Monday, December 22, 2008

Holiday Post

Happy Holidays from the Team Green Family!

I woke up before the rest of the house this morning to carve out a few minutes to write this entry. Our beautiful Southern California sunrise was hidden behind fog and rain early today. This is not unusual this time of year, but it is definitely not our normal weather pattern. We really are spoiled by fantastic weather in Los Angeles.

The cold air and the Christmas decorations throughout the house made me a little homesick for Central Texas and the various family traditions I observed while growing up there. One of my all-time favorites was all of our immediate family staying the night at my grandparent’s house on Christmas Eve. Opening Christmas presents on Christmas morning was always a treat, but I can still smell the blueberry muffins that Grandma made for us every year. As I checked on our five beautiful daughters (all still fast asleep) I can only dream that I am providing them with the same types of fond memories and that they will cherish the rest of their lives. If how deeply they are sleeping, or how loud some of them are snoring, is any indication, Collette and I are doing a great job. I am using every ounce of willpower I can muster not to post snoring videos here. A blog can be a powerful tool and, like Spiderman says, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Now on to business…

A good friend and client of ours asked us a few days ago what our holiday plans consisted of. She was surprised to hear that we had some work-related tasks to do around the holidays. It is true that the real estate business slows slightly during the holidays, but not as much as you might think. We get the same types of shocked and amazed looks when we meet new people and they find out that we are real estate agents in today’s market. We usually get the sympathetic, head tilted to the side, “oh wow, you guys must be really hurting for business in this market” response. This usually gets a smile out of us and usually the same response. Depending on the circumstances of the conversation, it normally goes something like this…

The holidays can be a pretty darn busy time of year. The public has it in their heads that people only buy and sell real estate, or move for that matter, when nothing else is going on, or when the market prices have peaked. Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Quickly think back to all of the times when you have had friends or family tell you that they were moving. How many of those times did they say that they were moving because the market prices had peaked, or because they were trying to time the market? I will bet you that those types of responses are rare; at least for a primary residence, (income property is another story). The truth is that most people move because they need to and not necessarily because they want to. The most common reasons include:

· moving for work reasons
· they need a larger residence
· they want an upgrade to their primary residence
· they need a smaller residence with less square footage to maintain
· they want to downsize their primary residence to save money

As for when they move, we find that people are constantly moving for one reason or another. The list of reasons seems endless. The same holds true for those thinking about putting their house on the market during the holidays. One of the most interesting things about working in real estate is that each client’s situation is different and it is fun to be a part of their solution for whatever challenges lie ahead for them, whether it is moving for a new job, or expanding their family and needing more room. Whatever your situation is, we are here to help; that is what we do.

Buying or selling, if you are ready to make a move, please do not hesitate to call us at 818.568.8402, or click here to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Still not sold on us? See what our clients are saying about us by clicking here.

Happy Holidays!

Labels: , , , , ,