The Business of Real Estate

Let's be honest, marketing and selling homes in the middle of the market is tough business*.  Buyers always have a "push-back"; too small, too big, too much work etc. etc....you know, it's always something.  Then comes the inspection and now it's time to renegotiate the whole deal all over again....

After watching ABC's Lookout last night, it really hit me that bogus listings are a problem and a growing one.  According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Unit, false rental property listings are growing at an 8% to 10% rate. People are showing up at the home they thought they rented only to find the ...

From our perch; older, obsolete housing stock is not where the demand is….unless of course, buyers see potential. Certainty this does not apply to every area, we’re talking about the most vibrant markets…where the money is flowing aggressively back into housing. We see this as part of a trend th...

With all the talk about “big data”, page views, Google ranking, number of “likes” or “follows”, you’d think that information somehow was more important than the quality aspects of the business; relationships, real lead gen, local branding, customer service, market knowledge and expertise. Does an...

I grew up in a home that was built in the late 1800’s, so I know a little about old.  As a kid, I loved it, a long staircase railing for sliding, a cellar basement, back stairs to sneak down to the kitchen – it was great.  My Dad, on the other hand, always seemed to be fixing something that was b...

We had a closing today.  Our client has been an active real estate broker in our community for over 30 years.  After starting as a broker-owner, she now sells from one of the country's largest national franchises.We have a great working relationship.  She refers clients she thinks would be better...

Let's say the industry really wants to win back its business...in its entirety.  How about NAR and Move, Inc. retool their deal and share the ownership in Realtor.com with their members - it would go along way to incentivize agents towards loyalty and support for their own system? Also, clears up...

The most pivotal point in a real estate deal is when we tell a potential selling client the all-important “suggested list price”. We know most sellers have a number in mind.  Maybe the neighbor sold for $X or the one down the street sold for $Y.  The Internet says it’s worth $X - $Y, the competi...

It’s our business to evaluate real estate whose value is in the land.  Our customers are interested in a properties’ potential…not necessarily in the current home, at least as how it sits today. Simply put, there’s the land, then the improvements (i.e. a house).  In many cases, the improvements a...

According to a recent NAR study, “80% of buyers prefer to work with a real estate practitioner who focuses on a particular type of property”. “Targeting a market niche is a good strategy, but targeting a niche within a niche is even better” - Realtor Magazine July, 2011   I try to follow the ind...