Personality styles are important among team members and Ann Arbor Area Real Estate clients. Just about everybody on our Kathy Toth Ann Arbor Real Estate Experts team has the personality style of and I.  That means we all communicate with others pretty much the same.  However, Ann Arbor real estate clients want to be communicated with how they like to talk and think.  So if a seller is a D style, he may want the price suggestion in the first minute and may want to skip everything else.  So knowing our team styles and our client styles is important.  The C Seller may want all the data and then some before moving forward.  The S client may want to discuss the impact on the family.  The I style will want to have a personal relationship and be a part of the process so will usually be involved in looking at options and pricing education.  See video below for I style characteristics.

For more information on the D I S C profiling, call us.  For selling | Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Dexter, Saline, Ypsilanti homes or condos, call us.

Selling your home is tough in any market, however when it comes to the current market, if you are willing to carry out those small, nagging home repairs, your home could stand out and save your thousands!

With all the foreclosures and short sales many repairs are not carried out, so by spending a little money on the smaller jobs can reap rewards in making your home stand out when it comes to selling!

There are a few key areas to focus on – your air/heat system, faucets, caulking and tiles.

Interestingly your air/heat unit is an area to focus on! In particular with regards to air filters, experts say that 60% of service calls are caused due to dirty filter related issues – therefore, by changing your filters regularly ensures that you keep your unit maintenance costs under control! It can also save you money as when your unit is maintained properly it works at its maximum efficiency! With estimated savings of around $100 per year just by changing your air filters, its not chump change! – A great reminder to check your filters is when you get your bill!

Also leaking faucets and bad caulk are other areas which buyers focus on. It is all about appearances, if your home looks maintained then buyers will feel it is worth purchasing, if there are leaky faucets, broken or cracked tiles and caulking as well as a air/heat unit that limps along then they may thing the home is in need of serious repairs!

So, with spring looming, then it is time to start spring cleaning and getting up to date on your home maintenance!

Click here to search Ann Arbor Real Estate using our complimentary Ann Arbor Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Kathy Toth and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Ann Arbor Real Estate needs.

www.KathyToth.com
Keller Williams Realty

Predictions for 2010 Ann Arbor Real Estate
Price declines will continue as long as foreclosures come on the market and unemployment rates exceed 7 percent in Washtenaw and 15 percent for our fine state of Michigan.
Units sold will continue to hum along with the buyer credits in place, but will stall for the latter half of the year.
Sellers will continue to become more realistic in pricing – so list price to sales price ratio will hover in the 94 percent range or above.
Our higher priced homes will still lag behind the lower price range homes until consumer confidence resumes.
Reflections for 2009 for Ann Arbor Real Estate
We are grateful and thankful to all our valued clients to help move 94 families and look forward to improved health.
Deals were so difficult it made us question career options.  

Life is a school and we are here to learn and share. 

Problems (short sales) are part of the class that come and go but the lessons last a lifetime.

We cannot compare our lives to others; we have no idea what their journey is about. Personal friends and family have been hurting financially and I am glad this year is behind us.  

However good or bad a situation is (with all the Ann Arbor foreclosures for sale) it will change……….. Everyday above ground is a good day. We thank GOD everyday.

It is that time of year again! Christmas 2009 is upon us! Asides from the festivities and the crowds at the malls and the stores it is a time for giving to friends and family. This year in particular there has been less focus on commercial side of Christmas and more on what is important.

Here in Ann Arbor Michigan the chance of a white Christmas has been thwarted with a delightful ice storm bringing freezing rain! So despite the cold temperatures Christmas is still in the hearts of its residents. [We hope you remembered to winterize your home?!] - its time to crank up the heating and get all cosy for the day!

With all the months of preparation people are finally getting some time to relax and enjoy the season. They can now spend time with their families and friends and enjoy that Christmas Ham or Turkey! – Don’t forget to wrap up warm!

So, from Kathy Toth and the team here in Ann Arbor Michigan, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

DONT FORGET ABOUT TRACKING SANTA COURTESY OF NORAD!

Click here to search Ann Arbor Real Estate using our complimentary Ann Arbor Real Estate MLS Search service. Alternatively please contact Kathy Toth and the team if you need more specific assistance in your Ann Arbor Real Estate needs.

www.KathyToth.com
Keller Williams Realty

NORAD, the North American Air Defense Command has been tracking Santa’s progress on Christmas Eve ever since a misprinted phone number was placed in a Sears Roebuck advertisement. This “wrong number” put boys and girls through to the Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline”.  The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup had his staff use their radar to begin checking Santa’s progress from the North Pole and they have been providing this service to kids everywhere ever since.

This year you can also track Santa from your mobile phone using Google Maps for mobile. If you have an iPhone, T-Mobile G1, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, or Nokia phone with Google Maps, just search for “norad santa” to see Santa’s location on the way to Ann Arbor. (Note that you’ll have to resubmit your query whenever you want to update Santa’s location).

Santa

If you have a supported phone but do not yet have Google Maps, you can download it for free at the Norad website or from the above Google link.

If you’d like also like to follow Santa’s progress on Christmas Eve go to this website http://www.noradsanta.org/ to follow the action.

Kathy Toth and Team       www.KathyToth.com       Keller Williams Realty

We have had great success with people finding us via the web: via Ann Arbor Real Estate, some with whom we have celebrated several closings, some who have become dear family friends. But most Washtenaw County internet leads are time intensive because many surfers do not distinguish one Realtor from another.  There are many unqualified, unmotivated people seeking information. We need to address each request to discover if there is anything there to work with.  Statistically, these leads can easily cost more sifting time than gains in new business.

Taking care of the clients we already have, on the other hand — knocking their socks off and knocking their neighbors’ socks off — is a very effective and proven business path or marketing strategy.  Spending time with our buyer clients and seller clients is what we like to do.  We each recognize the work ethic and the mutual trust that is there.  Ann Arbor area real estate clients are now sharing their experiences via videmonials. 

How do we know this works?  Our clients tell us it does. We prefer working with our clients and REALTOR referrals rather than competing for random internet leads.  We have built and are building a business that is beyond  competition.  We currently have an investment house listed for a REALTOR who used to work with the competiton.  This is one of the highest compliments we can receive.  When fellow REALTORS call us to market their properties, you know you are regarded as professionals delivering results. 

To our dear clients our team is grateful.  We look forward to all kinds of leads but treasure our clients.  Last year we celebrated with our valued clients at The Harry Potter Movie premier.  If you have ideas for the 2010 client appreciation party, let us know your thoughts.

Do you know I love to fly fish?  I finally edited the video from our 2 day trip and have posted here.

Yes, son Kevin is majoring in fish and wildlife mangement at Utah State.  He has been fishing since he has been 4.  We live on Little Portage Lake and have a pond which allows us the luxury of fishing and skating.  So my kids have grown up engaged in nature and enjoying the outdoors.    I thought I would share our trip on the Green River.  This river is home to more trout per mile than any other river in the world I guess.

 Last time, we stayed at Flaming Gorge Resort to fish in the Green River in Ashley National Forest between Utah and Wyoming. It is well known for rainbows, brown trout, kokanee salmon and smallmouth bass. You will always enjoy great scenery.  Camping facilities are superb too.
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What is your favorite hobby? 

Taking a break from selling Ann Abor Real Estate is what I did this weekend.

I was blessed to take a centerpiece class this weekend with Monica Milla, Master Gardener, of

www.TheGardenFaerie.com.  I exited with two super arrangements.  It is my Mom’s 80th birthday so one is a gift for her.  Also attending the class was Mary Helen, Deb, Amy, and Laurel.  We each crafted from the supplies provided a fresh arrangement and made some new connections.  Monica’s location in Ann Arbor is on a cul de sac by a park, and seemed like the perfect location for an avid gardener. Monica toured us through her fully decorated house, mulled some wine and provided some snacks too.  I would suggest you check out her site or call her for gardening assistance 734-975-6865.

One of the things I love about Holidays is breaking from Ann Arbor Real Estate and having the time to travel and be with friends and family.  I am in Boston sharing this time with daughter Lindsey and was blessed to cook a wonderful Turkey dinner.  We tried an experiment with stuffing this year.  We cooked it inside and outside the bird and could not taste the difference.  So, from now on, we will cook it separately to save on calories without sacrificing taste.  

We have been journeying from my old stomping ground Canada, Elmhurst Inn, through Niagara Falls, to “bee bopping” around Boston.  It’s a good thing I brought some warm clothes for under my rain coat because the weather outside is frightful – windy!  We toured the Harry Potter exhibit at the Museum, shopped at The Prudential Center, massaged at Bella Sante Spa on 38 Newbury Street, stopped for an appetizer and cocktail at the top of the Prudential Center and had dinner at an Italian restaurant on Newbury.  Mama mia!   You know, I have to say; 

Ann Arbor has great artwork on every street, just walk around and snap some photos to share.