Many real estate agents today have an on-line presence.  One of the largest questions that remains for consumers is how to separate help from hype.  Here is a basic framework we have found to address this issue:

Does the agent have a website?
Does the website have useful information?
Does the agent blog?
If so, what do they publish?

Consumers […]

The traditional Real Estate “brick & mortar” brokers (Prudential, Coldwell Banker, Remax, Keller Williams, etc) have been feeling the pain of the last two years.  With less agents and less business to support their large infrastructure, their balance sheets have taken a major hit.
However, the number 1 reason for the decline of the brick & […]

Dear readers,
For both agents and people seeking advice real estate on the web, let’s be conscious about the difference between our opinions and facts.
If we cite our opinion, say so.  “My opinion is the real estate will to do A”.
If we cite the opinion of another or the opinion of an expert, say so.  “Dr. […]

I recently read an interesting article about people’s business practices in a down economy.  While many profess to want business, many do not practice the things that make them good to do business with.  Here are some examples:

Do they return phone calls in a timely manner?
Do they answer your questions completely?
Do they respond to your […]

While many people tout the purpose of blogging, we wanted to let you know why we have our Real Estate blog.  The reason we blog about Real Estate is to allow people to get to know us, how we approach business and our feelings about what is important.  In our life, Kari and I feel […]

We often look at the traditional brand of Real Estate marketing we do and wonder about the dollars spent.  The best marketing a Real Estate professional can do is take care of their clients and build their reputation.  So what is a reputation worth?  Your entire business possibly.  We are not completely discounting traditional marketing.  However, […]

There is a lot of value in the Go Green initiatives. For existing home owners Green remodeling, dubbed “regreening,” includes design and construction that reduces the environmental impact of the work itself. This includes the impact on energy, water, and materials consumption; waste generation; and harmful emissions (both indoors and out), according to the U.S. […]

When listing your house, make sure your agent understands the power of the written word in your property descriptions.  Simple words like “Beautiful” (versus “move in condidtion) can increase your list and sales price by as much as 5%. “Motivated Seller” can increase your time until sale by as much as 30%.  Our advice, when you […]

Everyone who likes technology loves to talk about marketing Real Estate on the Internet (E-Marketing).  Being techno-weenies ourselves, the more we learn about how to use technology to market Real Estate, we continuously discover how much we don’t know.  How to use and maximize search engines, what words to use and what words not to […]

There are many facts that are unclear or misunderstood when a Realtor presents a marketing plan to someone selling their home.  Among these facts are:
·        Only 2% to 4% of homes sell as a result of an open house.  So why would an agent do an open house for you?  Usually to get new business […]