Avoiding the “Contingency Premium” “We may be small, but we’re slow.” –Cal Tech football team slogan. If you were a home seller, how much extra would you want in order to assume the risk that your Buyer could successfully sell their current home in a timely fashion — the standard Contingency is 60-90 days —...Read More
Realtor Email Etiquette: “Do’s” and “Don’t’s” How do you effectively double the already large number of emails between two Realtors working on a transaction together? Have one explicitly request that the other acknowledge receipt of each and every email they send. Yup, I’ve run into agents who subscribe to that annoying practice. Which is why...Read More
Real Estate Terminology 101 One of the confusing things about real estate is that, once a deal closes, the Buyer’s Agent is called the “Selling Agent.” Isn’t the Listing Agent, representing the Seller, the “Selling Agent?” Well, no. Think of it this way: the Buyer’s agent is selling something ” actually, two things: One. The...Read More
Financial, Psychological Toll OK, so there’s no actual weight or carrying involved (unlike furniture moving, which I once did). But, veteran Realtors know — and newbie’s will find out — that it’s burdensome to represent homes that linger on the market. While median-priced Twin Cities homes (now around $265k) are still selling (too?) quickly, the expected...Read More
“Just Say “No!'” (or, “Tomorrow Works Much Better”) As a rule, the more accessible a home is to prospective Buyers . . . the easier it is to sell. But, that doesn’t mean Sellers can never say “no” ” either to a showing request, or, to a Buyer (and their agent) literally standing in their...Read More
” . . . and Your Dog’s Ugly” I recently heard about an agent who shows up at every listing presentation ” essentially, a job interview for Realtors ” with a conspicuous “Sold” sign that they leave in plain view of the prospective Seller. Apparently, the agent thinks it projects confidence, “go-getter” hustle, etc.** However, it backfired...Read More
