listing advice: "Home Inspection For Information Purposes Only" Hell no. - 09/28/09 11:38 AM
You've seen them, and maybe you have used them.
The "Home Inspection for Information Purposes Only." (coupled with no home inspection contingency, ie, no back and forth, no walkingg after the inspection)
What the hell is that? It is a trick, is what it is. In my first year, I let one agent do this, thinking it would build goodwill, and it backfired. They did it during the HOA review period and backed out over something stupidly small!
(Sidenote, I was able to keep $3,000 of the deposit for my client. Why? Because the idiot put on my voicemail that he … (10 comments)
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listing advice: Picking a Listing Agent is TOUGH! - 03/09/09 02:16 AM
This is part 1 of a new series on picking a Realtor to list your home in Virginia. Make sure you subscribe to the blog.Wow, do I feel for you! It is REALLY hard to find a good Listing Agent/Realtor... anywhere (not just Virginia).How do I know? Because I'm going through it right now! I'm helping my brother pick a Realtor to sell his house in Texas (yep not doing FSBO since I want him to net more).Overcoming his hesitations are EXACTLY like customers here. It is HARD to cut through the BS. Here are some typical questions he had and … (16 comments)
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listing advice: Staging Required! Project: Mom's Rental in Arlington Virginia - 08/05/08 12:29 PM
Don't Buy Our Listings!? How can I say that? Because our listings NET sellers more (not buyers). Many agents will tell the sellers, "I can get you top dolla' " (or they BUY a listing) and then turn around and tell buyers "this is a great 'deal'!" Well, you can't have it both ways. Is it a good deal for the seller or the buyer? (like this 2 faced Realtor commercial) Am I worried that this post might turn away buyers for our listings? Nah.Does anybody really read this?People buy from the MLS, not blogs3rdly (is that a word) they know … (15 comments)
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listing advice: Report Found Termites! Um NO! Don't Just Blindly Agree! - 05/27/08 11:54 PM
Termite companies are having a hard time, so they EXAGGERATE TO GET BUSINESS.
Business is down. They charge a measly $20 to do an inspection. Probably losing $50 per inspection in hopes of finding stuff... So what do they do? They find stuff. This "stuff" is nothing, yet they can exaggerate enough to get a job out of it, and then they overcharge.
I am now 3 for 3 and it is pissing me off.
1) I was the listing agent. A vague report comes in stating "Termite in stump." Note the technicality. It doesn't state "Termites in Stump" or … (15 comments)
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listing advice: Home Sale Contingency? 2.4% Use Them Today. Stats and Thoughts. - 04/06/08 12:33 AM
What are your thoughts on Home Sale Contingencies in this marketplace?
Frankly Definition:A Home Sale Contingency is where a purchaser has a home that they need to sell first before they can buy a home. Oftentimes these offers are written as "Under Contract with Kickout." I will explain the Kickout part later.
I was asked about this today by somebody looking to upgrade, but she needed to sell her place first. My initial reaction was "heck no." If you approach a seller that hasn't been able to sell their place in 200 days, you are effectively telling them, "I know you haven't been able to … (9 comments)
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listing advice: HomeFeedback.com Review: Now w/ Auto Emails. Next up: Wiki It! - 02/12/08 12:46 AM
Feedback is king with listings.
Too frequently sellers will get frustrated with their listing agent for not following up with buyer agents. This is a crucial step. Oftentimes you can find out who might be on the fence and move them to make an offer, or the feedback will help the seller understand what the buyers don't like about a home (ie. price, location etc). Forwarding untouched feedback is priceless (vs a verbal recall).
But I hate the phone. When I have my buyer's agent hat on, I HATE getting a call after showing 10 homes. They might say, "What did you think … (11 comments)
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listing advice: Listing Agent Trick: "Buying a Listing" Vs No Recommended List Price. - 02/11/08 11:25 PM
When I say "Buying a Listing," I am not referring to the actual act of buying a home. Instead I am referring to industry agent to agent jargon. It refers to an unethical trick where some listing agents will inflate the recommended list price in order to win the deal.
I have referred to my mother several times in my blog. I've learned more about real estate from her than anybody else, oftentimes from her mistakes. She was never an agent, but sold several homes over the last 20 years. She would frequently fall for the "Buying a Listing" trick. She would interview 3 agents and inevitably pick the … (11 comments)
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listing advice: Reject THROW-UP listings. Do it "RIGHT," Not "RIGHT NOW!" - 07/20/07 12:27 PM
Ever heard the phrase "Hurry up and wait"?
How about the bastard cousin: "If you hurry up, expect to wait."? Not as catchy?
Anyhow, the fastest way to sell a house is to slooooooow doooooooown and do it right from the beginning. A rushed job will NET you less and take 3 times longer to sell.
A month ago I was contacted by a seller that wanted their house on the MLS tomorrow!
In one day! Could I have done it? Could I have thrown it up on the MLS? Sure, but it would look like throw up, and that doesn't sell... … (39 comments)
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listing advice: 60 Minutes: Redfin Client Saves $27,000 vs FranklyRealty.com Client Saves $152,000! - 05/15/07 04:30 PM
Last night 3 people texted me (or would that be "text me") saying "Turn on 60 minutes," yet I missed it!
I then checked out YouTube. Found nothing. Then I turned to Active Rain and wholla! Members only can watch it here: 60 Minutes on Redfin
America was lured in by the 20 year long story rebirthed as "Attack on the 6% Realtors" and comments about "saving thousands."
I'm pretty sure that when America watched it, they will miss some major points. Normally I'm not a fan of NAR, but I did agree with most of their comebacks (click for their response).
I … (17 comments)
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listing advice: AgentsThatDontSuck.com Great Listing Agents Nationwide - 04/29/07 02:04 PM
Ok, so I've written a ton about Listing Agents That Suck.
And a blog about the Frankly Bill of Rights, Excellence Comes Standard.
Now I have launched a new group and website www.AgentsThatDontSuck.com
Why? I started getting requests from friends and blog readers from across the US that needed to sell their house for top dollar. Being that I knew how to weed out the good and bad agents, I thought I would share my technique for finding a good agent and make a site around it.
These are my guidelines and feel free to give suggestions on things to add, but for … (36 comments)
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listing advice: Go FSBO! Save $20,000! Realtor Tells All!! - 04/20/07 02:09 AM
You've seen the magazine headlines about selling For Sale By Owner and saving $20,000! Well I'm going to tell you exactly how to do it! Other Realtors may hate me for it, but I think consumers deserve to know all the REAL options available. The inside scoop.
Did you know that the National Association of Realtors, (NAR) the group that put out ads that say now is the time to buy and now is the time to sell (see blog) came out with a report that shows the average FSBO home sold for $180,000 and the average Realtor listed home sold … (41 comments)
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