Parties Galore

Yes, the Christmas season is here and with it comes the busy shopper's, the shouting driver's, the over anxious children and the credit card bill's! We have all experienced the have-to's and should-do's that consume the women and men of the household. Many of us have seen that phase of life come and go and are left with no elderly grandmother or grandfather to go pick up and children that are in different places in the world and cannot fit us into their busy schedules until... 

Have you noticed that when we experience an event like 9-11 or a family member is given a bad report from the doctor's, or we have a medical scare ourselves; how much more we look up at stranger's in Wal-mart and smile, or say hello to a person in passing, or really listen when we ask someone about their day? I remember so well how nice everyone was to one another after that terrible day when the twin tower's were demolished. People had empathy and walked around like they felt fragile and bonded to one another.

I listened to my 6 year old sing Jingle Bells at the top of his lungs this morning with absolutely zero insecurities about how he sounded. I had to giggle a little inside but what a precious gift to listen to his exclamation and excitement. His actions reminded me that when God said  “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 18:3, that I too must sing his praises, anticipate the excitement of the season and STOP WORRYING. My child has never worried about should-do's or have-too's; he does not complain about shopping or driving or money. Like many parents; I'm sure you have noticed that little children can play with a plastic cup longer than they do that $50 toy you recently purchased for them. So I will take the lesson my son taught me today and I will stop the hustle and bustle and remember to behave as I did on September 12th.

How did you behave after 9-11? Do you remember people's reactions?

Have a Merry Christmas and I hope we all can remember the gift of life God gave us this December and share that love with our community, family, and friends!

Katie Brookshire

Christmas Spirit

We had a ball at the parade! Thank you so much to everyone that helped out! I don't know what we would do without our friends lending a hand to make this a success. Oh we had so much fun making our hair stand on our heads and watching the Grinch scare the children. Ha Ha! Who-ville was a success!!! We will definately do this again next year. 

  

Christmas Parade

We are so excited to see all of our friends and clients at the Annual Conway Christmas Parade this Saturday, December 10th at 10:00am. We have been preparing a Whoville float complete with The Grinch to entertain the little ones! Psst... The Grinch is our one and only Broker, Chris Sansbury, but don't tell the children. We can't wait for you all to see our crazy outfit's.

Please join us for some festive hometown fun!

Sales Agents- Don’t talk too much! Become better listeners!

An ancient Chinese proverb reminds us; "To listen well, is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well." While everyone can benefit from this sage advice, these words of wisdom are particularly appropriate for professional salespeople. Would you consider yourself a good listener? Perhaps a more important question might be, how would your customers, business associates, friends and family members rate your listening ability? Their feedback just might surprise you, because most people believe they're much better listeners than they truly are.

Poor listeners frequently confuse the physical act of hearing with the emotional art of listening. While hearing is a function of biology, active listening skills must be acquired and developed. In the selling process, when you talk you merely provide information, but when you genuinely listen you show respect, create trust and develop rapport.

Active listening is making a conscious effort to hear your customer's words as well as to try and understand the total message being sent, both verbally and nonverbally. Are you able to stay focused on your customer or does your mind wander? By giving your customer your full and undivided attention, you're laying a foundation of trust and building rapport. Discipline your mind and put aside distracting thoughts. Each time you catch your mind starting to wander, "grab it" and immediately refocus your attention back to your customer. Show that you're listening by using your body language gestures to convey your attention. A simple smile or nod of the head conveys that you're listening without interrupting your customer's flow of thought.

The best salespeople have a tendency to listen like a homicide detective and ask great probing questions. They don't make assumptions, they summarize and seek clarity. An occasional question or comment to recap what has been said communicates that you understand the message. Until this is done, your customer will resist your input.

Where communication is poor, mistakes increase, relationships breakdown and opportunities to make the sale are missed! If you want to enhance your professional image, strengthen relationships and dramatically improve your sales effectiveness, I encourage you to listen while you work.

The Value of Remodeling My Home

The Final Tally

by Nancy M. Lee

President

Century 21 McAlpine Associates

My family is closing this week on a cute little bungalow in Surfside Beach, SC. It is located only 4 blocks from the beach and is on a beautiful wooded lot.  It has 3 bedrooms and 1.5 baths.The home is presently loved and well cared for and has that comfortable family “feel”. The only problem is that the house is over 30 years old and needs some face lifting. What items do we spend money on that will be recoupable when the time comes to sell?

 

This is the same question home owners ask us all the time. For example, if you really want a pool, can you get your investment back? In most cases “NO”. In my experience, only about 50% of your investment will be recuperated when you sell the home. This percentage will be higher if you are in a beach front community and rent your home on a weekly basis. Tourists like a pool just like if they were staying in a motel and will rent your house for more money with that amenity.

 

In our case, we would like to paint or change the outside of the home from wood to vinyl for fresh color and low maintenance. According to residential specialist, that will be an investment that you can get 80% of the value back for your expense. We may also do some minor kitchen remodeling and should get 72.8% of that expense back in value. We also plan to add an additional bath and outside shower. I really want that part, even though the experts say I will only get 53% of my investment back. The upgrades that you do to the exterior will be the most profitable. Curb appeal is still the main attraction for buyers of your home.

 

In the final tally, you need to know that not all of the money you will spend on your home will be realized back in value when you decide to sell.