The "BUZZ" w/ Stinger

Get Pre-approved :  Find and use a local Home Mortgage Agency.  Local, because it will strengthen your offer.  Listing agents like to work with Mortgage professionals they know and have access to.  If your Mortgage Company is out of NY, CA, etc. that's a disadvantage. Local Realtors Matter:   Use a Realtor that lives in Cowlitz County, they know the area,  the people, and they have connections that outsiders are not going to have. Look for Designations: Those funny letters you see on a Realtor’s business card after their name are called designations.  Realtors that take their craft seriously pay money and invest time into improving their skills through education. Always look for Realtors that stay educated. Ask Friends:  Ask friends and family for recommendations.  It’s always a good place to start Interview Multiple Agents :   I love when potential clients interview me against other agents.  I am comfortable connecting with clients...

  Castle Rock is such a beautiful little town in the Summer time! The flowers are amazing. CR is was the first “Proven Winners” Signature city. They’ve won multiple America in Bloom competitions. Castle Rock Blooms is made up of many volunteers. They do a great job keeping the town vibrant with color!🌻 Highly recommend taking a stroll down the streets if you haven’t! Here's a little video touring around downtown.

  BEING A REAL ESTATE AGENT  The good, bad and ugly (PART 2)       THE BAD! A Realtor, You wake Up Every Morning Unemployed. Thinking about selling real estate?  It can be very lucrative     or       not.    In 2021, there were a record number of real estate agents in the United States, according to the National Association of Realtors.  More than 156,000 people joined their ranks in 2021 and 2020 combined  — nearly 60 percent more than did in the two years prior.  Studies estimate that  87 percent of real estate agents will fail within the first five years . That is  success rate of just over 1.3 of 10. So, know going in that it will be difficult. Why do so few make it? There are three primary obstacles to success. 1.  Branding:    It takes time for strangers, friends and family, to know that you sell  Real Estate. I've heard said that every person has 2 realtors...

So Jerry, what do you do?  "I'm a Realtor, I sell Real Estate".  That always perks people's attention and they have questions.  They have always wanted the opportunity to peek behind the curtain and here is their chance.  Everyone at one time or another has thought to themselves,  "I should sell Real Estate.  It can't be that hard, I'm great with people, I would be so successful.  Joe Smith is a Realtor and Lord knows his cruise ship is missing a few lifeboats, if he can do it I know I can"   It's true isn't it, you have thought about it? So to all of my curious friends; here you go.  I am going to BLOG about being a Realtor.  With apologies to Clint Eastwood, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Real Estate.    Part #1     THE GOOD Real Estate is a flexible profession that allows you to often arrange your calendar to provide opportunity to go to your kid's baseball games and other life events. I am not punchin...

My Son Rylan turned 21 a few days ago and my daughter is getting married in a few months.  Time, where has it gone? John Mayer is one of my favorite singer songwriters.  On his Continuum Album he has a song that has come to have meaning to me as I have gotten older.  The song is called "Stop This Train".  The lyrics describe a young (rising in fame) John Mayer who is feeling the pressure of the world and he dreams of going back home to a more simple life but the train he is on is moving too fast, he can't stop the train. He sings "STOP THIS TRAIN, I WANNA GET OFF AND GO HOME AGAIN".  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS2o4q7vRFM As we get older the speed of the train keeps increasing.  I'm sure John Mayer's train was a rocket as his stardom rose.  Everyone wanted  a piece of him and the pressure must have been overwhelming. John Mayer uses the song to describe his understanding that his life is changing, he is getting older and taking on the respons...

  Yesterday, my son and I went to see the movie Father Stu. It's the story of a man that grew up in a dysfunctional family of divorce, alcoholism, death of a sibling and other difficulties. The movie follows his journey in life as a boxer, wanting to be an actor, friend to some and the bearer of a terminal muscle disease, all the while pursuing God and ultimately his ordination as a Catholic Priest.  It is a raw movie that depicts Stu as a real person, a person that did not grow up in the Catholic Church, a person that didn't know God at all. Stu didn't know to clean up his language around religious people and he didn't allow room for religious double talk. Stu pressed in way past the point of discomfort. His pursuit of God was real and honest. it wasn't sanitized, there was no soft-shoe in the dance. It was often a hard movie to watch but the pursuit of God at all cost was so refreshing.  I was amazed that left leaning Hollywood allowed a movie this quality to be m...

Spring is a beautiful time of year in Longview, WA with the flowers beginning to bloom and the cherry blossoms showing off their color with vibrancy.   Longview is a planned city from the visionary Robert A Long. Trees are an important part of our City. In fact, Longview is part of the Tree City USA program. All of the trees in our community are known and cared for by the City of Longview.  The cherry blossoms lining the streets are a beautiful sight in the Spring. Right now, the trees are just beginning to bloom. Check out the video below for a quick tour.

"Jerry, Zillow says my house is worth 3 million dollars, there's no way you can say my house is only worth 850K!" I often hear the words, "Zillow says, the 'Zestimate' is, Realtor.com says." What’s the value of your home? Have you looked on Zillow, Redfin, Homesnap or other real estate search engines lately? These sites can be great tools, but use caution when using them to determine the value of your home. Their home values are generated through algorithms & can often be inaccurate (too high or too low).  In fact, I often advise my clients to look up their home on many different sites & most likely all the estimated values will be different. The best way to get the truest value of your home is to have an experienced real estate agent come over to take a look at your house and put a detailed analysis together. 

And just like that, we're through the month of February. Here's a look at our local real estate numbers from last month.📈 We saw a slight uptick in new listings in the last month. We're still seeing multiple offer situations, with sellers (on average) receiving more than asking price for their home. With interest rates creeping up we may see more homeowners decide it's time to sell.