Humboldt County Real Estate Blog

As some of you may know, it's about that time to renew with many local boards to keep practicing for another year. Unfortunately for some, they may not be able to practice again Many Boards are reporting a lower than average renewal rate and many are just dropping out of real estate all together.

It's definitely possible to perservere! There used to be a time where a highway patrolman would pull you over and ask you for you license, registration and real estate license. Just because everyone had one!

As stated in my earler blogs, now is the time to get as much inventory as possible. Call those expired and FSBO's! These are the people that need our help the most. I picked up two expireds today because their agents are no longer in the business.

Find a way to stand out. I found out how to use video e-mail with a power point CMA embedded in the body. There isn't anyone out here that uses this kind of technology.

ok, now I'm just blabbering. There are just too many ways to be the best in your town. Don't give up. Perservere.

OK folks, let's get back to basics. Some of us have been wondering, how do I get more business during this slow down? Well, get back to the basics!

I remember when I first started in real estate 7 years ago, I called just about every expired listing and FSBO I could find so I can add to my inventory. I was told, "You need to list to last!"

One of my strong areas was the elusive FSBO. I would drive by and take a picture of the front of the house, put together a CMA and bind it like a book with a hard cover. Put it in a FedEx packet and drop it at the door. I would get 3 out of 10 listings and since they already been beat up by other Realtors about the sale price, I would be able to get agood price reduction and it would sell faster!

Here are some of the things NOT to do to a FSBO that other "professionals" are doing...

 1. Never tell the FSBO they are overpriced or degrade them on their reason for the price. Sometimes I would walk in for the appointment and they would say that the last person told them "It will never sell at that price!" Always be respectful.

2. Never tell the FSBO that we call them "Fisbo."Most homeowners don't like to be tagged with that name because they think it's an "us versus them" mentality

3. Never ignore the spouse or the significant other in any of the conversations. I should actually make this the  number 1 thing NOT to do. Although one fo them is talking and negotiating, the other is usually the one who makes all the decisions. I have been imany situations where the husband does all the talking and the wife is the ultimate decision maker.

4. Never put down their color decisions. Most homeowners take great pride in personalizing their home and may have several colors that you may think are ugly. Don't tell them that!

5. Never talk about yourself and how you are the best in the business. Homeowners don't care about how many letters you have behind your name. They only care about what you can do for them.

6. Feel free to add more after this...I have heard many horror stories about some of our local agents talking down to people and actually leaving notes on their doors!

I had one agent that left a note on a FSBO door saying they are stupid for trying to sell themselves!

A question I am asked by many new agents is "why should I join a service club like Kiwanis or Rotary?"

ok, so, you've received your license, found a good broker and now you're ready to take on the real estate business. Then it hits you,"what do I do next?","How can I get business being so new?"

Before going into the hows an whys, let me give you a little background...I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001 to Humboldt County. I knew not a soul in Eureka! No one! zip! zilch! Starting truly on the ground floor. How we ended up here is another story for another blog. I started in May and by the end of the year, I surpassed $65,000 in net commissions. What did I do?

The first thing I did was join a service club. I figured the best way to get my name out fast is to join a club that I believe in and somewhere I can also help my community. I never let on that I was new. No one knew how much of a newbie I was unless I actually mentioned it! When I went out on a listing appointment, I always mentioned how much exposure our company has and how much experience would be available to them. I always said "we will help you" or, "we have several years of experience"

My buyers never asked me about my experience and they never had to. When you conduct yourself in a professional manner, they wouldn't be able to tell!

Next, show up for the different functions and fundraisers of your service club. See if you can lend a hand. they will remember you longer if you are constantly there.

So, I guarantee you will be able to get a great jump start from this tip alone! I will periodically add more tips to get your business going even in a slow market! If you have any questions or would like a tip answered in my blog, drop me a line!

When is it really ok to publish kids in a magazine or profile them on the news without permission? Most news agencies will not release the name of an injured victim of a crime if they are under 18. But yet, there are photographers who blatantly shoot a movie or television star's child and sell them to a publisher who runs the story without permission. What about the other kids in the background? Not all their faces are "wiped" out. How are we to know if that photographer hanging outside the school ground isn't a registered sex offender or pedophile in the guise of a papparazi? Where else are these photos being sold? Why are we allowing this to happen? Why am I ranting about this and what does this have to do with real estate?

Many of us sell homes to the stars and do our best to keep these transactions very private. We don't brag to our co-workers who we're working with and many times they are buying the property in another name or a trust. We get to know these people and get attached and feel it is our duty to protect them and honor their privacy.

Someone would say,"they have chosen this profession so we have the right to take their pictures!"Does that mean it's open season on their kids?

In Humboldt County, I wanted to have my kids in a real estate commercial with me and I had to get permission from their Doctor, the Principal and a permit from the county for a 20 second spot!

 A good frined of mine nioticed his child was in the same picture as a well known actor's kid and he was furious!

 I would propose a 100 foot boundary around our schools and arrest anyone who is taking pictures of any of the kids. Am I just ranting needlessly or would you be willing to go this extra step to protect our kids?