Lawrence Kansas Real Estate: June 2007

"What Say You, AR?" One Offer from 10 Showings

This is a series of blogs on "What Say You, AR?"

This blog is about the phrase "One Offer from 10 Showings".

How many Rainers agree and how many disagree with this statement? Please provide concrete examples of why you agree or disagree.

Here's my thoughts to start this off. I guess there are two ways of looking at this: as a buyer agent and as a listing agent.

While I don't think this phrase was ever meant to refer to working with buyers, as a buyer agent, I would have to say I receive an offer from a buyer after seeing 3 to 6 homes on the average. Of course you have extremes such as the one showing make offer buyer and the 400 showings no offer buyer but as a rule a half dozen or less showings is all it usually takes due to the extensive advance preparation I provide to my buyers.

As a listing agent, I think this "One Offer from 10 Showings" is a reasonable figure if the listing is properly priced. By properly priced I mean at the bottom of the competition range and at the top of the SOLDs' range. With my Lawrence Kansas real estate listings, I sell 57% of them myself (bring the unrepresented buyer) which means even less showings to get the one offer.

What Say You, AR? How many Rainers agree and how many disagree with this "One Offer from 10 Showings (properly priced)" statement?

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists)
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
Voice Messages may be left Toll Free at 866-800-5353
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

3 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 23 2007 01:23PM

What Say You, AR? (You've Got to List to Last)

This begins a series of blogs on "What Say You, AR?"

This blog is about the often used phrase "You've Got to List to Last".

How many Rainers agree and how many disagree with this statement? Please provide concrete examples of why you agree or disagree.

Here's my thoughts to start this off. Taking the time to find listings whether it be by looking for unrepresented sellers or expireds, looking in your farming area, or whatever, I believe "You've Got to List to Last".

While I am working with over 100 buyers at any given time and hope to double that number with my next marketing campaign, there may be times when none of those buyers are ready to write a contract. With several listings, I still feel like I am making progress when I schedule showings from buyer agents and negotiating those contracts as they come in. Without my Lawrence Kansas real estate listings, I could have a day off now and then. Maybe this is not a bad thing? I do believe I could survive with working with just buyers but it seems to provide more of a balance and variety in my services.

What Say You, AR? How many Rainers agree and how many disagree with this "You've Got to List to Last" statement?

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists)
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
Voice Messages may be left Toll Free at 866-800-5353
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

5 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 23 2007 01:02PM

SOLD!! Active Rain SOLDs' Success Stories (and Listings Too)

Hello All Active Rainers!

I searched and was unable to find a blog that listed all the Active Rain success stories of SOLD!! As a Direct Result of Active Rain so here we have it (find links below).

I just SOLD!! As a Direct Result of Active Rain a $400,000 home. It came as a referral from a Realtor who found me online when searching for a CRS Realtor. While I am a member of the Council of Residential Specialists, I won't have my CRS designation in hand for another week or so. But, that was good enough for the referral and the buyers seemed satisfied with the services I provided.

What other "SOLD!! As a Direct Result of Active Rain" success stories do you have to share. I will add them to this list as links to all the SOLD!! As a Direct Result of Active Rain as soon as you comment! I have decided to add listings as a result of AR as well. They are marked accordingly. Please let me know if I have missed any.

Mariana Wagner ~ Colorado Springs Real Estate

Jay LaGace

Cory & Tracy Frantzick

Donna Harris, ASP (listing)

Mark Flanders (5 SOLDs last year)

Christy Powers - Pooler, Savannah Real Estate Agent (listing)

John Karadsheh, Mesa AZ

Rhonda Rawlins

Renee Burrows - NV Real Estate (3 listings and several rentals)

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists)
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
Voice Messages may be left Toll Free at 866-800-5353
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

5 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 23 2007 12:28PM

Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Market is great here - June 2007!

The market is great here! Just to give you an example, I wrote contracts on three homes in the first three days of June with an average price of $250,000 each where the average price of homes in out market is $175,000.

Next week two of those homes will close and one will close in mid July. One seller had a home picked out but had not yet put in an offer on it until they got the accepted offer on their home. Another seller held the line on their investment property since the phone was ringing off the hook with buyer interest. Still another seller had already moved out of state yet still held the line on the price that they expected.

In a buyer's market one would expect sellers caving in and taking a loss on what they expected to receive. But, with homes here receiving 7-10% appreciation per year in our county, I believe sellers are willing to give a little but also know the buyer is going to come out ahead by investing in Lawrence Kansas Real Estate.

I read an AR blog by Chris Tesch from TX, that inspired me to write this. Some words of encouragement I thought were in order that show there's hope even in a buyer's market.

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists)
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
Voice Messages may be left Toll Free at 866-800-5353
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

0 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 23 2007 11:05AM

Who's Societally/Environment Conscious?

The marketing industry seeks to market to 4 main groups: Belonger, Achiever, Emulator, and the Societally/Environment Conscious. Which group do you think you are in? With the previous three blogs, I have shared a little bit about each group and how each group pertains to Lawrence Kansas real estate specifically and to all Realtors and consumers in general. If you would like more information about a particular group, feel free to contact me.

In this final 4 marketing groups' blog, I will share about being Societally/Environment Conscious and ask "Who's Societally/Environment Conscious?". Words that are used in marketing to attract the Societally/Environment Conscious would be: intelligent, knowledge, responsible, new idea, healthy, education, good sense, aesthetic, and creative.

Pick up a magazine article or watch a tv commercial and identify whether the target audience is Societally/Environment Conscious. You will start listening at tv commericals and not muting or fast forwarding through them.

When I write up remarks for an MLS feature sheet, I consider which group(s) to market to based upon the type(s) of consumers I believe would be interested in the home. For the Societally/Environment Conscious, I would stress product safety and energy efficiency type features.

Since Societally/Environment Conscious are the fourth largest of the four main groups, this group is also my target audience. You may have noticed that all four groups are my target audience. I guess there is a little bit of all of these groups in me and we are all in this world together to learn from and benefit from each other's experiences.

Again, if you would like more information about a particular group, feel free to contact me.

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists)
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
Voice Messages may be left Toll Free at 866-800-5353
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

2 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 21 2007 03:31PM

Who's an Emulator?

The marketing industry seeks to market to 4 main groups: Belonger, Achiever, Emulator, and the Society/Environment Conscious. Which group do you think you are in? With the previous two blogs and the next one, I will share a little bit about each group and how each group pertains to Lawrence Kansas real estate specifically and to all Realtors and consumers in general. If you would like more information about a particular group, feel free to contact me.

In this third blog, I will share about being an Emulator and ask "Who's an Emulator?". Words that are used in marketing to attract an Emulator would be: fun, status, power, image, fashionable, approval, trend, good times, and social.

Pick up a magazine article or watch a tv commercial and identify whether the target audience is Emulators. You will start listening at tv commericals and not muting or fast forwarding through them.

When I write up remarks for an MLS feature sheet, I consider which group(s) to market to based upon the type(s) of consumers I believe would be interested in the home. For the Emulators, I would stress amenities available in townhomes' HOA's and "This home is your prescription for success".

Since Emulators are the third largest of the four main groups and since they usually become Achievers, this group is also my target audience. Stay tuned for the last blog to see more on the Society/Environment Conscious groups.

Again, if you would like more information about a particular group, feel free to contact me.

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists)
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
Voice Messages may be left Toll Free at 866-800-5353
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

5 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 21 2007 03:22PM

Who's an Achiever?

The marketing industry seeks to market to 4 main groups: Belonger, Achiever, Emulator, and the Society/Environment Conscious. Which group do you think you are in? With the previous blog and the next two blogs following, I will share a little bit about each group and how each group pertains to Lawrence Kansas real estate specifically and to all Realtors and consumers in general. If you would like more information about a particular group, feel free to contact me.

In this second blog, I will share about being an Achiever and ask "Who's an Achiever?". Words that are used in marketing to attract an Achiever would be: new, unique, prestige, luxury, professional, tasteful, up-scale, goals, and one-of-a-kind.

Pick up a magazine article or watch a tv commercial and identify whether the target audience is Achievers. You will start listening at tv commericals and not muting or fast forwarding through them.

When I write up remarks for an MLS feature sheet, I consider which group(s) to market to based upon the type(s) of consumers I believe would be interested in the home. In my signature in emails and blogs I put Free 2-10 Home Warranty so belongers will take notice but for Achievers, I put my ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists) credentials to appeal to their need for a professional.

Since Achievers are the second largest of the four main groups and since 22% of them are self-employed as I am, this group is also my target audience. Stay tuned for the other blogs to see more on the Emulators, and the Society/Environment Conscious groups.

Again, if you would like more information about a particular group, feel free to contact me.

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists)
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
Voice Messages may be left Toll Free at 866-800-5353
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

3 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 21 2007 03:13PM

Who's a Belonger?

The marketing industry seeks to market to 4 main groups: Belonger, Achiever, Emulator, and the Society/Environment Conscious. Which group do you think you are in? Over the next few blogs, I will share a little bit about each group and how each group pertains to Lawrence Kansas real estate specifically and to all Realtors in general. If you would like more information about a particular group, feel free to contact me.

In this first blog, I will share about being a belonger and ask "Who's a Belonger?". Words that are used in marketing to attract a belonger would be: established, Made in the USA, loyal, guarantee, warranty, family, friends, trusted, and traditional.

Pick up a magazine article or watch a tv commercial and identify whether the target audience is belongers. You will start listening at tv commericals and not muting or fast forwarding through them.

When I write up remarks for an MLS feature sheet, I consider which group(s) to market to based upon the type(s) of consumers I believe would be interested in the home. In my signature in emails and blogs I put Free 2-10 Home Warranty so belongers will take notice.

Since belongers is the largest of the four main groups and since 65% of them live in the Midwest where I live, and since this is the group I associate myself as being in, this group is my primary target audience. That does not mean that I ignore the other groups or that I don't market to them. Stay tuned for the other blogs to see how I do this.

Again, if you would like more information about a particular group, feel free to contact me.

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists)
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
Voice Messages may be left Toll Free at 866-800-5353
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

6 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 21 2007 02:52PM

Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Building Permits and Other City Stats

Lawrence Kansas is alive and well when it comes to building permits. There were 2,638 permits issued in 2006. Whether you are looking for a new construction or pre-owned home, you will need a Realtor that will keep you updated about the community where you want to live. With a FREE 2-10 Home Warranty given to anyone who buys or sells a home through me and service that will please, contact Rob at 785-393-2274.

Other interesting stats about Lawrence Kansas:

12,271 Building Safety Inspections performed

129,267 Linear feet of curbs and gutters replaced

6,809 Emergency medical responses

2,155 Fire Rescue responses

643,398 Parks or Recreational facility visits

121,576 Police Service calls

421,864 rides on the "T" (local bus service is extremely popular here)

27,608 Linear feet of sidewalks installed

93,150 Linear feet of street cracks sealed

12.8 miles of streets repaved

27,608 lane miles of streets swept

987 trees planted

36,027 waste water samples analyzed

1,141,711 city website visits

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®, Member of CRS (Council of Residential Specialists)
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
Voice Messages may be left Toll Free at 866-800-5353
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

0 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 21 2007 12:17PM

ROB LANG COMPLETES RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT COURSE

FROM: Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate CONTACT: Rob Lang

1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044 785-393-2274

ROB LANG COMPLETES RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT COURSE

Lawrence---June 1, 2007---Rob Lang has completed the specialized real estate investment course entitled "Creating Wealth through Residential Real Estate Investments" conducted by the Council of Residential Specialists of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

The course was conducted in Columbia, MO and is one of the classes that could be taken by real estate agents and brokers who will eventually qualify for the coveted Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation.

The course covered the fundamentals of investment, taxes affecting real estate investment, and investment strategies to create wealth.

During the two-day course, students learned how to effectively analyze residential real estate investment opportunities and apply wealth-building strategies.

"There are many opportunities for the small investor to invest successfully in real estate," said Rob Lang, "and I have already begun to apply the procedures covered during this course in my work at Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate and should have my Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation by the end of this month."

Certified Residential Specialist Courses are presented in various cities throughout the United States in conjunction with the COUNCIL OF RESIDENTIAL SPECIALISTS an affiliate of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® as part of its on-going program of promoting the professionalism of the residential sales associate.

Thanks and "Don't keep me a secret--I'm never too busy for your referrals!"
Rob (FREE 2-10 Home Warranty with every home you buy or sell through me!!)
Rob Lang, ABR, ePro, GRI Realtor®
Rob's Blog at www.ActiveRain.com/blogs/langrob
Realty Executives, Hedges Real Estate (four convenient locations)
(Serving Lawrence, Eudora, Baldwin, Topeka, Tonganoxie, Leavenworth, Kansas City, McLouth, Wellsville, Ottawa, Berryton, Tecumseh, more)
112 E. 10th, Eudora, KS 66025
1037 Vermont, Lawrence, KS 66044
3300 Clinton Parkway Ct., Lawrence, KS 66044
300 Rockfence Place, Lawrence, KS 66049
785-393-2274 (cell) 785-542-1661 (fax)
langrob@sunflower.com
http://www.letrobdoit.com/
http://douglascountyopenhouses.com/
http://ihaveaddresses.com/

NOTE: This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.

0 comments • Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Rob Lang CRS, GRI, ABR, ePro, REALTOR® • June 10 2007 12:18AM