As I write this post, every muscle in my body aches - every joint is sore. What I hoped would be a quick, efficient and painless move has been the most exhausting experience I’ve been through in a long time. Not that moving isn’t supposed to wipe you out, but this move was special.

Looking back, here are a few things I’ve learned that I would do differently if I had the chance. These are things that a good real estate agent ought to consider for their clients - especially if they haven’t moved in awhile themselves. After all, it’s only been 2 years since our last move, but oh how different the experience!

Packing

What we did right: The local grocery store gave us milk boxes by the dozens. These were awesome boxes because they are reinforced, heavy-duty cardboard with handles. Plus, they didn’t smell the way other “grocery store” boxes can. We had a newspaper end roll from our last move to tear off pieces to wrap and protect breakables. This is a great way to pack your dishes and fragile items without spending a bunch of money. Just go to the local newspaper and ask them for an end roll. Some will give them to you free, others may charge you a couple dollars or by-the-pound. Plus, when you’re done, you have a nice roll of paper that you can use for many other purposes.

What we did wrong: First of all, we didn’t start collecting boxes soon enough. Had we gathered our empty boxes earlier, we could have taken more time to pack and organize them. Also, we ran out of paper before we ran out of breakables, and since we had already run out of time to get another end roll, we ended up having a few broken items. Lastly, in terms of packing, I’m wishing we had packed “by the room” and labeled the boxes accordingly. That would’ve made finding all the junk we’ve misplaced a lot easier.

Realtor Application - An agent that provides his clients with end rolls and a network of box pick-up locations will be highly referred. Simply going around to grocery stores, or local industries that with boxes to discard can be a win-win for everyone. As more companies go green, cardboard disposal is an issue for some smaller companies. By helping them help your clients, everyone wins - especially you!

Transporting

What we did right: Mmmmmm? Not sure!

Here’s what we did wrong: We made a local reservation with U-Haul. The reason this is a bad idea is because U-Haul doesn’t actually guarantee any round-trip reservation. If they get a one-way reservation for the same truck, you could be screwed. Basically, that’s what happened to us.

We had a two-day local reservation for a 26 foot truck, but when I picked up the truck last Wednesday, I was told that it would have to be returned by 9am the next day because a one-way reservation had come in. This completely altered our entire move because there aren’t any other large truck rentals available in the immediate area. Because of this alone, we moved about 1/2 of our stuff in the truck and did the rest in our Chevy Astro van until I got the final load yesterday.

The last time we moved, we used PODS, which is by far the absolute easiest way to move IMHO. If you’ve never heard of them, PODS deliver containers to your old house whenever you want them and then pick them up when you’re ready and deliver them to your new location. Then, when you’re ready, they come pick up the empty containers and you’re done. This makes organized packing and unpacking a realistic proposition. Unfortunately, PODS aren’t available in our new location so it wasn’t an option this time.

Lastly, my wife and I basically did this move without any help. My in-laws were able to pitch in with cleaning and maintenance assistance, which was much appreciated. But, as far as the grunt work of lifting and transporting heavy stuff, we did it all ourselves. In retrospect, we learned on Sunday that the local church we visited has a “moving ministry” that helps people move. If we had only known that a week earlier, it could saved us some aches and Motrin. Plus, we would have made some new friends in the process. SO, if you’re lacking in moving help, check with your local church to see if they have a moving ministry.

Realtor Application - Many brokers have loaner trucks available to clients. This is a great rolling billboard and if you’re office doesn’t have one, consider getting one. Also, if you go to the trouble to get one, buy a 24 or 26 foot truck. The people that are going to benefit most from it our clients with families. The little 14 foot trucks that a lot of brokers own are not very useful for a family of four or more who needs to be out in one or two trips. If your church doesn’t have a moving ministry, talk to your pastor about starting one. It can be a great outreach into the community, not to mention a great service!

Children

What we did right: Overall, our kiddos did great without a lot of direction from us!The biggest help was having my wife’s folks watch them for the night when we had to get the truck unloaded.

What we did wrong: We should have packed for them like we were going on a camping trip, with the appropriate food, refreshments, games and books. Instead, we packed all their stuff and we’ve had to stop to find things that could have been available if we’d planned differently.

Realtor Application - Create a branded moving pack for clients with kids. Even if it only has some Capri Suns, Candy Bars, Word Searches and the like, at least it’s something that would be appreciated when it was used.

Preclosing Inspection

I’ve heard of these, but have never actually participated in one. I’m not talking about a property inspection here, but rather a walk-through of the property prior to closing. The buyers of our old home wanted to do this and it made me think about it’s purpose. What I realized is that it’s easy to take for granted how your home works. By spending a couple hours with the buyers of your home, showing them how the sprinkler system works, how to run the dishwasher, where to position the trash can for the trash man, you really can help them move in with a little peace of mind. It may not be very convenient if you’re still scrambling to move in to your new place yourself, but it’s a nice gesture to offer this. Kind of a ceremonial passing of the keys.

Realtor Application - Encourage this for all your sellers, and try to get your buyers the opportunity to have a walk-through on any property they buy with you.

Utilities

What we did right: We did schedule the switch-over in advance. I even overlapped slightly just to be sure. We didn’t really fail in this regard, however…..

What we did wrong: Cox Cable didn’t show up when they were scheduled to install our TV, Telephone and Internet connection. They were to arrive between 10-12 last Thursday. At 3pm, I called them to find out what was up and was told that they came and nobody was home. This was a complete untruth as someone was home that entire time. When I was told that they wouldn’t be able to send someone back out until Wednesday (Today) I about blew my gasket! Thankfully, I whined and complained so much (and threatened to cancel my order entirely) that they bumped it up to Monday. I should have called them at 12:01 pm to whine and complain and perhaps the cable guy would have made it out before the day was over.

The lesson learned here is that there are going to be issues that come up when you move that you can’t control and getting all worked up about those will just put you through unnecessary stress. Once I accepted the fact that I was going to be offline for awhile, things were okay.

Realtor Application - Provide your clients with a To Do checklist that they can go over prior to moving to make sure they haven’t forgotten to take care of any important details. And……remember moving is stressful. Anything you can do to show empathy or assistance will be worth far more than buying more pens with your logo on them.

Documents

What we did right: We sold our home FSBO in 4 days. I see this more as a case of offering a desirable property at an attractive price, and God’s blessing, than any formulaic method another could replicate. It happened so fast that we weren’t totally prepared to move. The closing was handled by a local title company that did a fair job, other than waiting until the last minute to mail out some of the final docs. This combined with a policy change at DHL that limits their service in Kansas, created some tension at the last minute, but otherwise everything went smoothly.

What we did wrong: We used DHL as an overnight shipper not knowing that their overnight service service to central Kansas was going to take a week since they now contract with the USPS out of Kansas City to deliver their packages. Had we used FEDEX or USPS from the get-go, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

Final Points

We tried to declutter ahead of time and held a garage sale. But, we should have got rid of, sold, given away, thrown away more stuff that we wouldn’t have had to move. I wonder how much it actually costs to keep junk instead of getting rid of it. My favorite resource on decluttering is at unclutterer.com

Lastly, I should have bought my wife a new pair of work gloves, BEFORE we started moving. They would have not only saved her hands, but allowed her to do more lifting.

There are probably a thousand other things that we did wrong but these are the ones I most feel today. Now, it’s back to the hot tub! Oh yeah, we don’t have one. Where’s the Advil?

This article continues the series demonstrating to sellers, real estate professionals and auctioneers creative ways to use technology to market real estate effectively. For the most part this post is an excerpt originally included in my soon to be rereleased eBook, “Real” 21st Century Real Estate Marketing.

Why Auction My Home?

As you may have noticed, real estate auctions are becoming more common every day. This trend actually began well before the current mortgage crisis, which is responsible for so many foreclosure auctions. Actually, real estate auction marketing has been growing in popularity as a viable alternative for a decade.

As a former member of the National Auctioneers Association, and Certified Real Estate Auctioneer, I’m going to discuss the differences between auction marketing and traditional real estate marketing.

Once I started selling on eBay in 1999, my focus gradually shifted from traditional auction marketing to online auction sales. After all, eBay is an auctioneer, albeit a virtual one.

In this post, I’ll discuss 10 reasons why traditional auction marketing can benefit a property seller.

1. It’s a Quick Sale - Since time is money, an auction affords property sellers the opportunity to dispose of property NOW, at today’s prices, rather than speculating about tomorrow. A lot of unforeseen circumstances can impact the value of a property positively and negatively over time, such as tax legislation, mortgage rates, unemployment, etc.

2. The Seller is in control of the sale - The seller sets the date and time of the sale, along with the terms and conditions. When a seller discloses up front any requirements pertaining to earnest money, date of closing, etc., they provide legitimate buyers with the necessary information they need to consummate a sale. The effectively rids oneself of the headaches associated with insincere buyers, contingency laden offers and other buyer slanted issues.

3. High Carrying Costs Are Avoided- As home sellers currently on the brink of foreclosure know, property that remains on the market for a long time can become a serious drain on the owner, while rapidly affecting an owners equity in a property. Holding costs like insurance, taxes, mortgage payments, maintenance, etc. can amount to hundreds or thousands of dollars each month.

4. Fair Market Value Can be Demonstrated…..FAST! - Instead of relying on an appraiser to determine the value of a property, the auction process demonstrates the true value of a given property on a given day. When an auctioneer effectively markets a real estate auction, the potential exists to realize a greater sales price than would have otherwise been possible using the traditional listing method.

5. Marketing Efforts are Isolated and Property Specific- When a property is marketed individually - over a compressed time frame - to a targeted audience, it is realistic to expect immediate results. This differs significantly from the traditional listing method, wherein, a property is often marketed with several other properties to a broad audience. Often these properties, though marketed together, have nothing in common and have individual features that appeal to very different buyers. This results in less penetration and is a waste of time and money.

6. Auctions Effectively FREEZE the Marketplace - Think about it….if you were looking at House A (which is listed with a Realtor for $100,000) and one block over, comparable House B will be going on the auction block soon, wouldn’t you wait to see what House B did at auction before presenting an offer on House A? Most local buyers will wait for two reasons: To determine fair market value for House A, and to possibly get a good deal on House B if it presents itself at the auction.

7. Sunday! Sunday!!! SUNDAY!!!! - Think about the monster truck event commercials. They do a great job of creating a sense of urgency to come out for the show which happens ONE DAY ONLY! This kind of marketing applies to your real estate auction too! You’re only going to have the auction on one day. If somebody comes the next day, they will be too late. This kind of urgency creates excitement which often translates into more bidding activity and higher prices.

8. Buyers are Pre-Qualified and Come Prepared to Buy - Most real estate auctions stipulate that by bidding, a bidder acknowledges that they have performed all due diligence necessary to close on the real estate. Additionally, most auctioneers require bidders to present certified funds to bid or at least upon winning the auction. This process weeds out flaky bidders pretty well. Lenders generally have no problem lending on auction properties, as long as a buyer is pre-approved. This results in a higher quality buyer than is commonly seen in the traditional listing method of selling real estate.

9. Commissions Can Be Paid by the Buyer - The beauty of the auction method is the ability to utilize what is called a Buyer’s Premium for the purpose of paying commissions. This is very motivating when compared to paying the standard 6%-7% brokers regularly command around the country. It also allows a seller to be more open minded when the final bid comes in, knowing that no other fees need be paid.

10. If it’s good enough for Van Gogh, it’s Good Enough for Me! - (Never mind the fact that Van Gogh was on the neurotic side.) It seems like every week you hear accounts of some collectible car, painting, musical instrument, or historic document bringing millions of dollars at auction. This is no fluke. Only the auction method of marketing can bring all the fundamental ingredients together to ensure these record prices. These same elements exist in your real estate auction event to make it a success:

• Uniqueness - There’s only one of your property

• Urgency - Your property is selling one day and one day only. You snooze you lose!

• Excitement - In the heat of the moment, bidders sometimes go above their “top price”. What a nice problem to have as a seller!

If you’d like to try to auction your property, of give your clients an auction marketing alternative, you have several options.

1. Go to your state auctioneers association website to find a qualified real estate auctioneer. Or, better yet, go to the National Auctioneers Association website and look for auctioneers that have either the AARE (Accredited Auctioneer Real Estate) or CREA (Certified Real Estate Auctioneer) designation, which demonstrates that they specialize in real estate auctions.
2. Consider using an online auction service like 123sold.com, Bid4Homes.com or even eBay. If you do this, you really need to keep in mind how important it is to market your auction. In other words, remember that the auction method is just a method…..but you need bidders to make it work. It’s imperative that you get bidders to you auction to get some activity happening.
3. If you’re a broker or agent, talk to your franchisor to find out if they have any in-house auctioneers they can refer you to. United Country Real Estate, has recently launched it’s own auction division recognizing the growth in this market segment. Others are following suit, and yours may be one of them. Also, don’t try to do it yourself. You’re better off referring the listing to an auctioneer for the referral fee, than to sabotage your client’s sale.

Auctions require a lot of time and preparation to pull off effectively, but can be very rewarding for all parties involved. Stay tuned for Part 2, when I discuss the negatives of real estate auction marketing and get into the components that lead to a successful sale instead of a miserable failure.

One of my favorite websites is DailyLit.com. In case you’re not aware of it, DailyLit provides you with a daily email excerpt of a book, which will allow you - over the course of time, to eventually read the entire work.  Albeit, in little pieces. But it’s great when you have time for small nuggets without having to sit down in the easy chair and read away the afternoon. 

They have close to a 1000 titles, including classics to new releases. 

Right now I’m reading a great Tom Peters book called 100 Ways to Succeed/Make Money.  Today’s excerpt is so FANTASTIC, I thought I’d share it here.  Enjoy!  If you’d like to subscribe to this book too, click here.

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Tags: motivation, attitude, TomPeters, DailyLit.com