Archives of real estate blog entries for October 10, 2006 (Page 7)

Blog posts


Call Me Crazy, But I Love The Marketing Aspect of Home Staging! - 10:36 PM
I'm relatively new here and this is my first blog posting, so please go easy on me!
I have been staging since 1998, but for family, friends and last year my own home (which sold for $65,000 more than the competition - that was after an $8,000 investment on my part for various changes before listing the house).  Because I loved staging, I started my business this past Spring.  Since that time I have been marketing like crazy in an attempt to educate and motivate realtors and sellers alike.  But I discovered something along the way - I really enjoy this aspect … (16 comments)

Relo companies - What's in it for me - 09:19 PM
I don’t know how many of you do relocations but can tell you that these can be extremely frustrating at times.  Some people specialize in relocations and some others avoid them at all cost.  For newer agents, it’s a great way to get your feet wet, but get ready to work triple time.
Relocation companies usually require that a home owner interviews 3 different agents from 3 different brokerage companies, and then make a decision based solely on presentation (you are not supposed to discuss price – but what owner is going to choose an agent without discussing the single most important … (5 comments)

How do you qualify Buyer motivation? - 12:55 PM
How do you keep the music playing? How do you know when your previously “I want to buy tomorrow” buyer’s motivation has left, without a forwarding address? I really enjoy working with buyers and have found over the years, that the motivation to take the next step sometimes can be very elusive, if there at all.
My experience tells me that you have to re-qualify and support buyer motivation often, sometimes, each time you meet with the prospective buyer. Not all buyers have the personal confidence to step up to the plate at the designated time. Many need a lot of … (13 comments)

How to work effectively with Home Inspectors - 08:13 PM
I understand the process of how a home inspector is selected may vary from state to state, but if you are in a jurisdiction where you have some influence over who gets picked, by all means recommend the best you can find. “Best” can be in the eye of the beholder. By that, I mean someone who is seasoned in experience of building, maintaining or repairing homes, not a recent graduate of a 17 hour crash course in “how to act like a home inspector”. The two inspectors I use have both been in the business for more than 15 years … (1 comments)

Organizing a Community Garage Sale - 11:13 AM
How to organize a community garage sale
Start months in advance. Don’t skimp on advertising the sale (signs, newspaper, HOA newsletter…) .You want it to be a success.Ask for neighborhood participation. This gives you an “excuse” to meet everyone. Now you have the opportunity to find out if people are looking to sell in the near future ( I have a friend who got several listings just by asking if the homeowner would be around for the next garage sale … !) Offer neighbors the opportunity to be featured in the “map” you will put together. This map should include “special items” … (0 comments)

You're doing WHAT?!? (Unique Ideas for Getting Buiness) - 11:41 AM
Alright, I’m browsing through some real estate articles on NAR and came across a great one ( HERE )on getting business. So, I think to myself, “What are some unique ways to get business that goes beyond, “Here is a waterproof calendar as a token of my appreciation” (Eddie Murphy, Haunted Mansion).
This is my favorite one that I read about, but have also heard about on several occasions…
When you are at the dry cleaners, drive-thru fast food, Starbucks, etc. … pay for the person behind you, and ask the cashier to give them your card. That small act of kindness (especially … (14 comments)

Does anyone have a "MySpace" Real Estate page? - 07:57 AM
I might be late in the game with this post, but I was just wondering if anyone had a "myspace" page for there business.  Now I know it's mainly teenagers that spend all day on the site, but I have been seeing more and more small businesses taking part in the action.  Any adverising is "Good" advertising....I guess?
Acworth Real Estate
… (2 comments)

Strange type of contact - 08:46 PM
Well, today I got a strange question.  I was contacted off of my website from a Realtor in Florida moving here to Georgia.  He said, because he will do all the work he wants to receive a 50/50 referral fee.  Hmmm...ok, what does "all" the work mean, I asked.  He said when he gets here he will show the MLS his Florida Real Estate license, and he will be able to view all the listings, even get into them...LOL.  I had to keep from laughing.  I emailed him back tonight, telling him I can do a refferal fee, only with a … (2 comments)

Check this article out.....We are not overpaid! - 08:56 PM
It's nice to see an article come about that breaks it down the right way.  This article talks about how most experience Realtors make less than six figures a year, the average is what a teacher makes, and most rookies earn less than 12k a year.  It talks about how CEOs of large corporations should be coming uner fire, not us Realtors.  Check out htis wonderful article and let me know what you think!
http://realtytimes.com/rtapages/20061010_reportrips.htm
… (0 comments)

The "Win-Win" Scenario (Part 5) Sustainable Relationships - 06:59 PM
I LOVE the practice of real estate. There are a thousand reasons why.I have been talking about one of them in this five (maybe six-part) BLOGing. …One of the reasons why I LOVE the practice of real estate is that we practitionershave the chance to arrive at, set the tone for, and practice attractive ways to relate to each other and to our clients. The “win-win” scenario, the subject of my “rant” over the past few days,offers those of us who deal with the Great American Public an alternativeto what some now consider to be outmoded, adversarial attitudes.We can neutralize a way of thinking that espouses the … (0 comments)

Land and What You Might Find There - 07:44 PM
We were out previewing LAND this week. My Field Coordinator and I love this part of our work because, in part,we never know what might show up on our treasure hunts…
There could be a rutted mountain road –all dirt and wet leaves, tricky as all get-out to navigate,  there could be snakes in the meadows there could be a breath-taking view all the way to Tennessee. So we follow the maps, find what we're looking for, and along the way get a sense of place and community. I, for one,   enjoy the feeling of connecting  I get when I walk the LAND and relate to … (7 comments)

4 weeks and counting! - 11:18 AM
Today marks my 4th week anniversary on active rain. What a ride!  I can't tell you the number of hours I have spent reading other blogs, trying to contribute by commenting. I'm in awe of the amount of knowledge that has been shared and I can't help but wonder...are the number of topics finite?  Will we at some point have covered the interesting real estate industry topics?  There must be some gene, some creative spark that drives these active rainers.  They manage to blog here on a daily basis, as well as offer comments to others.  In addition, they manage another blog away from active rain. I find myself … (7 comments)

Fun blog. - 11:49 AM
Everyone has a personality of a cartoon character.Have you ever asked yourself what cartoon character do you most resemble?A group of investigators got together and analyzed the personalities of well known and modern cartoon characters.The information that was gathered was made into this test.Answer all the questions with what describes you best, add up all your Points (which are next to the answer that you choose) at the end and look for your  results.Do not cheat by looking at the end of the e-mail before you are done.Then forward this to all your friends (including the person who sent it to you) … (4 comments)

Military Communities - The BRAC Bubble? - 02:52 PM
 
                                The BRAC Bubble Military Communities have long been immune from the "Bubble" we often hear about in our profession.  We may be seeing a slight change that all REALTORS and Consumers should be aware of.  If your located near a military installation, you will want to keep an eye on the BRAC recommendations.
What is BRAC?
"BRAC" is an acronym that stands for Base Realignment and Closure.  It is the congressionally authorized process DoD has previously used to reorganize its base structure to more efficiently and effectively support our forces, … (1 comments)

First Impressions - 05:12 PM
Realtors tell me that a number of Loan Officers call on them during the week, especially those that they are not doing business with and who are hoping to get some of their referrals.
My question is, how much of a factor is the first impression that they make on you play into your decision on weather or not you would ever consider referring one of your Buyers to him or her?
How much of that first impression is based on appearance.  By appearance I don’t mean physical looks, though I guess that could be a factor, but more the way … (5 comments)

Turn the Negetive News Into a Positive - 07:03 PM
This article that apeared today in "Bloomberg.com" is a great example on how the news media always looks for the negetive, especially when it comes to the housing market.
“U.S. Housing Slump May Shave 1% Off GDP, Freddie Mac Forecasts
By Kathleen M. Howley
Oct. 10 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. housing sales are declining at a greater-than-expected pace that will shave one percentage point off economic growth in the second half of 2006, Freddie Mac said in a forecast today.
Sales of new and existing homes probably will total 6.76 million this year, a drop of 9.4 percent from 2005's … (0 comments)

Tri-Merge Credit Reports - 10:08 PM
Not a day goes by that I am not looking at atleast one or two Credit Reports, and it never ceases to amaze me how credit scores differ from one Repertory to another.  I have seen swings of as much as 100 points between Repertories.  That is why I always run a tri-merge report each time I pull credit on a Borrower.  I know that some Loan Officers only pull credit from one Repertory when they are Pre-Qualifying a Borrower because of costs.  But because the difference in scores could be so wide, to me the cost could be far greater … (1 comments)

OLD MEN & COFFEE SHOPS "Ya Gotta Wonder" - 05:59 AM
There has been much talk of late about the so-called “shrinking middle class.” Opinions differ on just how to even define the “middle class.” For the purposes of today’s coffee shop discussion, we will use the “statistical middle class,” those whose household in come ranges between 80% ($35,200) and 120% ($52,800) of the national median household income (US Census 2005 Economic Survey). I have wondered of late, if the demise of one narrowly defined portion of the “statistical middle class,” that of the blue collar wage earner, has had, or continues to have an effect on the real estate market.
“Mornin’ guys,” … (0 comments)

Donald Trump and Real Estate - 08:42 AM
Donald Trump appeared on Larry King last Night  and said that the No 1 investment of all times is Real Estate, if you love what you do, then the work become so much easier, you will have failures but the lessons learned will be of value to you, that you will realise your dreams so much faster and the results will speak for it self, success will follow. … (0 comments)

Don't Believe The Hype: Buy a Home Now - 11:14 AM
That is what I want to shout from the rafters with a bull horn. I'm sure we all do. As a Realtor, it is my job to be able to separate out the myth from the truth. I want a marketing piece that speaks to this issue. To do that, I'm looking at three things:    1. Mortgage Rates Today vs. Mortgage Rates a Year Ago    2. Home Sale Prices Today vs. Home Sale Prices a Year Ago.   3. How Many Buyers Are There and Who Are They?
I focused on 3BR 1Bath Homes in Lakewood (an inner ring suburb of Cleveland) and … (8 comments)

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