Real Estate's "Original Sin" — Agents are not Salespeople
I had an opportunity this past week to talk with Brad Inman of Inman Media as part of his “Unlisted” Podcast. It was interesting, because ideas that I would normally take hours to develop on the paper for an article came out real time in about 15 minutes. Podcasts are fun — you start recording,…
Read MoreWhy Agents Should Stop it With the Politics on Facebook
You need to stop it with the politics on Facebook. Yes, you, I’m talking to you. You. Need. To. Stop. With. The. Politics. On. Facebook. Listen, I understand. You’re passionate about Donald Trump, or Bernie Sanders, or religious freedom, or Black Lives Matter, or whatever. That’s great. Really. You’re a concerned citizen, and you care.…
Read MoreRealtyperson, Heal Thyself: Five Things I Learned as a Real Estate Client — #5: Sellers Will Never Trust Us on Price
When I listed my home for sale last year, I worked with two great agents. I could have just listed it myself, or with my wife, or even with one of the endless members of the Rand family who are all licensed real estate professionals. But to paraphrase the old adage – “a REALTOR who…
Read MoreRealtyperson, Heal Thyself: Five Things I Learned as a Real Estate Client — #4: You Can’t Do Enough Marketing for a Buyer
I will never understand real estate agents who do a lousy job marketing a home. Go do a search of your local MLS for an average-priced listing in your market. Look at, say, five listings. How many of those do you think are well-marketed? And by that, I’m not even talking about the FANCY STUFF…
Read MoreRealtyperson, Heal Thyself: Five Things I Learned as a Real Estate Client — #3: Buyers and Sellers are Miserable at Different Times
Buying a home is the worst. So is selling a home. But not all at the same time. As I’ve said before, all real estate professionals should be forced to move every five years just so they realize how painful it can be, and can be more sympathetic to what their clients are going to…
Read MoreRealtyperson, Heal Thyself: Five Things I Learned as a Real Estate Client – #2: Use Your Own Website Like a Buyer
How often do you use your own website or app? I don’t mean how many times you visit your site. You probably do that all the time. No, I mean, how often do you USE it the way it’s meant to be used – to find a home. How often do you search on the…
Read MoreRealtyperson, Heal Thyself: Five Things I Learned as a Client – #1, Real Estate Agents and Brokers Should Move Every Five Years
Licensing law should require real estate agents and brokers to move every five years or so. Like continuing education, but even worse. I’ve been doing a lot of moving. About ten years ago, I moved out of my Manhattan apartment for a gut rehab job. Then I moved back. Then about six years ago I…
Read MoreWhen the Web is for Shoppers, Where Do You Find Buyers and Sellers?: Thoughts on Zillow Buying Dotloop
Take a look at your website. If it’s like most real estate websites, it probably has a lot of great stuff for home shopping. And we do an excellent job for our shoppers. We have pictures, videos, 3-D walk-throughs, mapping, school reports, walkability scores and like a million other cool little features. Plus, our sites…
Read MoreKeep Your Friends Close, and Your Frenemies Closer: Why Real Estate Professionals Need to Read "Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate"
Many real estate professionals are still ambivalent about Zillow. They remember how that Zillow came to market ten years ago with a much less industry-friendly attitude than it developed once it realized there was more money in pursuing the industry as a client rather than a competitor. And maybe they’re just naturally wary of a…
Read MoreSummarizing the Zillow Talk Takeaways: Real Estate Professionals, Have Some Faith in Your Industry!
A few weeks ago, I wrote a book review of Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate by Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff and Chief Economist Stan Humphries, for Inman News. I thought it was pretty balanced, making the case that the book was interesting and insightful while still acknowledging the ambivalent relationship that many real…
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