If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed.
The Good
(First in a three part series)
This past week the drywall went up on our first home in “The Good Project” in West Sacramento. I was out there yesterday and it’s really starting to feel like something special. I always have a hard time getting the feel for a space without drywall on the walls and now that it’s up I can really see that our vision for small, well designed spaces was worth seeing through.
It seems like an eternity ago that we were standing on the newly purchased site dreaming about what to build. It’s a wonderful feeling to walk on the roads and stand out on the front porch and see the big oak trees we saved right in the middle of the neighborhood. I feel like its all worth it now, like we have actual proof that you really can dream big and do good at the same time.
There is something strange about finishing all this and not having Jason around to enjoy it. Jason had all these great ideas about grass roots marketing and ways to build community in a new neighborhood. It’s certainly going to be a challenge to do this without him. But we are going to try and do our best.
One of the ideas that Jason and I talked about before he passed away was to sell houses with no agent or middle man. The idea was to take out the commission from the sales price and do the selling ourselves. I think we are actually going to sell that way. Jason would have been so excited that we are able to make it happen. There is something very satisfying about taking out the middle man and selling directly to to the buyers. It just feels very… well, Eco-Urban…
Instead of having a office open with a sales person sitting there twiddling their thumbs all day wasting energy, we get to have fun events like the Scribble Fest or the Blogger Dinner we hosted last year. A bonus for us is that we get so spend more time with the Eco-Urbanists that are making a difference in Sacramento and get more ideas from everyone about our next projects. Meanwhile, we will be talking with those interested in moving in to the first Eco-Urban homes in the world. (I am sure that other homes would qualify, but Jason came up with the term Eco-Urban so I feel like we get to say that ours are the first…)
I will give tours of the homes myself to people who are interested in buying. People will be able to get something like an all-access pass tour of the project, and hear the passion right from us on what we set out to create in our Eco-Urban community. We figure that this alone will be able to save over 12,000 per house, and yeah, that goes directly to lower the price…
I always hate to hear that companies like Sprint pay an average of $400 per new customer in advertising. It’s just one of those things that I don’t want to be supporting when I buy something. So I get real excited when we are able to lower our prices and get to know the community better in the process. I, for one, think it will be a pretty good way to help a neighborhood get off to a good start. Everyone will have a first hand understanding of the years of love we have poured into building the best neighborhood in the country.
I am putting this out there partly to answer the questions we keep getting from people about how to go about buying one of our houses and also as a question: What do you think about this plan? Do you think we are going to lose buyers by not having a sales agent on site full time? Does this sound like a good way to educate people about our Eco-Urban homes? I really do want feedback.
We have built this company from the ground up on ideas we get from people reading this blog, just like you are right now. So don’t be shy, you just might become a part of shaping the urban core of Sacramento with one of your ideas!
Levi
9 responses so far ↓
1 Will // Apr 6, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I think that might just work. There is a lot of skeptisim out there about the market but I think you have the right idea. If half of what you say is true about your houses that you will have an easy time getting people to buy them. I hear someone talk about LJ Urban and the incredible work you guys are doing everywhere I go.
Make sure that the invitations to the events are public. I think a lot of people will want to come that might not be buyers themselves but would make a good underground sales team.
Keep it up guys!
2 dustin // Apr 6, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I love the concept, but in practice I think it might put off some buyers, the idea of not being able to use an agent, especially for first time buyers like ourselves. I was faced with a similar situation back in October with the purchase of our first home (very overwhelming). The seller chose not to use agents in an attempt to keep costs low, which was greatly appreciated. But for us, it made no sense making one of the biggest purchases of our lives with no representation or previous experience. We were fortunate enough to have had a family member who is a real estate, and eventually the seller agreed to work with us and our agent and in the end, purchased a beautiful new home. My wife and I liked to think of it like this, you most likely wouldn’t go to court without a lawyer, so why buy a house without an agent? Now having said this, I have no doubt that LJ Urban would make the process a positive one for all parties and I myself would still consider buying a home from you, agent or not. Thank you for the opportunity to comment I can’t wait to see it complete!
3 Levi // Apr 7, 2008 at 6:20 am
Dustin, I think its perfectly ok to assume that the buyers would be able to have their own agent represent them in the transaction. Thanks for your input.
4 Michael Nevin // Apr 7, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Yesterday I drove my family out to the site. Honestly, I wanted to see/feel Jason in the place. I noticed the large stones- sit on a rock- and connected them to his memorial service. What a contemplative he was! We drove around looking at your other sites in the same area.
I am curious about what you all are doing and am in need of “more” house - we currently have 2 adults and 3 children in two bedrooms. We like our 1920’s bungalow and definitely could not live in the car dominated suburbs of Sacto.
Knocking down the price with some creative selling/buying would be a good incentive, assuming that buyers will have to purchase flood insurance living so close to the river.
5 Joy Mosgofian // Apr 8, 2008 at 8:35 am
Levi, I think that selling the homes yourself is a beautiful idea and that you personally will be particularly suited for this since since you have experience as a real estate agent. I love the idea of the LJUrban crew being able to connect directly with the community over the project as well. The slow in the market presents an ideal setting for making this kind of person to person interaction thrive. And the ability for the buyer to bring in their own agent, if preferred, will allow for the buyers to feel secure.
6 Luanne // Apr 8, 2008 at 9:20 am
Bring it! I love this idea. I am so sick of stale sales offices that want to offer me “deals” that they try and pass off as just being for me because I am “special” Be authentic and set your prices at the best you can do and buyers will line up for your houses.
7 Levi // Apr 8, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Thanks everyone for such awesome ideas. I think the plan is going to work out well. I have gotten several emails already just from people knowing that we are getting ready to sell the homes. I am excited to start working with people and getting a chance to tell our story. It feels like we have been getting ready for this forever.
Michael - The project as of right now is in a 1-500 year flood designation so it would not require flood insurance. Although that could change over time.
Thanks!
8 MOBS // Apr 15, 2008 at 9:34 pm
I think one of the issues lurking here (and this does sort of tie in) is the need for a campaign to get people “ok” with going “over the river.” What we’ve found is that people in West Sacramento tend to convey (although only one person used this quote - but one actually did), “I guess West Sacramento really *is* coming along with you here,” while many people coming from “over the river” approach with caution and trepidation. Then again, that may be because movies are showing in what otherwise looks like an abandoned building
But there really is a bit of a stigma that seems to exist that may need to be overcome. Maybe. I could be wrong. This is no scientific sampling I speak of…
On the other hand, now that I think about it, I think we’ve been defacto PR folks for you in this area, as we consistently stress how much we love it there and how we’ve been there doing work (cleaning) into the early AM hours, and it’s been fine. I don’t know we’re reaching homebuyers, though… Maybe?
So complications of homebuying aside, I am thinking that essentially no sales agent - probably ultimately a plus. But there may potentially be a need to send a message re. the area.
9 Eric // Apr 25, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Never understood the whole agent on site idea anyway. Seems so corporate. I definitely see the benefits of it, but you’re right that with the money you’d pay someone to sit there, you could do some really innovative advertising campaigns with that money. Guess you could always ask yourself, what would Jason do?
Leave a Comment