I am prepared to employ the latest techniques and services for your benefit, just like you've grown to expect from a professional. Real estate transactions are complex, involve large assets and demand competent representation. Marketing properties, home selection and financing are just a few of the skills today's consumer looks for when they select a real estate professional. I am prepared to offer my clients the knowledge and expertise to counsel them in relocating, buying, investing or selling the family home.
"Expect the Best"
REALTORS, Who Get It, Resent Those Who Don’t Get It!
Over the years I have heard it all, however, in today’s market our challenges, pet peeves, and complaints amongst our peers have changed. Here’s 10 items I can think of right off the top of my head that continue to grind away at others and myself, that I communicate with on a daily basis. I’m sure you could add more
to this list, I encourage you to do so.
Please note, that this is a constructive, reasonable list of what I feel would benefit our industry if improved upon.
1. Setting up a showing and finding out it’s pending, but the agent is waiting to see if it closes. (Waste of everyone’s time, usually a short sale with bank involved)
2. Listings indicating key box, only to find out it’s a combo box (Should be outlawed, all should be electronic)
3. Receiving offers on regular homes for sale at low-ball prices (These are not bank foreclosures and short sale homes).
4. Getting offers with low deposits or that say deposit upon acceptance (not worth the paper it’s written on)
5. Listings having no pictures or just a few. (All listings should have a minimum of 12)
6. Agents not using the Doc Box - Forms on-line system because they haven’t learned how to use it yet. (Eliminates paperwork and saves time)
7. Showing instructions on line-side says text me at ##### for showings; and you don’t get a response for 2 days. (The best technology is the technology you use.)
8. You email feedback to an agent on your showing of their listing, they don’t read their email, and so they call you for feedback. (Hello, read your email)
9. You email agents to schedule showings and never hear from them. (Because they don’t read their email or get email on Blackberry or iPhone to respond quickly)
10. Getting a call from the neighbors that your listing that was shown by a co-op agent was left unlocked or lights were left on. (Usually at night, right after you have settled in for the night.)
You may be saying: this comes with the territory. Maybe it does, and yes, people make mistakes. However, we have much work ahead of us to get everyone going in the same direction for new standards of practice and professionalism in our industry and going green. What are your thoughts?
Greater Lansing home buyers and sellers can begin to smile as real estate sales continue to perk up over last year and the market begins to bottom out. I would consider a strong 4th quarter coming up to buy or sell real estate in the Greater Lansing area real estate market.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the housing market momentum has clearly turned for the better. “The recovery is broad-based across many parts of the country. Housing affordability has been at record highs this year with the added stimulus of a first-time buyer tax credit,” he said.
NAR estimates that about 1.8 to 2.0 million first-time buyers will take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit this year, with approximately 350,000 additional sales that would not have taken place without the credit. Buyers have little time to act because they must complete the transaction by November 30 to qualify for the credit. Unless extended, contracts signed but not completed by that date will not be eligible – it is taking approximately two months to complete home sales in the current market.
Buying or selling a home in today’s greater Lansing, Michigan real estate market can be complicated without having the proper expertise and guidance throughout the process. Community information - about services, restaurants, parks, things to do, tourist information, local government and issues, buildings, and development projects, are only a few of the many services you should expect from your Realtor. You can obtain additional information on buying and selling at my website.
“Expect the Best” Mike
Mike Bowler Sr. ePRO, CRB, GRI, SRES
Coldwell Banker Hubbell Briarwood
1020 S. Creyts Road, Lansing, MI 48917
Phone: 517-492-3400 Fax: 888-832-6203 Emailto:Mike@MikeBowler.com
Many articles and comments have been made in reference to Saul Klein’s recent White Paper on the MLS 5.0 concept. It is very well detailed and comprehensive when it comes to presenting a vision of what we as Realtors need to prepare for in the future.
Some may criticize Saul’s points, not understanding that the purpose of this presentation is to open up the dialogue for developing a plan vs. being reactive like we have with the whole mortgage fiasco, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the foreclosure boom we seem to be stuck with for the next couple of years. The unfortunate part is that the broker/owners who need to be smack dab in the middle of these kinds of conversations are struggling to cut costs, deplete inventory, and keep their doors open.
The other unfortunate fact is that most real estate brokers and agents are not spending the time and effort, when it comes to grasping web2, blogging, portals or the future of MLS changes, let alone decide what we need for the future. We are a changing industry, that needs to be re-educated, starting at the top it needs to be fully supported by the broker/owners. Let’s hope they’re not cutting their training and education budgets, if anything, right now would be a good time to throw out the newspaper print and put it all back into educating your assets. (Agents) We have many people to learn from including the two gentleman above. Have you started your Future plan yet?
I real an article a few days back that just blows me away with the stats and numbers we are seeing with the Internet, technology and social networking for business. As of September there were over 106 million registered accounts with myspace.com About 230,000 people per day are signing up, according to Walt Baczkowski, President of MCAR who wrote a nice perspective about Getting on the Technology Bus.
We're seeing hundreds of articles almost daily about the above topics and more. With over 90% of the buyers searching homes on the Internet prior to ever contacting a Realtor, I would suggest more Realtors hop on the Bus also. Just like the song, Hop on the bus, Gus. or slip out the back, Jack. (Leave the business) make a new plan, Stan.(Learn technology, Internet marketing, Blogging and how to network socially).
Here are a few places you can start FREE, and/or cheap, and/or reasonable. It's amazing how many people said during the busiest 4-5 years in the history of NAR, that they did not have time to learn this stuff. Now, the same ones are saying I don't have the money to invest into that stuff. The consumers are light years ahead of most business owners when it comes to search engine marketing, optimization and permission marketing in the real estate industry.
Active Rain is a FREE Blog and great networking site for Realtors to learn, share and build community with each other. I use it in two fashions: One for the public, by posting Local articles about the real estate market and using the Localism section and the other for Professionals only to network with my peers. I also use RealTownBlogs.com because it is ranked high on the search engines, has plenty to offer agents, brokers, and ancillary businesses. Need a FREE website to promote your IDX listings or your community. Point2Agent offers a 6 month FREE trial and the Professional version is also well worth the cost once you try it out for a spell.
OK, now I am going to encourage you to investigate the ePRO course online, and I challenge you Brokers and Managers to set the example by taking this course online right away. The above link will provide you some basic information about this NAR Certified course. As a certified ePRO Trainer, I would not be doing my job if I ignored the fact that you need this course. As Saint Nike says, Just do it!
The REWTM Certification is the premier real estate technology certification; your competitive edge in today's web-based consumer-centric environment. REW stands for Real Estate Webographer, which is a Real Estate Certification for Agents, Brokers and Assistants. The above link is well worth the visit.
The last FREE item I am pointing out is the PRETEC invitation to subscribe RSS. It will give you the experience of using a reader that will provide time saving convienence and also start you onto building a list of educational blogs geared toward training, education and consulting. Remember, Professionals need help in their business to become great. This Blog also has a RSS opportunity for you to signup.
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