Thursday, March 31, 2011

Choosing a paint color

The other day a friend introduced me to Hulu....an online service that allows me to watch most of the programming that I want to see, only on my own schedule. As I was checking out some of the programming options available, I ran across a channel called "Howdini" and found it to be pretty interesting. You can check out the howdini website here.

One of the things that homeowners often ask us is how to go about choosing paint colors for their home. Normally the discussion is something like "how do I choose colors with so many options" with the answer being "well a great place to start is with the room sample brochures at Home Depot and Lowes." Now we can share a great video for our clients to use as a resource! Check it out below.



How to choose paint colors for your home

Remember, when it is time to buy or sell, the professionals at Cardani Group, REALTORS® are here to help. We can also hook you up with discount coupons for Lowes, saving you some money on paint (or whatever else you'd like to purchase there!).

Please, don't keep us a secret!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

They way it is supposed to be...


If you've talked with anyone involved in real estate lately, you've probably heard two consistent messages. The first is that business is tough these days. The second is that everything takes longer and a lot more effort than it used to.

Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't put effort in to our business. After all, we're in a service profession and the more effort we put in, typically the better service we provide for our clients. The difference these days is that we're working harder on things that shouldn't be difficult, and due to whatever it may be, ARE difficult.

As you can imagine, when things are difficult, people often start to get more difficult to work with. Clients get frustrated. Agents get frustrated. It's easy to be short and snippy with each other. But that never helps anything.

Difficult transactions are the new norm, and unfortunately along with that often comes turbulent communication and adversary relationships with cooperating agents.

This past Friday...we closed one of the most pleasant transactions in the past several years. I represented the seller. An outstanding professional with another firm represented the buyer. Both of our clients were well represented. We came to terms quickly and relatively easily. The agreement was truly a win-win for both parties.

Then the turbulence began. Not with our clients or between agents, but with the process. An appraiser that made statements that created issues the other agent and I had to combat. A lender that missed deadlines and created new obstacles. Every statement and obstacle created an increase in time and an increase in cost.

You might be wondering why I titled this "the way it is supposed to be" by now... Here's why. The cooperating agent and I worked together to overcome all these obstacles. Never a short word, never a terse moment. We worked together to represent our clients and help pilot them through the turbulence. I can't even begin to explain how fun it is to business this way. Although it is unfortunate that this type of experience is so rare, the good thing is that when you find yourself in the middle of a good experience, you often take a step back and think to yourself "wow, this is REALLY GREAT"... I know I did that several times and I'm confident that the cooperating agent did the same thing.

Monday, March 14, 2011

March Housing Trends Newsletter


Friends - the latest version of our Housing Trends newsletter is available for online viewing.

Check out the latest housing statistics for our area, and see the latest real estate news. Remember, when it comes to buying and selling real estate in the central Texas area, you deserve the professional assistance of one of the fine REALTORS® at Cardani Group, REALTORS®.