It has been fabulous these past few months re-opening a real estate business here in Bozeman, and getting everything set up and gaining momentum once again.  And just so I don’t fool myself, it is still very much a work in progress.

We have been serving multiple clients at any given time these past few weeks and while that is a blessing, it also reminds me of the crazy-busy days many years ago.

One of the big and similar things I see is the discomfort of clients at certain points throughout “the process”, and then the transformation to comfortable as transactions move along and close.

It is uncomfortable to put yourself out on a limb (especially financially) and take a relatively large loan out and obligate yourself to pay it back.  It is…

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After brokering real estate and especially people’s homes and dreams for over a decade, it has always hit me hard that the process is as important as the desired end-result we all seek – a smooth and uneventful  transaction.

Inside of that, most consumers and people looking for a new home for sale or who are looking to sell their residence, look to a Realtor®.

As you start choosing what you want in a Realtor®, focus on the process.  That process should include a degree of education that allows you to follow along in the transaction with comfort.  It is not necessary to know everything it has taken your Realtor years to learn - experience is a good teacher – and yet I would encourage you to still have a sense of “Real Estate 101”, so that you are at…

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1.       Fiscal Responsibility

Selling and/or purchasing a home or an investment property will probably be one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) purchase of your life.  Many moons ago, I was taught to look at the process of finding and inspecting a new home, its escrow process and closing, as if it were my own money.  Every detail must be administered to - every “i” dotted and “t” crossed, so to speak.  No one deserves less than what I would expect with my own money and expectations.  Demand that your Realtor® look after your purchase and interests as if they were his/her own.

2.       Professional Distinction and Discretion

Let’s face it…not everyone needs to know everything about your interests, position and transaction.  As a professional,…

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It seems so long ago - in a galaxy far, far away – that day when my husband and I chose to enter the real estate profession.  We had been married earlier that year and had decided to buy our first new home just as we became pregnant. 

We were on the hunt for that perfect “fixer-upper”, worst-house-in-the-best-neighborhood we could find along the south Orange County coast in southern California.  The hunting process was fun and we saw a lot of houses over a month or so and finally decided on something that would fit our modest budget.  Then lightning struck, and I have to say that I know why members of our industry can get a bad rap.  The escrow and closing processes were just horrible, and never did we know what we were in for.  Our agent was referred…

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