Category Archives: Misc. Real Estate

First we’re gonna take you over to the Real Estate Zebra. Took me a few visits to figure out he’s a REALTOR and a basketball official. So you know I’m gonna love him. Anyway, read this: Real Estate is a Team Sport.

Then you may want to jump over to BawldGuy’s Chasing Chump Change Cash Flow – Sacrificing Tomorrow’s Dollars For Today’s Pennies.

Lastly, and this is shameless self-promotion, take a visit to Blogger Spotlight; Chris Lengquist. Someone actually cared about my thoughts regarding this whole blogging thang.

For the related story to this compelling video, click here.

Many of you know I like to compare my real estate business with my flying hobby. And all of this talk about whether REALTORS are really necessary, are they paid too much, whose money is the commission remind me of pilots.

And by that I mean this. Pilots earn their way up the pay scale ladder like anyone. And when they get to the top area they are making $150,000 or more in some cases. And people love to say “are they worth it?”

After all, the computers practically fly the thing. And I want my tickets cheaper. Can we cut his salary a little and save money? Well, I guess you could. And then the really experienced guys might find other options.

How much would you have paid that pilot that landed that Jet Blue plane? Would you have been negotiating his salary as you flew around LA for 3 hours burning off fuel so he could put that bird on the ground? Did you see how straight he kept that thing going down the runway? Did you notice no one was killed? How much should that pilot make for his services? After all, most of the time there is no emergency, right?

Seldom, and I mean seldom, am I involved in three real estate transactions in a row and not have to get into some sort of troubled waters and get things cleared up. It could be;

• title problems.
• loan problems.
• appraisal problems.
• inspection problems.
• other agent problems.
• flood plain problems.
• insurance problems.

Do I need to list all of the possibilities. When you pay a competent real estate agent you are paying for their education, their licensing fees, their overhead, their insurance. You are also paying for their experience, their knowledge, the professionalism.

Think about that plane the next time you are wanting to discount your agent’s commission. If you want me to cut my rates by 40% I may only be inclined to solve 60% of your problems. It’s just human nature, right?

A couple days ago I published a post that would make an investor money and help a single mom stay in her home. Well, we are coming down the wire and we have a couple people in serious pursuit. Thank you. It will make a difference to this woman and her children.

I am fully aware that there are readers of this blog that believe selling real estate is no big deal. And in the hotter market earlier this decade and on the right transaction, you were right.

But I’ve always said this: “I don’t get paid for selling a place so much as I get paid for getting it closed.”

Right now I’m in the middle of a transaction that has been one thing after the other on the repairs. What started out as a simple repair has uncovered safety issues, code violations and antiquated equipment for which the parts could only be found in one place.

Of course, locating the parts was no easy task and the shipping of them to make the closing deadline is as expensive as the parts themselves. In the grand scheme of your life, the few extra hundred dollars the repairs are costing are small in comparison. But when you first learn you are going to have to spend those dollars emotions can boil to the top.

Real estate agents can bring experience and trained negotiating skills. They can know when to negotiate and when not to. (Yes, there is a time not to.) Real estate agents bring knowledge of markets and market trends.

And one of the most important things and agent can do is bring his experience as a filter. A liaison if you will. Turning a “$%^& NO” into a “here’s what I think we can do about this.” An agent can be the calm in the storm. The clear thinker.

Think about that.