Atlanta Real Estate | Atlanta Housing News for Real Estate

It is hard for any agent or real estate brokerage adjusting to the changing real estate markets.  We all must adjust a business plan if markets rise, so too we must make adjustments when the market slows. I am sure there are some high flying markets, there is always a segment of the market charging ahead when others lay flat or fizzle instead of sizzle as in just a short while ago.  Tightening credit and loan requirements have sucked huge pools of would be buyers out of the market.  With the speculators, investors, and buyers on the sidelines in many markets how have you changed the way you do business?  Have you set a new focus, reined in the spending, increased your marketing dollars, gotten more selective on the listings you take or the condition they are in?  How are you filling your time?  Are you planning new avenues to market?  Please share I'd love to hear all!

Since our real estate business model is mostly Internet, we receive loads of calls from buyers that have loads of questions, but do not want an agent.  They only want to work with the listing agents. Their thoughts are they are going to get the listing agent to come off the commission because there is no othr agent to work with!  IAt this point, they ask for the address, which I do not have on my website..and I advise them I only provide detailed information for our CLIENTS.  If they ask how they are going to find out where the home is, I tell them this is where the adventure begins.

In Atlanta, we have one of the most expensive MLS systems in the nation.  An agents cost per year varies on the number of deals they do.  It is not uncommon for an agent to pay over 15K to 20000 a year in MLS fees. Most other states it is less than $1000 a year!  So why should anyone give out all  free info?  In this market it makes no sense.  What also makes no sense is trying to get the listing agent to come off their commission. That is a negotiated contract.  In some states to do so is a misdemeanor, and it is legally interpreted as inducement to breach of contract.  It is essence running interference with a legally recognized agreement.

When you receive calls like this, or a buyer comes in off the street and demand you come  sigfoff your commission, how do you handle it?

Over the years in real estate you learn a lot!  In fact there is a lot to be learned by our mistakes.  You learn what to do, and what not to do.  Sometimes we take a gamble on showing relocation prospects,  Perhaps there is a 50/50 chance they may move to your area.  These buyers aren't a sure thing, but worth a gamble. 

A lot of people think that REALTORS have an expense account, or that we can write off our expenses!  Well the are wrong about an expense account, and I do not like writing anything off where there is no return on the dollar spent.  A few years ago I can to the conclusion that when I treated for lunch, I was being used.  I never seemed to close the prospects.  In fact more often than not potential prospects did not return the call.  No matter how long we were out in the car, how many homes we've showed them it did not make any difference.  I was the tour guide, taxi driver and free lunch buffet.  Once I decided to show all the homes, first and stop for  coffee telling the prospects I have another appointment.  As I pulled up to the place they wanted to go, it was valet parking only.  Between coffee, and a lite treat my bill was through the roof.  Those were the days when I did not make the money I do now.

What I did when I figured out how to tell who was a real buyer, and who was kicking tires... The prospects would make rumblings about a pit stop and getting a bite to eat...I'd respond with what do you like?  Italian, Mexican, pizza, burgers, or a nice family restaurant?  They'd just right on the suggestions, and perhaps tell me of another place they've heard of.  I's say great, anddrive them there.  As we pulled up, I 'd drop them off and tell them I'll join them later I have about a 1/2 hours worth of phone calls to return.  Their jaws would drop almost like they've been found out.  You wonder how many times they pulled this off without the other agents catching on. So when a prospect says, "Let's Do Lunch!"  Stop and think about it!  Maybe the answer it "Let's not!"

We found it is smarter to take persons out to lunch, breakfast or even dinner if we have already closed them. These meal tend to be more productive, and help establish a friendship that will perhaps lead to quality referrals someplace down the line!  These are people you want to be with!  Enjoy them!  It is called friendship, and appreciation.

The phrase "My Agent is Busy Can You Show Me Some Homes?" is becoming more and more common since we started using IDX.  Instant access to view a sampling of homes for sale on-line has brought out the home buyers, and the tire kickers in droves.  Many of the callers even if they do not come out and say they have an agent right away, when qualifying them it just kind of slips out!  "I already have an agent!"  When you ask them to have their agent show them, they will give you excuses like, "My agent is very important, she doesn't have the time!"  or "Out of town on vacation!" "Working their full time job!" and many more lame answers.  Of course our answer is "NO!"  Very selfish of them isn't it!  No matter what you explain to them the ususal reply is that "So are you going to show me homes or not?"

Any agent worth their salt that is working real estate will have an agent fill in for them if they cannot be available for their clients.  True professionals do not go on vacation or go out of the country for a month at a clip and leave their clients in the lurch!  True professional agents do not pawn off their clients on to other agents to do the dirty work for them, and then write up the contract!  hose actions are not those of a professional agents that are responsible adults.  If I do show a person that has another agent, we sign a buyers agency agreement for the particular properties.  Most of the time, they are not under any signed agency, but will not commit to you.

The real reason this is happening more and more often is the buyer rebate programs that are being used by real estate agents that are sleazy!  Their agreement with their buyers is based upon the number of homes they show the client.  If they show them more than 5 homes, they only get back $500 as opposed to lets say 1%.

So what do they do?  They tell their buyers to call up other full time agents, have them show them homes. Pick the other agents brain, and when they identify the home, call the original agent.  They will write up the contract. They are told not to return the call of the agent that has done all the foot work!  Sleazy isn't it!  It is taking place today!   It isn't just wrong, it's raw evil!

Sometimes sellers look at you when you ask them if they have any idea why their home didn’t sell?  They answer “NO, not really!”  The other agent just wasn’t aggressive enough!  They didn’t do enough open homes or advertise everyday!  So why do listings expire!  Let’s see:  No upgrades and over priced, dirty homes and filthy floors, sticking doors, funky colors or none at all, barking dogs and hissing pets, cats that sharpen claws on rug, rotted wood, mildewed walls, curb appeal missing, broken walk, dated lighting with tarnished brass,  un-cut grass, purple shutters, lime green walls, dated wall paper, leaky spigots, three foot weeds, no lawn at all, leaves not blown, sagging floors, threadbare carpets, burnt out lights, musty smells, leaky pipes, no hot water, garage door won’t work, fogged up windows  and broken glass, sump pump is broken, dirty toilets, handprints on walls, bales of newspapers and old magazines, border paper in every room, avocado fixtures, dirty oven, AC not working, missing shingles on the roof, rotting trees ready to fall, shaky deck not bolted or flashed, dripping faucets, fireplace with a damp creosote smell, light switches not working, powers off, ants in kitchen, webs on wall, fleas in basement, soiled laundry airing out, dishes in sink, piled high, leaks in ceiling, missing grout, missing shingles on the roof, and rusting gutters dripping goop!   No showing in morning and there’s no lockbox, it’s appointment only, but no morning shows …Oh, and before I forget do not cross the police line!

Sometimes our messages never stand out because they all look the same! We do things so routinely that we forget to spice it up a bit! With html we could embellish or emphasize! Bold type or Italicize! and so much more!

Html is a fun thing to learn, yes even for those that sell real estate!

HTML  Cheat Sheet

  Lake Lanier  - Lake Lanier Real Estate and Homes Search

It's that time of year again when everyone wants to come out of hibernation and start thinking of warm weather activities.  What comes to mind first?  Lake Lanier Lake homes of course!  Everyone loves to buy a home for sale on Lake Lanier with a deep water dock and unobstructed lake views!  Why?  So they can BBQ with family on the weekends, swimming, boating, sailing, power boating and more!  They can use it as a second home getaway, and then retire to it when the time is right!  A lake home on Lake Lanier is the perfect place to meet friends, family children and grandchildren.  A get-a-way from the big city, but a short drive to everything!  Looking for a new homes on Lake Lanier, a resale or a fixer upper? There are loads of great homes for sale on Lake Lanier, contact us for more information!

Atlanta new homes?  Atlanta is a great destination city if you are looking for new homes.  There is so much raw land in the Atlanta area unlike older cities like New York, Boston and Chicago that it very easy to find Atlanta new homes for sale in and around the Atlanta Metro area.  In-town there are some fill in subdivisions, homes built in more mature neighborhoods, Atlanta luxury new town homes, condos, and lofts!  In the suburbs there are lots of great Atlanta new home communities many are gated, and with swim tennis.  Since the real estate markets are softening a little bit, we also know where all the best deals are, spec inventory homes that are ready for delivery, builder incentives, builder paid closing costs, and Atlanta great new home deals are.  If you are interesting in buying a new home in Atlanta, or purchasing a new home in the Atlanta suburbs, contact us first!  We are your Atlanta new homes specialists!

• Acworth New Homes For Sale
• Alpharetta New Homes for Sale
• Atlanta New Homes for Sale
• Buford New Homes for Sale
• Canton New Homes for Sale
• Cumming New Homes for Sale
• Dacula New Homes for Sale
• Decatur New Homes for Sale
• Duluth New Homes for Sale
• Dunwoody new Homes for Sale
• Grayson New Homes For Sale
• Lawrenceville New Homes for Sale
• Lilburn New Homes for Sale
• Marietta New Homes for Sale
• Norcross New Homes for Sale
• Peachtree Corners New Homes for Sale
• Roswell New Homes for Sale
• Sandy Springs New Homes for Sale 
• Smyrna New Homes for Sale
• Snellville New Homes for Sale
• Sugar Hill New Homes for Sale
• Suwannee New Homes for Sale
• Vinings New Homes for Sale
• Woodstock New Homes for Sale

Vendors in real estate are a pet peeve of mine. No Word document is updated more frequently than our vendor list! More often than not, vendors can be the Unnecessary evil in our lives of Realtors! Painters, loan officers, handymen, electricians, roofers, closing attornies, and home inspectors are all the same. They beg to get on your list and ask that you give them a try...and over the years, most turn out mediocre in services, expensive, and yes even unreliable!
 
 Many vendors are like trying to shake a dog off your leg begging for a treat! They want to wine you and dine you...pretty packages show up at the office with bows on them, gift cards to Starbucks, and tickets to ball games cry out a subliminal "Use me, I'm the best!" You finally yield and give them the name of a client, and guess what? They drop the ball! They are asleep at the wheel! They do not deliver the quality of service they promised. In fact they are not even close! Oh there are a variety of reasons that they just won't work out! For the vendors that begged you for a chance to work with you, there is no shortage of excuses. I don't work weekends, I cannot fit you in for the next few weeks, or they don't return calls! As far as their service, or lack of service they are not competitive with their mortgage junk fees that are through the roof, they don't keep appointments or show up late, a clients smelled alcohol on their breath and won't used them, or they throw a fly in the ointment and suggest to your buyer they want to close at another attorney that in their opinion is cheaper, even though they are not!
 
It is the lack of performance of many vendors that can cast a pale shadow on our professional image as Realtors, raise questions about our own abilities, and can tarnish our reputations. I can understand how clients could lose faith in us. It should make us be reluctant to give names out to prospective clients without warning the client! The vendors that we place on our list are very good; however, we make it very clear to the vendors that we are not interested in any form of rebates, or gifts! We do stress that we expect performance and superior results to our clients. If not, they are removed from the list. All we want is service for clients. A satisfied customer is our best source of business referrals.

I recently read an economist view on the current events in real estate.  He charted all the way back into American history and came up with an interesting result!  Real estate is a cycle of booms and busts, and the cycle is 18 years.  There are many factors that contribute to the cycle, but ther run up,and cool off are very predictable. If you take the last bust of real estate it was 1988 add 18 to it and you get 2006.  This is the beginning of the downside of the cycle.  The cycle bottoms levels out and starts to rise again.  I think the article raised some very interesting points.  The 18-year cycle  it is also Called the Long Cycle!  What are your thoughts?