real estate agents: How Do You Know Maria? - 04/15/12 09:54 PM
As Sophia from The Golden Girls would say, picture this: We're on facebook. Under one of the photos covering the tornadoes and hail in the Central Plains States is a comment by my cousin in St. Louis. Next comment is by a friend here in Kansas City. My cousin then comments to my friend "I know someone with your name but your profile pic doesn't match. How do you know Maria?" My friend comments back. "I did an Air Guitar Flash Mob with Maria last year." LOL- hadn't thought about that for a while!
Why did I do such a thing? … (8 comments)
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real estate agents: Yes, I'd Like To See The Brick House For Sale in Prairie Village - 04/15/12 04:28 PM
lol - I know this has happened to you too! The phone rings; I answer.
Caller: "Yes, I'd like to see the brick house for sale in Prairie Village. I don't remember the address - aside to wife - honey, what street was that house on?"
A conversation ensues while I wait patiently (patiently) for him to come back to the phone call he initiated. It's a bit amusing to listen as they try to retrace their drive to figure out which street they may have been on. More amusing is their combined description of the house they relay … (27 comments)
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real estate agents: Real Estate Retainers - 04/05/12 03:14 PM
When a homeowner contracts with a real estate agent to sell their house, the house itself gives some assurance that the seller is serious and the agent will eventually be paid for their time and expenses. This is assuming that the agent accepts only listings which have a chance of actually selling.
When a home buyer contracts with a real estate agent to buy a house, the agent has no assurance of ever being compensated for their time and expenses. Sure, we sign a buyer's agency agreement pledging our fiduciary duties to that client and exacting a promise of compensation upon … (63 comments)
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real estate agents: How Do You Know If You Got A Good Real Estate Agent? - 02/19/12 03:49 PM
There are several things to look for in a real estate agent, the person you trust to help you sell your house or land. Keeping in mind that one of the ways people will be searching for their next home is by doing an area search on a map, check this out:
This is where the map is pointed to a house listed for sale in Kansas City, Missouri. Now, we do have a Kansas City Kansas as well but Kansas City is not in China. The Listing Agent either doesn't know how to place the pin in the right … (7 comments)
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real estate agents: Showing Homes To Unqualified Buyers - 02/08/12 08:51 PM
Do you show unqualified buyers into houses listed for sale?
One of the 'real estate gurus' called me today to personally answer some questions I'd asked in an email response to his offer of a new and exciting real estate site. (You know how I like to learn about anything new.)
The guru told a story of an agent using his site to sell a house to a buyer she'd never met until they went to look at the house. Okay. I ignored the safety issues, instead asking how the agent had qualified the buyer before showing the house. … (17 comments)
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real estate agents: They Really Don't Mean Any Harm - 12/13/11 01:16 AM
Really, they don't. Recently, a number of other agents have told me about friends and family members buying or selling houses without even calling them. They feel betrayed. They feel like their friends are letting them down.
They say things like "Don't they know that's how I put food on my table? Don't they understand that I can't buy them presents if they're sending business to other people? Don't they get that I have bills to pay too?"
No, they don't get that; they may never get that. Furthermore, they are your friends; it's not up to them to … (16 comments)
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real estate agents: 5 Ways To Increase The Success of Your Property Marketing Efforts - 10/25/11 10:55 PM
..by Maria Morton
The ultimate GOAL of marketing any property is to get it SOLD, right? If you are only interested in getting your name up on the yard sign for the free advertising, just overprice the home and ignore the following suggestions. 1. Put the home on Centralized Showing Service (CSS).This makes it EASY TO SHOW any house to Qualified Buyers. Around 90% of homes sold will have an agent representing the Buyer. The Cooperating Agents need to be able to show the home. If the Buyers can't see it, they won't make an Offer To Purchase. Sure, I know … (7 comments)
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real estate agents: Who Does That Agent Represent? - 09/25/11 04:05 AM
Yes, Mr. Buyer, I CAN show you that house - I can show you any house. No, I am not the Agent for that HOUSE. Agents do not represent HOUSES; Agents represent PEOPLE. We represent our clients.
If our CLIENT engages us to represent them in Selling their home, we are the SELLER'S AGENT. We MARKET THE HOUSE but we REPRESENT OUR CLIENT.
If the SAME CLIENT engages us to represent them in the purchase of their next home, we are their BUYER'S AGENT in that transaction.
If a different CLIENT engages us to represent them in Buying a home, … (58 comments)
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real estate agents: You Know The House Is Extraordinary When The Agents Are Oohing And Ahhing - 09/20/11 08:49 PM
On Tour today, I saw an extra-ordinary home for sale in Hyde Park. Every real estate agent who toured the house recognized its' exceptional attributes.
Comments included "Wow!" "Look at the woodwork!" "Check out the pocket doors!" "I love the leaded glass windows over the landing!" "Will you look at the size of the bedrooms!" "Did you notice the closet space?" "Have you seen the finished basement?" "I could move in today!" "I need to win the lottery so I can buy this house!" "This is one of the grand old Hyde Park homes - what an opportunity!" "It's even … (3 comments)
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real estate agents: What Kind of Clients Do You Attract? - 08/13/11 12:27 AM
Our real estate blogs are read by people all over the world. People getting ready to buy or sell their homes are doing their research online before calling for help. The people who call me have usually read 10 or 20 of my Active Rain blog posts before deciding I'm the one they want to talk to; you probably have the same experience.
Who are these people? What is it about my blog posts that attracts them?
The one post that most people mention during our first phone conversation is "Do You Know Jack?". This was a tongue-in-cheek, rather humorous post … (44 comments)
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real estate agents: Nothing But A Big Red Truck - 04/12/11 10:31 PM
One day my Uncle Edwin was driving with my Aunt Iris in the front passenger seat. At an intersection, he asked her how the traffic was from her direction. She replied "It's all clear this way, there's nothing coming this way...
....except a big red truck!"
Uncle Edwin pulled out into the intersection before Aunt Iris completed her sentence.
No one was injured so it is just a funny family story. But it makes me think about how important it is to listen to other people.
In our real estate business, we talk to a lot of people and, sometimes, … (13 comments)
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real estate agents: Why Would You Want A Real Estate Agent in Kansas City to Refer You To Another Agent? - 03/26/11 06:56 PM
What could a Real Estate Agent in Kansas City possibly know about real estate and agents in other states and cities? More than you might imagine. As a member of NAR, MAR, KCRAR, ABR, SRES and Active Rain, I am constantly communicating with other agents around the country - sometimes out of the country.
Why do you care who I talk to? Well, if you're like most people, myself included, you don't want a salesperson when you are buying a house, you want someone you can trust.
But how do you know which real estate agent to trust? Just ask one … (5 comments)
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real estate agents: My Friend's Friend Chose Another Real Estate Agent and It Didn't Go So Well - 03/26/11 06:29 PM
This is a true story but we will change the names of the people and the place to protect identities. We'll call my friend Joe. Joe has a friend in, let's say Florida, who wants to move back to Kansas City. We'll call Joe's friend Betty.
Betty needs to sell her home in Florida before she can move back to Kansas City. The real estate market in Betty's city is dismal. She is anxious about being able to sell her home. Betty tells Joe all about her concerns so Joe says 'Not to worry, I have a friend in the business.' … (6 comments)
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real estate agents: Are You A Slacker Listing Agent? - 05/26/10 10:25 AM
Here is an entry in our MLS that shows substandard work. As we all know, the MLS is a tool we use to communicate with one another in keeping track of the inventory we work with every day.
Our MLS instituted a rule last year requiring Ownership to be filled in. Notice that this agent did not fill in the Ownership space. From the price and condition of the house in this neighborhoood, and the low commission offered, I would guess this is an REO.If the house is privately owned, this agent is doing a great disservice to the owner/seller.
There … (6 comments)
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real estate agents: Pop Up Agents Reviewed on Trulia - 03/24/10 02:05 PM
Pop Up Agents Reviewed on Trulia
Here's a great example of a "Pop-Up Agent" and how the homebuyer feels about working with agents like this.
From Daisy : "I called an agent, they showed me a property after work one night on Friday, then on Saturday we looked at a few (all pretty close in location). While they spent the day with us (my fiance and I), I wasn;t feeling the relationship. He continued to use closing lines, and although we are lookng to find something quickly, it's annoying. He also suggested I do more "leg work" online, to get … (1 comments)
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real estate agents: A cowboy never takes unfair advantage... - 03/13/10 12:52 AM
This post by Susan Hamblen in Smithtown NY shows how to make the world a better place.
Via Susan Hamblen (Exit Realty Achieve):
A Cowboy never takes unfair advantage!
Recently I came across the COWBOY CODE and I was prompted to think of the application we can make as Realtors. I am not talking horse riding and chewin tobacco but rather a code of honesty, integrity and respect. Look over the code and see if you would fit in the Wild West Club. Whether you are a real estate agent selling homes in Texas or a buyer's … (0 comments)
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real estate agents: How Important is The "For Sale By" Sign in Your Yard? - 02/19/10 04:26 PM
How important is the for sale sign in your yard when selling your home? I guess it depends on your perspective.
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Here's a conversation that I had with another Kansas City agent. The name is not real but the conversation is:
Maria: "That's a nice house you just listed over on 65th, Quartz."
Quartz: "Yeah, it's a great location for my sign! And I have 3 more listings I'm taking over the weekend! That will give me 25!"
Maria: "Wow! That's great, Quartz! Congratulations! Can you service that many listings?"
Quartz, scratching head with look of concern on face: … (4 comments)
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