… it’s one of the best places to live in the USA, but it’s nowhere near perfect.  Here is the list if items that I see DAILY that bug me that should be fixed.  What would you add to the list?

• Bury the stupid power/telephone lines!  I know this costs money, but this is the largest contributing factor to making Broken Arrow ugly.  We would have fewer power outages during ice storms and high winds. Isn’t a highly reliable power/communications infrastructure desirable for companies looking for a new city? During the Lynn Lane widening it was very frustrating to watch truck loads of new utility poles planted in the ground and power lines swung over from the old ones.
• Bring in nicer mid-tier restaurants.  BA is a beacon for all things fast and fried.  Have you noticed there seems to a McDonald’s every three miles?  Does a town of 100,000 people really need that many Big Macs?  There’s a new one opening near Broken Arrow High School on 61st Street at Lynn Lane. Thank you Louie’s, Hideaway Pizza, Los Cabos, Leon’s, Ted’s, and Thai Garden for investing here.
• Speaking of over saturation (there’s a double meaning there, do you get it?), why do we need a gas station on EVERY corner.  They are so common place, that it seems odd when there is a corner without a QuickTrip.
• Broken fences, blown over fences, discolored fences, mismatched fences, patched fences…  I guess when BA experienced such dramatic growth in the 1970s and 80s, the responsibility of maintaining privacy fences along main thoroughfares was placed on the homeowner.  The problem with this, 30 years later, is that every yard now has a different type or color fence  and at some different stage in its life-cycle. UGLY.  I like what some of the newer neighborhoods are doing now.  They require wooden privacy fences to have metal poles.  This will prevent the pole from rotting and cracking which leads to leaning fences.  Also, many developers are integrating more masonry into their fences designs. Most importantly, some developers are placing the responsibility of fence maintenance on the association and not the individual home owners.
• Clean the thoroughfares.  Yes, this takes money and lots of it, but the Lynn Lane corridor between 71st and 101st is a mess.  The same thing can be said about 71st between Lynn Lane and Elm.
• Build better homes.  Who thought it would be a good idea to let Simmons Homes build some cheaply made homes on a prime piece of golf real estate?  These homes have only been standing for a few years and they already need painting.  This does nothing to increase the surrounding property values — in fact, it makes the nearby land less valuable.  Check out the questionable homes in question. I saw this weekend that Simmons is at again in Arlington Court (across fromFloral Haven).  These homes are cheap and odd.  How odd?  Very odd. Drive by and look what they are doing to this nice gated neighborhood. If you figure out what side of the house is the front, let me know.
• Fix the blight!  BA is trying to grow downtown and they are doing a good job.  It’s too bad all the Main Street feeders are lined with dilapidated shacks.  Condemn these homes, push them over and re-develop.  Typically, I am in favor of saving old structures, but these homes offer no historic or architectural value.
• Fix zoning.  Why is one of the prime areas of town (Lynn Lane between 71st and 91st) a heavy industrial area?  I guess it’s not 100% industrial since there are homes and apartments sprinkled throughout.  Yes, that was sarcasm.
• Raze Kirkland field.  Enough said…
• Who is the primary land planner/architect for Broken Arrow High School?  The chain link fence around the football stadium really highlights the steel beams under the bleachers.  Nice touch! (More sarcasm) Did the architect ever see Lewis Stadium at OSU or Skelly Stadium at TU? Both of these were called Rustoleum Stadium by their own fan bases. How long until the new stadium looks like Kirkland? What’s up with that steel building just south of the stadium?  Did they throw a dart and say “let’s put the building here so it will be difficult to build an athletic building near the end zone.” ???   The school should build facilities the Broken Arrow High School band can be proud of!

I can’t say that I enjoyed my time in real estate, but I can’t say that I didn’t enjoy it either – I simply didn’t do it long enough to form an opinion.  I did learn a few things to help people though. Here are some chunks of real estate knowledge you should know. Keep in mind that these are not set in stone rules, but general guidelines which you should use according to your comfort level. I’m not a lawyer, just some guy who let his real estate license expire.

• In Oklahoma, Realtor Associates are independent contractors — they are not agents. Even though state law requires a broker to hold an associate’s license, they actually work for themselves. So, don’t let one tell you their commission is fixed. Yes, it’s true that some Realtors are bound by their brokers, but most have the capability to lower their commission by a certain percentage. In fact, most Realtors will tell you their commission is 7% but they will lower it to 6%. Ask for 5% or 5.5% and see what happens.

• It’s true that the Realtor who lists your house has to split the commission with the Realtor who brings the buyer. During your listing meeting, it is perfectly acceptable to negotiate a variable rate commission. That means that you will pay the 6% (or whatever) if the Realtors split it, but you will pay a lower rate if your listing Realtor also brings the buyer.

• Don’t let your Realtor persuade you into accepting an offer if you’re not comfortable with it. Consider this example: Your bottom line is $110,000, but your Realtor is pushing a $105,000 offer. If you pay 6%, then the difference you pay in commission is only $300. This is negligible amount and the Realtor won’t want to do the extra paperwork or risk losing the deal for a measly $300 which has to be split anyway. However, this “negligible” amount to the Realtor would net you $4,700 dollars in your pocket.

• Consider selling your house yourself. Set a time limit that you will try to sell it, then if you’re not having much luck, call a Realtor. A good closing company can actually guide you through the process and let you know what to do every step of the way. You shouldn’t have to pay anything additional, but standard closing fees will still apply.  You can’t simply stick a sign in your yard and pray that it sells.  You must market your home inside and out.

  • Clean your house, de-clutter it, mow, paint, do whatever it takes to give it curb appeal and make it homey. It’s a good idea to invite a neutral advisor to walk through your home and point out the good and the bad. Don’t take the comments personally, they’re there to help. There are people who stage homes for a living. Check out http://www.simplystagedhomes.comfor one local professional stager.

  • Create an attractive flier and place copies in a flier tube in your yard. Create a website. List your home on www.craigslist.org every week and link to your website.  Consider fee based services like Yahoo Real Estate.

  • By the way, it’s not a good idea to show your house alone. Hide your medications and anything valuable.

• Finally, if you decide you want to use a Realtor, I recommend my aunt who got me into this business. Gloria Allred has been a Realtor in the Tulsa area for over 35 years. She has seen it all. She is a broker for Coldwell Banker and manages their South-Tulsa office. Give her a call at 918-521-3440 or email her at allredg@cbtulsa.com.