Dried Up I’m starting to think the manufacturer of Sharpie pens (my favored writing instrument, along with a blue ink, .50 micron Uni-ball pen) has stumbled upon an especially clever — and diabolical — way to sell more pens: design a too-loose pen cap. When it invariably falls off, the pen dries up — and...Read More
“But, I Didn’t . . . .” Yes, You Did. I took a terrific continuing ed course recently where the instructor devised a game to make Realtors aware of just how egocentric they/we can be — and to cut it out. Instead, the focus should always be on the client. The game: for the class...Read More
The Last Refuge of a Scoundrel Desperate Listing Agent When you see a Realtor trumpeting a home’s price per square foot, you can surmise which of the following? A. The home’s a bargain; B. It lacks emotional appeal; C. It’s big; D. The agent is desperate, inexperienced — or both. Correct answer: “B.” (the others are...Read More
Dubious Logic According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “some high-end sellers are taking a counterintuitive and risky step: raising the price.” Does such a strategy ever make sense? Before answering, let me trace the three-step logic implicit in such a move (at least most of the time): One. “Their home is like mine.”...Read More
Pricing Psychology & the “Too-Precise” Price Quick, which home is priced more carefully: the one that’s $425,000, or the competitor down the street that’s $424,975? You’d certainly guess the latter . . . and you’d be wrong. It’s simply not possible to price real estate with the exactitude of a pound of hamburger, or a...Read More
