how2educate – continuing education

What in the world do these acronyms mean?

Home Affordagle Modification Program

The question is being asked in another way, “Is Your Business Guilty of the ‘Obama Mistake’”?

The 2008 campaign handlers did themselves proud.  They took their candidate to the top with a great majority and a high approval rating.  They made the “sale”.

Has the “customer service” equaled the hype and the promises?

In “branding”, a business must not only sell the product, but must be a “promise of the value of the product”.  A profound statement by Randall S. Hansen, PhD.

Seth Godin:  “Finding Your Brand Essence”.  You may not find it the first time out of the box, because you might be looking in the wrong direction. Look within yourself.  It’s not about the clothes…

When you’ve discovered what makes you special and different, ramp up the customer service to follow the sale.

Your success is a cinch!

Kathy Howe aka SedonaKathy

• how2educate LLC
• how2arizona real estate
• how2realty referrals LLC
• kathy@kathyhowe.com

You decide!

Enjoy the day…

Kathy Howe aka SedonaKathy

For those of us who write or use a computer everyday, you might find like I did that my hands became painful.   I talked with other friends who write and they gave me stretching exercises to do…voila!

This is a great video with even more exercises.  Stay healthy!

Kathy Howe aka SedonaKathy

Wow!  We are getting closer to the REALTOR(R) family sharing listing information with each other, let alone sharing it all with the public.

If you are an AZ REALTOR(R) member you should go to your email inbox and take the Arizona Association of REALTORS(R) survey.

How will this affect you and your clients?  It will 17 times multiply the exposure your sellers are getting in the state of Arizona!  It gives access to REALTORS(R) throughout the state for ALL information.

Did you know:  REALTOR(R) members have to go to REALTOR.com, just like buyers and sellers to get limited information on a listing with another board or association that they do not belong to…!  We don’t even cooperate with each other in our client’s best interest.  And we don’t disclose this information to our clients.  We tell them that everyone can find them on REALTOR.com. 

A statewide data-sharing ability or a statewide MLS would be awesome!!

Kathy Howe aka ‘SedonaKathy

• how2educate
• how2arizona real estate
• how2realty referrals
• 928-274-4088
• kathy@kathyhowe.com

Kathy Howe aka SedonaKathy

Many people think that advertising in print is a big waste of money.  Is it?

In our “Price, List, Market…Sell” real estate continuing education class we teach that your dollars are better spent if they are spread out to meet the generational and visual demands of clients and potential clients.

Example:  Use postcards in your prospecting area to drive people to your website.  Use weekly ads in a local newspaper as “institutional” advertising (keeping your name in front of the public).  Use your email to drive people to your website. Etc.

Here’s a great video.

Enjoy the day…

Kathy Howe aka SedonaKathy
how2educate LLC
LaTierra Plaza
Sedona, AZ

Busy session for AZ legislature.  How does all of this affect you?

HB2345: HOA; Condos; For Sale Signs 

• HOAs (planned communities and condos) cannot prohibit temporary “open house” signs except in the common area
• HOAs cannot require a particular sign, nor can they prohibit a for sale sign that meets industry standards
• HOAs cannot prohibit “for lease” signs unless the governing docs prohibit leases
• HOAs cannot regulate an “open house” so long as the “open house” occurs between 8am and 6pm

HB2371: Home Inspections

• Certified home inspectors must include pools and spas

HB2450: Water and Wastewater Fees and Charges

• Prohibits a municipality from refusing service or requiring payment for unpaid water and wastewater services from anyone other than the person contracted with the municipality

HB2766: Tenant Notice; Foreclosures

• If the landlord of a residential property of not more than four connected units that is under foreclosure leases a unit, the landlord must provide each tenant with written notice of possible foreclosure. Form of the notice is prescribed and includes, if known, the date, time and place of the foreclosure sale. If a landlord fails to comply with the notice requirement, the tenant may deliver a notice of breach of agreement and recover damages and obtain injunctive relief

HB2768: Real Property Transfer Fee Covenants

• Prohibits private transfer fees paid to developers or third-party companies on the sale of real property.  This legislation targets a specific and new type of transfer fee, not those paid homeowner associations. Government-imposed transfer fees are already prohibited by the 2008 constitutional amendment drafted by AAR and passed by the voters

SB1219: Real Estate Licensee

• Returns license renewal to 2 years
• Allows licensee to cancel real estate license with ADRE
• Defines business broker
• Requires a valid fingerprint clearance card from DPS before applying for a license from Arizona Department of Real Estate

Kathy Howe aka SedonaKathy

The Harvard Business Review, in its July-August issue, has an article about customer service:

Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers!

“Two critical findings emerged that should affect every company’s customer service strategy. First, delighting customers doesn’t build loyalty; reducing their effort—the work they must do to get their problem solved—does. Second, acting deliberately on this insight can help improve customer service, reduce customer service costs, and decrease customer churn.”

Great advice!  Read the whole article here.

Have a great day!

Kathy Howe aka SedonaKathy

There are new rules from EPA.

“EPA requires that firms performing renovation, repair, andpainting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools be certified by EPA and that they use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers to follow lead-safe work practices.”

“Renovations in sizes greater than 6 sq. ft. interior and 20 sq. ft. exterior fall under this regulation.” - from AAR’s article.

Owners of properties are exempted but responsible for any work they do.

Read a synopsis by the Arizona Association of REALTORS.  Click here.

The City of Sedona  is stepping up sign enforcement along SR89A.

Not a surprise to those agents who have been doing open houses and when closing up for the day, find their signs have been removed from the right-of-way.  Whose right-of=way?  ADOT’s.

At the SVVAR MLS meeting today, the City Manager, Tim Ernster, along with John O’Brien, and compliance officer, Jim Windham, discussed the issues of sign code enforcement with the REALTORS… the news was not well received, but the humor on both sides was a welcome sight.

While this has been an issue for the last couple of months, the issue came to a head when the Sedona Farmer’s Market asked the City of Sedona for assistance in putting their sign at the SW corner of Airport Rd to increase business to their airport mesa location.  The residents and business community chimed in and at a recent City Council meeting, the City Council chose to stand pat on the sign ordinance.  Interestingly enough the issue of signage was addressed in the conditional use permit received by the SFM…

SEDONA HOMES:  OPEN HOUSES

From Mike Ward, City Councilor:

“Kathy,
Thank you for you communication regarding signage along SR89A in West Sedona. We met last night to discuss the issue and I have written an article to communicate your City Council’s decision on the matter.  If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks,
Mike Ward

Sedona Farmers Market Request for a Sign Code Exemption

This is another in a series of articles being written by City Council Members
to maintain good communications with the residents of Sedona and to provide
a perspective on issues and facts related to those issues.

A special meeting of the Sedona City Council on July 21, 2010, was held to consider two issues involving the city’s Sign Code. City staff requested that the City Council to allow for temporary on-premise and off-premise signage for businesses located along Airport Road and at the Sedona Airport during construction of the Airport Road traffic light project. This temporary measure was approved by your City Council through October 20, 2010, in an attempt to help mitigate disruptions to business resulting from road construction.

Also under consideration was a second action to direct city staff to craft an amendment to the city’s Sign Code allow an exemption for the Sedona Farmer’s Market (SFM) to display a permanent off-premises sign either on the city’s right-of-way along Airport Road or on private property.

Several tangential issues were discussed including the display of garage sale signs and real estate open house signs along the ADOT right-of-way in West Sedona. ADOT has an inflexible prohibition against the display of any private or commercial signage, including garage sale and political signs, in the highway right-of-way that extends 34 feet back from the curb edge in West Sedona. Recently a permit allowing the Elks Club bingo sign on SR89A near Airport Road was revoked by ADOT on the basis that it was originally incorrectly issued in violation of that policy. ADOT’s policy prohibiting signage in their right-of-way is also reflected in the city’s Sign Code.

The city regularly attempts to enforce the prohibition of signage in the ADOT right-of-way which has angered some community members when their garage signs are removed. The enforcement of Sedona’s ordinances, like most cities, is reactive to a complaint. Although enforcement on weekends is problematic because of the city’s current budgetary restriction on paying overtime, city staff rightly contends that any “selective” enforcement of any city ordinance is both unfair to the members of the community and may open the door to legal challenges.

There are specific exemptions in the city’s Sign Code for garage sale signs and several other types of signs that allow for their display on private property and city rights-of-way. Community members desiring to display garage sale signs are encouraged to contact the Community Development Department for an explanation of these exemptions.

Ever since the City of Sedona incorporated in 1988, regulating and prohibiting off-premise signs has been a very important community goal. One of the first ordinances the Sedona City Council adopted was the Sign Code, adopted two days before the City of Sedona assumed zoning jurisdiction from both Yavapai and Coconino Counties.  Over the years, there have been various attempts to modify the Sign Code, however, the many elected City Councils have vigorously resisted any attempt to amend the ordinance.

In May, 2010, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a five-year conditional use permit for the SFM, a for-profit business entity, to operate at the Sedona Airport on Fridays and Sundays. A condition of the use permit states: “No off-premise signs shall be permitted for this project unless ADOT specifically grants the applicant the ability to place temporary sandwich board signs in the ADOT right-of-way during each event.” ADOT has been unwilling to allow such signs in the SR 89A right-of-way resulting in the SFM request for an amendment to the city’s Sign Code to allow lay an off-premises sign.

Your City Council is charged with striking a balance between rights of the individual and the welfare of the city. Concluding that it would be very difficult to carve out a limited off-premise signage exception that would not lead to legal challenges from business entities excluded from the exemption; and that SFM’s argument for an exception was not substantially different from any other business entity, your City Council voted not to allow an amendment to the city’s Sign Code.

In writing this article, I have reviewed the factual information with City
Manager Tim Ernster and members of the city staff to ensure factual
correctness.  Please be reminded that any expression of opinion that may be read into this article can only be attributed to me as the author of the article and should not be construed as representing the position or opinion of the City Council.”