If you don’t know about all of the foreclosures in the marketplace these days, you need to… Obviously we are all aware of the housing slump taking place in many parts of the nation. Oklahoma City has been named the most recession proof city in the United States. That’s great, right? But, we are not completely immune to the realities of the recent mishaps in the mortgage industry.

Good news though… If you are ready and willing and certainly not for the faint at heart, there are tons of deals out there today. Not just decent deals but great deals. In some cases you can pick up houses for 50 cents on the dollar. With a little sprucing up and the right vision, those diamonds in the rough can be real money makers. If you are interested in the possibility of investing call me. I am great at spotting the gems from the junk.

As usual, have a blessed day!

I finally went to see what all of the buzz was about. As most OKC’ens (Is that a word?) know, a group of developers purchased Founders Tower in 2005.

The developers of the project, have worked to convert the 178,000- square-foot, 20-story tower at 5900 Moesteller Dr. from office space into 68 high-end condominium units.

The building, built in the early 1960s, and 7.5 acres of surrounding land sold for $4.6 million in 2005 to Founders Tower LLC, a subsidiary of Bridgeport Development Group LLC.

To be honest, I was very impressed! It was refreshing to see the sleek lines and the modern decor and feel. We tend to follow everybody else in this city, what’s wrong with stepping out and doing something a little off of the beaten path?

I applaud the ones that step out and make this their new home. With all of the great amenities, like pool, concierge, work out facility, so on, so on… Residents here will enjoy their laid back lifestyle and have time to enjoy other things in life than mowing the yard and pulling weeds. If you would like to take a look, text or call me at 405-229-1333. I’d love to look at it again myself.

I had a very interesting conversation recently with a local discount real estate agent.  We sat down over coffee and talked about why “my way” is better than “his way”.  You know… The typical business rivalry.  I asked him why he would list homes for such a “low fee.”  Not just why, but how?  How can you list a home and give it the marketing that it needs with that kind of fee?  His answer was shocking.  “Carmie, I list the homes for the Buyers.”  WOW!  “So, what type of marketing plan do you provide for the Sellers?”, I asked.  His reply: “For 1%, I’m not worried about really marketing the property, I work with the Buyers who call off of the ads and the sign.  That’s how I make my money.” 

This is exactly what I try to communicate to the Sellers every day when I am competing with the discount agents.  There is no competition or comparison really.  Who is working for the Seller?  I believe that everyone needs someone working for their benefit.  Who is working, day in and day out to ensure that the home is sold for Top Dollar?  Sellers must grasp this! 

I will never provide less than full-service and all that I ask is to be compensated for it.  My compensation rarely ever takes away from the Seller’s net.  We are consistently able to get returns for our Sellers, well above what other Real Estate agents are selling their neighbor’s homes for.  This is done through our dynamic marketing plan.  Working for the Seller.  Working for the Buyer.  Which side am I on?  Whose representing you?

Sometimes on the weekend I like to spend time in the car driving through neighborhoods.  This gives me the opportunity to see what has come up on the market recently and really familiarize myself with what is going on in different neighborhoods.  As I was driving around today, seeing all of the different areas and houses made me realize the amount of diversity Oklahoma City has.  I can remember last summer being in Palm Springs, California or recently being in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Those places are beautiful, however, every house looks much like the one next door.  

Do you want Dallas Style, go to Edmond or NW Oklahoma City.  Would you like English Tudor, drive through Crown Heights or Heritage Hills.  How about French Country or Mediterranean?  Take a tour through Nichols Hills.  For whatever strikes your fancy, this city can meet your needs.  It’s our differences in taste that make us interesting.  Aren’t you glad we don’t all have to be the same?

The Real Estate business is highly emotional.  The most normal human being can become  “a little off” when everything they own is in boxes, they can’t find their toothbrush and the movers are hours late.  You can imagine that our responsibility as Real Estate professionals goes far beyond just selling houses.  In fact, selling houses is a small part of what we do.  From counseling married couples to managing divorced couples to calming out of control children or even, pulling two people apart during a heated argument.  We really do it all!

The one thing you will hear me say to my Team members over and over again is to “keep your emotions between the lines.”  I heard that years ago and never quite understood what it meant until I became active in Real Estate.  Not only from Buyers and Sellers, but from other agents.  Most of the time, the Buyers and Sellers are following the agent’s lead, so if the agent is emotional, you can only imagine what happens to the Buyer or Seller.  Let’s just say, it’s not pretty!

When interviewing agents for the job of representing you as a Buyer or Seller, pay special attention to their personality.  Do you think this is a person who can handle themselves during times of stress?  Are they calming or simply off the chart in terms of “high-strung”?  Emotions can cost deals!  Don’t let it cost yours! 

Well, I guess it’s important to tell all of you what the theme of this blog will be.  I mean, it’s important that you know what to expect, right?  Our lives are filled with such serious stuff all of the time.  Therefore, I want this blog to be “light” and a bit “care-free”.  We have spent months and months, even years, to develop great “serious” content on www.carmieholloway.com .  We realize for most of us, buying or selling a home will be one of the largest financial decisions you will ever make.  So, since we’ve got you covered (knowledge wise) on the website, let’s make this a bit more fun.  Deal?

 Because I get the opportunity to travel alot to attend real estate conferences through my coaching company, one common question comes up, again and again and again… So, what in the world do you do in Oklahoma?  I think people still believe that we ride around in covered wagons.  Many are shocked at the growth that we have had and the “culture” that we experience daily in this great state.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve been elsewhere… It’s always good to come back home.

 I hope you enjoy this great city as much as I do.  If you feel a little bit bored, browse through the Oklahoma City section on www.carmieholloway.com .  It is truly amazing all that this great city has to offer.  Kick it up a notch!  Make the most of what we have to offer and feel free to post your comments on this site.  We would love to hear from you.

 Remember, live life to the fullest!  We never get this day back!

Carmie

Welcome to my new Blog.  Consider this your source for all things related to the Oklahoma City metropolitan real estate market.  Our goal is to provide good content on a very regular basis, that is not only educational, but also fun to read.  Why would you come back and visit if we didn’t make it any fun?

 The Oklahoma City real estate market is stable.  We have seen an increase in the number of homes on the market compared to last year, but as we move into the Spring and Summer months, we expect to see an increase in Buyers in the market.  Unlike many parts of the country, we didn’t suffer from the drastic “ups and downs”, like many of our friends across the country have over the past year.

For an amazing experience, logon to our new website:  www.carmieholloway.com  This new site is truly a culmination of months and months of research and planning.  We are proud to present it to you and feel confident that you will find it inspiring, motivating and enjoyable to browse.  We have made it our goal to not only provide a site that is pretty, but also a site that is filled with rich content that you can actually use to make wiser real estate decisions.

Here’s to Happy Home Buying and Home Selling.  Remember… for anything Real Estate or Okahoma City area related, do not hesitate to call our Team at 405-753-7243.  We hope to get the opportunity to serve you!