If Your Seller Authorized You to Spend $2,000... - 06/30/09 07:30 AM
I don't know about you, but I'm very much enjoying this debate on whether or not we listing agents can positively affect the market value of our listings. I believe we can. And frankly, I'm stunned at the amount of opposition to that notion.
Now, a disclaimer - I don't work in a distressed market, so I shall defer to those who do that they know more about selling homes in that environment. Fair enough. If you work mostly REO's and short sales, you are excused from this discussion. Although... well, I'll get to that in a sec.
For the rest of us... … (37 comments)
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Any Idiot Can Give Their House Away...If Price is All that Matters - What do they need us for? - 06/29/09 06:41 AM
This is yet another follow-up to the topic of "Is Price Always the Best Answer to a Non-Selling Listing?" that I started last week. You can read more HERE and HERE.
Real estate agents are quite fond of the philosophy that "Price conquers all," meaning that if you price a listing low enough, it will sell regardless of the challenges the property presents.
Fair enough.
But I must ask. So what? Is that our job as professional real estate agents to simply recommend a price low enough that any piece of junk will sell?
Or, rather, is it to help our sellers get the … (160 comments)
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STOP! Before You Reduce the Price... - 06/26/09 07:16 AM
Picking up from Wednesday's "If Your Listing Isn't Selling..."
So, if your listing isn't selling and you've agreed with me that perhaps price might not be the best solution, what else can you look at?
Well, it might be really simple. Have you checked access lately? Lockbox still there? Key still in it? Key still work in the lock (sticky locks kill showings)? Is the seller declining or restricting showings?
Have you previewed your listing lately? Does it still show well and smell good?
How's your MLS description? Is it dull ("3 bedroom/2 bath ranch in Woodbridge") or jazzy ("Mid-Century tri-level with … (23 comments)
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When Your Listing Isn't Selling, What's the First Thing to Fix? All Together Now... - 06/24/09 08:31 AM
excerpted from my new book "If You're Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right!"
When your listing hasn't sold, what's the first thing you look at?
PRICE!
Right?
Nope. Not always. Not even most of the time.*
Many real estate agents claim that price cures all. And in a way, they're right. If you have a listing that shows poorly or is difficult to show or smells funny, there probably IS a price that will inspire buyers to overlook the clutter, access issues or eau du Chef Boyardee.
But is price the RIGHT answer? Again, not always. Not … (23 comments)
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"If You're Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate..." - 06/23/09 06:52 AM
You should have seen me on Saturday afternoon. I (being the master webgoddess that I've become) spent much of the afternoon creating the web page where my BRAND NEW BOOK would be featured. When I clicked "Publish" on my handy-dandy Adobe Contribute screen and saw my newest pride & joy go live for all the world to see... well, it was a fine moment indeed.
The name of the BRAND NEW BOOK is "If You're Not Having Fun Selling Real Estate, You're Not Doing it Right!" Kind of an optimistic title in today's real estate environment, eh? But you know what? … (11 comments)
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Do You Want to Be a Real Estate Superstar? Eh, Not Really...(and that's okay) - 06/22/09 06:16 AM
Visit most real estate training sites and you'll pretty quickly see references to being a Superstar or a Champion or a Hero or a Top Producer or some other high-falutin' descriptive term for a tippy-top level of real estate production. You'll see testimonials from agents who bought whatever system is being marketed claiming to have tripled their income or hit the half-million mark in commissions or sold 167 houses their first month on the program.
Wow. That's something. I'll admit to being intimidated by such marketing, both as an active real estate agent AND a real estate trainer myself. Gee, … (14 comments)
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Two Vastly Different Approaches... Two Successful Real Estate Careers - 06/20/09 07:05 AM
I have a new soapbox that has fired up my blogging energy... doncha' love it when that happens? Off we go...
I had an interesting meeting last summer with a real estate agent who started in the business the same year I did, in the same company. That year, he was the Rookie of the Year ... and I was runner-up to him. Neither of us recall who was third, of course!
Anyway, we literally hadn't run into each other since that awards ceremony in the mid-90's. Oh, I've seen his name around and he's seen mine, but we've never … (23 comments)
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The Real Estate Numbers Game in Reverse - Did You Impress More than You Annoyed? - 06/19/09 09:50 AM
As the Introverted Real Estate Agent's New Best Friend (I just made that up), I give out a lot of advice on how to make a real estate career work even if you aren't the most outgoing, charismatic social butterfly in town. The other day I was asked about the appropriateness of adding people to your mailing list (either email or snail-mail) without their permission. Spam issues aside (we're talking about people we know, not strangers), many introverts are hesitant to begin any structured communication with a friend or acquaintance for fear of annoying them.
I get that. Oh, how … (15 comments)
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Upfront & Personal with Your Favorite and Mine... Broker Bryant! - 06/17/09 06:07 AM
Are you a Broker B (as in, Broker Bryant Tutas) follower? If you aren't, you're one of, like 5 people on Active Rain who aren't. We Rainers love our Broker Bryant, don't we? And don't get us started on how much we adore his wife, TLW.
So, my people talked with his people and we arranged a special Broker Bryant show that's open to the public! On Saturday, June 20th, BB (and TLW?) will be joining me for an in-depth discussion of, well, whatever we decide to talk about!
Actually, the plan is to hit BB with a barrage of … (13 comments)
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Lessons from The Bachelorette - 06/16/09 06:54 AM
As a follow-up to yesterday's blog about high school dating, loyalty and the wonderful world of real estate sales...
A few weeks ago, I was watching The Bachelorette (yeah, I know, spare me the eye-rolls) and there was a scenario where the Bachelorette had a one-on-one date with one of the hopeful bachelors. The rules of the game say that if the Bachelorette does not give the guy a rose during the one-on-one date, he has to go home - in other words, he's been eliminated.
As the bachelor was preparing for his date he said something like "I'm a little … (30 comments)
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High School Dating Versus Real World Dating... and Yes, It Relates to Real Estate - 06/15/09 05:25 AM
Had a conversation with my DBF's 17 year old daughter about dating. She's going into her senior year of high school and is involved in her first serious relationship. Two months already! I, being a way-out-of-touch-42-year-old asked her if teenagers still "go together" officially or if they date casually - as in - more than one person at a time.
She looked at me as if I were a loon and explained that yes, they "go together" and it's unheard of for a teenager to date more than one person - that would be called "cheating" or worse.
Fair enough … (22 comments)
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Want My Real Estate Advertising Money? Show Me the Money and Maybe I'll Show You Mine. - 06/12/09 06:15 AM
A few months ago I was approached by a state Realtor association - New York, maybe. Well, it wasn't actually the association; it was the marketing firm for the association, trying to sell me ad space in their magazine.
The nice man with the heavy New Yawk accent threw out a bunch of numbers and statistics and options, trying to entice me to spend several thousand dollars advertising in the magazine. Readership, distribution and such. Oh, several thousand dollars is out of your budget? Okay, well, we also offer very effective classified ads for a fraction of the cost (but still … (14 comments)
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Great Negotiators Earn More Money! - 06/11/09 05:22 AM
Next up in the Summer of Soul Seminar Series... (this one is open to the public)...
Jackie Leavenworth, The Real Estate Whisperer, is In The House on Tuesday afternoon/evening, June 16th to talk about "Negotiations, The Games People Play." For those who listened in on my Art of Commission Negotiation seminar in April, you already know what a fantastic and engaging speaker Jackie is, and I'm tickled to have her back.
In her own words, here's what the show will cover:
What is the difference in a master negotiator and the typical sales person? A master negotiator understands and practices solid, … (15 comments)
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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Just Another Day in Paradise - 06/10/09 06:47 AM
Yep, we got 'em out.
… (32 comments)
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"Dear Real Estate Professional, I'd Like to See a House, please" - 06/09/09 06:49 AM
A few months ago, I posted a Help Wanted ad for a graphics designer on www.Guru.com. If you've never used Guru - it's a wonderful resource! Basically, it's on online database of freelancers who are looking for work.
Anyway, within 24 hours of posting my ad, I got at least 30 responses. Complete with resumes, pricing estimates and requests for further information about my project. All 30 responders seemed to sincerely want my business and not a one of them lectured, belittled or condescended to me.
Well, duh, you say, they're after your business, why on earth would they be anything … (63 comments)
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Introverts are Salespeople, too! A Recap - 06/08/09 06:58 AM
Kicked off the Summer of Soul over the weekend with Susan Haughton's interview "Introverts are Salespeople, too!" Good show, great crowd!
Highlights from Saturday's show include:
1. An introvert is a much better salesperson when approached, rather than when he does the approaching (when he attracts business rather than pursues it)
2. An introvert needs to know what she's doing before she can project a confident attitude (she can't fake it ‘til she makes it)
3. Being introverted is not the same as being shy
4. Introverts can (and should) trust their gut - we have great intuition and a … (20 comments)
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The Soulful Summer Seminar Series Schedule (say that three time fast) - 06/05/09 05:55 AM
If you follow my blog, you've seen one or two (or three or four) references to the Summer of Soul - which is a series of real estate-related teleseminars hosted by Yours Truly that run throughout the summer. I'm charging a few bucks for it, not too many ($49 for the package), but enough to make you pause and ask yourself if it's really worth it. At least, I hope you do because I'm the last person who would tell you to throw your money away these days!
Anyway, I'll let you judge for yourself - below is the final schedule of events. We kick … (9 comments)
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Does Your Friend Owe You a Courtesy Call When She Hires Someone Else? - 06/03/09 07:38 AM
Question: "I understand that I won't always get my friends' business, but when I don't, is it reasonable to expect a courtesy call explaining why they hired someone else?"
It's tough when someone you know entrusts their real estate business to another agent, isn't it? When you're new, the disappointment can take days to get over, but even for Old Fogies like me, it'll still sting for an hour or two.
I believe that it's best to give your friend the benefit of the doubt and assume that she had a perfectly good reason for her decision not to bring … (25 comments)
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Introverts Are Salespeople, too! - 06/02/09 05:26 AM
As you may know, I have three free newsletters that you can sign up for on my website. Each newsletter is written for a specific audience - one for Rookies, one for SOI'ers and one for Introverts. Not surprisingly, the newsletter for those who want to "SOI" is the most popular. But a close second is the one for Introverts.
Introverts? In real estate? Nooooo.... How can that be? Don't you HAVE to be an outgoing, charismatic social butterfly to succeed selling real estate?
Short answer... Nope.
Longer answer... Being an introvert does not preclude success in real estate any more than … (35 comments)
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