One of my favorite movie scenes ever was in The Godfather when Vito Corleone was asked how he got his own way in a particular situation. His answer was, “I make them an offer they can’t refuse.” In real estate, we are in the business of writing offers and negotiating contracts. In fact our most common form is called an “Offer to Purchase and Contract”, meaning that the document starts as an offer and upon acceptance, becomes a contract. Continue Reading…
Posted 5 hours, 43 minutes ago at 6:02 am. Add a comment
The last installment was more geared toward brokers and team leaders so I will make this one for agents. I’ll warn you: This strategy will not make you friends, but it will make you money. If you are like most agents today, you are struggling for sales opportunities. You know what to do when you find a new customer, and hopefully, you do a great job. The problem is finding enough customers. Continue Reading…
Posted 1 week ago at 5:53 am. Add a comment
Last week I announced plans for a national agent competition that our company is hosting. I threw it out there using a lighthearted, humorous approach… and for whatever reason, the response has been horrible. Now I realize that this isn’t American Idol and I don’t expect 20,000 people to turn out for an audition like they did in Chicago on last Tuesday night’s show… but I know there are some of you reading this article who are struggling in your practice. Continue Reading…
Posted 1 month, 2 weeks ago at 3:16 pm. Add a comment
You don’t! Discount brokerage is a fact of life in our industry, but it’s not a threat to traditional full-service brokerage and here’s why. Continue Reading…
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago at 6:00 am. Add a comment
This question is one that seems to have two answers. I think the correct answer really depends on your perspective on the business. So first, let me explain, and then I’ll give you my answer. Continue Reading…
Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago at 6:00 am. Add a comment
I’m often asked what I think about REO business. Here’s what I think: It beats no business at all… barely. Now that I have your attention, let me take a minute to explain why. Continue Reading…
Posted 3 months, 2 weeks ago at 8:10 am. Add a comment
Lately, it seems you can’t read anything about real estate and not see somebody selling their unique short-sale technique, their book or system on how you can become the “short-sale king” in your area, or their coaching on how to profit from doing short-sales. It’s become so prevalent now that it seems there is even a Certified Short-Sale Professional (CSP) designation! Continue Reading…
Posted 4 months, 1 week ago at 5:08 am. Add a comment
One of my pet peeves is the notion of “bad listings”. I’ve heard agents talk about certain properties being bad listings, either because the home was not pristine, or because they assumed it was over-priced. I believe that the majority of those comments are simply sour grapes, because the agent lost the listing. Continue Reading…
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago at 5:06 am. Add a comment
I think advertising in home magazines can be a good investment, or it can be a total waste of money. If done properly, home magazine ads can be a very affordable source of new business while making your listing clients happy at the same time. Done incorrectly, it can put you in the poor house with next to nothing to show for the expense. Continue Reading…
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago at 3:15 am. Add a comment
As the President of a company who specializes in helping agents capture customers online, one of the things that troubles me is hearing agents say, “Internet leads are ‘bad leads’.” In fact, it bothered me so much that we commissioned our customer service department to actually conduct a survey. Here’s how it went. Continue Reading…
Posted 5 months, 2 weeks ago at 6:00 am. Add a comment