Name:	LonghornBoater -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/15/2018 8:34:41 AM

My wife and I are probably going to sell our lake house sometime in the next 5-10 years.

That being said we are facing a decision regarding our dock.  We need several pilings replaced and have gotten a bid of $3000.00 to do the work.  We also have a bid of $17000.00 to replace both the fixed portion and floater completely.

My question is, with the very likely possibility of having to replace additional pilings in the near future, would it make sense to replace rather than repair from a resale perspective?

Your thoughts, especially you Mr. Coley

Name:	John C -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/15/2018 1:06:01 PM

great talking with you! Best of luck on your project.

Name:	OleBamaGuy -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/18/2018 8:48:18 AM

This post troubles me in 2 ways,

1st if you wanted coleys advice, why not call him.

2nd coley not rersponding on the forum, but posting that he talked to him offline.

Very telling about his character !

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/18/2018 9:59:58 AM

I agree and am glad you said it so I didn't have too... Lol. During the recent "ZTR" debate thread John repeatedly claimed the ZTR data was wildly innacurate, all the while being cited cases of their data being pretty much on the money. I find the innacurate data argument Laughable because the realtors are the very ones withholding the "accurate" data and refusing to share it. They are trying to hold onto an antiquated business model. Rather than share the sales data and embracing the new "ZTR" technology and sing it as another tool to assist their clients in making the best I formed decision, they refuse to share the sales data and then complain ZTR don't have it so they can't provide accurate I formation. Seems like a loosing proposition to me but I am just a dumb redneck (who happens to have bought/sold more real estate without a realtor than with)

Years ago I read an article on the most overpaid "professions" in America. "high end" real estate agents were at the top of the list. I have friends and family in all aspects of real estate from agents to mortgage brokers. There is nothing special to any of F it. I called one local agent about a lakefront lot she had listed to get the list price. She immediately started the sales pitch in a which focused in the lot having "year round water". I ask her definition of year round water and said able to park a boat at the perfect all year. At the time we were 4 feet from winter pool and the per was already high and dry. Totally unusable but she continued to argue with me that it was year round water. I finally ended the "discussion" by asking her if she is a liar or just that imcompetent. Who was into believe, her or my lying eyes.

Name:	Lovethelakelife -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/18/2018 10:44:25 AM

Good morning all. Don’t post much here. Usually enjoy reading to keep up with happenings around the lake. But on this beautiful Sinday morning, I thought I might add my thought regarding John Coley. As I am not a tech savvy millenial, I do not enjoy texting a lot. I prefer the dinosaur method of personal contact. I would much rather talk to someone than text or email back and forth. I would have appreciated a call to discuss a topic that might be involved. I have had a personal business dealing with John Coley and found him quite personable and professional. I have contacted him several times in the last few years for info and he has always answered timely and cordially. I find anyone willing to talk about someone’s character in such a manner bothersome. Surely we have enough ugly in the world. it is just too easy yo post about someone behind the mask os a username. Remember this Sabbath day and the teachings of how to treat each other in words and actions. So to all. Have a wonderfully blessed day. 

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/18/2018 12:23:31 PM

First of all, most of the regulars know who I am, including John. I did not attack his character. I questioned his stance an a business matter. I personally think realtors, all realtors should embrace thez ZTR tech as a tool for all to use. John's industry has chosen to take the opposite position and John is a vocal and avid advocate of that position. Disagreeing is not attacking.

Now I did attack the integrity of a nameless female realtor I  talked to about 17 years ago. That being said you are welcome to come to my place. We can share a beverage of your choice and you can look at that same lot with a pier at today's water level you can decide for yourself if it is year round water as it was reported to me. I've been here 18 years come June 1st. That lot has been for sale for every one of those years with probably every agency in the county. It is still for sale. I have called and spoke with several agents through the years. It has been poorly represented and improperly marketed IMHO, but what do I know, I'm not a professional realtor.

So what time shall I expect you?

Name:	Lovethelakelife -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/18/2018 2:27:44 PM

Thanks for your post. My earlier post, however, was not directed to you. Have a great day. 

Name:	jcope -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/18/2018 6:36:34 PM

A question like the original question of this post is not one that any good real estate professional would respond to in a forum like this.  There are simply too many variables.  There is simply no way to answer this in a reasonable number of words in a this forum.

When people are still using a single agent's incompentance to dismiss a whole industry you can understand why.

The fact that Mr. Colley would make a call to the poster shows that he is a good professional and the fact that he posted that he had responded is very reasonable because he was identified in the original post,  he needed to show that he had responded.

Also using references to "High end" real estate agents in an old article and comparing those few agents to the majority of agents that are struggling to make a living wage is also very unfair.

Yes there are some incompetent agents and a few elitist over paid ones. I don't know him personally, but Mr. Coley is neither. And this goes for the majority of other real estate agents.

Name:	Rooster -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/18/2018 10:21:07 PM

You must be talking about lot directly across from me.  If someone said 

year round water’ then they definitely need to come look at it.  LOL. Agree with you on that.

Name:	Ulysses E. McGill -	Reply
Subject:	I agree
Date:	3/18/2018 11:18:01 PM

John Coley is a stand up guy that I trust......probably the most transparent Realtor on Lake Martin.

Name:	LonghornBoater -	Reply
Subject:	I agree
Date:	3/19/2018 9:14:43 AM

FIRST LET ME SAY THAT I CALLED JOHN AFTER MY ORIGINAL POST NOT THE OTHER WAY ARROUND.  HE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE CORDUAL AND HELPFULL IN HIS RESPONSE.  THAT BEING SAID I IS INTERESTING THAT NONE OF YOU SO CALLED EXPERTS HAVE ADDRESSED THE ORIGINAL QUESTION POSED.  GUESS YOUR MORE INTERESTED IN CREATING CONTROVERSY THAN BEING HELPFULL.  SADLY THAT SEEMS TO BE THE CASE IN MANY OF THE POSTS I HAVE SEEN LATELY. 

HAVE A NICE DAY ALL OF YOU AND I BID YOU GOODBY 

Name:	OleBamaGuy -	Reply
Subject:	I dont agree
Date:	3/19/2018 9:37:08 AM (updated 3/19/2018 9:47:01 AM)

JCOPE is John C alias

Name:	Ulysses E. McGill -	Reply
Subject:	I dont agree
Date:	3/19/2018 11:43:49 AM

Well, youre old AND a Bama guy.....nuff said.

Name:	Eileen Doverda cliff -	Reply
Subject:	Value added
Date:	3/19/2018 10:13:41 PM

I don't know you from Adam, John Coley.....but I do value and appreciate your contributions to this forum.  Thanks, and please don't stop.  If for no other reason than because not once have you bashed someone about "character", nor have you bad mouthed anyone's profession.  Whether your facts or opinions are right or wrong, you are always positive.....thanks for that.  Just wanted you to know.

Name:	Lifer -	Reply
Subject:	Welcome back Jim.
Date:	3/20/2018 7:15:22 AM

How have you been? Everything OK in disbarred lawyer land? I know you hate me for "outing" you and forcing you into lurker status, but you have to get over it. Anyone that doesn't like my opinions is free to ignore me and my posts. How many aliased have you tried now?. Give it up and crawl back in your hole. Nobody cares what you have to say.

Once again for the small minded- disagreeing is NOT attacking.. I find it interesting that so many will attack others for "personal" attacks while making personal attacks themselves. I would think that after 20 years you guys would know by no I don't give a righteous damn what any of you think. I say what's on my mind, the things others think but won't  express..

Name:	Lovethelakelife -	Reply
Subject:	A Sincere Welcome
Date:	3/20/2018 2:01:22 PM (updated 3/20/2018 2:03:52 PM)

And yes. Welcome back Jim. I surely do not know you or your situation but i welcome you and aend a happy first day of spring to you as well as to all of you. I hope that most us can find ways and words to be uplifting to our fellow man. A lot of yuck going on in the world. It does not take long to forget the horribleness in Florida and the package bombs now going around Austin.  Life is too dang short for ugliness in any form. So, I welcome you. Maybe we can all try to offer help to our neighbors. A kind word. A smile. And certainly never kick on someone when they are in a bad place. So. Happy Spring everybody. Smile at someone today.

Name:	John C -	Reply
Subject:	Wow- I can't believe I missed all of this!
Date:	3/21/2018 4:36:45 PM

i typed a long answer but my laptop cut off in the middle. I don't feel like retyping it all. so here's my short (ha!!) response:

1) last week I was minding my own business, on spring break in the smokies with my family. my cell phone rings and it's a guy asking my advice on a dock project. He referenced a post on the forum but I had no idea what he was talking about because I had not seen it. I gave my advice (go for it) and continued my cup of coffee. Later I put it together, looked on the forum, and responded so it people would not think I was ignoring him. I also didn't feel like re-hashing my answer because I respect his privacy. People call me all the time off line. I don't talk about it online unless they give me permission. 

2) I just now checked the forum since then. News flash- I don't check this forum every 12 seconds.

3) Thanks to everyone who said some very kind things about me! Sincerely! very humbling.

4) re: dishonest real estate agents- I agree that the poor public perception of agents is well deserved. I wrote an entire article about it in the March 2018 issue of Lake Magazine. 

5) ZTR- no need to try and troll me into another discussion of this. my opinions can be found with minimal effort. it's a tool, nothing more. I know lots of agents in other markets that use it and use it well to serve the public. Maybe one day I will here at the lake, but not right now. Right now it stinks for Lake Martin. My commitment is to serve my clients and customers - not be committed to one tool or the other. iphone vs android. ford vs chevy. franchise vs independant. idx vs ztr vs mls. they are all tools to use to serve your clients and customers. anyone that would actually be interested in the many facets of the data discussion - I think a great resource is: https://www.flexmls.com/blog/  - it's the blog of the President of FBS DataSystems (the MLS provider here). They are prob top 3 in MLS software providers in the US. Warning- reading this blog will provide you with actual information. It will also provide you with the opinions of Mike Wurzer (the president) who knows more about this subject than you can imagine that there is to know. Of the 100s of thousands of people in the real estate industry, there are 30 or 40 people in the US that are spending their time really working on this issue and trying to answer some big questions. Mike is one of them.

6) thanks again to all of you who were kind enough to say very nice things about me. I really appreciate it!

7) have I been clear enough that I appreciate the kind words?

In the spirit of transparency,

"John C"  - (my one and only alias)

John Coley

Lake Martin Voice Realty

http://lakemartinvoice.com - go there for my cell phone and email address. 

Name:	GC -	Reply
Subject:	Wow- I can't believe I missed all of this!
Date:	3/22/2018 9:12:39 AM

Now that is funny John!  I read the messages and wondered what in the world John had done!  Ax murderer came to mind.  

So so glad to hear from you and your info put the pieces together and find it even more humorous than before.  Have a great day!

Name:	John C -	Reply
Subject:	Wow- I can't believe I missed all of this!
Date:	3/22/2018 10:28:44 AM

thanks GC! Just another day in the wild and wacky world of real estate. 

the good news is.... we are another day closer to full pool!!