By Hilary Hale Brown I had the pleasure of spending most of a recent afternoon with Avis Wukasch. For those of you unfamiliar with this vivacious woman, Texas Real Estate Commissioner, and 2012 Texas REALTOR® of the Year, I highly recommend spending a few moments to read her bio online. She reminds us all of what we can accomplish in …
Cracking Necks, Setting Expectations
By Toby Boyce The sun rose over the eastern sky as my alarm went off on what was quite the unusual March morning. Well beyond the fact that it was nearly 50 degrees, I decided to take my wife’s advice and go to the neurologist and chiropractor after six days of constant migraines. As I sat in the chiropractor’s office, …
Being Unattached to the Outcome
By Dave Robison Ever had a buyer working with more than one agent? Ever had a seller who you spent a ton of time with, gave them your advice, and then they used a discounted service? Ever had a buyer who kept changing their mind or made offers on a lot of properties? I knew an agent who had a …
Social Media Overload
By Brooke Wolford It seems that every time I blink there is some new “expert” telling me that I need to take some course, read some book, or attend some webinar. I often have a hard time finding a course to take on something other than “How to use Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.” I don’t understand how some of these …
Take Note!
By Anand Patel One of the most helpful pieces of advice I received several years ago that I continually advise my agents to do today is to recap, in writing, your conversations with clients, attorneys, title companies, appraisers, fellow agents – any and all parties involved in your transactions. These details will help clarify the conversation you have, leaving no …
Picking Up the Pieces
By Brittney A. Bissett As REALTORS®, we are discouraged from discussing the quality of a school system when helping buyers find a home. Unfortunately for REALTORS® in Northeast Ohio this week, that discussion will be a rough one to handle. I work in an office that is located 15 minutes away from Chardon High School. Chardon is part of the …
Be Careful of Real Estate ‘Blah, Blah, Blah’
By Toby Boyce The question on my local NPR station was simple enough: “Why do symphonies sound different when they are made up of the same parts?” The response was very eloquent and educated — I assume. It made as much sense as Pig Latin to me. “Well each one focuses on different things…” I’m sure that musicians in the …
NAR So Far: Four Running Themes in Anaheim
By Michelle Flaherty Now that we’re on to day two of the REALTORS® Conference & Expo, and my mind and body are beginning to adjust to west coast time, the pieces of information that I will bring back home with me are becoming much more clear. First, it is becoming abundantly clear that I need an iPad. Every class I’ve …
Is Your Customer Service Best for You or Your Clients?
By David Krichmar Is your customer service best for you or your clients? Think about that question for a moment. Obviously, great customer service is not what is easiest for you. In most situations, it is about going above and beyond. Maybe even inconveniencing you. I recently read a great article by Rebekah Radice, “The Simple Truth Behind Customer Service,” …
High Maintenance Clients With Unrealistic Listing Price?
By Dave Robison The problem client: That’s what an agent said to me over a year ago. “Dave, this client calls me a lot and is really high maintenance. Her listing price is unrealistic, we should just drop her listing.” This agent was selling 40 listings a year. He should know exactly what …