Well, this week there were so many really great posts here in the rain by some of my fave bloggers as well as some newbie bloggers that I’ve recently come across. First and foremost, I just want to give a shout out to my fellow rainers for their gold star features that I was happy to "call the shot" on them.
Why Is It So Hard to Cut "Bad" Clients Loose? And When Should We Do It? by Patricia Kennedy
Bracing for a low-ball offer by Cynthia Larsen
Are You Glad You Asked What My Buyers Thought? by Michael Jacobs
Thanks to Active Rain, I’m a featured blogger... on another website! by Didi Doolittle
The Seller Knew About It and Didn't Tell Me Applies to Short Sales As Well by Elizabeth Weintraub
These were excellent posts that had some really great comments, which is one of the best things I love about great posts. With some posts, the comments can actually be better than the post.
Check them out. Then there were some other equally great posts that I suggested but that the AR Gods must have missed this week when they were bestowing those little gold stars.
First there was New to blogging by newbie blogger, Kad Mendoza. Like all of us at one point or another, Kad is just starting to blog and is looking for advice. One of the best things that I have loved about being a part of AR is being able to get blogging advice from some of the best bloggers I have ever seen or read.
Personally, I feel it is the duty of us "old-timers" to help out the newbies, especially here. I think we can all agree that joining AR is absolutely overwhelming and there is just sooo much to know about being a member here. If we want our little community here to continue to flourish, we need to make sure the newbies get the help they need.
It only takes a few minutes a day to give a newbie some much needed help and assistance. Stop by Kad's blog and help out. :)
Then there was Tom Day with his post, Everyone Wants the Low Hanging Fruit. Tom discovers something that I too realized quite awhile ago. For quite some time now, the smart and savvy listing agents (LA) here in Los Angeles & Ventura counties will intentionally list their sellers properties just slightly below market value in an effort to get multiple offers. Guess what? It's working!
Furthermore, in some areas here, more than 50% of the properties (low-end prices ranges) are getting sold for more than list. The sales price vs. list price averages around 102% or more in some areas (varies by price ranges). Yes, it's a game and the properties are often being sold for what they should have been listed for from the get-go but the best part is that the seller had several offers to choose from.
I'm sure that trying to get a seller to understand this concept seems ridiculous but frankly, this exercise (providing reports on sales prices vs. list prices) should just be part of the listing presentation and the overall education and experience that listing agents should be sharing with their sellers. JMHO :)
Next was Rentals Anyone? What's your opinion? What's your policy or business practice? by Diane Phillips. While Diane isn't a newbie, she is asking about how to incorporate something new into her business model. Once again, I truly believe that if we (the members of AR) want this place to be somewhere where we can go to learn from others then we have to be willing to share what we know with others who want to learn from us.
One of the things that all successful people will tell you is to be willing to accept changes in a tough market. I think we can all agree that this is a tough market and some will need to change and for some that includes making rentals a part of their business model.
I know for a fact that there are a lot of property managers here as well as Realtors/agents who are experienced in rentals and have made rentals a part of their business model for years. Please share your experiences with the rest of us. Thx :)
Then there was Ruthmarie Hicks with her post, Prying Buyers Off the Fence...A Little Shock Therapy.... I really like Ruthmarie and her blog; she is so honest and upfront (brutally sometimes, which I love) and I really appreciate that. Her writing style reminds me so much of mine sometimes.
Ruthmarie had a contest recently about working with "fence sitters" and how to manage them. I believe that this post was one of her own contributions to the contest. It was about how a fellow agent handled a recent buyer client who was a typical "fence sitter".
I'm not going to give away Ruthmarie's post so go and check it out yourselves. I love the idea and think that if more Realtors/agents did this, we would see a lot less posts complaining about the "fence sitters". SERIOUSLY - I DO!!!
Lastly, there was Should You Market to Renters? by Belinda Spillman. This goes along with Diane's post about rentals. Once again, Belinda is going to incorporate marketing to renters into her marketing promotions and wants to know what the community's feelings and opinions are.
While I did comment on Belinda's post, I left most of my comments for an email that I sent her privately. To have left them in her post would have been impolite; so many members do not appreciate long and drawn out comment and you all know how verbose I can be.
I have a lot of experience marketing to renters here in Los Angeles & Ventura counties, especially renters in high-end complexes (the types of renters Belinda is targeting). While this sales approach was very successful for many years, the last few years were not and why I eventually stopped practicing it last year.
I'm not going to get into the reasons why but if anyone wants to contact me to find out more, please feel free. I would be happy to talk to anyone about my experiences - the good, bad & ugly.
As always, I love "calling the shots”. I’m pretty picky and selective about whom I suggest. I intentionally highlight my fave bloggers and then I look for new bloggers or bloggers that aren’t on the feature board every other day. Anyone can suggest all the popular bloggers but finding the hidden treasures and gems is so much better. I hope you check them out and enjoy them as much as I did.
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