It’s the end of the July and in a few short weeks the summer real estate season will begin to slow down. Right around the second week of August, things begin to slow down as parent and children try to sneak in one more vacation before school starts. Then once school kicks in and people get back into their normal routines, real estate will pick up again. If you’re a seller, don’t be surprised if you see a dip in your showings between the second week of August and the second week of September.

The question for buyers is: did you take advantage of the historically low prices and low interest rates this summer? Here are a few things I saw this season:

1)      Unbelievably low prices. I am going to go out on a limb and I’ll eat my words if I wrong, but I think it’s safe to say that values have never been this low and we may never see this again. 50% off some homes is not part of a regular 10-year real estate cycle. This happens once in a lifetime.

2)      Sellers in the 200-400 price range turned the tables on buyers. Sellers understood that the bottom of the market had come and gone, they stayed firm on their prices, and in most cases got full asking price.

3)      Lower than normal inventory. The words “I can’t find a home for my buyers” was spoken by more Realtors this past summer than in the last three years.

4)      Mistakes, Mistakes, Mistakes. More than one buyer decided to do nothing rather than make a decision this past summer thinking that the home would still be on the market whenever they were ready. Those buyers were disappointed to find out that their number one choice had sold. That trend of “I don’t have to make a decision today, tomorrow or in a month” is quickly coming to an end for buyers.

The good news is I think we are poised for good fall. It was fall of last year when we first began to notice the turnaround in the economy. Right around September, showings started to pick up and we had one of our best fall’s selling seasons in some time. I expect the same to be true for this year. The fall selling season goes from mid-September through mid-November.

Dan Polimino is a Realtor with Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty. He can be reached atDPolimino@fullerproperties.com and www.coloradodreamhouse.com/denverpost

There is a saying in business that 20% of the people you deal with create 80% of your aggravation. I believe this to be true because I have seen it time and time again in my own life. The question is: what do you do with the 20% that you consider as toxic people? Answer…you remove yourself from doing business with that 20%. How does this pertain to real estate? Simple: real estate is all about relationships. As an agent, do you click with the buyer or seller? Does Mr. and Mrs. Seller or Buyer click with the agent? If you are not all on the same page and do not feel like you have a great relationship of trust and confidence, then you’re well on your way to a toxic relationship.

In these economic times, no one has the time, patience, money, or effort to continue to be involved with toxic people. Yet, we do it all the time. Each one of us puts up with someone else. Many of us have said over and over, “If and when this person gets out of my life, things will be a lot better.” Maybe you shouldn’t wait until that happens. Maybe you should cut the cord and your losses now and get back your sanity. Maybe it’s time to start saying goodbye to that 20% that creates 80% of your aggravation? I know what you’re saying, “Dan, it’s not that easy,” or “I can’t afford to do that,” or “I need that client,” or “I need that job,” or “I have come too far with this Realtor.” Listen, I am a firm believer that if you let go of that 20% of toxic people, you won’t lose anything, but gain everything. With a positive frame of mind, good people supporting you, having more time to think freely and creatively, and becoming a happy person will, at the end of the day, produce far more success than what you would have earned from that group of toxic people.

In real estate, whether you are a buyer or a seller, you are hiring a company to represent you but more importantly, you’re hiring a person within that company to represent you. I tell potential clients all the time that a lot of these brokerage firm services all look alike. What’s really important is if you like me, trust me, are comfortable with me, and feel like we’ll have a good relationship. That will make all the difference between a pleasant real estate experience and a nightmare. Agents, you may feel like you need to take on any client no matter how toxic they are because you need business. Try it the other way, just take on good people and see if your business really takes off.

Dan Polimino is a Realtor with Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty. He can be reached at DPolimino@fullerproperties.com and www.coloradodreamhouse.com/denverpost