Listen…do you want to know a secret?

As I write my blog today, I am somewhat conflicted.  A long time customer of mine is searching to downsize to a smaller condo or single family. I am sure this has happened to many of you, she and her husband stopped at an open house without me. But to her credit she immediately told the Realtor that she was working with me and she signed in and put my name next to hers.  Now I always tell my customers to please wait for me but…as we all know, it doesn’t always happen.  I know we all want to sell our own listings but it doesn’t always work that way.  So to continue on, my customer tells the Realtor my name, thinking he knows me……with over 50K licensees in Miami-Dade county, I am flattered she thinks the world knows me! Of course this other Realtor says he has no clue who I am, which doesn’t bother me in the least, however what he said next does bother me. He told my customers that he would give them a much better deal if they use him instead of me!  I know this will sound self-serving, but in 35 years of selling real estate, I have never told a Buyer or Seller that…NEVER!

It never ceases to amaze me the lack of professionalism in our business, so no wonder we are positioned in surveys as less than used car salespeople.  We are our own worst enemy. For a moment, I thought about calling the Broker of record but then why waste my time as that is obviously the climate in his office.  My customers, who have bought and sold various pieces of real estate in their lifetime, actually liked the property but said they have no use for someone such as that Realtor  (with ethics like that,and why call him a Realtor).

So my fellow Realtors, let’s be good to each other. Until next Monday!

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Educate your Sellers

I read an interesting article yesterday in the paper.  A Seller put their home on the market with a Realtor and with the first showing, the Seller instead of totally leaving the property, went across the street to their neighbor’s home and watched.  The Buyers and their Realtor went into the home and stayed only a few minutes and then left.  The Seller was very upset and being aware of the company that just showed the property, the Seller told their Realtor, they didn’t want to show their home to anyone else from that company.  The Seller’s Realtor tried to explain that the other Realtor may not have seen this property before and their Buyers had specific requirements that this home did not meet. There is also the fact that you may be violating some state and federal fair housing laws.

I always have my Sellers leave the premises when I show my listings, if they cannot leave, then I tell them to go sit in the backyard, walk or ride around the block .  The Sellers inhibit the Buyers comments about the property.  And it is a fact that sometimes the Buyers that criticize the property the most are the ones that come back and buy the property, at least that has been my experience.  So educate your Sellers and be good to each other.

Until Next Monday…

I WANT YOU

Maybe some of y0u are old enough to remember the picture of Uncle Sam in red, white and blue pointing his finger and saying “I WANT YOU“. That was a recruiting poster for the armed services.  So I am sure you are asking yourself right now, what does she mean by that? Remember, I have been ranting and raving about professionalism in every way, in almost every blog.  So why shouldn’t every Broker of every office require every new agent to attend one or two educational sessions over a period of time? These sessions can be about a new product or service, compliance issues, contracts, or whatever.  What does that do?  First, they learn something, second, they meet and network with other agents, third, they may be able to give and receive referrals.  Really, you say…yes and I am a firm believer as I have given referrals and received referrals, by attending local, state and national real estate meetings.  I am not giving my customers to some yahoo I never met.  I need to know the Realtor I am referring to and that they take care of my customers as I would. I attend many educational sessions, and yes I have been in business over 35 years and there are still new aspects of our business that I learn to make my business better.  You NEVER stop learning, and if you truly regard this as a profession, you will never stop learning.

So my fellow Realtors…I WANT YOU…togo back to class, to require your agents to do so…I PROMISE YOU…you will be surprised!

UNTIL NEXT MONDAY….

 

 

I would welcome a carrier pigeon at this point in time.

This is not only a desk banger but a wall banger… my brain (what little there is) will have nothing left but mush…..that’s what
some of these licensees ( notice I didn’t say Realtors) will do to you!  RESPOND, that word means answer, and I don’t care how anymore.  I would welcome a carrier pigeon at this point in time.  I am working 2 transactions at the moment plus arranging appointments to show.  All of these require a RESPONSE. I text, call, leave voice messages, use Show Assist…all to no avail. It’s like I have dropped off the face of the earth.  Yes I know, most, and again, I use the word licensees want to sell their own listings, but what would most Sellers say if they knew that these agents they have hired aren’t exposing the property to more Buyers.  And God only knows what my customers think when I tell them I am trying to make an appointment and no one communicates back to me.  I guess they think I am not trying hard enough or am just lazy.  I try desperately not to disparage my fellow licensees but trust me…it is very difficult to keep my mouth shut, so I am sorry to say, I vent to you, my readers, as I know many of you have the same problem.  We need to be more professional, but how do you license professionalism…..difficult question.

On a lighter note, I attended a YPN REBarCamp, where you can put up topics to discuss, and I had a ray of hope as the under 40+ crowd (and yes, I was probably the oldest one there) is very responsive to the community in general.  Hopefully they will be making a greater impact on professionalism than my generation.

So my fellow Realtors, be good to each other as we are supposed to set an example.

Until Next Monday

Experience or Technology?

There are days, not too often, where I need technology help and then, thank heavens, our older son is a techno wizard….however, the look I get when he fixes my problem in maybe a nano second…(not really but it seems like that). That occurance leads me to ask, experience or technology, we really need both but more and more I am confronting new Realtors that have extensive experience in technology but no real estate experience.  Way back in the stone age in real estate (just kidding), new agents had to have experience with a Broker and have done several transactions.  No more, they start out most of them with minimal training, if that, and probably hope for the best.  Then the new Realtors show my listings and have no idea what they are doing. Now I don’t mind helping anyone in the business, but please don’t give me attitude, and the “Who do you think you are?”… I just answer I have been in the industry a long time and have learned a lot.  There are a few young ones, that are willing to learn, and I have learned from them: easier ways, a new app, new form etc. Those will go a long way and make us all proud, but it seems that most think this is a quick way to earn a buck…not good for our profession.

 I am excited as I am attending another YPN REBAR Camp, I learn so much from the “kids”!

So my Fellow Realtors, let’s be good to each other.

After awhile…I lose it completely!

It never ceases to amaze me the Realtors I run into on a daily basis in showing property.  I have a long time customer that is looking to downsize and purchase a smaller home.  In the process of making appointments, I have encountered  an amazing group of listing agents.  A small number are very professional and want to market and show their listings, a larger number are lucky to find the front door when it is presented to them.  Since the inventory is limited in some price ranges, I have no alternative but to deal with them. Since I am in Miami, there is a wealth of unprofessional, uneducated, every other adjective you can think of and more.  I try desperately to be polite, but after awhile I lose it completely.  Not good, and I mentally slap myself as my objective is to find a home for my customers, even if I have to wade through a pile! I think you get my drift.  I would call this one of my rants and raves, but it is almost beyond that. In my perfect world, or close to it, managers/brokers would train their agents to be responsive to calls, appointments, inquiries on listings.  I was always taught, to return calls ASAP or they will call someone else.  I also try to accommodate showing times, as long as it didn’t conflict with my customers/sellers.  I have even shown a home at midnight, with my car lights, to a customer who was coming off a flight and that was the only time he could see the property.  He ultimately purchased it.

So my fellow Realtors, be good to each other and most importantly, be professional with each other.

Until Next Monday,

Robot or Realtor?

The future is upon us, but actually we are so behind, the future is here and some of us may be phased out entirely.  What am I talking about?  ROBOTS! Several companies, one in California, one in Brooklyn currently employ Bots to show real estate and take questions from Buyers.  Artificial intelligence, programmed into the Bots, can aid Realtors in showing property and simplify the process of selling property.  These Bots can also cost less for their services than the average Realtor charges.  Several other large companies believe that while the Bots can be helpful, the Realtor is critical to the transaction.   So think of all the machines that help us as Realtors, in our daily lives and think about what Bots may or can do…so what do you think?  Robot or Realtor …either way…let’s be good to each other.

Until Next Monday…