Home sales bounced back in August compared to July and reached 200 homes sold for Lafayette parish and 322 for Acadiana.

August home sales numbers look much better this year than they did last year. Again, we had the home buyer tax credit last year, which affected sales in the spring (on the up side) and the oil spill in the Gulf that likely affected sales in the summer months (on the down side). If anything, home sales may be returning to more “normal” levels.

There are currently 1252 homes available in Lafayette parish and 2394 in Acadiana, compared to 1266 and 2380 respectively last month.

As for pending home sales, there are currently 280 homes under contract in Lafayette parish and 464 in Acadiana. This is slightly down from 323 sales pending in Lafayette last month and 502 in Acadiana.

Originally Posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

Some of you may wonder why I’ve been so quiet in the past few weeks. August has been vacation month for me for many years now. There are a couple of reasons for that: When I leave, it is usually to go to Canada and visit my family and August is a great month weather wise to be in Canada. The other reason, of course, is that August is extremely hot in south Louisiana so it is also great time to break away from the heat for a while (much like my Canadian friends enjoy their winter vacation in the south to break away from the cold).

Aboiteau Wharf in Cap Pelé, New Brunswick

Truth is, I meant to write a bit while we were there and post pictures of our trip but instead, I chose to disconnect and fully enjoy visiting with family, friends, and the beach. I hope you will forgive me.

Red sail boat at the Shédiac Marina, New Brunswick

We spent most of August in Shédiac, New Brunswick, with a few days in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. My mother grew up in Shédiac and we have been going there just about every summer since I was a baby. I also lived in that area for three years while attending Université de Moncton. Shédiac is located in the south eastern part of New Brunswick (just north of Maine) and is on the Atlantic coast.

Kayaks for rent in the Bay of Shédiac, New Brunswick

I’ve always loved the sea and the beach and miss it very much here in south Louisiana. However, I do not miss the harsh winters and the snow all that much.

Store front near the tourist information center in Shédiac, New Brunswick

Well that’s it for now. Coming up shortly, you real estate numbers for August in Lafayette, LA.

Originally Posted at: Lafayette Real Estate News

I always loved photography. I am no professional but I believe that photography is like anyting else, it takes practice to become good and more practice to become great.

I also have to admit that I am a fan of Teresa Boardman’s blog and I love her photography. So lately, I’ve been practicing and playing with apps on my iPad and iPhone to see what I could do with some of my own pictures.

The pictures below were taken in the Village of River Ranch in Lafayette. It’s probably one of the best places to take pictures in Lafayette because it is such a colorful place, stores and homes alike.

Row of retail stores in the village of River Ranch.

I love the colorful, cottage style homes in River Ranch. I think they also make great photos. The effects on these pictures were achieved using an app called Dynalight (thank you Teresa for the tip) and it is available for $0.99!

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in River Ranch, contact me.

To view available homes in River Ranch, click here.

This blog post is a response to a comment on Mr. Seller, is your Home looking Out of Season? that I wrote. In my post, I showed pictures of a snowy home and a snowy beach that were just emailed to me by my Realtor in Canada (I’m prospecting for properties in New Brunswick). I had to ask my Realtor (whom I met through Active Rain) if this was his listing and was relieved when he said it wasn’t.

I never named the listing agent of the snowy home or my Realtor, but rather took this as an opportunity to remind sellers that they need to pay attention, just in case their Realtor is not. And I added that I make it a point to refresh the pictures of my listings so that my clients’ homes do not look “out of season” as this one does (although, thank goodness, our seasons are not as drastic in south Louisiana).

I never said I was perfect or that I never make mistake, just that I thought this was unacceptable.

In the comment section of my post, Andrew wrote:

We are all in the same profession, wearing the “R”. Before we climb on another and vow we would never do it, often there is something in the marketing of any of us that needs beefing up. The opinion the public has of us is fueled by what we say in public, on line. Just post images that are more plentiful, interesting, in season but don’t dash those in northern climates with snow, dead grass in spring and image rotation.

Mind you, Andrew’s comment is also online for all the public to see and it is directed at me and not anonymous like my original post was. But I digress….

What I want to point out to all the Realtors who feel like Andrew is that the opinion the public has of us is also fueled by what we DO in public and online. And when Realtors market snowy homes in the middle of July or market properties with fuzzy or horrible pictures for all our buyers and the public to see, they are the ones making all of us look like a lazy bunch.

And when the buyers I have prospecting in my MLS receive these horrible listings in their mailbox, it is my face that is all over them!

Yet, because we are all wearing the “R”, as Andrew puts it, we should just be quiet on our counterparts’ bad practices because if we say something negative, it makes us all look bad?

Seriously?

Every time I go on a listing appointment, I tell sellers why they should hire me and why I’m different from the competition. This notion that we should never say anything negative about another “R” in public is ludicrous and most likely the reason why the public has this tendency of putting us all in the same boat, i.e. we work until we have a signed listing agreement and then we sit back and wait until another “R” brings us an offer.

As Realtors, we are small business owners first and foremost and as such, we compete for our clients’ business. Competition is a good thing. It is what makes all of us aim to be better. Would we tell Apple to never say anything negative about IBM because they are in the same kind of business?

Lastly, I hope this Realtor in Canada finds my post and asks me take it down, especially if it means that he/she will update the pictures and make us all look better.

And that’s my rant for today.

Mr. Seller, when is the last time you googled your property to see what it looks like online? More than 90% of buyers are searching for properties online nowadays so the way your home looks on the Internet is very, very important.

I am currently prospecting as a buyer for property in New Brunswick, Canada. This listing was sent to me this month (July) by my Realtor. Now, I know Canada is cold and there is snow in the winter time (I grew up there), but that part of Canada does not stay frozen year round. What the heck?

I certainly was relieved when my Realtor told me it wasn’t his listing. This, in my book, is totally unacceptable and shows a Realtor not doing his job and a seller not paying attention.

If I were you, Mr. Seller, I would have fired my Realtor months ago, shortly after the snow melted and the grass turned green. I have to admit that your house is standing out of the crowd online with the snow in the front yard in July. Somehow, though, I don’t believe it is helping. Your home is still for sale, is it not?

Mr. Seller, when you list your property with me, I will not let this happen. Yes, I know, we don’t have these extremes in Lafayette, Louisiana. Yet, I often see homes with yellow grass and leafless trees in the summer time in our MLS. Your Realtor’s job is to help you sell your home and make it look at its best, especially on the Internet.

So, Mr. Seller, is your Realtor really working to help you sell your home? I mean, really?