May 28
20152
commentsIn Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Client, Real Estate Transaction, Selling Real Estate
Real Estate is a good platform to develop new skills
like JONATHAN LIVING SEAGULL – a popular book by Richard Bach.
May 17
20151
commentsIn Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Buyers, Real Estate Client, Real Estate Sellers, Real Estate Technology
Technology can help real estate buyers and real estate sellers but make sure you use real estate agents’ advice
But is technology in real estate more than it is cracked up to be? Yes and No.
Healthy Mind-Body important for Real Estate Buyers and Real Estate Sellers
Whether you are a Real Estate Buyer, Real Estate Seller or Real Estate Agent we all need to be reminded how important it is to have a healthy Mind-Body.
Apr 22
20150
commentsIn Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Buyers, Real Estate Client, Real Estate Listings, Real Estate Sellers, Real Estate Transaction, San Francisco Real Estate
Reflecting on the best real estate scenario for real estate clients
Would the outcome with Lucy and Jim, my Real Estate Sellers, be the same or would it be different? (See previous Real Estate Blog).
REAL LIFE STORY (Names have been changed)
I had nurtured a relationship with an out-of-town real estate developer for five years. That is how long it took him to develop this spectacular 4 level property. I loved the property atop of Nob Hill—not everyone’s taste for sure, but it appealed to the Italian artistic part of me. (And the fact that my Dad was an architect). I asked Shirley, the top agent in our office, to share the real estate listing with me, because I felt it would give me a better chance to represent this extraordinary property in the highly competitive San Francisco real estate market. Unfortunately, Frank decided to go with another team which promised him a million more. I was disappointed, of course, because I really felt I was the right agent to sell his specialized house, but I let go and let the Universe do its thing.
Apr 14
20150
commentsIn Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Buyers, Real Estate Sellers, Real Estate Staging
I got the call from my real estate clients ten days later after they told me that a prospective buyer, had contacted them directly. This Real Estate Buyer had brought in their own real estate agent who showed them the house. The house, which I had worked on for five months, changing it from a tired pumpkin into a shining castle to make it ready to go on the real estate market.
“You still want me to represent you then, right?” I asked, dumbfounded by this new information. “The buyer is being represented by a real estate agent and you should be too, of course.” I added.
Mar 12
20150
commentsIn Real Estate Listings, Real Estate Sellers, Real Estate Staging, San Francisco Condos, San Francisco Real Estate, Selling Real Estate
Real Estate Clients change their minds
Was I disappointed when “Reginald” Bratt, my Real Estate Seller, called me and told me that he wanted to make a few changes on our signed real estate listing agreement? Yes and no. (Please see previous blog dated March 4 2015).
Mar 04
20150
commentsIn Real Estate Buyers, Real Estate Sellers, Real Estate Staging, San Francisco Real Estate, Selling Real Estate
Getting ready for those sophisticated San Francisco Buyers
Real Estate Buyers in San Francisco are sophisticated and most have champagne taste. They want to impress. Their homes are a reflection of them. This is important for Real Estate Sellers to know.
So when I got a call from a man who said he wanted to get the highest price possible for a home in the southern part of San Francisco. He was a referral from a client of mine who worked at Oracle who had bought a house from me three years before. Like many Real Estate Sellers, “Reginald” Bratt, (his last name has not been changed!) had an inflated idea of what his property was worth. He knew a house around the corner had sold for $850,000; however that house had been remodeled, had an apartment in the basement, the yard had been landscaped and it was on a much preferred street.
Feb 11
20151
commentsIn Real Estate Buyers, Real Estate Listings, Real Estate Sellers, Real Estate Staging
Thumbs Up For Real Estate Internet Marketing
So says CAR, the California Association of Realtors. This is most likely due to the prevalence of smart phones with cameras. While it may seem like a good thing to post our smart phone photos of our real estate listings all over the internet, the quality of the property photo often suffer. No matter how high-quality a smart phone camera is, it will not measure up to a professional-grade camera. Also, my fellow real estate agents and I are not professional photographers, so we do not possess the skills needed to stage photos in the best way possible.
Nov 12
20142
commentsIn Real Estate Listings, Real Estate Sellers, Real Estate Staging, San Francisco Real Estate
San Francisco real estate listings: realize the visual is most important
But that is probably true all over the country. We live in a very visual culture. Ever since we were children reading picture books, our eye has been trained to focus on the graphic and the colorful. Why, then, are there so many subpar photographs in real estate listings nowadays?
Recently, I was working with a Real Estate Seller who wanted to list his San Francisco condo. It was a classic 1920s flat with beautiful crown molding and brand new remodeled kitchen and bathrooms. This seller was very strong-willed though and, unfortunately, ill-informed. He insisted on not spending a little bit extra to have his property “staged.” (more…)