I prefer people over houses...even great houses!

Ok so if you know me, I am Realtor...right!  I get to meet, engage, advise and guide my clients on the

journey of either selling or a buying a home. perhpas someday I'll be a housing maven.

Have you ever stopped to think of all the people a Realtor meets, or rather should aim to meet?

Having a coffee, sharing lunch time, enjoying some vino are all a part of meeting people.

Just in the last 2 weeks, during the campaign to bring Jian Ghomeshi and Q to Guelph in February

2012,  www.bringqtoguelph.ca I have met the GREATEST people at flash mobs, coffee bars,

downtown Guelph shops and yes, on Twitter!  Twitter people are #amazing!

This Realtor aims to do more than sell Guelph homes and condos, I aim to be involved in local,

organic activities that show just how truly great Guelph is. How amazing the people that live here  

really are!  In Guelph you will meet authentic, creative, solid people with a strong sense of  

community.  If this has not been your experience, let me know...I'd be glad to introduce you!

 Of course when you are interested, check out our business at www.kristinandanita.ca

Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings

When previous students become clients!

So of you may know that prior to becoming a Realtor and growing a Real Estate Business, I was a primary school teacher....for 14 years. I do believe those 14 years were the training ground for this business. SERIOUSLY! Some days grown adults act no better than grade 2 students...LOL. You see, in the last few years of teaching getting my students excited about spelling dictation or math minute challenges became about showing them the value, the fun, and the result. Somedays I can still hear them cheering ' YES, Spelling dictation today!'. One of the amazing results having had such great students, is. That they are arriving at the time in their lives where they want to buy a home. Most know that I no longer teach as I am in touch with them through our church system. It has been my privilege to help them out, and this time I am doing the cheering: Congratulations you have bought your first home!! You can read some of their testimonials at our website www.kristinandanita.ca There has only ever been one challenge: to get them to call me Anita instead of Mrs. Van Rootselaar but we're working on that ! So when you need to be treated with respect, have your hand held, and want someone with patience...be sure to know I am experienced in that field!

Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings

And so the hunt begins....

Congratulations!  You are in the home buying phase of your life. No doubt you have been searching www.realtor.ca daily looking at all and any new listings..kind of a closet addiction perhaps. Don't worry, you are not alone! Searching local Guelph homes for sale on the Internet is a great way to start, however finding the right place for you will require the actual walk thru of the property.
first things first, Be sure to connect with a Realtor, one you like and trust to help you thru the transaction. If you aren't already connected with a Realtor, research facebook, websites and read a few blogs, you'll find out good information about who will do a good job for and with you. Www.brafirst.ca explains roles and responsibilities.
OK, actual home search time! Try not to see more than 4-5 in one outing as details of the house will meld one into the other. It still happens to me all the time. Expect not more than a 20-30 minutes viewing of each home as the goal is to take homes off of your list at this point. Book a second showing of the homes that you really liked, here is when you scour the place for the details like electrical, insulation, grading, neighborhood, etc... When you are satisfied that you found the right place, move forward with an offer. Good luck! You will KNOW your next place, when you walk thru it, expect it to call your name !

As always, we are here to help. Www.kristinandanita.ca is your source for buyer information.

 

 

Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings

Are You Willing to 'Pay the Condo Man' ?

 

OK, so I grew up in the era where you were taught to get a house as soon as you could and to work hard to pay off the mortgage quickly,
not to acrue extra debt and to pay your bills on time. In the 2010 and beyond, most of those values remain, except we add one more ingredient to the mix: LIFESTYLE

We all have a level of 'housing' lifestyle we aspire too. My question to you: Is a condo or a loft a part of that decision?
Do you relish the thought that at days end, you can head home to a house where the chores are calling your name, or are you willing to 'pay the condo man' ?

Are you willing to pay a professional to cut the grass, to weed and water the gardens, and mostly, to shovel the snow in the winter?

Does your lifestyle have room for the chores, or is your lifestyle these very chores?   
Either we pay for these chores through fees, or we pay through time, effort, and energy.

 

Condos and Loft options in Guelph come in many different lifestyle forms. You can live apartment style like the condos on Goodwin in Guelph's south end. Other options are town homes scattered all over Guelph's map. For those with a definite lifestyle choice in the 55+ range, you can choose from detached, link, or apartment style in Village By the Arboretum on Stone Road across the University of Guelph.

 

If you'd like more information about Guelph's Condos and Lofts,

and fees associated with them, please be sure to connect with us through www.kristinandanita.ca . As always, we're here to help.

 

Where do you place your lifestyle value?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings

Do you RESONATE ?

 RESONATE as a verb means to give back : cast, catch, copy, echo, imitate, mirror, repeat, shine, etc....
 
We can look into the mirror of our life and often be overwhelmed. However, reflecting on each day as we are given them, allows us perspective
 
on the events that affected us, and more importantly, how we affected them !  Living each day with a goal to being alive in our life, and giving back
 
allows us to RESONATE. Think of a church bell, when it rings, the sound RESONATES far and wide.  Do your actions spread far and wide ?
 
It's as simple as a smile to a stranger  - that friendly feeling you have passed on will most certainly filter onward causing a ripple outward from your one
 
simple act. It's no wonder Random Act of Kindness Days are so popular ! 
 
If you don't already have a goal about giving back, about shining, consider how you can echo and RESONATE to whomever is on your life's path today !

 

 

 

Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings

We LOVE hosting Open Houses !

As a Guelph Realtor, one of the services we offer our clients, is the opportunity to have a public open house on a Saturday. When we share the strategies we incorporate into our Open Houses, our clients are often amazed at how simple, yet how  effective our ideas are. Our strategies for hosting strangers in their homes and keeping everyone and everything safe is paramount !  Firstly, both Kristin and I do the Open House together so that we are able to meet and chat with everyone who comes through the door. We have them sign the guest registry ( as required by the Ontario Real Estate Association ) , offer them the information flyer and then allow them to wander the home although we are never really outside of earshot distance. We ask and answer questions about the property, their Real Estate search , and Guelph itself. By the time they leave, we know whether they are interested in that house, or another one. Our Selling clients receive immediate feedback about the interest in their home. We encourage the neighbors to drop in, you never know if they have friends who want to live in the neighborhood ! We LOVE doing Open Houses, and see them as opportunities to market our client's homes.

 

BTW, Did you know that quite often Sellers tour Open Houses in order to choose who will sell their home?  Be sure to work with a Realtor who LOVES what they do, whom you trust, and someone who attracts interest in your home !

 

www.kristinandanita.ca hosts some of the many testimonials we have about the passion we have for our business ! Be sure to check us out !

 

 

 

Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings

Is your Realtor loyal to YOU ?

Is your Realtor loyal to YOU ?

Relationships – alliance , interconnection , rapport , communication , marriage . These are just a few synonyms I pulled from the Internet. Yes, who communicates with whom, who has an alliance with whom – this is crucial in Real Estate. It seems to boil down to loyalty.

Do you want your Realtor to be loyal to you ?  Do you want them to work in your best interest,  get you the top price,  give you the best advice ?  YES, of course you do ! Did you realise that ALL Realtors work for the Seller of the Home UNLESS you have a Buyer Representative Agreement in place ?  BY law,  ALL of them must do so.  Buyers, is  that  in your best interest   ?     DOESN’T SOUND LIKE IT , DOES IT  ?   Be sure to have the loyalty chat with your Realtor EARLY on.  Check out www.brafirst.ca to understand what the document means.  Allow your Realtor to ‘dig up the goods’ on the property you want to buy. Give your Realtor permission to search comparable properties for the true market value price of the home.

 Real Estate can be that easy, when you clarify who works for whom , at the get go !

When buying a home or condo in Guelph, be sure to use kristinandanita.ca as your search tool !

Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings

A recent house shopping spree

Last week was one of the most amazing and challenging couple of days I have had in business yet. I spent 2.5 days with 1 set of buyer clients who flew into the Guelph area from out of province. Our goal was to find and buy a suitable home for them in the Guelph area. This may sound exciting and easy, but remember - the Guelph Real Estate market has been flying steadily the last 6 weeks or so, so our best options had already been snapped up. So a list was made, areas like Grange Road area , Kortright Hills , Pine Ridge and West End Rec centre were chosen and off we went. By end of day 1 we had shopped both Guelph and Cambridge. Day 2 had us seesawing between Cambridge and Guelph again, as there appeared to be better value for the money in Cambridge. Thankfully a bank-owned property was listed and we saw it within 2 hours. It stayed at the top of the list all day and that evening we placed an offer. Banks like to have 48 hours to consider all offers, but we had an accepted offer back with 12 hours ! EXCELLENT - However, our search had continued and we had also had a good second choice and third choice - you never know how inspections and mortgage approvals go.
Today is the inspection, and the clients fly home tomorrow. We expect to waive all conditions, and make this a firm offer by Friday ! The most exciting part for me ? Watching our buyer clients stick to their guns and follow the practical guidelines they needed to make the best choice. Congrats to C & S - Cambridge is lucky to have you !

 

 

Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings

Need a Realtor in your area ?

One of the challenges a Realtor faces, is linking up with other like-minded Realtors to whom you can refer your out-of-area clients. You might ask other Realtors you know for whom they know, but there is no guarantee that the person you end up with will take great care of your client, or will reciprocate the referral. Good Realtors look beyond the scope of their target area, and understand that their clients needs may physically be a distance away. The question to be asked is: How do I best take care of my clients needs ? Do I give the service they want and need ,or do I provide them with a local expert ? Through an open and honest conversation, a decision will be made.

Knowing that our clients deserve top notch service, one of our selling propositions is the fact that we are partners in a province wide, soon to be country wide, Referral Network. REAL Referral Partners is a fresh, innovative group of individuals who have a passion for their work, a commitment to solid service, and a vision to grow their own and their partner's businesses through referrals. Monthly meetings encourage relationships and are a causeway for sharing business ideas with each other. The face of Real Estate is constantly evolving and REAL Referral Partners is about knowing the cutting edge technology and marrying it with solid service. Buyers and Sellers are internet savy - Realtors need to adapt to meet and exceed their wants and needs.

So...need a Realtor in your area ? Contact us at kristinandanita.ca and we will refer you people we know and trust !

 

 

 

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www.kristinandanita.ca

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Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings

I am NOT giving my house away !

Every time I am part of a listing presentation, I am introduced to the most amazing stories about the passion a owner has for the home they are trying to sell. One phrase is very clearly heard over and over again: I am not giving my house away. Initially, that may sound like a financial demand, but when you hear the emotion in the voice and see the eyes grow large, that then is the expression of the deep commitment to the work that was poured into the home and the desire to be compensated for the work. Now if only the Real Estate Market cared about such passion ! Then homes that are lovingly maintained would be worth more than houses that serve only as a shelter. Reward for care given ! Thankfully well maintained homes are in high demand and usually sell well within the average days in market statistics. So...what triggers the pride you have in your home ? When it comes time to sell will you take a strong stand on all the sweat equity ? A wise man once told me that in business, it is good business to leave some on the table for the next guy. Will you ?

Posted via email from Anita Van Rootselaar's Musings