By TG Gallaudet Wait…I’m totally lying. Is there anything more painful? 🙂 It’s no mystery that short sales can be really tough because of all the variables involved: * Unclear timelines from the bank. * Undisclosed liens. * Back HOA expenses the bank won’t pay. * Non-straightforward buyer. * Inexperienced listing agent. * Cash contributions (increasingly more and more). * …
The World Will Not End!
By Brooke Wolford Lately, there has seemed to be a lot of drama surrounding the world of real estate. We can’t seem to go a day without some sort of challenge. I have found myself getting emotional sometimes because I work so hard and I seem to frequently get a smack in the face. This past weekend, NAR passed the …
The Lost Art of Losing
By Chris Nichols Monday night on my flight home from the National Association of REALTORS® Midyear meetings in Washington, D.C., I noticed that the flight was offering free satellite TV and it just so happened one of my favorite shows was on – Survivor. I have been a fan of the show for all of its 22 seasons, and every season …
Don’t Ever Discount Your Value
By Chris Nichols About a week ago, I had a young couple looking to buy their very first home come interview me. I was quite impressed they were actually doing an in-depth interview to find the right agent to represent them in such an important transaction. It was a welcome surprise, and brought back memories of my experience with a …
Who Has What It Takes? Here’s The Test!
By Dave Robison More than five years ago, I had agents take a test before they worked with me, which tested their sales skills and emotional resilience. I had a couple agents making over $80,000-$120,000 a year who had tested in the “Find a new career; you shouldn’t be in real estate” category. Where are they today? Not in real …
Simple and Successful Negotiation Tactics
By Jennifer Klein Follow these two rules during any negotiation and you’ll find success! Jennifer Klein is a REALTOR® in Northern California who is experienced in short sales, investments, and property management. Connect with Jen at RosevilleAndRocklin.com, JenKlein.com, and @JenKleinSac.
YPN Helped Me Become a Better Agent
By Brooke Wolford I recently chatted with John DiBiase, NAR’s Government Affairs communications director. We got into a discussion about YPN and how it changed my career. I though it’s a valid story to share. When I first obtained my license, I began working in a large office. I started out by assisting a fellow agent. Within a month of …
Let’s Be Part of the Solution
By Stefanie Hahn At the recent REtechSouth conference in Atlanta I had the chance to see Robert Hahn of 7DS Associates speak on a subject he titled, “A Time for Greatness.” This presentation was geared to association execs and REALTORS® who are leaders within their organizations – a group well represented in the RETSO crowd. Since YPN has given me …
5 Steps to Avoiding the ‘Lots of Closings this Month, None the Next’ Syndrome
By Dave Robison A few years ago, I was talking with an agent in my office, we will call him Jack. I said to Jack, “Jack, what happened last week? You didn’t make any new calls.” In our office, we report how many calls we make each week to hold each other accountable. Jack said, “The Smiths deal is taking …
Keep that Sign in the Ground
By Cory Brewer Last summer, an agent in my office took on a listing with high hopes…the market in this particular neighborhood was moving fast and prices seemed to be pretty stable. Unfortunately, though, by the time the clients were ready to hit the market, some of the neighboring comps had slashed prices (assumably to try and get sold before …