If you want a job done well – – give it to a busy person! That is a quote that my grandmother, who I admired and respected, told me when I was in junior high school. She was very busy, but always did a great job with everything she did. I recently sold a house [...]

After selling real estate on Hilton Head Island for 29 years, it amazes me how some people do not understand how to prepare a house to show.  I was recently showing property to some prospects; I had made an appointment and the people knew we were coming.  When we arrived, every light in the house [...]

Last night Jane and I were putting up corn I had picked at my farm; it is kind of a southern thing to “put up corn”.  Jane and I both grew up doing this.  My job was to watch the corn on the cob in the hot water and then I took it over and [...]

My real estate coach, Bill Renaud, asked me to pick the five listings that I thought would sell next.  After some research and thought, I picked five listings. A week later, Bill called and asked how many homes I had sell in the past week and I told him four.  He then asked how many [...]

I was watching Fox News last night and Shepard Smith was giving a report on the real estate market.  He said the good news is that home sales in the United States were up 2.3% in April of 2009 compared to April of 2008.  On Hilton Head our increase was a little more than that. [...]

In all my years of selling real estate on Hilton Head Island, I have often had one of my property owners say that they wish I could help sell their property in their hometown.  I always tell them that I have more than I can handle on Hilton Head and I would laugh. Recently, I [...]

Back when I was a college student a long time ago, I never will forget my marketing professor saying that the three most important items in the sale of real estate were location, location and location.  He was a professor and I assumed he knew what he was talking about and I have always believed that.  [...]

There was a country music song with the above title.  It reminds me of so many people in the real estate market today because they are not realistic about the value of their property and they get their opinions from people who do not understand the market.  I had a house listed for $650,000 that [...]

I recently spoke to a friend of mine who is one of the top real estate agents in Colorado.  She said that selling in a slow market is like standing in the grocery store line; it is a very long line and people keep cutting in front of you.  In theory, as long as people [...]

In 1997 a client of mine asked me to stop by his house because he owned a lot in Sea Pines and he wanted me to tell him what the lot was worth.  I did my homework and told him the lot was worth about $400,000.  In 1998 he called me and said, “Jim, you [...]