Grandpa always said....

When I was a little younger, I was talking to my grandfather about the new pontoon boat he had just bought for his cottage on Higgins Lake. He had traded in one that was in pretty good shape and he shared with me what he got on trade in. I couldn't believe how he had been taken advantage of by the boat dealer. I made the comment that he should have called me and I would have given him more. I'll never forget his response. "That guy has to make a living too".

Just a few years ago I asked for some advice on a transaction from my former business partner, Dave Felker, of 45th Parallel Realty. It was in regards to a transaction I was negotiating in which I had to potentially offer up a share of the total commission to make sure the deal came together. His words of advice were, "Pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered". I had the opportunity to put a few bucks of my own money aside and, in the end, help a seller move on with their life and a buyer begin building memories for their family. A pretty easy decision when I thought about it in those terms.

I keep both of these little words of wisdom at the forefront of my mind and use them as guiding principals in my business and personal life. Maybe more now than at any point in my career, I've had the unfortunate experience of working with clients who are in a real financial bind and really need to get their property sold or suffer serious consequences. On the flip side of this is a mentality among some buyers that these are the ideal sellers to find because you can really "stick it to them". I'm not saying that we don't help buyers get good deals when opportunities arise. After all, any seller is only going to put together a transaction that helps them out of a sticky situation. It is a fantastic buyer's market and I also believe that it's important that those buyers get the best price and terms possible.

I just hope as you move forward in the process of finding the right property that you try to keep these bits of wisdom in mind. If you've found your dream property and it's listed at an attractive price and you've been able to even get some movement off that price with your offer, try to consider your fellow man before you make the decision to really turn the screws. Have a wonderful holiday season and please let us know if we can be of any help.