Palos Verdes Real Estate

January 2013 Newsletter

The following is the bi-monthly newsletter that went out to my mailing list January, 2013.  Here is a copy of the Contact Form referred to.  If you just want me to hand you a copy, let me know: 

                                                                                                                                                                                                January, 2013

Dear Neighbor: 

Well, let’s see:  if you’re reading this, the world apparently didn’t end last December 21, tho we have sailed off the much-ballyhooed “Fiscal Cliff”.  Personally, I have the feeling that the results are not going to be as dire as the ratings-driven media would have us think.  I wrote this, by the way, December 27, 2012, so we’ll see how good the crystal ball is. 

Uncertainty is always unsettling.  Having lived in Palos Verdes since 1947, I find myself recently handling the sales of the family homes of my former schoolmates, neighbors, and friends, upon the passing of their parents.  Each of these is poignant to me beyond what the heirs probably realize.  I’ve recently been thru this personally and understand what a trying time it can be, not just emotionally but also organizationally; after all, the heirs have full lives of their own and often live out of the area.  Especially when a death is sudden or unexpected, and once past the initial grief, the family may not know which banks have deposits, how to contact the attorney for the estate or, if the family lives out of the area, the best realtor to handle the sale of property and, in my case, the unwanted contents of the house.  One of my goals is to make the whole process as painless as possible. 

My wife, who is always thinking about this stuff (she thinks I’m old, but she’s not that much younger) . . .  (don’t tell her I said that), suggested something simple like a form on which are listed all the important contacts.  This would save rummaging thru countless files and papers, not to mention alleviate the anxiety that something is being missed.  My mother was pretty organized, but I know my sisters and I, somewhat flustered by the whole thing, had these exact concerns, and wished she had done something as simple as this.  So please accept the enclosed form in that spirit.  If you don’t use my form, and if you haven’t done it already, perhaps it will prompt something similar. 

I get many unsolicited letters from clients after escrow closes.  Here is a portion of a recent one:  “I am writing to let you know how much I appreciated the great job Dana Graham did in listing, marketing, and selling our property located [in Palos Verdes Estates].  He was responsive and communicative, met or exceeded all time constraints, and anticipated and prepared for issues as they came up.  He also went above and beyond selling the property in helping us dispose of the contents of the property, which had belonged to our recently deceased mother.  He was particularly sensitive to, and helpful with, emotional issues that went along with disposing of our childhood home and its contents, which was equally helpful and appreciated.  I would recommend Dana Graham without reservation.” 

2012 was an unexpectedly active year real estate-wise.  Personally, I ended the year as the #1 Prudential agent for number of sales in Palos Verdes and #5 in Palos Verdes overall, which is kind of remarkable since other agents at this level all have assistants, secretaries, sub-agents, etc, whereas I do everything myself – meet every inspector, termite guy, appraiser, title, escrow, etc.  Heck, I even stuffed this envelope.  I choose this system because, if you hire me, you should get me along with my expertise applied to every facet of your sale or purchase.  This results in very satisfied customers such as the one above.  You can read more on my website:  www.DanaGraham.com.  Click on “About Me” in the upper right and see “Categories” in the lower right.  Or call me at 310 613-1076. 

Thank you for your time and continued supported, and have a great 2013. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                Sincerely, 

                                                                                                                                                                                                Dana H Graham

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 at 7:29 am and is filed under Buyers, Everything I've Written, Newsletters, Real Estate General Info, Sellers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1. Yogi said at February 17th, 2013 at 2:57 pm

   Very interesting and informative News Letters, Dana.
   A lot has changed since we bought the first house from you in Oct1996.

   Regards
   YOGI

   PS: Very glad to see that that you you are doing well.

2. danagraham said at February 18th, 2013 at 7:54 am

   Yogi: Nice to hear from you. Yes, 5096 Silver Arrow, I remember it well. That turned out to be a pretty good time to buy, just before the late ’90’s price run-up. Prices are higher now partially because interest rates are so low (prox 3.75% for jumbo loans), so monthly payments are still in the same range. There’s an affordability component in there that limits sale prices based upon monthly payment which, generally, is a function of price and interest rate. Very nice to hear from you. My regards to your family.

   Dana Graham