Giving Agents a Green Light to Go to Bat for Their Clients “No man can serve two masters.” –New Testament [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] Unlike, say, many financial advisors, Realtors owe their clients a...Read More
Square Pegs Business Cards in Round Holes How do Realtors make their business cards stand out from hundreds (thousands?) of others? Dazzling design and colors is certainly one way. But there’s another, even more obvious strategy: alter the shape. So, instead of a standard rectangle, I’ve now seen a handful of square Realtor business cards....Read More
Practice Makes Perfect Is it true that the best negotiators are the ones who’ve done it the most? If so, then the world’s best negotiators, bar none, are residential Realtors. While wheeler-dealers like Donald Trump or gambling mogul Steve Wynn may be involved in a couple dozen major deals in a career, it’s not uncommon...Read More
The Corollary to, “No One Washes a Rental Car” What’s the significance of the disclosure — required in Minnesota — that the Buyer is a licensed real estate agent? In my experience, two things: One. The Buyer is more sophisticated (or should be), and therefore, at least in theory, the deal can progress more quickly and...Read More
Two Ways to Identify Unmotivated Buyers What is the #1 bane of Buyers’ agents? Unmotivated Buyers. As a public service to my (occasionally beleaguered) colleagues everywhere, herewith are two ways to identify such Buyers (for illustrative purposes, I’ll call them “the fast way” and “the slow way,” respectively). Strategy #1 Once you’ve gotten acquainted with...Read More
Knowing What You Don’t Know (But Enough to Ask an Expert) “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later.” –old Midas muffler commercial. You might guess that, as a former corporate attorney, I seldom call Edina Realty’s (excellent) legal department with questions. Wrong. And it’s hardly because me or my clients are somehow...Read More
