23 Monday Nov 2015
Amber Taufen, reporter for Inman News, just published a report called, “How Mobile Technology Has Changed Real Estate.” She was kind enough to interview me and feature my first Mobile MLS search done in 1985 from my car phone with portable terminal attached. Click on the link below to see the article from September 2, 1985.
Here is Amber’s report: Inman_Mobile_specialreport
05 Monday Aug 2013
Tags
buyer needs, home buying process, local expert, real estate, search engines, Social Media, websites
I recently attended the Inman Connect Conference in San Francisco, and came back with some great insights from one particular session.
They assembled a group of 8 recent home buyers, and let them speak directly to the audience (of Realtors) about their experiences with the buying experience. I was glad that the conference organizers chose a diverse group, as we know every real estate transaction is different. There was an investor, a single woman, a gay couple, a recently-married husband and wife, and others among the panelists.
There were a few important points that all Realtors need to know:
Buyers want to “own” the search process
They selected their Realtor in one of two main ways:
1. By referral from a trusted source or friend
2. By speed of response on the web, text, social media or phone
They want and expect three main things from their agent:
1. “Help me understand the buying process.”
2. “Be my ‘hyper-local’ real estate expert.”
3. “Negotiate for me.”
Good advice from real buyers. Are you listening? Are you doing these things for your buyers?
21 Friday Jun 2013
Yesterday at a company event I sang a new song that I co-wrote with Greg Traynor, one of our Regional Developers. It is called “Sales Dance”, with apologies to Van Morrison.
Three years ago at a company event, I sang my “Short-Sale Foreclosure Blues” which highlighted the issues in the market then. Here is a link to that performance…
However, times have changed, and sellers and buyers are experiencing something totally different. Everyone has read about it, Realtors try to explain it to their clients, but here is a little different way of expressing what is going on out there right now…
I hope you enjoy this…and remember, this is not my day job…just a fun way to let people know what the real estate market is up to…
Here are the lyrics to both songs:
Short-Sale Foreclosure Blues
Bought at the top in 2005, Life was great, beginning to thrive, Then, whoa, things took a major dive. Got those short-sale, foreclosure, repo blues.
Behind on my payments, market done tanked. Prices have fallen, zilch in the bank. Went to my lender and drew a blank. Got those short-sale foreclosure blues.
If I could have I would have paid, If I could have I would have stayed. I’ve been Fannie’d and Freddie’d and FHA’d, I’ve been Chased, Wells Fargo’d and B of A’d. I got those underwater, upside-down, short-sale foreclosure blues…
Sales Dance
It’s a marvelous time for a sales dance, can’t wait for the meeting of minds. I know now the time is just right for this crazy market to climb. Sellers are wanting more money, because hundreds want to buy. And they have no clue what they’re in for, when the offers start to fly.
Homes are back in demand, inventory is low, You’re gonna get multiple offers, and make some dough. Can I just have one more sales dance with you, my friend? Can I just have one more sales dance with you?
The housing market has turned, and prices are on the mend. It’s time to sharpen your pencils, or miss out in the end. The sellers are excited, and the buyers are quite stressed. It’s not time to complain, just give us your highest and best.
Homes are back in demand, inventory is low, You’re gonna get multiple offers, and make some dough. Can I just have one more sales dance with you, my friend? Can I just have one more sales dance with you?
26 Sunday Aug 2012
Posted in real estate, Real Estate "war stories"
I have decided that I will always buy cars that have some sort of manual key for starting the car, and NEVER buy one that only uses an electronic key. Here’s why:
My rental car
When on a business trip, my rental car, a Nissan Altima, failed to start when I was parked inside the hotel garage. It was obvious that it was NOT a dead battery or an engine problem. I had just moved the car into the parking space 30 seconds prior, and had to re-start the car in order to move it slightly to make room for someone else to park. And it wouldn’t start…
The offending electronic key…
I needed to get to the airport, so luckily the rental car office was walkable from my hotel. I suggested that they just replace the battery in the electronic key, but they had to go through all of their policies and procedures. I told them to just give me another car, which they did, and I went on my way. But what would have happened if I were out on a highway somewhere in the dead of night, or showing property to people when this happened? I always want a back-up manual key from now on…
Have any of you had similar experiences with electronic keys? Or maybe you have some horror stories about cars when you were doing your real estate job…please share them with me.
-Rich
