Well we have come upon the Season in Calgary that I call “Fa-Winter’ as we have seemed to have skipped past Fall and have gone right in to Winter. Good grief….have I repressed my memories of living here 11 years ago that I forgot about what happens here in the weather scene. Have I conveniently forgot that Calgary has a record of snow falling EVERY month of the year?

Today, the temperature has hit 0 Celsius and there are snow flurries. I booked the G37 for snow tires next week thinking I was being proactive. Oh well. Break out the long johns it going to be a cold one.

I have inserted a picture from last week showing some fall colours looking at Cochrane Alberta (where I drive out to for work everyday) and now those same mountains have snow on them. Pretty but you won’t see me skiing down them anytime soon.

Off the topic but I was looking at my scar on my leg from the accident 2 1/2 years ago. Although noticeable, the scar is fading. It got me thinking of some decisions we have made or that we could have made that caused a permanent ‘scar’ in our life. Things we have to or may have to live with forever.

Scars are quite noticeable in the beginning but eventually the red tissue fades to regular skin tone shows up but  sometimes you tweak your knee and pain reminds you the scar still exists. Life is like that. Sometimes you are reminded of past wounds/scars even though they are not visible and you thought you have moved on. The best cure when making a decision in life is whether that decision will leave you with a lifetime reminder, and take it from me, it will remind you constantly. Make great and wise choices, especially character choices, and leave the scars of life behind.

Thanks for reading.

Larry J Clark

Anybody can sell on price. That’s easy. I can train any intelligent person to take orders on home sales just on price point. The real test of experience is selling homes on it’s value.

So where does value come from? Really, it comes from individuals and what they perceive the value of the home to be to them. I could stand here all day extolling the features and the value the Builder believes the home has, but ultimately it is the home buyer who either agrees or disagrees with my assessment. There are other ‘market’ indicators that assist a home buyer like a CMA. (Current market analysis) These are usually done by Realtors who research what has sold recently in the area and for what cost. Then they compare a home to one that is similar in size, etc. and come up with what the ‘market’ value of that home is.

So where does value come in? When I walk in a new home, if it too big, not laid out to my liking or some other challenge, my value for that home may not be the same as someone who the home suits perfectly. So now you have two completely different values of the same home. Of course you can break the house cost down to sticks of wood and concrete and try and figure out what it actually cost to build, and valuate that way as well. The problem with this is that the “emotional” value is not there. Say this new home is one block from a school, then a young family would value it’s location more than a empty nester couple. What about the lot? Some people value corner lots more than others and land can be the same size for area, but one could have a view and the other not.

I am not saying I have the answers when it comes to selling homes or value, but I think there is something to be said for finding out what potential clients value as important to them, other than just cost.

Let me know what you think.

Kind Regards,

Larry J Clark

I just developed and uploaded a new blog yesterday called “Sunset Ridge View“. It is based on the Community I sell new homes in Cochrane Alberta.

I want to blog about the Community and hopefully will get input from the residents of events and interesting facts that I can add. Maps and pictures will also be included along with information about the great Town of Cochrane.

Have a great weekend!

Larry

Well, it’s been one official month here in Calgary. We officially took possession of our new home here July 1st. Robin has been doing a great job of “nesting” and putting everything in it’s place. I thought we had gotten rid of allot of ’ stuff ’ but it still seems we have too much. The house is great and we are really taking advantage of the big yard. It has a hut tub we inherited, and I have been doing my best impression of a handyman to get it going, but to no avail. It has a mystery leak near the pump that only a service guy can fix. Hopefully they will call me back for a time to come out.

Looks like we may have the old home in Abbotsford sold. It is pending a few conditions that come off Monday, so please pray that this will close and we turn the page on the BC life. The boys are still living there but seem to be doing well. Adam is coming out for his Birthday this week so it will be great to see him.

The new job is doing great and I am adjusting well. I am pleased with my progress even though I am hard on myself when it comes to results. I know they will come in time and I heard once that there is no such thing as luck…just hard work and opportunity coming together. I know all the effort I am putting in will pay off for myself and for Calbridge Homes. I am running my first sales meeting tomorrow and really looking forward to it.

The weather here has taken a bit to adjust to. It is finally summer here but the first few weeks were cold, rainy and windy. Not necessarily it that order. I don’t remember the weather like this when we used to live here, but maybe I repressed those memories on purpose! The drive out to Cochrane every day just got easier with the opening of a new highway (Stoney Trail) and the views of the mountains are spectacular. There are allot of crazy drivers here and everyone has a pickup. No kidding. Redneck Capital of Canada as well.

So there you go. The mid July update from Larry Clark Blog. I will add some new pictures to the next post as well. Take care and thanks again for tuning into the every changing and adjusting life of the Clark’s.

Enjoy your summer,

Larry

Well, the wonderful world of Telus Communications has done it again. I asked that my old business number be transfered to my partners who are now following up all the calls. This was requested on the 15th of June and I was told it would be 24 hours “...thank you sir and thank you for calling Telus”. Not done.

I called a week later once I was told they were not getting calls and I was told the Telus technical dudes forgot to put a “1” in front of the re-direct number to Alberta. “no problem sir, this is our technicians error and we will have this fixed within 24 hours…thank you for calling Telus and have a good day”

Fast forward to today. Still not done and and I went through 3 different departments to get this resolved and guess what I heard…” no problem sir, we will have this fixed within the next 24 hours and thank you for calling Telus and have a good day” Have a good day? Get serious!! I was on my cell phone for over 15 minutes and was put on hold at least 4 times. Whats up with these big Corporations? They spend millions of dollars on training people to be good listeners, resolve conflict and customer service, why not spend millions of dollars to integrate your Company communications so I don’t have to go through 3 departments to resolve one phone issue?

On top of all this, they charge me a 75 dollar fee for the priviledge of re-directing this number which was never done. For a fully integrated Company they sure are disjointed when it comes to each Department. I am guessing some top executive ‘learned’ how to run a Company in business school. Next time ask someone who has run a Company how to do it and maybe listen to those tapes you record when you say “this call maybe monitored for quality assurance”. Maybe then you can attempt to cut down on needless calls and customer frustration.

This is still going to be a great day,

Larry

Well now that I am here in Calgary we were looking to rent a home vs. buying  until we sold our home in BC. I put an ad on Kijiji and advertised that I was looking to take over a mortgage or a low down payment on a house to see if I could avoid putting allot of money down on a house before I got the money from the equity from the existing home.

Anyway, we had a rental lined up and I received a call from a family that wanted someone to take over their mortgage. I went and looked at the home and it is a beautiful 5 year old home in Kincora on a cul-de-sac. It has a huge lot, hot tub, hardwood, air conditioning amongst other things. Well, we have now bought it and take possession the 1st of July. Now I am the proud owner of 2 homes so I really need to sell the old one. I have attached some pictures for you.

The good news is this will force us to settle into our new life here. Next post will be my one week report on my new job.

Kind Regards,

Larry

Now that I am moving to Calgary, I really needed to trade in my rear wheel drive G35 six speed for a all wheel drive car as the roads in Calgary are brutal in the winter. Calgary is also famous for the threat of snow every month of the year. I went to my Infiniti Dealership to get my car serviced and decided to look at the new stuff.

I decided on a 2009 G37xS, 4 door sport. It has all wheel drive and and is an automatic so no more clutch for me! I think I will miss my cherry red G35 6 speed, but times change and circumstances dictate you adapt. The good news is that Dealers are very anxious to move cars so the deal was too good to pass up.

Below is a rear view of the car and the one above is me taking delivery at the Infiniti Dealership. If you come out to Calgary for a visit, I will take you for a ride.

I am leaving Friday for Calgary so will update on my first day on the job.

Kind Regards,

Larry

Well, I interviewed today for a New Home Sales position in Calgary and was hired. Yes Larry Clark blog fans, I am moving back to Calgary. I start on the 15th of this month for Calbridge Homes and will start selling in Cochrane at the “Sunset Point” development and I am really looking forward to it.

Calbridge Homes is an outstanding builder and I am blessed to be able to work with them. They are very forward thinking and have an excellent land position for growth for the next 10-15 years. This means the trail has ended for Allpro and myself and I will sell off the remaining assets and turn it over to someone else to carry on.

Looking forward to the challenge of selling new homes in a development again and we will now concentrate on selling our home in BC and moving to Calgary very quickly. I will miss our time and friends in Abbotsford as well as my years with Allpro, but it has run it’s course and it’s time I use the skills and experience I have gained through the years to help another Company grow.

I will continue on with my blog of course and will fill you in on life back in Calgary.

Thanks for keeping up with me,

Larry J Clark

I was watching a sermon online and the Speaker, who used to be a Pastor but was called into the marketplace, stated that there were three categories of Mankind:

1. those who cannot be changed
2. those who are changeable
3. those who are called to make change!

I thought this statement was quite profound as I have found myself in all of those categories in my life. I recently interviewed for positions and although I felt the interviews went well, I picked out a few statements that I had made that really spoke of a “unchangeable” mindset. My success in life has always been when I was humble enough to change and then think of ways to spearhead changes that help people and business grow.

What a great reminder this morning that our focus should not be on how we have always done things (not changing) but on being open to change and to lead in change.

I hope this encourages you this week.

Kind Regards,

Larry J Clark

I was thinking today about how I have added extra income to our stream in good and bad times and wanted to share with you what has worked for me.

The best way to source extra income is to use your influence. What does this mean? Use the contacts and relationships you have established to refer them to complimentary services that they can use. Here is a recent example that was proposed to me:

A Mortgage Brokerage Company asked me to refer anyone that I knew that was looking to refinance or for a new mortgage. They said they would pay me at least $250.00 just for sending someone to them and they write a mortgage. I think everyone knows someone who needs a mortgage or is refinancing, so why not contact a Mortgage Broker and see if they will sign a referral agreement with you. Yes, please have a written agreement not a verbal one!

A Realtor friend also knows I know allot of people and will give me a “gift” for a client that uses him. This can be cash or I suggest a gift card to your favorite store or restaurant. Gift cards are not taxable as income here in Canada (no gifts are usually) and this is a way that you can go for dinner or buy something without using your own money.

Here’s a big one for you. I have heard this past week, no kidding, two Companies I had dealings with that have merged and partnered with competitors to share costs and the market. Even a couple of years ago this would be unheard of. Why not contact Companies you know and see who their competitors are and see if you can broker a partnership between the two for a fee? How about just introducing them for referral fee and let them work something out? This will take some work but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained and could be quite a nice pay day for you.

I understand you are not all in business but I am confident that we all have imagination and contacts that can lead to a generation of income even in this economy.

To your future,

Larry J Clark