As promised, I am back with more information about being a new mom in Real Estate!

What’s New in My Real Estate World

As of right now, I am noticing a few trends. People are nervous to sell as we see property values start to decline in proportion to the rising interest rates. Buyers are becoming more “picky” since it is not as inexpensive to borrow money on their new homes. What they may have lived with before because the square footage was what they needed or the house had the added room for a home office they needed, they are passing on. And all and all, people are just starting to stay put as the fear of “what will come” is setting in. Pretty dooms day for a new person in real estate sales, right?

Not really. I am getting ready to list a couple new properties. I had couple closing this month, and several buyers still looking. Contracts are still getting accepted, and people are still out there searching for “The One.” But most of all, people are wanting to build!

New Construction Take Over

New Construction is a dream for me as Interior Designer turned Realtor! I get to be creative with my buyers and build something they truly love. So many buyers have shifted from “there’s not much out there… We need to bid so much more money to win!” to “Let’s talk with builders and see if this is a better route for us.” It’s been so much fun finding plots of land and encouraging these buyers to build their dreams. And as someone who was raised in a house her parents’ built and is working towards the goal of purchasing said homestead, I just know these clients are working towards something that’s a little more special than a standard purchase in real estate.

Buyer Bargaining

Those who are still looking for an established property are having the roughest time right now. The house may be perfect, but the lot isn’t. The layout may work, but the finishes are going to cost another $20,000+ to make it what they want. The kitchen may be horrendous, and they will need it redone prior to moving in. It’s still slim pickins out there, but the buyers still need to buy.

For instance, I had relocation clients in this week, and we looked at roughly 30 different houses, in many different areas. If you guys are reading this, I am not picking on you! I absolutely loved having you with me all week! Seriously one of the sweetest families I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. The lesson here is that they have a criteria and the perfect house in the perfect area just was not any of the 30 that we were able to see in the short time that they were here.

So the question becomes for all buyers, “If it isn’t what we want, why would I pay 8-9% to borrow money to have it to then fork out more money to make it what we want it to be?” “Do we have the time for that?” “Do we even want to venture down that path?” “How long will it take?” “Could we just build a whole new house at that rate?” And now we are circled back to why new construction is such a win right now!

Talk About the Mom Part Already

This blog series is about real estate, but it is also about being a new mom too. This month has been a rough one. It’s been hot. The overall mood of the general public has been less than lovely in the heat plus the fact that we have had several power outages in the area. Then I come home to that beautiful baby of mine, and oh my gosh, I just love her!

Power Outages?

If you live in Columbia, IL, you know. We lost power for 4 days in many areas of town. Storms rolled through here about 6:30-7:00pm on June 30th, knocking down several power lines with straight line winds. Mind you these straight line winds seemed to come from every direction! I was on my way home from a showing in Belleville, IL when my husband called and said “Where are you?! There’s a tornado!” Fortunately, I was on my way to Zoey and in my mom’s driveway. I walked in the door to find them sitting in the dark. And it stayed dark for 24 hours hours at my mom’s and 72 hours at our house. Clearly, we stayed at mom’s. Mama and baby need A/C!

We survived the power outage, but our home in town did not fair the storm as well as we did. We have roof damage which has led to some water damage in Zoey’s bedroom directly below. So here we go, right? I have a busy work month already. My husband is scheduled to work out of town. I have that whole mom thing I have to do, so hey, let’s add an insurance claim on top of it. I cried for three hours as I packed up her room and cleared space for the contractors to take over.

I go back to my mom’s to that beautiful face, and just thank God for her, for our health, and once again for my mom who welcomed us in for the long haul.

Mom-ing, Work, and an Insurance Claim

So I discussed the slim pickins, 30 houses, and new construction for a reason. I have shown more houses this month of July than I have had in any other month of my short career in real estate. I want to say the total is around 62 with 4 days to go! Zoey has shown 16 of those along with me. I have also worked 28 hours in our new construction display homes while she has been with Nana, and of course, all of the other activities a Realtor has to do, she is generally with me for that. When is family time? Well, it’s kind of a blend.

She is just 4 months old, and we are starting to spend more time apart. It really saddens me! My coach has really been on me about time blocking and setting boundaries, and it really cannot be more true. Most other professionals get to go home on a Friday and leave work at work. We as Realtors do not get to do that. Ergo, I am writing this blog on a Friday evening while listening to a rerun of George Lopez with my little friend conked out in her pack n play next to me. Balance. We have to balance.

And this insurance claim has just opened up my eyes as to how quickly time can fly when us Realtors get caught up in the “I have to please my clients” mentality. My claim has been sitting for three weeks unattended to, and I honestly forgot because I had other people to attend to. Enough is enough. We are not robots. We have houses, families, pets, friends, etc. that we cannot neglect just to appease clients, and if clients cannot understand that.. Well, maybe they aren’t the right clients for us.

Buyers are Bargaining and I am Balancing

So I have started enforcing a few rules I have let slide before. Client calls are a no go after 6:00pm. There is nothing a client is going to call me about short of damage to their listing that we are going to be productive in discussing after 6:00pm. A house is not going to hit the market that late at night (normally). Most listings appointments happening tonight will go live tomorrow, and I will see it first thing in the morning while my little bestie and I have breakfast. And if it is important, they will leave a voicemail or a text with what it is, and I will see it likely within 5 minutes and return the call.

I talked this over with my current clients, and it’s well received. Most people understand that texts and emails will be seen and responded to in a timely manner, and that I deserve family time as well.

But Jamie, what about showings? I will show houses passed this set time. Showings are appointments that have been preset and planned around for the day. If I have evening showings, I take some time during the day to sit and play with my daughter. If I have day showings, I won’t book for the evening unless she can come too.

I learned a very valuable lesson early this month when I was gone day and night, and my baby wouldn’t go down. She missed me, and I missed her. I was tired, and she was tired. But because she had not seen me all day and night, she wanted my full attention. All. Night. Long. The next day, I was walking around like that meme of Bugs Bunny, ears down and blood shot eyes, gripping my caffeinated beverage.

But Jamie, what about same day showings? Same day showings happen! It’s the nature of the beast. But let’s evaluate the situation a little further… Is this property going to get snatched up within minutes of being on the market? Yes? Ok, strap in Zoey and off we go. Is it the only time my buyer can go? Yes? Let’s go, Zoe. Things happen, and we adjust.

Is it a new buyer I have never met calling about a property they have to see right now? Ehhh… send me your identification, preapproval, and sign this buyer’s agreement. No? Well, I am not leaving my set family time to chase you down anymore. You could be a millionaire or a murderer, and I just can’t take that risk!

Thanks for the read! More on being a new mom in real estate coming to you soon!