Save Gas, Time & Money with these Real Estate Search Tips
Posted by Erica Vautier | Currently 1 Comment »
The secret to having more Time and Money has been sought after by people for thousands of years. Recently, we have added a new item to the list of things to lust after…GAS.
While prices have come down slightly over the past week, they are anything but low. The average price for mid-grade gasoline in California is $4.23 while the U.S. average for mid-grade gasoline is $3.93 (data from from U.S. Energy Information Association, 8/11/08).
High gas prices wouldn’t be so bad if we were only driving a couple miles a day, but the majority of Americans are driving much more than that. In fact, the U.S. Department of Transportation reports that we drive an average of 13,476 miles per year.
At 20 miles per gallon and $4.23 per gallon, we are spending $2850.17 a year on gas.
Sigh!
Real Estate agents suffer even more than the rest of us as they tote clients up and down the coast, from property to property. Anyone searching for a new home understands this plight…
So now the great challenge is to find a way to save time, money AND gas. It is definitely a challenge, but it is not impossible.
Follow the tips below and you will be well on your way to conserving our most prized possessions while you search for a new home.
Drive Less
I know that sounds like a terrible inconvenience, but it actually can be quite the opposite. Advancements in technology have armed the Real Estate community with powerful new tools that allow buyers to virtually tour properties, neighborhoods and communities.
A savvy agent will be able to show you satellite images of potential homes and track traffic in the area. You will be able to eliminate homes that aren’t right for you without wasting time or gas.
In the past real estate agents would have to show their clients 15 to 20 homes before they would find one that they like. The drastic improvements in our ability to preview properties through the internet have lowed that number - now agents typically show clients only 6 homes before they fall in love.
Translation: Eliminate homes that aren’t right for you through electronic tours and save precious time and gas.
Get More Gas for your Money
If you can’t resist the temptation of taking the drive to a potential home, you can stretch your gas tank farther with these tricks.
- Fill Up in the Morning: Gas is kept underground in tanks. In the colder morning ground gas becomes more dense and you will get more gas in your tank.
- Don’t Squeeze the Nozzle Trigger: The faster the gas pumps into your car, the more vapor that goes in with it. Keep it at a slow speed and load up on gas, not air.
- Fill Up Well Before Empty: Gas evaporates quickly when exposed to air. If you keep your tank at least half full at all times (so there is less air in the tank) you will minimize evaporation and maximize value.
- Find a Less Expensive Gas Station: Use this website to search for the gas station near you with the lowest prices.
- Beat the Traffic: The stop-and-go of traffic will dramatically reduce your highway miles per gallon. Use this site to find traffic-free routes.
There is no quick fix for the Gas-Time-Money quest, but there are things you can do to make the best of it. Use a technology-friendly agent to eliminate homes you don’t need to preview in person and stretch your gas miles as far as they will go. Oh — and if anyone comes up with the secret to unlimited time, be sure to let me know!
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Related Posts: Find A Home, Maps, Real Estate News, San Diego
New Technologies or Old School Communication - What’s Better?
Posted by Erica Vautier | Currently 1 Comment »
When talking about tennis shoes or day planners, the popular New Years mantra “out with the old, in with the new” is great advice. But when it comes to marketing a home, an integration of new technologies and old techniques is the most effective.
Faced with a softening market and price appreciation slowing, real estate agents and home owners must work harder to sell properties that would have been snapped up in past years. In response, numerous companies have come up with a “better mouse trap” promising to increase exposure and sell homes faster.
Sellers now have a plethora of real estate marketing tools at their finger tips and it can be easy to get lost in good intentions.
To decide what technologies to allow into our lives, sellers need to step outside their routines and explore new options. Ironically, the best way to learn about new ways to communicate is to simply talk to our friends, family and coworkers.
Find someone who is actively using the iPhone or writing a web site blog and solicit their advice. A friend will warn you about the shortcomings of new gadgets before a salesperson will. You may wonder how you ever lived without emails coming directly to your phone, or decide that starting your own blog is too time-consuming.
To sell a home in today’s cautious environment undoubtedly requires marketing creativity, but technology for the sake of technology is self-defeating. The goal is to determine which new tools will actually help sell your property, and then work with an agent to integrate those tools into your marketing plan.
Web sites are now the primary source of exposure for homes for sale and properties that feature virtual tours appear higher up on lists of homes. Still, with an estimated 25,000 homes available in San Diego alone, it is important to work with an agent who has strong contacts in the community and follow-up systems in place. Let technology add to your home’s exposure, but choose an agent who understands the value of personal communication.
Whatever marketing tool you and your agent decide to test drive, don’t forget to evaluate its effectiveness. Your agent should ask people who comes to see your house to fill out a source card so you know where they heard about you. The most successful agents use precise tracking systems to learn about potential buyers and expedite the sales process.
To the most technologically advanced sellers, I suggest the occasional reality check. Despite the undeniable appeal of email and text messaging, there is no replacement for face-to-face contact with prospective buyers. For sellers determined to stay grounded in the grassroots ways, I recommend adopting an open mind. Change is inevitable, so find a way to make it work for you and your home. The key is to combine the best of new technologies and traditional real estate practices.
Popularity: 58% [?]
Related Posts: Education, Marketing, San Diego, Sellers, Technology, Windermere, Windermere Agents
Are You a Bluetooth Tool Too?
Posted by Susan "Sully" Sullivan | Leave A Comment »
I never thought it would happen…but I’m officially a blue tooth tool. I walk around with this thing on my ear even when I’m NOT driving.
Oh, I admit, when they said the po-po would pull you over for driving with your phone on your ear, I panicked a little. I had been trying to get my bluetooth to pair with my new blackberry for quite some time now. I tried the “stereo” head phones that came with my phone. Lame. I tried to scramble with my phone when it rang while I was driving and put it on speaker; only to fumble with it to the point of near disaster when I spotted a cop in my rear view.
Now that someone in my office figured it out for me, I wear the dumb thing all the time. I’m sure it’s happened to you. Someone walks up to you and starts talking about seeing you singing karaoke at the Alley the night before, busting your chops, and you flush as you point to your ear…talking to a client.
Embarrassing. It’s also a big pain to now remember to charge the thing every night. I barely remember to put my cell on the charger after how many years??? And what about brain cancer? Have we really checked into this potential danger thoroughly enough to mandate that we either participate in this phenomenon or get a hefty ticket, fine, impounding, jail time??? Big brother ring a bell when you can get pulled over for talking on your phone? I’m still not over having to wear a seat belt by law.
With the random check points that have been popping up all over town, I’m just a little freaked out by all the impositions on my civil liberties. And of course the darn thing never works right - have you ever had to pull over cuz the reception is so bad or lost a few important calls? What’s the solution?
Now we’re talking!
Popularity: 38% [?]
Related Posts: Technology, Windermere Agents
Windermere Exclusive Properties Starts the Year by Giving
Posted by Erica Vautier | Leave A Comment »
Windermere’s commitment to serving the community goes beyond providing buyers and sellers the best in real estate services. Every time a Windermere sales associate sells a home, a portion of the commission goes to the Windermere Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to giving back to local charities.
“At Windermere, every transaction counts,” said Principal Broker and Windermere co-owner Jim Browne. “I’m proud to be part of a company that places such a high value on giving back to the community. And I am even more proud at how our agents embrace the spirit of giving back.”
On top of the money donated from every real estate transaction made through Windermere, the agents also participated in numerous events in the community. This past year you could find Escondido agents sitting outside their office on Friday nights working at Cruisin’ Grand. They hosted a mobile blood drive, gave mini concerts and hawked hot dogs and water bottles.
As a result of their efforts, Escondido Branch Manager Ron Brownell, and his team of agents, were able to donate $1000 to the local charity Rebuild Escondido, an organization established to assist victims of the October firestorm in the Escondido area.
Meanwhile, Windermere agents from the Carmel Valley office organized a book drive to help build the library at the new East Ocean Air Elementary School. Realtors Shapar Ostovar, Jean Wilson, Peggy Chomas and Dara Chantarit, who coordinated the book drive, collected nearly 500 books for the school.
Contributions from Windermere agents and the public have allowed Windermere to distribute more than two million dollars annually in recent years. Windermere started 2008 by giving and looks forward to another year of enriching lives in our communities.
Popularity: 55% [?]
Related Posts: Careers at Windermere, Carmel Valley, Community Service, Escondido, Join Windermere, Windermere, Windermere Agents
