agent: Putting Agent Contact Info in Public Remarks
- 01/16/11 12:53 PM
Our small Board of Realtors in it's infinite wisdom joined a large MLS site called SWMRIC, which was going to allow our agents access to the listings for most of the Western half of the Lower Peninsula here in Michigan. Sounds great on the surface but one minor detail. While all of these Boards have shared access to listings they still have their own rules. In our Board we do not allow Agent Contact info in the public remarks section of the listing but in a few of the Southern Boards it is fine. So if I send my client a listing sheet from their … (4 comments)
agent: Are You Kidding Me Moments
- 07/28/10 02:28 AM
Seems like I could start every conversation these days with "are you kidding me?" and at some point in the chat it will play. Whether you are talking to fellow agents, lenders, insurance agents, inspectors, appraisors or clients, everyone one has a "are you kidding me" moment they have ran into recently. This weeks moment is a buyer I am working with who has an high 700's credit score. He is buying a second home so he was going just get a second on his main home and pay cash. He has a really nice home in a newer sub division and value … (3 comments)
agent: Whine With Your Market?
- 07/18/10 01:33 AM
There are two types of people. Those who always find a way to make things happen and those who always find a way to be stopped. Usually for every road block faced we read two or three blogs whining about the market or the condition of our economy. Meanwhile the agents who always find a way to make things happen are spending their energy looking for an angle that hasn't played out and will be there in the end. We obviously can't flip a switch and change the economy or our market but we can make it a more positive environment to work. … (2 comments)
agent: Showing Etiquette
- 07/09/10 03:51 AM
Recently an I received a call from a seller who was quite distraught over the fact someone had shown their cottage without them being notified. I had no one call so I asked how they knew it had been shown and they said the agent left his card. What disturbed them was the white dog hair all over their furniture. The seller is highly allergic and was upset I hadn't told the agent to not bring pets in the house. After assuring her I had no idea what had happened and took the phone number to call the agent and see who … (8 comments)
agent: Things a Seller May Need to Hear
- 07/06/10 12:34 AM
It always amuses me when we get a call to list a house and from the time we walk in the seller is trying to do our job. Keep in mind these are the good hearted people who realized they could not sell the home and called in the professionals. At some point price is going to come up and it especially amuses me when a person who has never even had luck selling at their yard sales feel they need to tell their agent how to price their home. One would think that after years of experience and training, thousands of dollars getting licensed and set … (11 comments)
agent: Where's Waldo?
- 07/01/10 12:11 AM
Waldo is a seller's agent that the buyer's agent has been trying to reach for days to simply set up a showing. Where's Waldo? His Broker has no idea but suggests you leave a message and Waldo should call you back soon. You tell the Broker you have left 7 messages and Waldo is non responsive. Sound familiar? I read a post this morning by Lenn Harley that you can read here: Lenn's Post . She has came up with a creative way to let the Broker know they have a slacker working under them. She usually waits for 2 hours. … (3 comments)
agent: Do Your Listings Work Holidays?
- 06/29/10 05:09 AM
When I started my real estate career it was under the illusion that I would have all sorts of time to do whatever I want....then reality came and I have found you could easily work 18 a day 7 days a week year round and never really be completely caught up. With the economy being where it is and no one sure where their next sale was coming from or when it will be, I was curious how many agents will be working this weekend with it being the July 4th Holiday? I will be doing an open house or two and … (7 comments)
agent: Rate Yourself!
- 06/01/10 08:29 AM
Rate Yourself All finger pointing aside, how would you rate yourself if you had to deal with you? Would you be as impatient with yourself as you are with others. Probably not. Mainly because you know there are reasons when you make an occasional oops. When you take a listing do you go out of your way to make sure the seller knows the realities of the market? Do you help them plan ahead for trouble free showings? What to do with pets, clutter short notice showings? Are your contact's info up to date? Do you explain that it may be … (16 comments)
agent: RandyO's Warm Hearted Advice to New Agents
- 05/30/10 11:44 AM
RandyO's Warm Hearted Advice to New Agents Let me start by saying there is no one way to sell real estate. There are no guarantees of success or failure no matter how you go about it. I have seen agents who never should have been agents flourish in a troubled market and at the same time seen agents that had all the promise of being top notch quit before their business cards came in. Some believe helping others is not a personality trait they want in their companies, and it is their company so they can decide who hangs a … (0 comments)
agent: Realtor Realities
- 05/29/10 10:36 PM
Realtor Realities Just read a post by Greg Nino about a person who only lasted 62 days as a real estate agent. My first thoughts were "how sad to give up on your dreams so quickly", then after reading about his personality type I thought "how fortunate for him to realize he had made the wrong career choice so quickly". The lure of big paychecks and working your own hours brings a lot of newbie's into scrambling to get into our real estate world. Some will be a huge success but others will unfortunately find out the hard way this is … (7 comments)
agent: Seller's Reality Checklist
- 05/21/10 09:04 AM
Seller's Reality Checklist Selling a home in today's market is quite different than in days past when you could get away with listing a home and waiting for a sale. In today's market place it takes a combined effort by everyone involved to get a home sold. In the case of a top heavy home or other special issues it could be even more of a challenge. A couple weeks ago I wrote a post about how pets affect the showing of a home which ultimately affects the sale. There was an overwhelming amount of comments showing not only is there … (1 comments)
agent: Pets Are NOT People, Part 2
- 05/16/10 11:56 PM
Pets Are NOT People, Part 2 Last week I wrote a post in an attempt to shed light on the impact pets have on a homes chances of selling. I wanted to get everyone's attention and the title did. Let me say one more time: I LOVE PETS!!! I understand some pet owners feel their pets are family members and some think their pets are better than people and that is fine. The whole point is that if, during a showing, a potential buyer is looking at the dog, cat, ferret, chicken or pot bellied pig, They are NOT focusing on … (4 comments)
agent: Using the Tool that Works for You
- 05/13/10 04:01 AM
Using the Tool that Works for You Today's real estate agent has a variety of tools available to them. Back in the day before the MLS and Internet an agent was forced to do pretty much the same as everyone else, hoping to tweak their ads a little to sell. Today's agent has almost too many options to choose from but not all tools work for everyone. Being an old mechanic I know that given enough time I can make about any tool work to get the job done but with the right tool it is a breeze. I have … (2 comments)
agent: Are you a Self Starter or Self Stopper?
- 04/12/10 09:58 PM
Self Starter or Self Stopper One of the greatest things (and not so great) about our chosen field is we have the ability to set our own hours. For the self starter that means being able to work around family functions and appointments. For the self stoppers it means more time to play and get drawn into things that aren't making us money. I worked at an office a few years ago that had several agents. There were a few that excelled at the profession, a few that really needed to change career choices and most were somewhere in the middle. … (3 comments)
agent: Pros and Cons to a One Man Show
- 04/10/10 07:31 PM
Pros and Cons to a One Man Show When I first got into real estate I had a five year plan. First three years were raising the bar in sales each year, fourth year was to be a learning year and by year five be a Broker. First three years were on target and in my forth year I obtained by Brokers license. Starting a company in 2008 had it's own challenges but being a one man show my overhead was low so I think it actually helped. Not having the traditional negative vibes from some agents also worked to … (8 comments)
agent: Spring Has Sprung...Be Careful Out There!
- 04/05/10 05:21 AM
Spring Has Sprung...Be Careful Out There. Spring has filled the air and buyers are starting to pick up steam for a great spring season. I want to wish all my fellow Realtors® the best season ever and remind you while everything this time of year appears picture perfect we still have to be careful. With the rising number of vacant listings and foreclosures we also see a rise in crime. Be especially careful when showing these as no one knows for sure who or what you may find living in them. Twice last year I went to show vacant foreclosed … (2 comments)
agent: Do Sellers Know How They Are Being Represented?
- 03/31/10 08:33 AM
Do Sellers Know How They Are Being Represented? Let me start by acknowledging all the hard working agents that hold both a full time job and sell real estate part time successfully. That being said we are going to touch on the few that do not do as well juggling jobs and listings. There is a home I have attempted to show on several occasions and have left message after message and no return calls from the list agent. I have even called the Broker and was told all their agents set up there own listings and I would have to … (3 comments)
agent: Feedback on Fellow Agents
- 03/30/10 11:08 PM
Feedback on Fellow Agents One thing that keeps popping up in posts is the inaccuracies some agents use to describe listings or pics that do not accurately portray the property being sold. One of the reasons is there are no listing police and most MLS committees are overwhelmed with the everyday running of our MLS. What if we had a feedback system similar to EBAY where once you have shown a listing, you would leave a feedback code for the members of your MLS only to see? We could use something basic like A= Really good description, exactly as listed, B=A … (4 comments)
agent: Who's Responsible for Accurate Descriptions?
- 03/26/10 10:22 PM
Who's Responsible for Accurate Descriptions? Just read a great post by Michael Thornton who spoke about an agent who embellished on a listing description. This is something most of us encounter daily and at times you wonder if the list agent has ever actually seen the property. I have on occasion been angry enough to call them from the parcel and question their description and most often am told to read the waiver at the bottom that says it may or may not be the truth basically. Don't we as PROFESSIONALS owe each other at minimum honesty and accuracy when … (10 comments)
agent: Social Networking Friend or Foe?
- 03/12/10 05:16 AM
Social Networking Friend or Foe? I admit I am a FaceBook addict. I have sold several houses to my FB friends. I thought it was really great to have fellow students from 30 years ago reconnecting and being able to chat with fellow agents on a variety of topics. A couple days ago an agent from another area asked me to befriend him and of course I agreed. Instantly my page was full of his listings. No room for any of my friends comments, all him advertising. I have been noticing a disturbing trend with businesses slowly but surely commercializing … (3 comments)
Author Bio: Randy Ostrander, Broker/Owner of Lake and Lodge Realty in Big Rapids, MI covers all of West Central Michigan. He does work weekends so he can be there wheneve you are ready to handle all of your real estate needs.
Our small Board of Realtors in it's infinite wisdom joined a large MLS site called SWMRIC, which was going to allow our agents access to the listings for most of the Western half of the Lower Peninsula here in Michigan. Sounds great on the surface but one minor detail. While all of these Boards have shared access to listings they still have their own rules. In our Board we do not allow Agent Contact info in the public remarks section of the listing but in a few of the Southern Boards it is fine. So if I send my client a listing sheet from their … (4 comments)
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