Roberta Baldwin

Speaking of meaningless, now that the headlines are occasionally happier -- "Mortgage Applications Up 6.6% -- Demand for Purchase Loans, Refis Surges" on this very site today -- what about the recent revisions in bank appraisal assignments? They're turning out to be a hideous failure. Deals are dropping like flies when out-of-area appraisers are the ones deciding value. Don't tell me a guy from across the state can come in and figure out neighborhood pluses and minuses or the impact of commute options and school performace on price. These are things that experienced agents know about, that buyers and sellers eat for breakfast but that banks and their now arms-length appraisal system know nothing. So much for all that buyer encouragement and seller hand-holding if agreed-upon sale prices are dashed at the alter of fear and mistrust by over-cautious emissaries of our hideously tarnished lending system. Roberta Baldwin Visit me at www.SuburbanDigs.typepad.com

I think there has to be a rule that kids over the age of 35 should make their own decisions about the houses they buy. I know I did, at just that age, when we bought our first home. My mom doesn't like old houses (we grew up in a new one and she still lives there), and when she saw my rickety 1906 Victorian for the first time, she wasn't thrilled. "I couldn't live like that," I recall her saying. But it was, after all, my life, and she only made those comments after we'd signed on the dotted line and it was ours, warts and all. When parents who haven't bought a house in 25 years say more than two cents about a house that their kid's buying, it's often deal ending. I may be in the business and may know more about buying and selling than most moms, but I hope I can remain fairly supportive when my kids eventually ask me what I think about a house they've fallen in love with. Even if I don't really love it so much. --Roberta Baldwin Visit me at NJDreamHouses.com & www.SuburbanDigs.typepad.com

Client loyalty is paramount in agents' minds, no matter what the economic climate. Without it, we die. However, the example the writer gives -- that one of his clients pulled out of a deal just days before closing -- probably wasn't the best. We can't make people buy homes or stick in a deal when they're not happy. If it's not the right time, then better to support them through thick and thin. The kind of loyalty that makes the most difference is the coming back kind, the remembering kind. Without that, the line out the licensed-agent door right now would be far longer. Hopefully, though, in this difficult market, those we've successfully worked with will remember us and use us again because we've got the information, knowledge and support systems they need more than ever. Never for a moment do I doubt, though, that we need to keep reminding our clients to exercise that loyalty! --Roberta Baldwin Visit me at www.SuburbanDigs.typepad.com