In light of the recent tug-of-war attitude between buyers and sellers, my standard routinely yet diversified and costly advertising campaign is not demonstrating any signs of effectiveness. I am thinking of placing “anvil dropped on the head” bold advertising Read More...

One of the primary reasons why our clients hire a Realtor® is because they are entrusting professionals to handle all aspects of the sales and purchase process for them. In return they expect, among many things, proper marketing . Touching on Gary Morris’ Read More...

On a sabatical? John Read More...

I used to think that 2 + 2 = 4 and it was absolute until I heard recently that young students are now learning in school something called APPROXIMATE MATHEMATICS . I have no knowledge of its principles but I am certain it must have some meaningful applications Read More...

Last night, at a colleague Realtor's® birthday party, a guest jokingly blurred out that insipiduous comment: “You real estate agents make so much money…” A congenial competitor replied “Yeah, I just bought me a new money press” and another jumped in with Read More...

Occasionally, but not too often, in the course of a back-and-forth offer, before it gets finally approved by all parties, I receive offers “whited-out" for corrections. Last Wednesday, one of our associates presented an offer he wrote online on a condo Read More...

My wandering mind tonight stopped at oxymorons and aphorisms : “less is more” or “if you lose you win” or “too much of a good thing”. For sure you have all heard those expressions and alike before. What do they really mean ? It has something to do with Read More...

“Better ask and pass for stupid rather than act and prove how stupid you are”. I don’t know who said that but it makes cynical sense (when uncertain, always dump the credit on Confucius,). When you are at the crossroad of a dubious situation that presents Read More...

These days, times are hard for all of us and we all hear the same complaints of despair from our peers. Today, I met an old-timer Realtor® who still serves on our local board. He said that in his nearly 42 years of whirling in real estate he has observed Read More...

When you get in front of a customer, do you try to place yourself in his/her shoes? Do you have sympathy (feeling their emotions) or show empathy (sharing their emotions) when they pour out their difficulties at you? It is quite a delicate act to juggle Read More...

My partner, Russ, and I have teamed up for nearly six years already. We came from different milieu - he in financing and I in the automotive service industry. Neither of us had much sales experience except that Russ had a formidable background in the Read More...

This has nothing to do with real estate but, what the heck, the following is, nonetheless, an interesting observation about luck, or not. Winning the lottery – a godsend answer to our material hardships . Winning the lottery is probably the #1 wish of Read More...

Maybe sellers think so? We have reverted back to that time when we have to list or sell with substantiating back up figures – the comps. Yet, sellers are skeptical of the figures we are presenting them. A seller called me this afternoon responding to Read More...

WAIT, relax; it’s not quite what it sounds like. Allow me to explain. Sadly, the traditional business suit and tie dress will soon be something the next generation of humans pay admission to see at the Smithsonian Institute. When I started my new real Read More...

Many times I cringe bringing my buyer (s) to show listings of other agents, especially those agents whom I don’t know. I have witnessed seller agents downing their own listings to my customers by volunteering personal comments like: "the view is better Read More...

Before I started in real estate, I was a salaried professional complacent in my routinely unchallenged life. I took an early retirement to pursue a second career as a Realtor®. I was forewarned by my friends and family that I will be starving during my Read More...

Tonight, 60 minutes rendered Realtors® more justice than none, after all. Frankly, Redfin, et all, is nothing but an Internet FSBO which stands for F rightened S ellers of B uyer’s O ffers (FSBO). I welcome discount brokers into our business because competition Read More...

People be kind to her. John Read More...

Don't forget to watch 60 Minutes tonight! Jeff Tomlin brought it up on his post last Friday. Don't miss it. John Read More...

To piggy-back on Martha Kelly’s “ Wanting the whole star ”, posted last Wednesday, I also became a victim of stars missing on one of my posts. On the wee hours of Friday, May 11, at approximately 1:05 AM, I gleefully adjourned to bed knowing that I had Read More...

Don’t you feel a sense of relief, a sense of satisfaction, a sense of retribution when someone has to eat their words and face humiliation? "Vengeance is a dish best served cold", expressed in the book Dangerous Liaisons, certainly brings gratification Read More...

ATTENTION ALL: This is a READ ONLY - DO NOT RESPOND to this not-amusing musing. What I am about to say is merely an observation of human reality which will certainly provoke the narrow-minded readers hereon. Saturday evening I read a post from Laura Dupree, Read More...

I'm having mixed feelings about it (as I do with so many things in life anymore) John Read More...

The Rules of the contest stated that woe would announce the winner by 10:00pm EST Friday, May 4 but jane could not be present at that time to announce. SInce there was only one winner who answered all three questions correctly, The ladies and i made an Read More...

Remember! 10pm tonight is the deadline to submit your correct answers to witn the $50.00 Office Depot Gift Certificate. Scroll down to the "WIN A $50.OO OFFICE DEPOT GIFT CERTIFICATE" posted last night. Hurry! John Read More...

So often I hear stories from fellow Realtors® who vent out about how their day went showing properties to the "jerk customers" they recently worked with or how stubborn the "dreaming a-hole seller" was at the listing appointment. "That jerk found tons Read More...

On May 1, I wrote a post titled "Who Wrote That Post?" about team members who write posts and do not identify who of the team member is the author. Of the team Jane Davis and Marcia Demerjian, Jane replied "I am Jane but which one of the two am I?" So Read More...

Jana, Are you still there? Read More...

Relib pulls member profiles and pictures directly from P2A NLS. Therefore, both are automatically tagged with who ever signs in and posts. But who is the team member author of a post? Please identify yourself at the bottom of your post. For those who Read More...