Ar_home_b_search
 



sellers agent: I'm A Professional.....Not A Beauty Pageant Contestant - 08/31/11 11:41 AM

 
 
I wonder if consumers really understand why they should work with a specific real estate agent. I spend time on the Internet reading comments and questions which seem to indicate that one agent is the same as another.
Anything from shopping for the best commission rate to using many agents depending upon their availability on a given day. It seems they view us as competing for their business and that we need to jump through hoops...or lose.
I don't think it should work like that!
A solid real estate agent is worth their weight in gold!!! Think about it! … (16 comments)

sellers agent: Home Sellers....Is Your Agent Just Going To Make It Up In Volume? Be Careful When You Choose Your Orange County Real Estate Agent - 08/30/11 07:43 PM

 
I have had Orange County listing clients over the years who have come to me AFTER having worked with another agent first. Often they feel that they didn't get the attention they deserved/needed. And just as often it's because they chose an agent based on marketing.
"I see her signs all over the place""I saw his ad on a billboard""They handle this community"
They are the big guys, the fat cats, the mega-agents. But if bigger is always better, then why are they calling me?
Large teams have large overhead. Salaries and staff to take care of....they need the … (24 comments)

sellers agent: "If You Want My House....You Will Pay For It" - 05/18/11 01:14 PM

 
I just closed a rather over-priced listing....at full list price.
That's right....you heard me!!
Over-pricedOver-paidClosed
And I'm quite proud of it. Active Rain is full of posts about unrealistic sellers and the silly agents who take those listings. Personally I never shy away from those sellers....I'm always happy to talk with them.
Each situation is different....we all seem to be willing to work with buyers who need to "learn the hard way" but not sellers? I'm not suggesting that we blindly stick a sign in the yard based on any price a seller throws out there....nor support their pie-in-the-sky … (22 comments)

sellers agent: "What Would You List My Orange County House For?" I Don't Know Yet.....Let's Talk About It - 03/09/11 05:16 PM

 
I went on a listing presentation this past weekend. In addition to the "what do you think of my home" and "what commission do you charge" type of questions, the other main question is:
"What would you list my home for?"
My answer is always the same....
"I don't know yet...let's talk about it"
I explain that I have the same comps as everyone else and pricing the home is the easiest part of my job. What I'm hoping to accomplish in the meeting is a partnership approach to the listing. An agreement of how to proceed....then together … (34 comments)

sellers agent: Anticipate The Client's Questions....Don't Wait To Be Asked - 10/06/10 11:34 AM
Sales meetings can be very enlightening.....I really need to go more often (another blog).
This week, I did manage to remember the time and showed up, and there was a popular theme (gripe)...."why didn't the client just ask me"?We all know we are in a very challenging time. Lending is tough, short sales are tough, REOs are tough....buyers and sellers are worried. Tough times! We need to be the voice of reason and sanity.....and expertise!
We are supposed to be the experts!!!We do this every day!!!
We know the aspects of these transactions. From the offer to the close, we … (12 comments)

sellers agent: Realtors® Don't Know Everything....But The Good Ones Find The Answers - 07/15/10 05:17 PM
I've been a Realtor® for a while now...but I am still surprised by the day-to-day issues which arise during transactions. In the current environment, it seems that every new escrow has it's own novelties. It's really keeping us all on our toes. And that's OK.....this is how we learn!
I have never felt uncomfortable saying "I don't know" but that's because it's always followed by "but I'll find out."
It doesn't diminish me by admitting that a situation is new to me....or challenging. The qualities that define a professional include honesty, follow-up and intelligence. These are qualities that exist on the … (94 comments)

sellers agent: The Best Client Is Like A Good Cheese, Fine Wine and Love....Aged to Perfection - 05/21/10 10:04 PM
Since I'm sitting in my family room enjoying all these things right now....I know about which I speak. Since this is not a romance blog post, we'll leave the "love" part out of it, but the wine and cheese? Definitely! I had a dear friend over for some hors d'oeuvres and a good chat....it was such fun. Now, as I'm indulging the remnants, I saw an email from an old client of mine (not "old" but one of my first sales), and it always warms my heart to get a referral from her (maybe THAT'S the "love" part:)).
Over years I've … (31 comments)

sellers agent: Disclose, Disclose, Disclose....Honesty, Honesty, Honesty - 05/08/10 01:28 PM
"What should I put on the disclosures?"
EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING
The dog next door who likes to eat your roses and poop on your lawn. The water hydrant across the street that blows every few years. The leak under your sink and the plugged gas pipe. The green pick up truck that parks in front of your house every Saturday. The "ghost" in the attic. EVERYTHING!!!
Fear prevents honesty! Honesty breeds trust!
Which is worst? Not closing with a buyer afraid of the dog next door? or a lawsuit 3 years later for non-disclosure? And I'm not talking about the fear … (47 comments)

sellers agent: You Have 5 Minutes To Make A First "Credibilty" Impression Too - 03/18/10 11:56 AM
We all know that we have a very short amount of time to make a first impression with someone new. 5 minutes seems to be the accepted time frame. Ok, have you thought about this time table when it comes to credibility with your prospective clients? I think prospects take very little time to determine if they feel comfortable working with us so we need to make the most of the first 5 minutes.
Often we meet people for the first time when they come in for showings. After the handshake what we do will determine if we keep this client … (1 comments)

sellers agent: Hiding Behind The "As-Is" Term - 02/27/10 12:15 PM
"As-Is" means different things to different people. Offering a property "As-Is" is a trend in the real estate market and one that is misunderstood. I am seeing this term on listings from equity sellers, short sale listings and REOs; the word use is the same, but the applications of this condition is varied depending on what the seller wants it to mean. That's incorrect!
I'm finding listing agents and sellers using this term to eliminate their own duties in a real estate transaction. I have had agents tell me "the listing is "As-Is" and we are not giving you seller disclosures. … (16 comments)

sellers agent: Bullet Proof.....Get It In Writing - 02/25/10 11:29 AM
Success and failure, closings and cancellations, litigation and disclosure. Topic of discussion with a few Realtors yesterday. The one common element of all the success stories? Disclose in writing! Write it down, get a signature.....close the deal, avoid litigation.
Real estate is in tricky territory right now with all the short sales. Clients are trying to understand the process and consequences, but even in the easiest transactions, we know that clients tend to hear what they want to hear. This is human nature! I remember being in the hospital watching a dear friend pass and "hearing" that there was a 1% … (12 comments)

sellers agent: Buyers and Sellers and Agents.....We Are Not Friends, We Are In Business - 01/26/10 09:56 AM
Our Active Rain Community has recently been involved in a discussion about Realtors and how we view our jobs. How we care about our clients, and even referring to ourselves as counselors and advisers who care about our clients. First, I need to say....of course we care.....but we are not in the business of making friends, we are business people, and Real Estate is a business.
Real Estate is a very personal business and our clients become quite emotional during the process. As people, we spend a lot of time with our buyers and sellers, we hold their hands. As Realtors, … (19 comments)

sellers agent: How To Be An Equity-Seller In A Short Sale World....The Elite Property Experience - 01/19/10 01:59 PM
I met with a new listing of mine yesterday. As we were talking in the living room, I noticed she was looking forlornly out the window at the house across the street. I knew why, it was a new listing as well....and it was a short sale. I also knew the list price....ridiculously low. As we spoke, she sighed and said that it was going to really hurt her ability to sell. "No....we are going to hurt THEM," I smiled.
Why could I say this with confidence? Experience! The equity seller is reappearing and is highly valued. We Realtors know this … (6 comments)

sellers agent: Real Estate Roulette....Take The Vegas Out Of The Market - 01/16/10 11:02 AM
Real Estate should not be a calculated risk. It could be an investment or a family home, but it's not supposed to be a gamble. Isn't this what got us into this mess? For the past few years the United States Real Estate Market was one big poker game and all you needed to play was an IOU and a nice smile "I'm good for it....trust me."
Peruse the Internet, newspapers, financial news networks and so many discussions and blogs are about where the market is going, is now the bottom, will interest rates rise, will REOs show up, will the … (7 comments)

sellers agent: I'll Stop Comparing Realtors to Doctors, If You Stop Comparing Us to Used-Car Salesman.....Deal? - 01/11/10 03:31 PM
Why do we need to be compared to anything? Why? I see all over the Internet Realtors comparing themselves to doctors, attorneys and CPAs to justify our commission. "Would you go to a doctor and expect him to examine you for free?" Oh, come on......let's be fair. We have not spent years and years of study and practice just to get to the point where we COULD see patients. We don't have thousands of dollars of student loans and we are not dealing with life and death. That's just silly!!!
But....comparing us to the stereotypical used-car salesman is not fair either. … (167 comments)

sellers agent: Balance, Perspective, Success - 01/10/10 10:59 AM
Most of us grew up with the advice "Everything in moderation" the rest have at least heard this. This does not just apply to the Martini or chocolate cake....it's just as critical in business too. Sales professionals are terrible at this, as a group. Because we are basically unaccountable (from a management perspective) we need to use tremendous self-discipline to handle all the facets of our business. But it's critical. Let's take this phrase apart.
Everything
Ok, this is the part we understand....don't we? We have so much to do each day, and so much more that we can't get to. … (14 comments)

sellers agent: Unrealistic Short Sale Listings....Everyone Loses - 01/05/10 11:08 AM
Banks are pushing back.....so are the Realtors they hire to do the BPOs (Broker Price Opinions). It seems that short sales are going to be a fixed thing in real estate for awhile and the lenders are finally realizing that sometimes it's a better thing to repossess the house. Why? Because listing agents are pricing these homes based on nothing....based on how low they can go to generate offers, it's a numbers game.
But no one wins this way...not the seller, not the banks, not the listing agent and not even the buyer. If the bank doesn't approve the sale...then the … (10 comments)

sellers agent: Price Fixing.....Ethics.....and The Farm-Realtor, Controlling Their Market - 12/31/09 10:18 AM
I've been thinking about this for a long time. "Farms" are a term Realtors have used for decades to describe specific neighborhoods that they claim as their territory. These Realtors spend time and resources in this small area by door-knocking, hosting garage sales and sponsoring Little League Teams. As a result, they are a familiar name when a home-owner decides it's time to sell.
This Realtor clearly knows the area and has earned the sale.....right? So they will be the best person for the listing.....or would they? I don't farm a particular physical area of my city....I farm via the Internet … (5 comments)

sellers agent: Can You Handle The Truth From Your Realtor? - 12/30/09 11:44 AM
Here it is....."I don't know." I wish I did! I wish I knew when your house will sell, and at what price. I wish I knew what the sellers/bank/court will accept as a purchase price. I wish I knew what interest rates will be next month. I wish I knew if now was the best time to buy/sell or if you should wait. I wish I had the right answers all the time, but I don't. And that's not why you use a Realtor.....that might be why you use a fortune-teller :).
Realtors are facilitators. We are negotiators and fact finders. … (5 comments)

sellers agent: Explaining Your Market To Your Client - 12/15/09 09:48 AM
Every single person reading this blog post is facing a different Real Estate market trend. You are reading newspapers, watching market reports ane predictions on TV, and searching the Internet for information.....and finding wide generalization. While the larger financial trends provide valuable insights into macro-economics, The Real Estate market we face on an individual basis is completely local.
There is a saying in politics...."All politics in local." We can apply this phrase to Real Estate as well. No one would come to a city council meeting and expect to find the same issues and challenges in Los Angeles as in Detroit, … (5 comments)

 
A Southern California agent's perspective on real estate and other things that interest me!


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog