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KC Real Estate Tips - Three Reasons You Should Write That Offer TODAY!

Three Reasons You Should Write A Real Estate Offer Today - don't waste a moment or you may loose your dream home!

Do you really need to write the offer today?  As an experienced real estate team of agents, we must confirm that we have seen people lose the house of their dreams because they waited just one day.  

Yes, hesitating just one day in a high demand area can make the difference!

I hate that this market demands that buyers make decisions so quickly, but it is my job to let you know what the market is actually like.  The last thing I ever want to do is to rush any client. We have seen the disappointment that can result when someone misses out on a truly exceptional home, and I am working to be proactive instead of reactive.  Simply put, well priced homes move FAST in Kansas City / Prairie Village / Leawood / Fairway / Brookside. 

If you are not willing to act swiftly, your competition for the home may be.  It’s can be devastating to lose a great house because the offer did not get in fast enough, but it does happen – more often than you think.  On the flip side, we have also had our clients win out because other buyers have hesitated and they did not.   Accordingly, when the house is the right house, I do encourage my clients to act swiftly.  To ensure you are ready to go when "your house" comes on the market, be sure to be PREAPPROVED with a great lender.  Use a lender you trust, they will be your partner throughout this sale process and you need to ensure they are working for you.

The following are three reasons why it may be important for you to write the offer today:

1)  Avoiding a bidding war / Get a better price!  Sometimes if you get an offer in quickly, you will be able to get it accepted quickly at a slightly lower price than if you waited and the situation became a bidding war. We have seen this often occur with REOs (foreclosures).  Take this as an example how about your client’s offer is the first offer, gets put into the computer portal that evening before the REO agent leaves the office, and the next morning when they check their email, it is already accepted.  Gone.  Our client is celebrating as the 10 other higher offers that poured in that evening and the next day are put aside, the deal is done and you won! 

2)  They just did a price reduction!  When a seller does a price reduction it is highlighted for those searching for a home.  With most MLS systems and specifically both our Reece & Nichols system and Heartland MLS, an automatic email alert will be sent to buyers who are actively looking for that type of home, and the home will appear in the “hot sheet” search that most buyer’s agents run first thing every morning.  Even a modest price reduction can dramatically increase the attention that a listing receives.  If the price is now appealing, or you think the owner will now be receptive to your offer, get that offer in quickly before someone else has the same idea. 

3)  Your offer may deter other buyers!  Buyers dislike bidding wars, so many will shy away from a home with an offer already on it. With thanksgiving "Black Friday" around the corner think, would you rather fight with 20 others for 1 TV or be the first in line to get it.  In our Kansas City market, buyers are not expecting bidding wars, unless the property is EXCEPTIONAL!  Often the presence of another offer will make buyers and their agents shy away.  Accordingly, your early offer may keep others from even bidding.  (Note this does not hold true for low ball offers, if you submit a low ball offer, the listing agent will simply tell other buyer’s agents that the offer they have in hand is low and it will not generally deter other buyers from bidding.)

If you are looking to sell and list your home or to put an offer in on a new home, now is the time and the Bubb Cribb Team would love to help you!

The Bubb Cribb Team at Reece & Nichols would love to be your neighborhood experts in buying or selling your home in the stalwart Kansas City locations, of Union Hill, Hyde Park, Brookside, Sunset Hills, Waldo, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Overland Park, Fairway, Leawood and more; please contact Christopher Cribb, Megan Bubb Cribb or Eric Bubb for assistance!

Christopher Cribb - The Bubb Cribb Team 
Reece & Nichols - Southgate  Direct Line 913.239.2023

14 Reasons to List your Home During the Holidays

14 Reasons to List your Home During the Holidays

The holidays are a great time to list your home, check out these 14 reasons why you should be looking at listing today so that you can sell at top dollar and move to your new dream home!

#1 ~ There is less competition for buyers.


#2 ~ Winter prospects are more serious and motivated buyers.

#3 ~ Homes shows better when tastefully decorated for the holidays.


#4 ~ If the landscaping is the one drawback to your curb appeal, winter is a great time to sell.

#5 ~ One of the highest ratios of “Listings Sold” to “Listings Taken” occur during this time of year.

#6 ~ You may receive more money for your home because there is less competition.


#7 ~ Throughout the holiday season you may restrict showings during personal family gatherings.

#8 ~ Buyers have more time to look at homes during the holiday season, especially during vacation time.

#9 ~ January is traditionally the biggest transfer month and they will use their vacation time to scout out a new city. So you must be on the market to capture them!

#10 ~ By selling now you can have a delayed closing or extended occupancy until the beginning of the year.

#11 ~ If you sell during the winter, you may chose to purchase during the spring when there are more homes to choose from and more competitive prices.

#12 ~ You may have fewer actual showings, but more qualified and motivated buyers.

#13 ~ Corporate transferees, who need to buy a home now, can’t wait until spring to purchase.

#14 ~ Bottom Line- By listing NOW you may have fewer showings, but more qualified and motivated buyers, which should result in a quicker sale and better price for you!!!

If you are looking to sell and list your home, now is the time and the Bubb Cribb Team would love to help you!

The Bubb Cribb Team at Reece & Nichols would love to be your neighborhood experts in buying or selling your home in the stalwart Kansas City locations, of Union Hill, Hyde Park, Brookside, Sunset Hills, Waldo, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Overland Park, Fairway, Leawood and more; please contact Christopher Cribb,Megan Bubb Cribb or Eric Bubb for assistance!

Christopher Cribb - The Bubb Cribb Team 
Reece & Nichols - Southgate  Direct Line 913.239.2023

Social Media - It Can Be As Easy As Walking Through An Open House - Let's Break It Down!

As a real estate professional and entrepreneur with experience in many industries, please find below my insight into Social Media; Social Media is not a huge nebulous concept and unapproachable, #SocialMedia can be as easy as walking through an open house...let's open the door and take a look inside!

1. Facebook.com - The Backyard BBQ - The behemoth, the big daddy on the block, the reality is that your interaction with Facebook probably matters more than the other top 5 combined.  What makes a good friend someone you want to talk with, they both talk & listen, Facebook is the same and if you are good at connecting with your friends... Facebook is your Backyard BBQ, the great deck or porch you have on your home, a lovely place to stay and what ultimately where all of your contacts would like to be, connecting with you personally.  How do you act at the BBQ, some are still formal, others are on the back deck in flip-flops grilling burgers, you make the call.  Facebook is the backyard BBQ because you share you, you don't promote here, you may mention what you do, but everyday people want to see this feed and interact with you on Facebook because they like you!  Exhibit your personality on Facebook and interact with your network in the same way you would if you met someone on the back deck of your house at a neighborhood BBQ.  Be personal, show your style, comment on what is going on in your friends life, wish them a happy birthday, tell them their daughter is cute, this is real life! A quick shout out to Chad Hyams from the KW BoldTech team - he inspired me on this post and was the person that put the idea of the Backyard BBQ & Cocktail Pary  in my head (see below for the cocktail pary / front porch reference).  Connect with me on FB here - Christopher.J.Cribb
   
   
   
2. Twitter.com - The Cocktail Party  / Front Porch - At a recent Real Estate conference I had an esteemed colleague call this the "cocktail party", and in many ways I agree.  The beauty of Twitter is that the inventors realized that our time is precious and if you put limits on what people can say they will be short about it... 140 characters (120 in reality so others can RT you content) limits what you can say, and focuses the writer on making this statement short, and sweet.  I see Twitter as the front door, or the front porch of a house, what would you share if you were on the front porch of a house at a cocktail party;  this is what you should be tweeting about (not your last haircut).   No twitter conversation is correct without leaving your handle - connect with me please! @cjcribb - Christopher Cribb
   
3. LinkedIn.com - The Corporate Boardroom / Library - We made it to what many people who are seeing this post are confused about; what is Linkedin.com - This is the boardroom, the spot that people that run businesses use understand, the true spot for expansion in a digital world   What would you say to the boardroom at your next corporate meeting?  Linkedin.com is what matters to business.  This is not the location to tell someone  what you are doing for dinner, this is the library of a house, the location people look to get information that is critical for them, the place that people would be looking to understand what the thought leaders in their industry think about a certain subject.  I have been influential about many subjects over the years (#wine, #kansascity, #socialmedia) and would submit that you should have a top notch profile on LinkedIn so that your circle of influence can find your talents, and know which areas you would be considered an expert.  Don't shout in the boardroom about the wrong thing!  Connect with me here on LinkedIn - Christopher J. Cribb & let me know if you are a KC expert, Real Estate Expert or Wine Expert I have great groups for you!
   
4. Craigslist.com - The Sign In Your Front Yard / Garage Sale - First things first, there was a Craig at one point that made this site and he made it to be about selling things!  Craig's List was intended and should be used as the front yard sign or "Garage Sale" sign posted in your yard to let others know what you want to sell.  This site is meant to be basic in an effort to ensure everyone is at a level playing field.  There is a reason it is free, but there is also a reason that it works.  People are viewing this site much more than you can imagine.... 20 billion people look at these new age "want ads" each month and in many businesses you should be looking at this as a great free resource to help you sell things! No personal link to find me here - it moves too fast!
   
5. Pinterest.com - The Kitchen & Ideas For The House - Pinterest has spun in to the online world with fast speed over the last two years and for that reason alone people should be taking interest.  Brands, please take note - you should have a Pinterest presence and monitor the traffic that your brands create because it matters to you overall web activity   Pinterest, when walking thorough our virtual open house, is the kitchen (not only because of the many recipes that are shared, but also because of the visual impact and ideas that are promoted).  The kitchen in any home is a great place to be, and one of the best locations, if you want an interactive gauge to assist you in this process, take a look at your next event and see how many people are in the kitchen... this is a place that people communicate! Follow my Pins here - cjcribb on Pintrest
   
6. Facebook.com - Business Page - Your Virtual Shingle / Post Office & Phone -  In reviewing the overall virtual landscape, Facebook is king, but after Facebook went public it started selling stock... and had to make money as a public company. I don't know if everyone has taken a step back to understand the bigger picture for their new initiatives, but they are strongly commercial and if you would like to do a quick test to understand the change, follow me.  One, refresh your Facebook feed, the details change a bit at the top and someone that you are connected to comes up first (usually with a picture as it ranks the highest in their results), shortly thereafter that - 2nd on your feed will be a sponsored request, or a direct ad that people are targeting to you because of your profile.  If you want to target a specific population this entity has the where-with-all and ability to only target people that fit your ideal profile from geography to personal preferences and beyond.  There is still a VERY personal aspect to Facebook Business Pages as they are now "liked" by people that are invited to their population, but this company is in the business of making money and ad the 3rd largest population in the world ( if they were a country) they should be considered and your brand should be here.  One brief note - my personal opinion and the "rules of Facebook  ensure that you only have one personal profile and that your personal profile is not used as a business profile.  I will be posting my open houses to a personal and business profile as I would love my friends to come see me at an Open House (See Sunday Open 11/4/2013), but you need to have a reasonable separation of church and state (business vs. personal) - there is nothing more likely to get you de-friended or un-liked as a person that can not separate the two.  See my example & LIKE The Bubb Cribb Team - Reece & Nichols here any feedback is appreciated!
   
7. YouTube.com - The Best HD TV In The House - Yes, YouTube.com can be more than cat videos, bloopers or Gangham Style fun... For social media use YouTube, owned by Google, I would compare this site to a theater room or as the awesome HDTV that I now have in more than one room of my house.  Videos seem tough, but we now all have cell phones with great cameras and video can be a great asset to sales efforts.  A simple testimonial, a look inside what a home can show, as a Realtor I love to take a short video from the back porch, to show my potential buyers the backyard BBQ experience that will make them want to come to this home.  I believe I mentioned earlier this site is now owned by Google, let me reemphasize just for the faint of heart, if you do videos and tag them correctly it will help your search engine results with Google.com!  We, my team, has committed to a new years resolution to become better in 2014, , but currently we could use some YouTube help - here is my personal page - Christopher Cribb and my previous page in the wine business, Marquee Selections,.. I do like what my friend Brian Icenhouser is doing at Keller Williams for a fun example!
   
8. FourSquare.com - The Lottery Ticket / Addictive Game - It's a game, not it is a discount platform, well - who knows exactly what it will morph into in the long run.  The reality is that Foursquare is the lottery ticket, punched ticket, and interactive "check in" game / service that has stood the test of internet time.  You can "check in at places" to find tips, show your friends where you are interacting & ultimately to win a "Mayor Ship" for a certain location.  My personal feel is that this might get integrated with another service in the next few years, but for now it is the best in it's industry and worth downloading.  The interface allows you to post to other sites like FB & Twitter from it;s platform and who doesn't like a game (farmville, candy crush, solitare, souduku)!!??   Please be advised - as a game, it will not make you want to "farm more" or solicit your friends, but it may make you want to frequent going to a certain location ( which any business would love to have happen)!  You might be able to find my favorite mayor-ship under Club 7100, but the office & where I meet client to sign contacts is at Reece & Nichols - SouthGate Office... look here for some fun tips!
   
9. Instagram.com - The Photo Hallway - Photos rank #1 on Facebook in terms of relevance.  Yes, this is a section about Instagram, but the reason that photos rank #1 on Facebook is because in people are visual and Facebook knows it.  Instagram in the our "virtual home" is the hallway that you must look at when you are on your way to the bathroom.  Pictures line the hall and they make you smile as you take a personal breath into what someone is interested in.  Instagram is an application that allows you take a photo and briefly manipulate it to make more appealing   In a mobile touch world, most photographs are taken on a mobile phone and Instagram allows you to share this with your audience / friends without the words necessary on other media.  Recent integration efforts allow you to take photos from Instagram and share to Twitter, FB, FourSquare and  other media - recently purchased, guard your content, but a great tool!  Find me here - cjcribb on Instagram
   
10. Google.com+ - Google+ - The Set Of Expansion Plans On The Table -The social media arm for Google has never broken the user barrier as a true tool that will overwhelm the masses, but it is owned by the biggest search company in the world!  Google+ is a much better derivation than the previous Google social media integration and has a strong tie with both YouTube and Gmail.com for integration.  Google+ in terms of the home that we have been touring are the new "expansion plans" sitting ion the kitchen table, professionally designed and possibly the best part of the house to come in the future.  Owned by Google I have seen several testimonials that these results carry a very strong weight in the world of Google native content search and I believe will be a long term player in the industry.  Did I mention that this service is owned by the only company that turned search into a  verb, Google!  Find my personal page - Christopher Cribb and my team here The Bubb Cribb Team - Reece & Nichols
    

If you are in the market for real estate in Kansas City - please consider using The Bubb Cribb Team - Reece & Nichols - 10+ years of experience from homes all across the city (Kansas City, Brookside, Prairie Village, Plaza, Sunset Hill, Waldo, Leawood, Fairway, Mission, Overland Park, Olathe, Lee's Summit. KC North, Raymore, Liberty, Independence) start your search here Kansas City Metro Area Homes For Sale with us & call or text 816.982.5990 - cjcribb@reeceandnichols.com to engage the best in KC for you!
Thank you for taking this "virtual tour of social media" with me.  :)


The Bubb Cribb Team at Reece & Nichols would love to be your neighborhood experts in buying or selling your home in Kansas City please contact Christopher Cribb, Megan Bubb Cribb or Eric Bubb for assistance!

Christopher Cribb - The Bubb Cribb Team Reece & Nichols - Southgate  Direct Line 913.239.2023

Social Media keeps changing everyday, but, the ideas of what people need and want stay the same.  Thanks for coming on my real estate "open house" of social media and if you have any needs in the SM space as a real estate professional or need assistance finding your next home in the KC, Kansas City, area I implore you to call The Bubb Cribb Team at Reece & Nichols - we will be your key to real estate in Kansas City!

Have a great day!

Christopher Cribb - 816.982.5990  

cjcribb@reeceandnichols.com