By Michelle Flaherty A couple weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a person I didn’t know. The person was inquiring on a property that another broker in my office had listed, and they wanted to set up an appointment to view it. So I did a few things I almost always do before I meet a new prospective client. …
In Business, Assembly Required
By Jeremy Williams I spent one of my days last week both watching my son, whom was sick, and putting together an elliptical machine that I ordered by mail. The elliptical machine was a request of my wife, though somehow I think I will be using it more often after all the work-related lunches I visited last week. What I …
Finding Your Home in the Real Estate World
By Brooke Wolford I was recently working in my office and got to thinking as I look around at all the other practitioners. All but a few had a relative who was able to mentor them. Then I look at myself… I am flying solo here. I was lucky enough to start out in the closing end of the business …
Tips to Cure Your Short Sale Headaches
By Dave Robison Mo Money Mo Problems! Bank of America has got it all. If they can’t even order a payoff, how is the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA) going to help? Do a short sale with them in 30 days! And a cry for help! If the government gave you $45 billion dollars, what could you do with …
The Practitioner Value Proposition: Data Analysis
By Nobu Hata Trulia. Zillow. Cyberhomes. The mere mention of those words, and their use in such sentences such as “But, insert service here says my house is worth insert marketing-dollar-sucking price here!” strikes fear into the hearts of many a real estate practitioner. We’ve all had the conversation, and for the most part, the majority of us are still …
Learning Valuable Lessons, Part II
By Brooke Wolford Back in January, I wrote a blog post about a recent dispute I had with another practitioner. At the time, the incident had just happened and it hadn’t been completely resolved. Things are finally getting pieced together. The whole situation was a hard thing for me to go through. My fellow co-workers had always given me respect …
It’s Time to Wake Up
By Jeremy Williams “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come to you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:10-11 When you read these words initially, especially early in the morning without hot coffee flowing through your veins and ZZ Top blowing out your computer …
FHA Condo Financing & Stunting Real Estate Recovery
By Laura Rubinchuk When I heard about the new FHA DELRAP/HRAP guidelines for condo financing, my gut reaction was, “Well, I might as well go find another job.” Some of the subjective guidelines for the new approval process will greatly affect my market: -Proximity to a noise (i.e. busy streets, highways) -Proximity to a gas station -Percentage of commercial space …
Cabbage Patch Dolls, 1982 and A Mad Rush
By Brian Copeland In 1982, I faintly remember my mom going to fight at Kmart for the newest batch of Cabbage Patch dolls. It was a big deal. They were the hottest toy. All the little girls (and some boys) wanted one. It was only a few weeks to Christmas. It was a recipe for opportunity or disaster. She could …
How Social Media Saved My Real Estate Career
By Jonathan Osman I’m awestruck at those who have totally disregarded blogging and other forms of social media as a medium for generating business for themselves. For me, it’s thanks to social media that I’m still in the real estate business today. Rewind four years ago: I hatched a great plan to move from Annapolis Md. to Charlotte N.C. OK, …