More Like, “The Witching Minute” At least when it comes to continuing education, the witching hour for Realtors is actually more of a minute: 9:16 a.m., to be specific. That’s when agents arriving for a course are told that they’ve missed the first 15 minutes, and won’t receive credit. Thankfully, me and several dozen Edina...Read More
I’ve certainly heard the insinuation: by shuffling the order they show a series of homes, Realtors can subtly (or not so subtly) “guide” their Buyer’s decision to buy the home they want them to. Specifically, the supposed strategy is to show the most promising property either first or last: the first home “sets the bar” for...Read More
“No Painter Lined Up” vs. “No, Painter Lined Up” If you’re sensitive to how easy it is to miscommunicate, you’ll take steps to minimize it happening. Exhibit A: the text (above) between my stager and I about an upcoming listing, and whether or not my client needed a painter (they didn’t). The biggest takeaway for...Read More
True or false: what Realtors call “the selling agent” once a deal closes represents the Seller (no, this isn’t another “Grant’s Tomb” question). Answer: false. The agent who represents the owner/seller is called “the listing agent”; post-closing, the Buyer’s agent is referred to as “the selling agent.” Nomenclature Once you work in real estate sales...Read More
Target Market: Realtors “Get Met. It Pays.” –Advertising slogan of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. It turns out that companies selling home warranties — increasingly, a feature of many home sales — market their policies the same way other insurance companies do. Namely, by touting how many claims they pay. The difference is that the...Read More
Averaging Apples & Oranges Here’s some no-brainer real estate advice: if you can find a 1,113 square foot Manhattan condo for $200k . . . grab it! Ditto for a 713 square foot condo in San Francisco for $200k. Of course, in real life, those properties would likely fetch 6x – 8X(!) that amount. Lies,...Read More
