Warning to Thurston County agents - and this goes for FSBO folks too… March 3, 2008
February 25, 2008. The NWMLS has received information (Thurston County area) concerning a male individual who looked at homes with an agent — all of the information he provided about himself and his employment was false. He claims to be a buyer’s consultant with the Federal Government, a PhD in Physics, his wife a professor [...]
Trying to Force the Seller’s Hand August 8, 2006
If you are playing the game of “trying to force the seller’s hand”, you have to know how to play it right. It is not easy to force a seller to…anything. Regardless of who is right and who is wrong, if you can say there is a right and wrong to the [...]
Back to Basics July 31, 2006
Yes, you can prevent the bubble from bursting. Yes, you can prevent home prices from tumbling. The market takes a hit when sellers refuse to see the handwriting on the wall, and are too arrogant and complacent to compensate for market weaknesses.
The Seattle area is almost entirely unigue in its ability to sustain [...]
Agents and Consumers - A Perplexing Business Model June 11, 2006
Seems to me that misinformation fuels many of the conversations regarding relationships between agents and consumers in today’s real estate marketplace. So let’s take a crack at one of Craig’s comments in #48 of Dustin’s post.
“If the mls were “open” - i.e. anyone could list - then agents will have an even harder time [...]
“Man in the Bushes” Listing June 8, 2006
This article is in response to a reader’s request yesterday, that I describe what a “man in the bushes” listing means.
Over the years, I have used the term “man in the bushes” most often in response to the question, “Can I sell my home myself as a For Sale by Owner”. If they are [...]
Marketing my Home on the Internet May 29, 2006
While my opinion that a good real estate blogger does not include their listings on their blog is well documented and much debated, there is always room for an exception… and marketing my OWN home is one of those!
Essentially, we have about two weeks left before we put it on the market. We’re just [...]
Negotiating the Offer Part 2 - The “Contingent” Seller May 7, 2006
The “Contingent” seller knows exactly where he is going if and when his house sells. He is stuck at the starting gate until he gets an acceptable offer on his home. Every day he faces the possibility that someone else will come along and snatch his new home from him; someone who can [...]
Negotiating The Offer Part 1 - The “Homeless” Seller May 6, 2006
It is a popular perception that every seller wants top dollar as their primary objective. In my experience that is not always true, and in fact is often not true at all, at the time the offer is being presented. Let’s take a step back first to see where the perception comes from.
When a seller [...]
Should you have an Open House? April 3, 2006
I just sold another house from an Open House this weekend, and am reminded of all of the articles about how Open Houses do not sell houses. Sometimes I think the articles are sponsored by agents who don’t want to spend their Sundays working
I have changed a few things that I do [...]
Earnest Money - Where does it go and when? February 25, 2006
Some of the most Frequently Asked Questions in a Real Estate Transaction involve the Earnest Money Deposit. The Earnest Money usually follows with the transaction from day one all the way through to the last day, as in “follow the money”.
The buyer usually writes a check for the Earnest Money deposit at the same time [...]
