San Diego didn't make the NAR list of vacation-home areas (counties where 20% of the housing stock is for seasonal use), but our market should be enjoying some additional second-home purchases: Vacation home sales are outperforming total existing-home sales. Sales of...
Have you been seeing more of this guy lately? He wants to hook you up with the top agents in your area - AND only charge you a 2% commission. They keep the 2% circle at the bottom of the advertisement for the entire 30 seconds to engrain in your head that they have...
The home-selling business is known for being the Wild, Wild West. There are a few rules and ethics filed away in a drawer somewhere but there is no enforcement unless you do something really bad, like this guy - who only lost his real estate license a couple of months...
The local recruiting effort by Compass has been very effective, and it's really starting to show up in the numbers. With 1,200+ productive agents in San Diego County now (I was #160 in July 2018), we are taking away market share and becoming the dominant brokerage -...
The California Association of Realtors kicks off the 2021 forecast season! To show how far removed they are from reality, check their foreclosure forecast. Homeowners are flush with equity, and if they get in trouble, they will sell before they getting foreclosed...
The time-honored tradition of buyers hoping to sway sellers with a personal introductory letter came to an abrupt halt this month with the new FHDA form (see snip above). Not only has it been customary to submit a letter of introduction with your offer, but if you...
The pandemic is still raging, the President of the United States is in the hospital, the election is right around the corner, and so are the holidays. The frenzy has to slow down at some point, doesn't it? So I schedule for 11am, and show up to find today's list of...
Here's how I handle a hot one when I'm the listing agent. My listing of 7206 Durango in Carlsbad was appropriately priced at $999,000, given what we were selling and the homeowners' desire to move sooner, not later. What do I mean when I say 'appropriately priced"?...
This sounds like a document-processing center where trainees guide consumers through the paperwork and hope they don't ask too many questions. Sound familiar? They are going to walk right in and take over while the industry stands by idly - and we'll look up in a few...
Here's what it will take to be a successful realtor from now on - hat tip WSJ! “It’s an attention game. It’s not who has the better postcards, it’s about who can attract the most eyeballs,” Mr. Serhant said. “I can walk into an appointment with a seller and say ‘there...
