Echo Bowl – 7 Keys to Win Your Home

Yesterday, I played in my first football game since I was a young strapping lad without even a fake ID to my name.  But on Friday, I came out of retirement at age 55 to play in the Echo Bowl I. This gave hope to someone like me whose hometown team went 5-12 and to whom a Bowl game is just a cruel dream. Before yesterday, I’ve been only a spectator and aficionado. Yes, I did go to and wrote about the Purple Rain Super Bowl in Miami in 2007. I should have brought a floatie and raincoat. Instead I accidentally brought Sam’s (age 6) Mickey Mouse raincoat which broke off my body when trying to put it on. I watched helplessly as it flew away into the wind. I was sick for 6 months after sitting in my jeans and sweatshirt in the 40-degree tropical winter deluge. I sat by myself as other fans went into the tunnel.  Rex Grossman and his tiny hands kept fumbling the football in the downpour. Enough about that!

Last year, I went to the Taylor Swift Bears game in Kansas City, a mere stop on a quest to my 50^th state. That happened to be the game that not only saw the Bears down 34-0 at halftime but also was the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce coming out party. My phone was blowing up with texts about her being at the game. I didn’t understand what all the hoopla was about other than maybe she was going to perform at halftime. But then Chiefs fans behind us were in a conundrum of whether they should switch allegiance and root for my Bears. Oh, gawd I said then or maybe today I would say, Oh Canada!

But for the real estate world, Super Bowl weekend signifies something else.  The real start of “season.” It’s our Real Estate Super Bowl – BABY!!! The looky-loo’s and curious minders be dammed.

Super Bowl Sunday is a game of inches, anguish, defeat, triumph, and coin toss dumb luck.  So, when you buy and sell in Florida, here are 7 essential tips to not be a loser and get your Super Bowl dream home this season…..

1. Understand seasonality

 Most of the seasonal renters will be leaving in 7 weeks! That means that the first part of the season (which is the looking around time) is over. Once we hit that second week of February, that’s when the “offers” part of season starts. The next 7-10 weeks are the most intense. Here is a link to the key benchmarks.

2. Be Prepared Ahead of Schedule

 Get your preapproval if you are obtaining a loan ahead of time. Any paperwork that can be done now should be completed so you don’t waste time later.

3. Furniture

 If you are selling your home, have your inventory list of what you are willing to sell completed now. Fill it out by room on WORD and give it to your agent. You can lose a deal and momentum by costing yourself a day in filling out what is staying and going. Also, a long list down on paper makes furniture that you are selling appear more real. It also avoids fights at closing.

4. Short acceptance times

 Make offers with short deadlines to accept. If you’re writing up an offer in the morning, give them until 5pm or 8pm.  If writing an offer in the evening, give them until noon the next day.  Long 48-hour acceptance times invite others to jump ahead of you with a new and better offer.

5. Make Decisions with Less Time allotted to you

 When you sit down at a restaurant at an airport and boarding is happening in 35 minutes, you don’t have the luxury to peruse the menu for long. Get your offers in lickety split. You don’t have time to be a lollygagger.

6. AS-IS Contracts Inspection Clause

 Our AS-IS contract lets you cancel a contract at your sole discretion with all monies returned to you. Sole discretion is sole discretion. Me and you could go down to Palm Beach, stop over in Manalapan, and then to South Beach. Put in 30 offers for full price on homes valued over $10m.  Once accepted we could cancel the next day. Besides having a bunch of people upset at you – REALLY upset at you, you’d be out nothing.  If you are a buyer, you don’t need to think it through overnight and be subject to losing the house or get in a bidding war with a new buyer. Just cancel if you change your mind.

And when you win your house, no need to give me a Super Bowl Ring.  Being your Realtor and earning the sale is our Super Reward. As for my Super Bowl prediction……To all my Philly friends…. I wish you the best, but I think your Eagles are going to be Hurting!

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Written by Jeff Lichtenstein

Jeff Lichtenstein, originally from Chicago, got his start in the home furnishings textile business where he traveled over 35 weeks a year selling fabrics. After the family business was sold, Jeff moved to Florida and became a real estate agent. Today he is the owner and broker of Echo Fine Properties, a luxury residential brokerage voted best brokerage of the year. Jeff manages a non-traditional model of real estate that mimics a traditional business model. Echo has 100 agents, an average of one million dollars per transaction and over 500 million in annual sales. Between traveling for work and annual family trips to national parks with his wife and 2 now adult children, Jeff has visited 49 states. He is also one of the few Chicago White Sox fans you’ll ever meet. Some publications he has been quoted in.

Author of business & leadership book How Making a Sandwich Can Change Your World – The Amazing Success of the PB&J Strategy – Available to Buy Now!

Feel free to ask him a question directly at [email protected] including a complementary valuation of your home.

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