Name this city.  KK – yes I do know where I am.

When I started in the real estate business I worked with a company that was large and has a "big brand", we were taught that as  new agents who had no experience  we could get listings.  We were strongly encouraged  to charge as much as the seasoned pros.  We were told to tell prospects that we could do as good of a job as an experienced agent, and that we could do more because we had fewer clients and more time.

Looking back on it now I can’t imagine paying 6 or 7% for someone who has never sold a home before. 

My first listing sold in about 25 days.  I charged the seller 7%.   I did  seek advice and get help from a more senior agent, and took care to make sure that I did the very best job that I could, and managed to sell the home in 25 days.  We all have to start somewhere, but is a new agent worth 7%?

After selling a few dozen homes I began to realize how important experience is, and that there are thousands of agents available who have plenty of experience.   It took me some time to understand how much I did not know.

Those first clients never asked me how long I had been in the business or if I had ever sold a home.  Most consumers do not realize that turn over is very high in our industry and new agents start every month.  Many don’t make it through their first year, it is a tough business, highly competitive, and very expensive. 

Consumers should ask questions and keep in mind that it does not matter what color is on the for sale sign, it is the individual agent that does all of the work.  His or her skills, abilities, and experience, or the lack of,  will have a greater impact than which company logo is on the business card. 

I don’t think it takes 20 years to become a really great agent, but I do think that experienced agents are worth more than an agent selling her first listing.   When interviewing agents be sure to ask them if they have ever sold a home.

Also see:

The Truth about Real Estate Companies
Commissions

This building stands out, and is located near downtown, on the North shore if the Mississippi River.   The taller structure is the head house, it was used for loading grain into barges, the  structure next to it the sack house, where grain was put into sacks, and in the foreground are some barges. The Farmers Union, under George Lambert, expanded the elevators on the Upper Levee in 1927-31, and persuaded Congress to fund the 9-foot channel in 1930. The complex eventually included 90 grain silos, a mill, the head house  and the sack house.   They have been the subjects of architectural and design contests to decide the future uses of these
relics of past shipping and marketing practices.

They are not going to be torn down, but instead turned  into a restaurant and interpretive center, both buildings are on the national register of historic places.

The head house is most often photographed from the walking paths along the river. 

By Erik Hare – The real estate poet

In the bad part of town, where the sidewalks are broken
And the windows are cracked and the junkyard is smokin’
There’s a bench by the road with a pic fading grey
That says “Onceler Real Estate – call us today!”

If you call on his office in an old busted store
You’ll find out what happened, and just a bit more.
For this is the story he’s eager to tell
While he shows you some houses he’s desperate to sell.

“It all came so quickly, the real estate boom
I sold twenty houses each day before noon.
Everyone loved it – the parks and the school
And all of the homes had a large swimming pool.

They’d start bidding wars; they’d go ten over asking
All my staff and myself ran around multi-tasking.
Then one day it just happened, right out of the vapor
When we all had discovered we ran out of paper.

It was trouble at first, but we all learned to cope.
Inventiveness gave us all reason to hope.
It was simple, you see, since it was all through the ‘hood
The trees we had sold were all pulp able wood.

So we hacked and wacked them, and cut them all down
Thought we knew they were why people bought in this town.
We pulped them and stacked them and put them in a box
And used to print all the real estate docs.

Then one day it happened, a man very small
Who was only three and one quarter inch tall
Came and yelled at me just as loud as you please,
‘I am a Hopneg, and I speak for the trees!’

He was dressed rather gaudy, and though tiny and pink,
Was not like that other, but legally distinct.
‘You cut down the trees like they don’t really matter
But look at this town, see how much it looks sadder!’

I told him, “Now see here, we need all these forms
We’re licensed and bonded to comply with the norms!
There’s disclosures and closures and thousands of facts
And don’t forget mountains of real estate tax.

There’s the tax on the buildings, the tax on the land,
There are tax forms to sign ‘til you cramp up your hand
There’s transfer of title and transfer of deeds,
And that’s what the government minimally needs!’

Then the small little Hopneg just shook his head slowly
And said, ‘I’m afraid I must disagree wholly.
So many young trees are cut down for the closing
That the town is no longer so clean and imposing.

I can see it’s not pretty, it’s surely not good
For trees are what give you a great neighborhood.
It may be too late, and your boom might be crashed!’
And just as he spoke the last tree …
… the last one of all …
… fell with a THUD!

Since that day it’s been nothing but downhill for us
The real estate market went totally bust.
Without trees all the people had constant exposure
And slowly gave up all their homes to foreclosure.

And the Hopneg? I’ve seen him sometimes.
He doesn’t say much, doesn’t crow, never whines.
But he did say what makes for great neighborhoods
Isn’t piles of paper, but people and woods.

House of Hope Presbyterian Church, 797 Summit Avenue St. Paul, Minnesota 55105-3392

Ralph Adams Cram was the principal architect of this church, designed in the English Perpendicular Gothic style, construction was completed in 1914. With 49 bells, the Noyes Memorial Carillon is the largest in Minnesota.
The House of Hope Presbyterian Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing member of St. Paul’s Historic Hill District.

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It is Friday, and here on my blog Friday’s are for fun.  I think I will start this post by pointing out that bloggers do not have secret lives.  Our lives are more public than most.  In fact the idea of  a "secret life" cracks me up.

I am not complaining, I get wonderful emails from all over the country, and have gotten to meet some interesting people.   Some are more interesting than others . . .a few are kind of scary.

With that out of the way I would like to say that some bloggers do have secrets.  I keep discovering great Minnesota blogs and am building a special blog roll for them.  Be patient, I am working on it, and it is OK to send me a note with a link.  I would like to help promote Minnesota blogs, even those of my competitors.  (You know who you are and I know who you are too, just keep your hands off the tiara)

Announcing the Minnesota Carnival of Uff Da! since this event is for Minnesota bloggers I won’t bother explaining to the rest of my readers what Uff Da means.  I have to say the word does come in handy and may be used instead of certain other words . . . . never mind.

You can bet the rules are simple because I made them up myself.  The deadline for article submission will be the second and fourth Sunday of the month and the carnival will be published on the following Tuesday.  Counting by two’s is just easier.  Find the details and a link to the submission form here: Carnival Page or just click on "Uff Da" in the side bar.

Carnivals are a great way to promote your blog and to get to know other Minnesota bloggers. It also gives those of you who can write a great opportunity to showcase your talents.  Articles for the carnival can include just about anything related to life in Minnesota.  Write about your city, a place, a person, a business, a neighborhood, traffic jam’s, the state legislature, your city council, schools or even real estate use your imagination.

Anyone who is interested in hosting future Minnesota Carnival’s of Uff Da, please contact me.  Let’s put Minnesota on the map!  I guess I am not very good at geography, my husband says it is already on the map.

Have a great weekend, say Uff Da as often as you like, go ahead and throw in a few random you betcha’s and don’cha knows while you are at it.