February 22, 2007

What beautiful weather we're having. So much warmer and sunnier than last week. I hope it continues.

Norma called last night. Uncle Bill is home. I don't think I will make it down home to see him this time, though.

Talked with David McCabe today. His dad passed away last night. David told us that "Poo Bear" also passed this week. He had been battling cancer for some time. It's been a very bad week for David. He made the arrangements today; tomorrow is visitation for his dad; Saturday is the funeral.

Dennis spent last night with his Mom. They don't want her to spend nights alone for a while until she improves some more. He will be home tonight.

Applied the first coat of polyurethane on the floors of the apartment on Miami. It took me two hours to do. I went over this afternoon to put the second coat on, but it was still tacky in places. Hopefully, tomorrow I can get the second coat on. I wanted to do three coats, but as long as it's taking to dry, I will probably just do two. The first coat did look pretty good.

Went to drinks and dinner at Clementines with Ed Smith last night. He was in town meeting with the person who is helping him put his book together for the publisher. He's been working on this book for years, and he's excited it's finally coming to fruition. It's a book detailing his experiences teaching art to children in the many countries he's visited over the years of his teaching career.

Had building inspection today on the Chippewa property. It went pretty well; it was a gut rehabb, so there shouldn't have been too much wrong.

At the Keller Williams office meeting yesterday morning, we discussed the Art of Selling. This session was about turning questions into results - finding out your buyer's and seller's motivation through the use of questions. Some highlights:

For a seller who has to sell their present home before buying the new one: "Do you feel comfortable making two house payments?" They should list their present home first and if they do receive a contract quickly, make the contract contingent upon them finding an acceptable property within a certain amount of time (2-3 weeks, etc).

Open ended question: "Tell me about; describe for me; telll me about the home you'll buy."
Modified question: Client answers more directly. Answers the 5 W questions (who, what, when, where, why).
Close ended question: "Is that what you are saying? Is that correct?"
Tagline question: "What does a large yard mean to you? What does a quiet neighborhood mean to you?"

Use: "The market indicates" instead of "I think"

Today's Quote: "Have an attitude of gratitude."