Feeling faint at the pump?
By Jessica Swesey, Thursday, April 24, 2008.Bookmarking Sites
Being among the most mobile group of professionals, Realtors must be feeling a sting at the gas pump these days as we watch gas station employees climb the ladder to switch out the price sign more and more often.
Just this week, I paid a record $58 to fill the tank of my Audi sedan.
Misery loves company so use the comments in this blog post to tell us your gas pump horror stories. If you have photos, please link to those as well.
But also in the spirit of working towards solutions, tell us how you've been coping with the extra cost. Are you showing as many properties? Are you being more strategic about your showing routes? What is the trade-off, if any?
C'mon and share some helpful tips with fellow pocket-pinched agents.
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Submitted by Matt Carter on April 24, 2008 - 12:09pm.
How's this for a scary headline: Gasoline could hit $7 a gallon in four years Glenn posted this tool for planning trips to multiple destinations a couple weeks back.Submitted by Jessica Swesey on April 24, 2008 - 1:28pm.
Wow -- that IS scary.
Jessica Swesey
VP of Content
Inman News
Submitted by Jim Duncan on April 24, 2008 - 4:21pm.
I firmly believe, to my core, that this is going to drive human settlement and development patterns toward properties that are close to "stuff that is within walking distance."
Buyers who buy today and are within a mile of grocery/coffee/gym - even if in the suburbs - will be grateful and thankful for their decision in three to four years.
I filled up on Tuesday it was painful - $61 for a fill-up. And I drove 120 miles today showing property. :)
My tips - work from home at least once a week, combine errands, walk or ride my bike wherever I can, and encourage walkable decisions by my clients and political representatives.
Jim Duncan
434-242-7140
http://www.realcentralva.com
Realtor/Blogger
Submitted by Jay Thompson on April 25, 2008 - 5:07am.
The other day I was in a hurry and on fumes. So I stopped to put just $10 in.
It sure didn't take long to pump $10.
Our MLS area covers over 10,000 square miles. I could drive 100 miles, one way, and still be in our MLS area.
We're narrowing the radius that we work with buyers and referring more out -- for both fuel and time concerns. We've also eliminated some of the areas we used to work land transactions which tend to be far outside town.
Jay Thompson
Broker / Owner
Thompson's Realty
Blog: www.PhoenixRealEstateGuy.com
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Submitted by Jessica Swesey on April 25, 2008 - 7:25am.
Great tips, J and J! It never occurred to me that an MLS area could get so large. But I guess with consolidation that's taking place in some markets that makes sense. Seems like there will be a tipping point where those cheaper homes in the suburbs suddenly aren't much cheaper than their more expensive "walking distance" counterparts.
Jessica Swesey
VP of Content
Inman News
Submitted by Chad Huck on April 25, 2008 - 11:08am.
I have a 2006 Honda Accord and just filled up for $50. That's not as much as some of you, but when I've filled up for $30-35 before, this stinks! Just another reason why living uptown and dealing with uptown buyers and sellers is more appealing by the day.
Chad Huck
Internet Marketing Manager
CENTURY 21 Hecht Realty - Charlotte and Lake Norman, NC
Blog: Road to Real Estate - A Charlotte and Lake Norman Real Estate Blog
Submitted by Brad Coy on April 25, 2008 - 2:29pm.
I feel both lucky and unlucky when heading to the pump. Being as San Francisco is roughly 7X7 miles square, I don't burn through fuel a whole lot. On the other hand, when I do fill up, I believe we have to be of the highest in the nation when it comes to gas prices. Just yesterday it was $4.33 per gallon for premium http://flickr.com/photos/bradfordcoy/2441522284/
Were I do feel it is in deciding to fly or drive on weekend trips and or vacations. Having a car in California means having a great amount of freedom to enjoy all that it has to offer. Never so much as now have I re-considered routes and or other options of transportation when it comes to these trips.
I'm not scaling back with regards to showing property so much as this only happens once or twice a week. We are lucky to have the online home searches (good photos provided) that help in eliminating many unnecessary showings. On days I know I am going to be idle in the office I do walk or ride my bike to work. If not, I have a nice home office that does the trick just fine. Weekends off are also made for walking. Good for the heart -- good for the soul. Oh yeah, and good for the environment.
Submitted by Milan Cole on April 27, 2008 - 10:21pm.
Yes, I haven't seen any good studies of the trend, but I think that the ongoing rise in gas prices could continue to drive peoples interest in close-in urban housing with good public transportation access.
As with many costs of doing business, it's not easy to cut driving back as a Realtor, but driving a fuel efficient vehicle is a no brainer.
-Milan Cole
Portland Real Estate
Submitted by Mike Sparr on April 28, 2008 - 2:09pm.
I've actually forced myself to become numb at the pump. I just "insert card here" and sometimes try to "forget" to look at the receipt.
The benefit, I'm getting more air miles on my air mileage card. One food/gas store here offers "Spend $50 or more at once, get $.10 off your next gas purchase". Although, I've noticed that they are beginning to change their ways, too. I think now it's a cumulative "Spend $100, receive $.10".
My suggestion is to get the most out of your pump. Like I said, I use my airline credit card. I spend about $50 on gas, which adds about 50 miles for me (1 mile per $1 spent). In my case, the grocery store also has an incentive program with the airline card that even every dollar spent on food gets you an air mile per dollar spent. So when I get gas, I use my card and get double miles (by using my incentive card and my air card together). I just have to be careful I take that out of my regular budget or it's a shocker at the end of the month!
Good luck!
Submitted by Darrell Lew on April 29, 2008 - 1:31pm.
I used to drive (and loved) a BMW 325i for all the easy reasons. I recently dumped it for a hybrid ... no I didn't go for the door-wedge look of a Prius, but decided to try the Nissan Altima Hybrid. At first (while in the dealership) I was a little relunctant b/c it meant losing my Bimmer, but that shortly disappeared about 2 weeks of driving the new one. I get around 35MPG all around, go about 600+ miles to a tank, and I'm saving the environment a little as well.
Yes, other non-hybrids get just as much MPG, but the Altima itself is a very roomy and comfortable car. I fill-up every 10 days or so instead of the 4 - 5 days on the ol' Bimmer.
The gas situation is only going to get worse, I would suggest going hybrid to reduce your personal dependence on crude oil overall. Alternative fuels are just around the corner for us ...
Submitted by Kevin Schmidtchen on May 8, 2008 - 9:13am.
This is not just a concern for Realtors. Everyone should think twice about how much they drive in this culture. For example, we should combine all errands we run into one trip, carpool more often etc.
We as agents need to think this way in our work when just looking at homes on Caravan for example.
www.SantaBarbaraRealEstateVoice.com
Submitted by Jim Lee, Knoxville TN Realtor on May 13, 2008 - 4:45am.
My wife and I each drive a Toyota Prius.
Great cars, federal tax credit for buying one, PLUS each gets around 50 miles per gallon.
$31.00 to fill mine up last week at $3.58 a gallon.
BTW, they also have very roomy rear seats, plenty of room for 4 average to full sized ;-) adults.
Jim Lee, CRS, ABR, GRI, NAR Certified e-PRO Trainer
Realty Executives Associates, Knoxville, Tennessee
www.KnoxvilleHomeCenter.com mailto:Jim@JimLee.com
(865) 693-3232, My Personal Toll Free # 1-800-662-2488 ext. 163
**********************************
Submitted by Larry Hotz on April 11, 2009 - 7:53am.
Local supermarket chains here give 10 cents off with grocery purchase. The chains are Safeway and King Soopers (Kroger).
Hey, at today's prices that 5% off.
Denver Real Estate | Denver suburbs
Submitted by sonia bane on July 1, 2009 - 10:27pm.
We need to be aware from shortcuts and get benefit of discount prices which comes with local supermarkets and pumps, try with shorter route and avoid unusage.
Real estate PA Real estate Agent Phoenixville Real estate PA