve our web presence and our marketing reach for our clients!

We’re looking forward to a long stay, and a great relationship.

(We’ve got more changes on the horizon, too – so stay tuned…)

Your excited about the change Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: The Butterworth Group, Thompson’s Realty

With all of the so-called experts making predictions about the Phoenix real estate market, I try to refrain from making definitive predictions myself about when the market will rebound, when the bottom of the market will hit, and so on.  There are just so many variables that contribute to how the Phoenix real estate market reacts that it’s just impossible to predict what it will do with any certainty.  Instead I try to provide you with statistics from our market, and based on those statistics,  attempt to explain to you what is currently happening and try to make some assumptions as to what might happen next.

However, with the Phoenix weather, I though I was pretty safe when I wrote this post last week.  I didn’t think it was too much of a stretch to say that we wouldn’t be seeing another cool rainy day for a few months at least.  Apparently I was wrong.  It’s 60 degrees and drizzling today, and it’s May 23rd!!  That’s right, you heard me correctly, it’s Memorial Day weekend and we’re experiencing January weather.  This is normally the first big get-out-of-town-and-go-up-north-to-get-out-of-the-heat weekend of the year.  If you’re going up north this weekend, you better pack some warm clothes.  It’s gonna be cold!!

Call me crazy, but I’m going to go out on another limb and say that these will be last cool rainy days for quite some time.  As much as I enjoy them, I just don’t see this kind of weather happening again before October-ish, maybe even later than that.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take ‘em whenever they come, but I’m not going to be holding my breath.

-Steve Nicks

Technorati Tags: phoenix real estate market, weather preditctions

As I was driving around this afternoon taking care of a few errands, I noticed a couple of things that I don’t expect to see for a while. I figured I’d take a couple of pictures to savor the moment.

I promise I was stopped when I took that picture. Albeit in the middle of a street, a residential one at least, but I was stopped; unlike my crazy, camera wielding colleague Chris with his Moving Stills posts. J It wouldn’t take me long before I’d run into somebody while trying to take a picture and drive at the same time.

And this shot made me think of the time I spent living in Northern Idaho. I grew up here in Phoenix. Lived in the same house all my life. Until my wife and I got married and we decided to move up to her home town, Sandpoint, ID. After about a year, we decided that we preferred city life as opposed to the rural lifestyle. We’re young and just aren’t ready to turn off the lights at 8:00 pm. So we moved back to Phoenix, and when I left I was sure that if I never saw another gray cloudy day it would be too soon. Well, the grass is always greener, right? Sometimes I find myself wishing for a cold, gray, rainy day every now and then. With our 300 and some odd days of bright, often blistering hot, sunny days here in Phoenix, it’s just nice to not have to wear sunglasses, and to not feel too guilty when you go on “rainy day schedule”. Granted, today wasn’t what I’d call a cold, gray, rainy day, but at least for a little while in my neck of the woods in north Phoenix it looked like it was. I’ll take every little bit I can get right now, because I know that for the next (I don’t even want to think about it) 4-5 months it’s gonna be HOT!!

-Steve Nicks

Technorati Tags: north phoenix, cloudy day

They say the average life of a car battery in Phoenix is 18-24 months. (if you have one of those top-of-the-line, 84-month super guaranty-types, you’ll be closer to the 24 months!) Sometimes they’ll last for years, while other times you might only get one summer out of them. 4 consecutive months of 100+ degree heat each year is just too much for them to take.

Yesterday my car was nice enough to warn me that my battery would be dying soon. When I started my car in the morning I heard the gr-gr-gr-gr before it finally turned over. It’s much worse when you don’t get any warning – sometimes I’m on the other side of town, at night, and in a hurry, when my battery announces its retirement.

I decided to buy a new battery since the end was near – maybe not this week, but I’d rather change it at my own house and on my own time schedule! Unfortunately, I must have run over something in the Checker parking lot, because 30 minutes after changing my battery I was at Discount Tire buying 2 new tires as well.

Apparently yesterday was car maintenance day. Funny though, it wasn’t on my calendar…

Your faithful servant to his car Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: car maintenance

I look around at people selling a service – Realtors and otherwise – and I see a lot of people with outstanding messages about their quality. I see messages about the highest levels of customer service, customer satisfaction, or even a simple message about “great quality”.

It’s when everybody has the same message that I try to read between the lines to get a better understanding of who that person is or what they’re selling. Here are some examples:

Last week I saw an expensive truck with the owner’s business advertised in the window.

Handyman for Hire

Great Work at Great Prices

No Job is too small

Call 602-XXX-YYYY

Pretty impressive message, right? But what if I told you that the letters were crooked, and that the expensive truck had a big dent in the fender – would that change your opinion? It did for me – looks to me like a handyman who doesn’t think how the finished product looks is very important. I chose not to write down his phone number.

When a Realtor’s website promises a comprehensive marketing plan, I’m impressed. When I see one of that Realtor’s listings has an Info-tube filled with smudgy black & white photocopies of the property’s MLS printout, rather than high-quality flyers highlighting the property’s best features, I’m no longer impressed.

When a Realtor’s website promises full-color photos of your property will appear online, I’m impressed. When I see really bad pictures in the MLS, I’m no longer impressed.

People are going to read between the lines in whatever it is you do, so you might as well do a great job! (at least, that’s what we aim for!)

Your reading between the lines Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Technorati Tags: marketing

I went to get my hair cut on Tuesday, like I do every three weeks (I might have a touch of OCD, when it comes to tidiness, my hair included. Just ask my wife, sometimes most times I drive her nuts). I was informed midway through the hair cut that I had a few grey hairs. Boy if that doesn’t make you feel old, I don’t know what does. I played it off like it didn’t bother me. I think I even made the comment, “that’s alright, grey hairs are distinguishing on men”. Well, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. And I think I’m going to officially blame the Phoenix real estate market for the onset of my grey hairs.

I want to put the grey hairs on notice….”I’ve got my eyes on you!!!!”

 P.S.  If the market doesn’t get back “normal” here pretty soon, I may look like “Mr. Distinguished” in the photo before I know it!!

-Steve Nicks

Technorati Tags: phoenix real estate market, grey hair