Category: General (page 12 of 23)

October 17, 2007

A combination of magic and the truth seems to be where it’s it. In regards to the selling of homes, in this current market, agents are willing to try anything; witchcraft, voodoo, incantations, an appeal to Jesus Christ, and aside from these, more orthodox approaches, including bribery, trickery, flattery, and simple marketing. Having tried some of these methods (of which my conscience would dictate), I have discovered that Russell and Greg are right. In this market, price matters most.

I had begun to view myself as one of those scantily clad women at boxing matches parading with a placard. Instead of “ROUND 2,” my placard read, “A STEAL AT ONLY $739,000!!” Generally speaking, these women are afforded a certain measure of respect, even if only for their outward attributes. I, on the other hand, was being pelted with rotten eggs and tomatoes. This was evident because my “steal” was in fact, not a steal, and at the worst of times, my glorious placard was entirely ignored.

So began the quest for Truth. Having searched diligently, I discovered what others before me had discovered: price will sell anything. An old Floyd Wickman adage goes something like this:

“I can’t sell this house. Nobody will look at it!”

“The price is too high.”

“No, it can’t be that. I comp’d the property every which way. It is priced right.”

“Are people going to see it?”

“Uh. . .no.”

“Then it is priced too high.”

“Nonsense. Maybe I need some new photos. Maybe some more advertising, or an open house.”

“Do you think you could sell it for $100,000?”

“Well, of course! That’d be like giving it away!”

“Then the price is too high.”

I determined to really get to know my market. I needed answers. I began to study and research the hard numbers. How many homes are selling? What is peculiar about these homes. Are they the nicest? Are they the cheapest? Are there agent bonuses? Are there buyer concessions? What I began to learn is that the ones that were selling were, in most cases, both the nicest and the cheapest. If I wanted to sell my homes, I needed to have the nicest Read more

October 2, 2007

The Weight Loss Process and the Real Estate Market: The Same Animal in a Different Form

by Cooksquared

Real Estate Investor

Much like the real estate market my life has taken on significant changes over the past two months. Fortunately, unlike the real estate market, my life has been on the upswing. A major focus for me has been weight loss, resulting in my dropping nearly 40 pounds in about two months. As I am not one for long personal stories, the major reason for sharing this is to relate how weight loss and real estate seem to go hand and hand.

The Realization

I am fat. Plain and simple, one day I realized I was fat. There were plenty of signs, quite obvious to others, which I chose to ignore: tighter pants, lower energy, the mirror, etc. Eventually the mountain of evidence reaches a tipping point; a point at which, despite my best efforts, I simply could not ignore the fact that I was no longer the chiseled college athlete of six years ago. For me, this point was when, on a whim that was clearly not thought out, I decided to weigh myself. When the scale read 260 pounds and I officially weighed more than my father, it was a sad day. The day became even sadder when my wife thoughtfully pointed out that the BMI for a person my height (6′ 2″) suggested that I should weigh 190 (thanks, dear).

The real estate market reached this point about six months to a year ago. Much like me, the market chose to ignore that fact that real estate prices were increasing much faster than wages. Additionally, prices continued to increase at break neck speeds assuming the lowest interest rates in history would get even lower. At the height of market gluttony, people were using homes as personal cash registers, spending as if the money created from nothing, would magically go on forever. Then one day, the market hit a tipping point. For the real estate market, my guess would be the subprime market disaster acted as this point. At this point people begin to wake up and come to their senses.

The Action Plan

Getting back to the fundamentals of eating right and exercising brought me Read more

September 20, 2007

Ave atque vale: Bidding farewell to Ben

by Greg Swann

Suburban Phoenix Real Estate Broker

My father-in-law, Ben Collins, passed away Monday afternoon. I’ve been dealing with our work since then while Cathy worked on the preparations for the funeral. Starting this afternoon we’re both tied up for a bit.

I hadn’t intended to write about this, but I also hadn’t intended to cry for the man. He was a warhorse, a giant among men, a champion of every virtue I admire on this earth. I’m very proud to have known him. Even so, I thought I would be practical enough to be phlegmatic about his death. It turns out I was wrong.

This is for Cathy, because she loves it:

And this is for Ben, may he rest in peace:

A Cowboy’s Prayer

by Badger Clark

Oh Lord, I’ve never lived where churches grow.
        I loved creation better as it stood
That day You finished it so long ago
        And looked upon Your work and called it good.
I know that others find You in the light
        That’s sifted down through tinted window panes,
And yet I seem to feel You near tonight
        In this dim, quiet starlight on the plains.

I thank You, Lord, that I am placed so well,
        That You have made my freedom so complete;
That I’m no slave of whistle, clock or bell,
        Nor weak-eyed prisoner of wall and street,
Just let me live my life as I’ve begun
        And give me work that’s open to the sky;
Make me a pardner of the wind and sun,
        And I won’t ask a life that’s soft or high.

Let me be easy on the man that’s down;
        Let me be square and generous with all.
I’m careless sometimes, Lord, when I’m in town,
        But never let ’em say I’m mean or small!
Make me as big and open as the plains,
        As honest as the hawse between my knees,
Clean as the wind that blows behind the rains,
        Free as the hawk that circles down the breeze!

Forgive me, Lord, if sometimes I forget.
        You know about the reasons that are hid.
You understand the things that gall and fret;
        You know me better than my mother did.
Just keep an eye on all that’s done and said
        And right me, sometimes, when I turn aside,
And guide me down the long, dim trail ahead
        That stretches upward Read more

September 14, 2007

Attorneys, Condescension, Immaculate Perception and the NAR

by Jeff Kempe

Realtor, Associate Broker

It’s always dangerous – and not a little misleading – to extrapolate a whole from a part. One of the problems facing the real estate industry is a phantom stereotype – generally negative – applied to all agents, when anyone in the business knows that the range spans the genius to the inept, the scrupulously honest to the corrupt. I’d argue high professionalism for most, but in three short years in the business I’ve run into the gamut.

So I understand the pitfalls of where I’m going with this, but I’m going anyway:

Do law schools really have a required Applied Condescension class; and why is it so many attorneys have a self regard inversely proportional to their actual worth?

I admit some of this is anecdotal and personal: the only attorney I’ve ever had to hire I also had to fire; what she’d failed to accomplish in six months I managed on my own in six days. Recommended by a friend, she overpromised, under delivered and grossly overcharged. When I told her on her last billing I wouldn’t pay until she provided an itemization – which she never provided – she tried the intimidation game. Didn’t work. Oh, my, it didn’t work.

But much more recently and pertinent: First, there was this – Buying without an agent – written by an attorney at Rain City Guide. Entirely self serving, badly argued with serious errors of omission, it generated some pleasant acrimony in the comment section – numbering over 150 – as well as a follow up rebuttal. I’m not going to parse the whole thing, but you get the tone from the last sentence:

Regardless, for hundreds of dollars, you can save 3% on the purchase price, while getting legal services from an attorney, not an agent.

This is just another verse in an emerging chapter: Save money and get better representation by using an attorney instead of a real estate agent! Why? Hey, who cares about home values, sewer scopes, oil tank decommissioning or elevation certs when you have this argument: “I’m an attorney, you’re not!”

The straw came a couple days ago. I was at a Read more

September 2, 2007

I Give Guitar Lessons Now

by Russell Shaw

Mega-Producing Realtor

I give guitar lessons now. Here are some video links to a couple of my better students.

Mark Knoplfler. Johnny Lang. Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. Ottmar Liebert. Eric Johnson. And this guy is starting to show some real promise.

August 14, 2007