The Email No Prospective Buyer ” or Their Agent ” Wants to Get Your frustrated client finally found something they’re excited about. Everyone rearranges their schedule to see the property ASAP. Then, just before the showing, the Buyer’s agent receives an email from the listing agent (representing the Seller) that they’ve received an offer. #$@%!#!...Read More
Qualifying Buyers #101 In the course of holding hundreds (thousands?) of Sunday open houses over the years, I can usually tell relatively quickly whether a given prospect is serious or not. See if you can guess which of the comments below indicate serious Buyer interest: A. “I LOVE this house. Why is it so cheap?!?” B. “What...Read More
Or Maybe They Should be Called “Dismaying Jeans” Yeah, yeah, I know what fancy-schmancy retailers mean when they refer to “distressed jeans”: jeans whose various holes and patches somehow make them look chic ” and worth a huge mark-up (also referred to as “vintage clothing” in some quarters). My definition of “distressed jeans” is a...Read More
Avoiding “The Bowling Alley” Effect First, a caveat: unless there’s also a detached garage in the back of the house (typically, off an alley), converting a one-car garage into something else is a non-starter. That’s because going from a one-car garage to a no-car garage is guaranteed to destroy much more value than it creates. But, assuming that that’s not the...Read More
Also Known as “Splash Stick,” “Lid Sip Hole Plug,” & “Green Thing” (Just Don’t Call it a “Swizzle Stick”) Want to know why you can get one of those “dip sticks” (my term) at Starbucks ” but not at Caribou, Dunn Bros., or other coffee chain? Starbucks has a patent on it. Or more specifically,...Read More
Establishing ” and Testing ” Boundaries If you go to the Business section of any bookstore, you’ll see any number of books on negotiation titled, “Getting to Yes!,” “Win-Win Negotiation,” etc. In my experience, however, the key to effective negotiation lies not in getting to “yes,” but getting to “no.” Or perhaps more accurately: before you...Read More
