1) The 7 No’s of a Successful Realtor® – Ok this has some good information, read the list at the bottom for that good information. But that is not what has me fired up, think of the numbers mentioned towards the top of this post. 90% of all agents don’t make it out of the first year? Can that be right? That is probably worse then the amount of people who fail in some MLM schemes in the first year. This goes straight back to NAR and the requirements to get a real estate license. The entry is so low, the education provided to get your license is so weak, it sets people up to fail. Is that all they can care about is getting the money for those initial dues. Why not work on a system that trains people to succeed not just strive to have the same success rate as a quick MLM ponzi scheme.
2) Congress & Obama Clueless About How to Fix the Housing Crisis – What is disturbing about this is she is right, the housing market is not a priority at all to this administration. Their one attempt was going to help 4million homeowners, yet a year later it has helped closer to 150,000. A little short of the goal. The administration should realize that fixing the housing issues would make for a mobile economy which could then easily move to where the jobs are helping the economy even more. Then again, seeing their attempts to fix it in the past, maybe it is a good thing they are not focusing on it.
3) Thinking About Short Selling Your House? What No One Will Tell You. – Told like only Justin McHood can tell it. If you are not familiar with Justin’s writing style, it is typically blunt, honest and includes some humor.
4) Listing Price: What Matters, What Doesn’t – Heather sums it up pretty good here, pay attention sellers. What matters in pricing a house? How much it is worth. What doesn’t matter? How much you fantasize it is worth.
5) What conveys? More on fixtures, personal property, and those little contractual gray areas – Every state is going to be a little different, but I think this sums it up for most states. And as always, if there is ever any doubt or the potential for any doubt write it into the contract.
6) Why do Buyers Make Lowball Offers? –Some reasons why buyers make lowball offers. It is our job to educate them so they know what the market conditions are and the real value is.
7) Does Home Staging Really Work for Pasadena Real Estate Sellers – Those are some staggering numbers for how effective this home stagger is. I am sure not all are this successful, but these numbers will make you think twice about not hiring a professional.
8) Home Energy Audits, What’s Up With That? – A topic you do not hear much about, home energy audits. But I am guessing for a luxury traditional sale who is up against distressed properties, this could be a real value add if you had one done before you listed and provided results.
9) No, No, No, Yes. – Lesson to everyone, keep going and don’t ever take no for an answer.
10) Freddie Mac Posts More Losses – Good news for Freddie Mac, they only lost $25 BILLION last year, down from the $50 BILLION from the year before.
Here is today’s list of top real estate posts of the day.
1) HVCC (Home Valuation Code of Conduct) causes dysfunction… again – It is a shame what is going on with appraisers right now. They were a big part of the problem during the run up in home prices when they were including things like pending offers, and now they are a part of the problem on the extreme opposite. If a house has 5 offers on it from $100-110k such as a recent one here, how can it only be worth 87k? Not sure if they don’t care about what is going on, or just don’t get it. And I am not sure which is worse. This rant turned into longer than the post I am linking to.
2) The Age Old Dual Agency in Real Estate Debate – One of the best write-ups on dual agency I have seen in a while. This phrase is just classic… Dual Agency is a hold over from the days before we had agency laws that protected buyers. I view Dual Agency sorta like your appendix, it no longer has any practical use but for whatever reason, we’ve not evolved enough to purge them from our DNA. And, both can kill you when they go bad! …. I agree in theory, but I do think there is no problem with a buyer and seller being represented from people in the same office, but not the same real estate agent license representing both (see my comment on the post)
3) Tip Tuesday: 5 Ways to Make the Most Out of LinkedIn – LinkedIn is one of those tools I know I should use more, want to use more, and know how to use better, but just don’t. I guess there is only so much time in the day.
4) Top 10 Cities to Bargain for a House – This video bugs the heck out of me. Nothing like sensationalizing something for views. “House listed at $365k, but sold for $290k” like it is a normal thing. They do mention that the average price is 93% of list price in that city, but the highlight for sure is the one extreme case that gives buyer a false sense of the market. I smell a video later today.
5) The Importance of REALTOR® Accreditations – Starting to feel like a negative-Nellie. Give me a break. The importance of REALTOR© Accreditations is zero. From those who have taken the e-Pro course I hear basically if you can send an email you can get the accreditation. What is accreditation really for? $$$$$. That is right Mr. Consumer, the agent has to pay every year to be able to use that accreditation that may or may not help in their job. How about teaching agents what they need to know before we give them their license. Would love to have seen comments open on that one.
6) NAR Needs Major Education Reform to Preserve Our Industry – Maybe the reason comments were off was because of this post and comments.
7) Will Interest Rates Jump When The Fed Quits Buying Mortgage Bonds? – You need to read this so you understand what is happening.
8) Brokers: Emerge from marketing hibernation with caution – Brokers READ THIS!!!. I am going to start asking the guys at 1000watt blog to start posting their stuff directly to my Top 10. They just produce great content and it is a rare occasion when they post something and it does not make the list. Those who made it through are awakening from a long hibernation to find a changed world. Which is all very exciting. But step deliberately out of the darkness!
9) 7 Hours on Facebook? – Do you need more proof that Facebook is where you need to be to stay on the mind of your sphere?
10) #RETT – A Very Bright Idea (Audio Interview) – If you are not following what is going on with #RETT in Phoenix, you should. It will be a game changer.
1) The Ten Day Close: Why Other Lenders Whine About It – This one is getting annoying. We have 2 lenders here in Phoenix who can get loans closed (even in today’s market) in ten days or less. One of them even guarantees it. It is amazing to see other lenders, who work for shops that have a hard time getting a loan closed in 30-45 days, say it is bs. It is NOT bs as I have yet to see them not meet the 10-day close timeframe.
2) My Loan Officer Won’t Provide Me a Good Faith Estimate – When with the federal government stop over-regulating and making things worse. The have tried what, about 10 things in real estate over the last year to help consumers or to help the housing market? And pretty much everyone has been a disaster.
3) Cut foreclosures by slicing real estate fees – The foreclosure crisis is now the fault of the agent who charges too much commission. Al Lewis, excuse my French, but you are moron! The buyer deserves representation in the market and both the buyer and seller deserve full time professionals who can go to bat for them. Are you also out there also wanting to dictate how much a doctor can make for a procedure or how much a columnist receives for a poorly thought out article? There is nothing secret or hidden about our commissions, they are all in our contracts and on the HUD-1s.
4) Outdated Sales Tactics Remain the Norm – Some people (many that is) get caught up in what they have always done and hate change.
5) Don’t Hate Me ‘Cause I’m NAR – Good to see some members of NAR out there interacting with agents and listening to them.
6) Can I submit an offer on a short sale property while I keep looking? – This is a great question that all agents need to answer and one of the reasons on my short sale listings I require a deposit with the accepted offer.
7) Loan Originators: Stop Your Crying…Let’s Love the Good Faith Estimate – How good is Rhonda when it comes to the new GFE? She makes the top 10 list twice for the same subject in the same day. But she has a point here, we can all hate it, but it is here and we need to deal with it.
8) Don’t Get Short With Short Sales – Look Harder – Lesley and I must have been sharing the same brain wave yesterday as I did my blog post on which is a better day short sale or foreclosure. We both come to the same conclusion, if you have a time frame to be in your house then a short sale is not probably your best option, but if you have time to wait big deals can be had.
9) 35 Questions and Suggestions to help you sell your home faster – Some good advice for sellers on what can help their house sell quicker.
10) Knuckleheads beware: Real estate is changing – Is there anyone in the business that really makes you think more than the guys at 1000watt blog? Let me help you, no there is not.
