The Blogosphere Versus the Trollosphere - 07/15/07 03:46 PM
Those of you who've been blogging for a while may have had the pleasure of meeting our friend on the right, who typically comes to your blog as a visitor from his own main blog, I-Hate-NAR.com or A-Lexus-Ran-Over-My-Mom.com or the like.
I've been given old trollie a lot of thought lately. He used to pop up on my Sacramento Real Estate Blog a lot, and lately he's been spotted picketing a fine Realtor® who hangs her license with me, Purva Brown.
Amy Miller recently wrote an excellent post about giving great customer service. The thing with Trollie is that he's not a … (8 comments)

Working Expireds - 07/14/07 11:45 PM
I worked with a newer agent in my company lately about how I used to work expireds.  Admittedly, I didn't do it very long (before shifting focus for awhile and later getting good success in Internet marketing) but I did get good results when I did it.   Owners whose listings have expired have proven that they're willing to work with an agent -- now they may need a good one to finally get the job done.  And hey, that's you!  
There are many systems out there for doing this.  Just Google "working expireds" or "expired listings scripts" and you'll find … (34 comments)

Huge Price Reduction on Our Wine Country Listing - 07/14/07 08:12 PM
We've just had a huge price reduction on this terrific colonial charmer on 6 plus gorgeous acres. Check out the photo tour on this!

Wine Country Retreat - Huge Price ReductionLocation: Fairplay Wine CountryGardener's delight! Absolutely gorgeous inside & out. 30 years of love and devotion dedicated to this wonderful home situated on over 6 acres and located in the Heart of Fairplay viticulture. Private lake, all gardens are on automatic drip and sprinkler systems, hot tub, updated inside & out. Horses welcome! InformationContact InformationBridget Felmley(530) 306-9111Contact Reply FormForward to a FriendView Other FlyersPricingAsking Price: $589,900.00Flexibility: Offered Property Location7960 Boondock TrailSomerset, … (3 comments)

Is Active Rain a Social Network or a Bag of Popcorn? - 07/14/07 09:04 AM
In an oddly compelling post, Ardell DellaLoggia recently questioned whether ActiveRain was a social network for industry insiders or part of the real estate blogosphere, or both.  I did a bit of yapping over there about this, and finally decided that there was yapp enough and coffee enough to come and yapp about it over here.
One of Ardell's starting points is that many of us who participate here also have a blog that's part of the blogosphere, which may or may not be gracious enough to extend itself here.  At the core of why this is so interesting to me is … (49 comments)

Jackson Home with Fabulous View - 07/13/07 07:35 AM
Beautiful Home with a ViewLocation: Terrace ViewGorgeous view!!! Italian tile through out entire downstairs, new upgraded carpet, flooring in upstairs bathrooms, interior/exterior paint, 30 year roof front and back landscaping,fencing. Custom pantry. Community pool and playground.InformationContact InformationJamie Boling-Puebla(877) 735-5657Contact Reply FormForward to a FriendView Other FlyersPricingAsking Price: $335,000Property Location205 Terrace View CircleJackson, CA 95642View MapLinksSchedule a ShowingView DeatailsFeaturesBedrooms: 3Bathrooms: 2 1/2Parking: GarageYear Built: 1993Subdivision: Terrace ViewLot Size: .070Garage Size: 2 carSchool District: Amador UnifiedSquare Footage: 1631Agent Name: Jamie Boling-PueblaBroker: Elite PropertiesMLS #: 70072741 (Metrolist)AttributesAppliancesRange/OvenDishwasherSink DisposalMicrowaveInterior AmenitiesFireplacePhoto GalleryView as SlideshowView Photo Gallery (5 Photos)Powered by vFlyer.com Equal Housing OpportunityVFLYER ID: 1177350 … (2 comments)

Known Universe Graphed. Inhabitants Unimpressed. - 07/11/07 11:27 PM
This evening Cameron Park real estate blogger and amateur cosmologist John Lockwood (I mean REALLY amateur) released his latest analysis of the universe as we know it, after extensive research.  Also, this was after working on a long inspection of a house with electricity and trees, having a chat with Purva about the trolls, and having a really nice but somewhat expensive ultimate awesome iced mocha drink.
Please note that chart is an estimate only, and may not be perfectly to scale.   Some of the smaller values have been inflated to allow them to appear on the chart. 

… (9 comments)

Our Reputation, and Should I Care - 07/11/07 01:18 AM
As Realtors®, we seem to have a lot to say about our reputation.  In fact, one of the big benefits of our National Association of Realtors® is that we get the reputation-laundering effects of a Code of Ethics, which according to official reports makes us more reputable than we would be if we hadn't had our ethics coded.
One of the big draws at Bubble Blogs is Realtor®-bashing.  It's an Internet version of dunk the clown.   Recently, an agent in my company who's an avid blogger in her own right found herself surrounded by angry bubblers for whom just her being a … (22 comments)

Sellers: Top Ten Signs You Need To Lower Your Price - 07/09/07 07:48 PM
OK, you've "tested the market" and "you're not really in a hurry to sell."  But here are the top ten signs it may finally be time to lower your price. The last time you had a showing, Start Trek the Next Generation was in its first season.Days on Market is showing 12 in the MLS, because 12 days ago you rolled the number over for the second time.You've been through six agents, all of whom were lazy and shiftless and didn't do enough to get your home sold.  Two of the six died of natural causes during the listing period.  A … (14 comments)

Prospecting Tips of An Ex-Rookie - 07/09/07 05:36 AM
In an earlier article, Qualifying Tips of An Ex-Rookie, I talked about some of the qualifying approaches I've learned that have helped me over the years.
In this article, I would like to back up a bit.  In Selling for Dummies, Tom Hopkins calls qualifying Step 3 in the sales process.  Today we back up to Step 1.
Prospecting is not only the first step in the sales process.  It is the single most important step.  You should prospect like your living depends on it, because it does.
In fact, I would argue that for most of my first year in the real … (34 comments)

Capitalism Begins At Home - 07/09/07 04:46 AM
This is a reminder to myself:  capitalism begins at home.
I enjoy ActiveRain.  In many respects coming here is like hanging around the real estate office, back when I had a real estate office.  Now that I don't have a real estate office (having traded it for a real estate company, which is more profitable), I occasionally find I have a need to go hang out somewhere, and ActiveRain serves quite nicely for that.
It's like a Boy's Club.  It keeps me off the streets so I won't become a hooligan.
I don't make money here.  I don't really expect to.  Back before I … (6 comments)

Beautiful and Affordable 2 Bedroom Condo in Sacramento - 07/09/07 04:10 AM
… (1 comments)

Working with Yahoo Pipes - 07/08/07 01:25 AM
Warning: Pen Pocket Protector Zone ahead...
Purva Brown recently asked me if we could get Sacramento Home Journal set up so clients could subscribe to it by email.
There are a couple of ways to accomplish this. One is to keep paying GetResponse.com -- which has so far been on my "cost cutting measures" to-do list for some time. Another way would be to use a service specifically designed to do this and not much else, such as FeedBlitz.
In the course of thinking about this, I realized that what I'd really like to do if we're going to implement this is to … (2 comments)

Maybe Your Writer's Block is Trying to Tell You Something - 07/07/07 01:19 AM
I've had a bit of writer's block lately. 
Nothing really serious. I've been treating it with coffee and aspirin.
In the course of the aspirin and coffee kicking in, it occurred to me that maybe my writer's block was trying to tell me something.  Maybe I have nothing to say because, after all, I have nothing to say.
We have our mechanisms, don't we, for having nothing to say, now that we've decided that we need more nothing, lest we not have enough "content".  Back in the day, we had nothing to say, so our web sites had about five pages, with a bazillion … (7 comments)

Want a Second Referral? Don't Commit Loan Fraud on the First One - 07/04/07 09:13 PM
I recently met a mortgage banker / broker through an agent friend we had in common.  He seemed like a pretty good guy, knowledgeable, friendly, what have you.  He's been at the business awhile and had a good story to tell.
For the sake of protecting the not necessarily so innocent but not yet proven guilty, let's call him Bob.
With this in mind, I decided to try him out on a transaction I was working on.  The buyer was an old friend of mine who had her own lender, but I referred her to Bob to get a second opinion and … (4 comments)

Stay Connected with Plaxo - 07/04/07 12:42 AM
Greetings, Web 2.0 junkies.
Tonight I had a chance to play around a bit with Plaxo, an online address book and calendar that syncs with everything and the kitchen sink -- well, sort of.  Robert Scoble calls it the Switzerland of Social Networks.  I admit, I'm not sure if he means it's neutral, has chocolate, is an army knife of some sort, is high up in the Alps, or what, but like Scoble, I found myself really wanting to like it.
I still really want to like it, and because of the lure of having a contact book that automatically updates itself when … (8 comments)

Web 2.0: That's You All Over - 07/03/07 10:23 PM
Those of you who've been through the Wizard of Oz as many times as I have will recall this exchange:Scarecrow:"First they[the Flying Monkeys] took my legs off and they threw them over there! Then they took my chest out and they threw it over there!"
Tin Woodsman:"Well, that's you all over!" 
In a recent tongue in cheek complaint about trying to keep up with Web 2.0, I said I would soon be posting an online portfolio.
So here it is:  John Lockwood 2.0: an Online Portfolio.
I know what you're thinking:  Hey John, that's pretty cheesey, having a page full of links back to yourself.   … (1 comments)

Colonial Village Charmer - Sacramento 3/2 at a Great Price - 07/03/07 05:40 PM
Colonial Village Charmer at a Great PriceLocation: Colonial VillageFirst-time homebuyers and others: this is a rare 3 bedroom, 2 full bath home in Colonial Village. Wonderfully relaxing bkyrd w/ waterfall. Updated appliances in kitchen. Hrdwd flrs. Newer roof & central air. Marble in bathroom.FeaturesBedrooms: 3Bathrooms: 2Parking: Garage - 2 carYear Built: 1963Subdivision: Collonial VillageLot Size: .13 acresGarage Size: 2 carSchool District: Sacramento UnifiedSquare Footage: 1008Agent Name: Purva BrownBroker: Elite PropertiesMLS #: 70034566InformationContact InformationPurva Brown1 877 735-5657Contact Reply FormForward to a FriendView Other FlyersPricingAsking Price: $239,000Property Location4900 79th StreetSacramento, CA 95820View MapLinksSearch for HomesListing DetailsRequest More InfoSchedule a ShowingAttributesAppliancesDishwasherSink DisposalMicrowaveInterior AmenitiesHardwood FloorsExterior … (1 comments)

SettlementRoom and Other Boring Details - 07/02/07 11:53 PM
This evening I was working on getting my escrow into SettlementRoom, so I looked around a bit to see if anyone else was using this gizmo, and mostly what I found are people talking about using this gizmo.
I don't blame you.  Usually when you read about online transaction management, you hear how it's going to save you time.  I haven't seen it do that yet.   What it does do to some extent is allow us to work without an office. 
I'm not sure it really does a great job of that, even, and here's why:  Filing is boring.  Agents don't see … (5 comments)

Lowest Price Per Square Foot in Rancho Cordova - 07/02/07 05:14 PM
Beautiful Upgraded Brick HouseLocation: Rancho Cordova, CALowest price per square foot in Rancho Cordova!!! Beautiful upgraded brick house in a quiet neighborhood. Remodelled kitchen and baths with lots of tile. New carpet, laminite floors, and tile floors. Tile counters, tiled mud room, large bonus room. Dual pane windows and fireplace. Large outdoor shed and landscaped yard.InformationContact InformationSusan Norris837-735-5657Contact Reply FormForward to a FriendView Other FlyersPricingAsking Price: $279,900.00Property Location2538 Augibi WayRancho Cordova, CA 95670View MapLinksMore DetailsSchedule a ShowingFeaturesBedrooms: 3-4Bathrooms: 2Parking: 1 car garageYear Built: 1956Lot Size: .14 acresGarage Size: 1 carSchool District: Folsom CordovaSquare Footage: 1504 approximateAgent Name: Susan NorrisBroker: Elite PropertiesMLS … (2 comments)

Escrow Mondays - 07/02/07 09:33 AM
I love escrow Mondays.  A lot of offers get done over the weekend, which creates escrow Mondays.
I don't get as many of them as I used to, because I try to let my agents enjoy them, but I really love them.
Today's an escrow Monday.   The buyer in this case got a great house in East Sacramento at about $50,000 under the comparable sales, so that's always fun.  Actually one of the nice things about working with buyers in this market is that they almost always getting good value, since the days of listing agents countering even full price offers are … (2 comments)

Dead Man's Curve -- What Do Buyer's Buy? - 07/02/07 12:45 AM
If your buyers are like my buyers -- and I have no reason to suspect they aren't -- here's what they're buying.
This is not a revelation.  In fact, I hope it's so obvious that you're saying, "Well, duh, John."
(Not out loud, though.  You know I have sensitive feelings).
For the most part, buyers want the home in the best condition, at the right hand side of that curve.  A possible exception is fixer-upper buyers, but I'm not sure they're really an exception given that by fixer upper they usually mean "something that needs paint".
And of course, buyers want the house that's … (2 comments)

I Want Tomorrow's Price - 07/01/07 05:44 PM
Woops, looks like I missed the five year anniversary of my real estate sales license.
Was I supposed to get a cake or something?
One of the first things I learned in this business is the lure of tomorrow's price.  Somebody's always wanting tomorrow's price.
When I was new in the business in 2002, of course, it was the sellers wanting tomorrow's price.  You'd run the comps for them and they'd add $30,000 or so to whatever you told them.  This is how prices would rise, because everyone was always listing at tomorrow's price, and then when it sold, tomorrow's price would become today's … (37 comments)

Working With a Half Full Glass, and Hiring The Best Agents - 07/01/07 12:09 AM
I was just reading a post by another broker -- actually someone here in my service area -- about how hard it is to find good agents, agents with a work ethic.
Yet here I am in the same service area, and I have no problem.
Like so many things, how we feel about the people we work with is created by how we think about them.  This is classic cognitive psychology.  (It's also pretty classic Tom Hopkins.  I once got a video of his as a gift along with some sales training CDs I bought entitled "Attitude is Everything".)
Here's how I think … (4 comments)

 
John Lockwood (Lockwood Real Estate)

John Lockwood

Sacramento, CA

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