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A quick summary of 2009
Wow, what a tough year 2009 was! In 2008 I had no idea 2009 was going to be such a brutal, brutal market. I don't think anyone did. It all started with the collapse of Lehman Brothers in mid September of 2008 and went downhill from there.
In 27 years of commercial and residential real estate, I have never seen anything even close to what happened over the next nine months. The market just shut down for us and many others. How bad was it?
We typically carry about $20 to $30 million in inventory depending on the time of year. During the first six months of 2009, we sold exactly ONE of our own listings ... and that was a short sale. We normally sell about 15 homes by the end of June.
If someone had offered me a bet we would only sell one of our listings over the first six months of 2009, I would have bet the farm against it. Indecision and fear of the unknown are two factors that don't work well with the real estate industry, and we were dealing with both in 2009.
We started to see a slight uptick in activity during the summer months. Nothing dramatic or even remotely like a typical summer for us, but a definite increase in activity. We actually finished the year with an outstanding fourth quarter. It was probably one of our best ever, so we are hoping that carries over into 2010.
What We Accomplished
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Tom finished up the year as the number one listing and number one selling Realtor for Lovejoy ISD for the ninth straight year ... and by a wide margin.
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Tom also represented the builders on the two most expensive new home sales of 2009. One home, a Tim Jackson Custom Home, was listed at $1.725 million and now ranks as the highest priced home to ever sell in Fairview on a lot less than two acres in size. The other was a beautiful Ron McHam home listed for $1.3 million in Tranquility Farms of Fairview.
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Tom sold over 8% of the entire Lovejoy home sales volume.
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Tom's Lovejoy home sales averaged $738,279, which was the highest average home sale price for any agent with at least three home sales
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Pam Matlock was also the #1 Lovejoy ISD buyer agent!
Pam and I both had to slug it out, one tough deal at a time. She fought for her clients to get them the best deal she could, just as I fought for my seller clients. She represented the buyers on several of my listings and did a great job protecting them.
It seems like every deal Pam and I worked on had some kind of problem with the appraisal, financing, and/or inspection issues. But we persevered. I see more of the same thing in 2010, but we will be more prepared for it this year.
To what do we owe these Successes?
First and foremost, our buyer and seller clients trusted us to get the job done for them. None of these sales would have happened if they had not chosen us to represent them. That is a very humbling honor, especially when you consider homes are the most expensive assets most people will ever own. We take that responsibility very seriously.
Second, we honestly believe we have the most professional and thorough marketing program in the entire industry ... bar none! Our homes are portrayed beautifully on this website and seen by people all over the world 24/7/365.
With our large inventory of exceptional homes at varying price points, you can bet there is someone, somewhere in the world, at this very moment, either looking at one of our homes or learning about the area. We know how special Fairview, Lucas, and Parker are so it's easy for us to brag about it.
What will 2010 bring? I have absolutely no idea. But I do know we already have listing commitments for some gorgeous homes early this year and will be adding more as the buying season starts to ramp up. If you are considering buying or selling a home, please keep us in mind. And to all of you ...
Have a Wonderful 2010!
Tom Grisak Estate Homes Realtors, Inc - Texas License # 0329533