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.
The realtor closed the door on us, Corona CA by newbie blogger, Sarah Oswald
Which Kind of Real Estate Agent is Better? by one of my absolute fave bloggers, Elizabeth Weintraub
Hey Listing Agents ---Get Your Sellers Out Of The House Before I Get There! by Pam Miller
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. WARNING!!! Pam Miller's post did get a little out of control, which I did not like but then that happens sometimes around here.
It is a classic example of what not to do when responding to opposing viewpoints. Just wanted to get that out there. 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 Jeffrey DiMuria with his post, Email Questions: Why Should We Choose You Instead of Going For Sale by Owner? As an MLO, I will talk to just about anyone who contacts me about more info on affordable home loan options, whether they decide to use me or not.
I have always felt that educating consumers about the mortgage industry and loan process is actually one of the primary duties and responsibilities of my job. Yes, I am in business to earn a living but in order to do that, my prospects and clients need to know what I actually do and how I can help. Because when it comes right down to it, that's all they're interested in.
Jeffrey is a Realtor who seems to operate under the same concept and like me, he has discovered that in doing so, this is a strategy that has actually helped to grow his business. Check out his post and see what I'm talking about.
Then there was Do You Value Your Client's Time? by Ardell DellaLoggia. Ardell reminds us of a very simple yet often overlooked concept, "it is simply not good enough to be a real estate professional; you need to be a real estate expert". Now, I'm not talking about the people who just like to call themselves experts because they think it sounds more professional and impressive. Actually this is exactly what Ardell is getting at with her post.
If you're going to call yourself an "expert" then you have to actually be an expert, which means you have to know more than any of the buyers and sellers who contact you about helping them with their real estate needs. Once again, check out Ardell's post to see what I am talking about.
Then there was another one of my fave bloggers, Cynthia Larsen, with her post, Can you find out how much the other buyer has offered?. Cynthia discusses one of the probably most asked questions by today's buyers. While we all know the answer to this question, one of the comments to Cynthia's post brought up a particular practice that I have always wanted to know more about - the escalation clause.
This is something that I believe is not widely practiced here in CA, which could be one of the reasons I have never seen it used in any of the transactions I have been a part of. However, I have seen it used on that HGTV show, Property Virgins, and afterwards, I even blogged about asking for more info from the AR community. Unfortunately, I didn't get much info. Which begs the question, "does anyone use this particular option and can you please blog about your success with it"?
Next was Don't Solicit My Business . . . By Blowing Smoke Up My Butt by Carla Muss-Jacobs. Carla illustrated a classic example of another desperate attempt by some pathetic MLO of marketing to a Realtor. I am embarrassed to say that it was absolutely wretched and another example of how morons MLO's like this give the rest of us a bad name.
Once upon time, as a newbie MLO, I too did crap like this. Why? Because my broker told me I had to. After nearly two years of that crap, I finally told my broker where to go and I found another one that would support the way that I wanted to grow my business - by marketing to buyers. Fast forward to today and I feel sad for any MLO who is forced to market themselves in this way. It's just really sad and a complete waste of time.
Anyway check out Carla's post if for nothing else but to educate yourselves about the kind of crap that some MLO's are using these day to market themselves.
Lastly, there was Tni LeBlanc with her post, Why Your Lender Matters. Tni reminds us buyers need to be so much more diligent these days in choosing the MLO/lender the for their home purchase. Tni provides great examples of just how the wrong lender can torpedo your escrow. More so now than anytime in my eight year mortgage career, I am getting calls from buyers looking for someone to help them with their mortgage needs because their current lender has totally screwed it up.
Without going into the gory details, suffice it to say that these same buyers got fooled and deceived by the big, national, retail banks claims of being the best. Furthermore, many of these unlicensed, hourly wage, bank clerks that these buyers were working with were just the beginning of what would become the ordeal deal from #%!! Anyway, stay tuned because Tni has inspired me to blog about "Why Your Buyers Agent Matters".
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.
Comments(55)