Perhaps my colleagues can relate to the following scenario: A buyer is interested in your listing. Their agent emails you a slew of questions, and you get all the answers. There might be one of those 2nd or 3rd showings where where half a dozen extended family members come by and stay for 90 minu
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12/19/2011
Today was a first since I started my brokerage in mid 2005. I did something that I actually think more brokers and managers should do on occasion. I informed an agent that they would no longer be with our company. I fired someone. I'd love to say that it was difficult or that I was conflicted a
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12/18/2011
Pop quiz:In the State of New York, if I as the listing agent bring my own buyer to the closing table, does that automatically make me a dual agent? If you answered "yes" you'd be wrong. If a New York real estate agent sells their own listing to their own buyer they are NOT automatically a dual
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12/17/2011
You might notice in the Sidebar of my blog that I have some excerpts to client reviews I have received with a link to my Zillow profile and ratings. When Zillow announced their agent ratings system, I voiced some understandable skepticism. However, Sara Bonert, whom I like and respect, gave me so
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12/11/2011
The town of Cortlandt has many moving parts: The villages of Croton on Hudson and Buchanan, the Hamlet of Verplanck, Cortlandt Manor, and right in the middle, the separate municipality of the city of Peekskill. Croton and Peekskill have their own school districts, so the vast majority of Cortland
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12/10/2011
I knew Irene and met her a number of times at Blog and social media events. She was very warm friendly, and would have given you the shirt off her back. She also LOVED to kid around. There were some videos she used to do where she'd do a "commission check dance," really her tongue in cheek versio
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12/09/2011
I don't get to out of town conferences much. I eat up local stuff, like the New York City REBar camp, two Raincamps and those sorts of things, yes, but I have yet to go to NAR or other more far away events because it is hard to get away. One pilgrimage I am making for the third time, however, i
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12/05/2011
Prices are down, but volume is up according to the data for single family homes in the Ossining school district for November 1-30 2011. All information is taken from the Empire Access Multiple Listing Service. This past November, 11 homes closed at a median sale price of $332,000. In November of
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12/05/2011
Anyone who is in sales and management learns over the years how to manage the styles of personalities we encounter. I have dealt with all types and consider myself fairly adept at interacting with people smoothly. The one that still gives me trouble, however, and probably you too, is the Jekyll a
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12/04/2011
You seldom get to rub elbows with a $200 million producer, but when Keller Williams Scarsdale Team Leader and friend Jen Maher invited me to see the great Ilan Bracha yesterday, I wouldn't miss it for the world. If you have never heard of Ilan, he's quite a story. An emigre from Israel, when he
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12/03/2011