Deciding Which Way to Err, or, “A Picture Showing is Worth 1,000 Words” In medicine, a “false-positive” refers to a test result that is incorrect because the test indicated a condition or finding that does not exist. Unsurprisingly, the opposite of a “false-positive” is a “false-negative” — a test result that is incorrect because the test failed...Read More
Hitting the Buyer’s Agent Panic Button “Real estate — and to a lesser extent, life — is all about perseverance. Things go wrong. Keys get lost. Deals fall through. Keys get misplaced. Uhh . . . a lot of it has to do with keys.” –Phil Dunphy; “Modern Family” sitcom What’s the difference between a...Read More
True or False On top of the “payout” commission listed on MLS, Sellers will sometimes dangle an extra incentive for Buyers’ agents. The most common (and straightforward) is simply a cash bonus, payable upon successful closing. How smart is that — and what situation(s) is that most effective? Read through the following three scenarios, and...Read More
Property Tax Assessed Value vs. Fair Market Value Hard as it might be to imagine, there’s actually one scenario where a home’s property tax value can be too low: when it’s about to go on the market. While the assessed value isn’t something that Realtors and Appraisers take into account to determine market value —...Read More
“The Overpriced Factor,” “The Hassle Factor,” Etc. Non-Realtors may be inclined to believe it’s some kind of conspiracy. But, in reality, there are multiple, rational reasons that experienced Buyers’ agents seldom show For Sale By Owner homes (“FSBO’s”). Here are just a couple: –FSBO’s are invariably mispriced (want to guess which direction??). –They’re poorly staged and...Read More
The Key-Less (Clueless?) Realtor There may be a good explanation why a full-time, professional Realtor doesn’t have a smart key . . . but I don’t know what it is. For the uninitiated, a lockbox is how Buyers’ agents access an MLS-listed, “For Sale” property. While there are two kinds of lockboxes — electronic and manual...Read More
