selling successfully: Do You Sell All Sizes and Shapes of Homes? - 08/24/08 08:45 PM
I know it is popular to specialize in a particular area or type of real estate, and probably is a smart move for agents both professionally and financially. You know, I have tried to specialize in several areas of real estate through the years including new homes, elegant homes, country estates, land, lots, commercial....the … (8 comments)
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selling successfully: Go By The Contract! - 08/12/08 10:44 PM
Go By the Contract
Agents ask me questions all day long. And...I am expected to answer questions. Goes with the territory. Usually I receive questions dealing withproblems connected with earnest money contracts. Well I am a pretty patient individual and will answer these question more than once if you ask me to. But usually … (4 comments)
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selling successfully: Why Some Agents Will Never Succeed and keep on Hotwiring Their Business - 07/21/08 11:12 PM
So This is for Dear Diary and any one else who may benefit...
Drear Diary,
Nothing frustrates or disappoints me more than a new agent that just refuses to acknowledge that there are certain things that work for all agents.....yes all agents. These things do work for all agents but only if they … (20 comments)
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selling successfully: The True Rewards of the Profession - 06/30/08 11:44 PM
Not everyday in real estate is a bed of roses. Boy is that an understatement! But then again,not everday is a bed of bull nettle either, now is it? For those of you that don't know what bull nettle is... it is a stinging plant that is very common in … (4 comments)
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selling successfully: Take a Different Route To Work - 06/24/08 12:48 PM
This post is not about ways to cut down on fuel useage. In fact if you follow my suggestions, it may cost you extra fuel.... but quite possibly could result in some added income.
Instead of traveling the same route to and from your office daily or weekly .......try alternate routes at least once a day, … (25 comments)
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selling successfully: Get to the GYM People! - 06/03/08 11:24 PM
We have had a little parking problem at our office this week, partly due to the fact that it is the busiest time of year. So the office manager put out a notice requesting that everyone try to leave several spots near our entry doors open for customers. This would necessitate some … (11 comments)
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selling successfully: Are the fruits of Your Labor Dissappearing to Knomes or Unknowns? - 05/24/08 12:06 AM
Nothing can be more frustrating than for a very experienced succesful agent to lose a prospective listing to a brand new agent or a part time unknown agent. Now , we all began our careers at one time and we all had to learn how to scrap for a listing. Competition can … (7 comments)
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selling successfully: Everything is Normal! - 05/21/08 09:19 PM
Whenever things get hectic around the office, or newer agents stress out over the ...unexpected , I usually tend think back to the Floyd Wickman training I went through years ago . Whenever things got tough for Floyd, he would casually reply "Hot dog, everythings's normal!"
You know this statement has helped guide … (7 comments)
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selling successfully: Floortime is Important Also - 05/11/08 08:27 AM
I guess because I am a broker-owner, I have a little bit different view of floortime than a lot of agents, but It may be because owners are a little like shopkeepers, they have to man the store whenever the folks that work there don't show up. I can't tell you all … (11 comments)
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selling successfully: It is a Jungle Out There! But it is all Relative. - 04/29/08 11:06 PM
Our statistics for residential sales in our local MLS service area were rolled out this week and the actual numbers revealed what we suspected. The number of units sold for our area for the first quarter of 2008 was almost identical to the prior year's first quarter. Naturally that is good for the community! Does that … (7 comments)
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selling successfully: Old Estate Auctions... You Never Know Who Will Show Up. - 04/28/08 04:18 PM
I haven't had any time off in a good while so last Sunday my dad and one of my brothers and I decided to attend a local estate auction in downtown Bryan, Texas . We are avid Indian arrowhead collectors and that is what this auction was all about. An old gentleman … (4 comments)
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selling successfully: What is Professionally Dressed These Days? - 04/25/08 10:53 PM
You know I love quality clothes. The problem is in my position, and given our weather in this area, wearing a suit to work just isn't practical. Ever showed a home in Central Texas on an August afternoon when it is 98 degrees and 98% humidity? Not a very nice position … (15 comments)
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selling successfully: Translating Subtle Signals From Clients - 04/25/08 10:31 PM
While showing a property recently I tried to practice what I preach... about paying close attention to the signals customers are sending. Sometimes these signals are obvious and other times they are suttle. I am a little slow myself so I naturally prefer the Very Obvious or better yet...... the Blatently Obvious.
So … (3 comments)
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selling successfully: Never Give Up On Listings - 04/21/08 12:22 AM
An old agent one time years ago told me there isn't any real estate on the earth that won't sell eventually. You just gotta locate the guy that is going to buy it and let him know it is for sale. Lately I have noticed several postings about how some folks … (9 comments)
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selling successfully: I can't seem to catch up, Can You? - 04/19/08 12:06 AM
I know... according to the mass media we are supposed to be in bad times right now, But it seems like for the past few weeks I haven't been able to keep up. More phone calls and voice mails , way more emails, and our activity board fills up more and … (9 comments)
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selling successfully: Do You Act or React? - 04/08/08 02:13 PM
When things aren't going your way, do you tend to first blame others, or do you look at the situation and ask yourself what is really the problem here? Probably most of us tend to first look for blame in others and I suppose that is only human. But you know, … (14 comments)
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selling successfully: Isn't it Amazing How Quickly Things Change? - 03/31/08 10:24 PM
Just when you think not much is going on in real estate the heavens open up and it pours! I walked past our activity board this morning and noticed the change in status side was almost filled with "Under Contract" or "Option Contract." It has always intrigued me how things can … (3 comments)
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selling successfully: Specialize in Helping Many - 03/27/08 11:42 PM
I never did really say I had one particular real estate specialty. As a broker -owner I suppose I have to know about most types of property and the associated contracts and I have grown to know when to say No..that is not something I am able to even help with, … (2 comments)
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selling successfully: Nothing New About Timing in College Station, Texas. - 03/26/08 11:29 PM
The real estate activity in College Station, Texas , not unlike many areas around the country is very school semester oriented. Many buyers and sellers want to complete transactions and be out of the old home and into the new home in time to settle in a little before the next school … (4 comments)
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selling successfully: Don't Let Mad Get in Your Wallet - 03/10/08 08:43 PM
Dad taught me a lot of good lessons in business. Probably one of his favorite sayings whenever things got out of wack and tempers began to fester ,was "Don't let mad get in Your Wallet." I have tried to practice this in business ...sometimes it is hard to adhere to, but I … (4 comments)
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selling successfully: The Best Words An Agent Can Ever Hear! - 02/20/08 11:16 PM
"Hi there, you sell real estate right? Well a friend told me to call you and that you helped them sell their home ...and they said you did a really good job!"
Don't those exact words just make you get all tingly inside. All revved up to get out there and … (11 comments)
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selling successfully: Important things Start with PR - 02/19/08 11:10 PM
Today in a training session we noted that lots of important words in business and real estate start with the letters PR
Here are a few:
1. PR (the initials for Promotion) Promote you and your listings
2. Procractinate Don't.
3. Principals Take care of them 1st and foremost.
4. Prevention One of the main things you should do.
5. Prepare Before any … (9 comments)
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selling successfully: When to Let Go - 02/10/08 09:29 PM
None of us like failure. Sometimes in real estate you just have to face it when a deal isn't worth trying to salvage any further. IT IS IN THESE TIMES THAT YOU JUST HAVE TO GO WITH YOUR GUT.
When the other agent isn't being honest, or when your clients haven't "told you … (3 comments)
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selling successfully: Don't you Love Negotiating? - 02/07/08 01:03 PM
To me the most challenging aspect as an agent, has been the art of negotiating successfully. After-all isn't that what the profession is all about? Without it very little would make it to the closing table. And As a broker and trainer it is indeed a challenge to educate how to negotiate … (6 comments)
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selling successfully: Followup Can Make the Difference - 02/02/08 10:25 AM
I was reading another agent's blog this morning about why he couln't understand why some agents are so successful, and produce so much more income than he does, even though he felt he did all the same things the top producers did.
I am certain these top producers do lots of … (4 comments)
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selling successfully: Welcome to our new Property Manager! - 01/24/08 11:39 PM
We are really proud to announce that Mary Derkowski has joined or company as our property manager.
Welcome Mary!
Mary Derkowski began her career in 1983. Mary had the privilege to manage and lease a diversified portfolio in excess of 1000 properties. During the foreclosure wave in the early 90s she was fortunate enough to … (2 comments)
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selling successfully: We have been at Cruising Speed For 15 Years - 01/15/08 12:06 AM
That is a long time to go without refueling! You see our real estate cycle has been at cruising speed for about 15 years now. Wow! that is a about twice what typical up-down cycles are supposed to be according to the knowledgeables in Real Estate forecasting.
For the longest time it seemed … (4 comments)
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selling successfully: Passing the Buck, Missing Business, and Looking Dead - 01/12/08 10:09 AM
Do you ever feel sometime in this business with all the tools at our disposal, that sometimes we have gotten a little lazy.? I know....I know it is a fast past world and if you blink the universe can change. So we have to keep up with it all. But sometimes … (15 comments)
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selling successfully: Windows of Opportunity and Finding Faith in our Profession - 01/11/08 11:44 PM
Every time I run up against a negative situation in the line of duty, it seems there is always something or someone who comes along and restores my faith in my fellow agents. You see I have always operated on the principal that no mater what, at the end of each day, … (7 comments)
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selling successfully: Working With Multiple Offers - 01/10/08 11:43 PM
Recently we have had to deal with this situation more and more....... Multiple offers coming in on a listing. This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how one looks at it. Regardless it is a good feeling for a listing agent to know that something is about to … (12 comments)
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selling successfully: Getting Organized for 2008 - 01/06/08 11:04 AM
There is treasure to be discovered at home if you look.
I cleaned off my dresser at home this morning and found some more business hiding in that pile of stuff. . Scrunched up scribbled on scraps of paper. There must have been 20 to 30 of them. You know... they are … (5 comments)
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selling successfully: Have You Ever Been Involved in a Bidding War? - 01/03/08 10:38 PM
We have all heard that from time to time certain areas of the country experience high demand and buyers pay more than they should. I know this was occurring regularly a few years ago. Recently I experienced this for the first time myself. The final deal was almost 2 times asking … (6 comments)
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selling successfully: It's official. We've reopened our Property Management Division - 01/03/08 12:11 AM
For 25 years I was involved in property management. We owned and operated both for ourselves, and investor clients. About 3 years ago I said that's it . We are done . No More. Done.
Well we are back at it! We have just hired one of the top property managers in … (4 comments)
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selling successfully: Realistic Contracts Result in Real Closings. How's your Dancing? - 01/02/08 11:16 PM
It has always amazed me the different approaches agents take when working with their clients.
Recently an agent delivered an offer to our firm. It was on an investment property and was from a purchaser that had never viewed the property, or even seen current income/ expense data. Now I can deal with … (4 comments)
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