selling tips: Agents, buyers and lenders must work as a team to make every transaction smoother - 12/06/11 06:14 AM
There’s a recent report that says women don’t shop enough. Huh?
That’s the finding of a study published in the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics that says women get lousier mortgage rates than men. But it’s not gender discrimination that was cited as the main reason. It's because instead of shopping around for cheaper loans, women have a tendency to rely on the recommendations of friends.
The report set out to explain why women were 32 percent more likely to get a subprime mortgage than men in a 2006 study. According to a team of researchers led by Florida … (0 comments)

selling tips: Asking questions is the best way to know and help your clients. Why? Because it works - 12/05/11 09:36 AM
If you’re a parent of a young child, the question “why?” can be both engaging and infuriating. On one hand, it shows that your child is curious, but if he or she asks it over and over in a short period of time, it can be a bit annoying and lead to a short-fused answer.
But the simple question is important for real estate agents when it comes to understanding a homebuyer’s needs and desires. Asking why a family wants certain things in a home or why they want to live in a certain area of town will enable you to … (2 comments)

selling tips: Home-selling clients can handle the truth if you're open and honest about the process - 11/23/11 04:14 AM
People are jittery about the economy and no amount of sugarcoating can make things right. In fact, that will do more harm than good most of the time, especially when dealing with a client listing a home.
If that person hasn’t checked out the market for a while, they’re likely in for a shock, no matter how many news stories they’ve read or seen on TV. Being frank and honest with homeowners about pricing and marketing a home is important. They need to know upfront that what they think – or hope – their home is worth likely is off base … (0 comments)