JULIE GARDNER
  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS

Volume 129 - Dessert Before Dinner?

3/17/2010

0 Comments

 
There's no end to the wisdom my readers impart week after week. In fact, you all are so insightful, I've been forced to create a very scientific method just to catch these "pearls" before I forget them.  It involves liberal use of Post It Notes and my desk top computer. To the untrained eye, the border of scrawled handwritten notations might look chaotic, but each yellow scrap is a "Perspective" just waiting to be born!


Last week a new client shared his life's motto: "Eat Dessert First!" which is pretty clever and lots of fun but more importantly, I knew I had found my literary soul mate.  Dessert before dinner is a concept that more than resonated, it often defines me!


My husband will tell you that I'm a gal who always scans the dessert menu first before ordering from the main course. Just as the hot dog is merely the means to sauerkraut, mustard and relish, for me, dinner is just the necessary segue into dessert. If there's a lava fudge cake with vanilla bean ice cream or a vanilla creme brulee on the page, I am totally rethinking the first course and saving the calories for later in the meal. In fact, if I wasn't quite sure that my sweet tooth and utter lack of discipline would only embarrass my dining companions, I might just forgo dinner altogether and move straight into dessert!

"You're making me hungry but how's this relate to Real Estate?' you ask.
 
Here goes: Buyers who venture forth on Sunday afternoons, without benefit of a REALTOR are in essence, doing the very same thing - they're eating dessert first! Not that I have anything against dessert before dinner mind you (clearly, I don't). It's just that even the sugar fixated, 5-year old in me knows that it's probably not the best or healthiest course of action. "Eat those vegetables - they're good for you - and have a little protein while you're at it." Words every mother has spoken since time began and with good reason. Those moms knew what they were talking about!


For buyers who choose to go it alone, you run the very great risk of stumbling on to your "dream home"  but then being too ill-prepared to quickly compete for it. OR you miss the "off-market," "in-house," "pocket" listing. OR you naively find yourself in the world of "duel agency" with an unknown listing agent whose fiduciary responsibility contractually lies with the seller - not you! OR you may as yet be unfamiliar with the marketplace and the current market demand. OR you inadvertently buy in the wrong school district (it happens). OR you miss the opportunity to thoroughly investigate and negotiate, as is your right.  OR, OR, OR - get the Picture? This Lone Ranger routine isn't such a sweet deal after all, is it?


With the infinite amount of information now available to the general public on any subject, is it any wonder many of us fall prey to the idea that we are instant experts - regardless of our lack of training or experience?  This is especially true for Real Estate, where information is more than plentiful - it's often downright misleading - and therein lies the problem. (Think Zestimates.)

Hey, I make a pretty decent chocolate-chip cookie but that doesn't make me a four-star pastry chef, does it? But in the world of Real Estate, a little information can be a dangerous thing. Buying or selling a home is a much more complicated transaction than one imagines. It involves patience, timing, determination, knowledge, marketing expertise, skilled negotiation and above all else, EXPERIENCE! The kind of experience that comes over time, through hard lessons, in battles won, and with a rather steep learning curve. (Real Estate ain't for sissies!) While I may never master the souffle, I've gotten pretty good at mastering the art of the deal  - so put me to work. (It never hurts to work with an area specialist.)  In return, I will develop your Real Estate IQ and market health.  I will send you an Ad Review each week, go over the available listings, analyze the marketplace, investigate the comparable sales, refer you to the appropriate lenders, create a winning strategy, write a seamless offer, accompany you on inspections, manage the escrow and title process, and work diligently to achieve your goals.  Can you do that all by yourself?  No, you can't - nor should you have to. (That's what I'm here for.)

So while it's quite tempting to eat dessert before dinner, it isn't very healthy or very good for you.  We both know you will be better off with a full three-course dinner, but save room for dessert.  You've definitely earned it.


Now that's sweet!


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe

    Author

    Julie Gardner, has been writing The Perspective for 18 years and has published more than 775 humorous but always informative, essays on life and real estate. 

    Picture

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008

    Categories

    All
    Business
    Design
    Drought
    Holiday
    Home Maintenance
    Homes For Sale
    Life
    Market
    Politics
    Renovation

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Piedmont · Oakland · Berkeley
 510.326.0840
[email protected]
DRE# 01431765
​COMPASS

  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS