Ratings Criteria: “Quality,” “Punctuality,” “Responsiveness” If I were rating Realtors, the attributes most important to me would be things like: –Marketing skills –Negotiating ability –Legal knowledge and familiarity with real estate contracts –Honesty/Integrity –Market knowledge –Personality and interpersonal skills Now, compare the above list to the criteria for rating Realtors on Angie’s List: –Price –Quality...Read More
“You WILL Like This House.” “You WILL Like This House.” “You WILL Like . . . “ Way back when, I commented (approvingly) on the listing agent (representing the Seller) whose lockbox code was “W-O-W.” Even better (and more obvious) was the Minnetonka home I previewed for a client yesterday, with the lockbox code “B-U-Y.” See...Read More
“Choose Wisely!” I’m not about to change my last name. But . . . for some just-starting-out Realtor who’s not similarly attached, here’s what I’d pick: “Wisely.” Because then the headline on all my marketing would be, “Choose . . . Wisely!!” Sorry. P.S.: What’d you expect from someone who’s license place is “MY RLTR” —...Read More
“The Only Color That Matters in Real Estate is Green” “Steer-ing”: the discriminatory practice by a real estate agent of maneuvering a client from a minority group away from considering a home in a white neighborhood. —Dictionary.com Realtors quickly learn that there are taboo words in real estate. Like, anything relating to creed or color; socioeconomic status; or even directive behavior such as “steering.” Nouns vs. Verbs Which, of course, is all as it should be. But,...Read More
Question #2: How Many Months Between October and March?* The answer to “how long should the listing be?” is easy: long enough to sell the house (duh!). But that just begs the underlying question: how long will that take? Practically, the listing contract needs to be long enough to properly prep the home for market...Read More
“Moving out of a house is overwhelming in general, but it is perhaps even more unnerving later in life, when one is not only shedding the physical objects that are accumulated over the years but also unwinding a lifetime of memories, even recreating a sense of self.” –“Real Estate Agents for Older Adults Are Part...Read More
