Divining the Direction of Housing Prices, One Deal (and Tick) at a Time Both the stock and housing markets have “upticks” and “down ticks.” The difference is that, in the stock market, ticks are measured in pennies, whereas in residential real estate, they’re measured in thousands — or even tens of thousands — of dollars....Read More
Four Ways to Tell In the history of mankind, no first-time Mother has ever under-dressed their newborn in the winter. –Manhattan Pediatrician So which pediatrician uttered the above line? Mine (and my wife’s). What prompted that comment were the 3 layers of clothing my wife had already put on our newborn son (this was 11...Read More
Surefire Signs How does a Realtor tell if a home they’re listing is primed to sell? (see also, “Listings and Pots of Water“; “Buyer Feedback: ‘Win, Place, or Show'”). The starting point is their own knowledge of the home relative to nearby, competing homes — as well as the Comp’s (“Comparable Sold Properties”). To sell...Read More
Why It’s Smart to Be Nice to Appraisers As I’ve written previously (“Appraisers vs. Realtors vs. Trulia“), Realtors active in an area will often field calls from appraisers trying to establish the value of similar, nearby homes. Whether the bank they’re working for is considering a new mortgage or refinancing an existing one, the questions...Read More
Appraisers vs. Realtors vs. Trulia “257-0”. That’s the number of times — including twice just this morning — that I’ve been called by appraisers wanting the “scoop” on a property I’ve sold, vs. the number of times I’ve called an appraiser to find out the same. Which makes sense: as the listing agent, I’m thoroughly acquainted...Read More
Why does that Realtor you know look so tired? In today’s market, it’s likely that they’re actually selling each listing three times. The first time is to the prospective Seller, whose market expectations . . shall we say . . . may be a little out of date. That means patiently educating them about Comp’s; helping them...Read More
