By Jason O’Neil Sit tight. Last week mortgage interest rates jumped drastically. Some say without warning, but then again, most have been preaching for months, if not years, that rates can’t stay this low. Can they? Why did they rise? Is Wall Street fed up? Was the Federal Reserve testing the market’s tolerance with some well thought out comments? “The …
Is Your Customer Service This Good?
By Dave Robison My brokerage had one crazy month a few months ago. We had five buyers who failed to perform on a contract and lost their earnest money. Now in Utah, getting the buyer’s earnest money is supposed to be as easy as the buyer’s broker writing a check in about 24-48 hours. But in all five cases it …
Pocket Listings: The Good, the Bad, and Everything In Between
By Jennifer Klein and Derek Sandoval Pocket listings, or home listings that aren’t posted on the MLS, have become a hot topic lately. Placer County Association of REALTORS® YPN members Jennifer Klein and Derek Sandoval discuss the ramifications of pocket sales as well as buyers’ frustrations with this method of selling a home. Jennifer Klein is a REALTOR® in …
Hey Home Owners, Leave the Hard Work to Us!
By Paul Everett The first indication from many home owners that they are seriously considering selling their home is often through a free listing on Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, StreetEasy, or other regional and national For Sale By Owner sites. With the expansion of FSBO advice companies as well as online listing tools—particularly Zillow and Trulia—an increasing number of home owners …
Did You Hear the One About the Agent Who Sold that Home…?
By Dave Robison Sometimes selling is complicated. Sometimes, a home can sit for weeks, months, even years before there’s so much as a bite. But with the right knowledge and dialogue, selling a home can be as easy as telling a buyer’s agent one simple thing. In 2011, I wrote a post about the power of one sentence to attract …
Happy Birthday, Generation Y!
By Marianne Guenther Bornhoft 1982 was a year like no other. It created the Y generation. What’s so special about this group of people? A lot. Its members aren’t afraid to tell you why. The name Generation Y first appeared in an August 1993 Ad Age editorial to describe people born 1982-2001 to Baby Boomers and early Generation Xers. Neil …
YPN Agent Appears on ‘House Hunters’
By Lynn Minnick Late this past spring, fellow Connecticut YPNer Carl Lantz had the opportunity to be on HGTV’s popular series House Hunters. To celebrate the episode, Carl hosted a huge viewing party, and I’m sure he’s added something along the lines of, “as seen on House Hunters” to his marketing! I sent him House Hunters Bingo cards as a fun party favor. It …
Tips for Buyer’s Agents on Condo Deals
By Scott Newman With the market picking up steam, buyers are out there scooping up homes and they’re counting on you as their agent to help them navigate the treacherous waters of their transaction. When they are buying a condo, that path can be filled with even more landmines, and you have a whole new realm of elements to account …
What is Your Real Estate Expertise?
By Trisha Ocona Francis Being a real estate professional is more than just helping people sell, buy, or rent property, but rather assisting them in achieving their real estate goals. One of the best ways in doing so is by narrowing down your practice of real estate to an area you know extremely well, enjoy doing, and are committed to …
3 Golden Rules for Dealing with Technology
By Scott Newman With new communication and social media technology emerging everyday, it seems all you can do is try and stay on top of it all so you’re not left in the dust and viewed as “out of touch.” However, as we enter this new, super-connected world as real estate professionals, I think we need to make sure we …