The ReBlogged - Real Estate Industry Blog

Image by thinkpanama via FlickrWhat is the Biggest Mistake Made by Home Sellers in Today's Real Estate Market?

Today I read that I may be making a BIG MISTAKE as the seller of my residence in today's Real estate market. While this is not something I have spent a great deal of time thinking about, (but will now), my reaction was "shocked" thinking that this was already common knowledge?

Sellers and Agents, what would you do in the case of a lowball offer on your property?

As a home seller, maybe you weren't aware that's there one huge mistake you may be making. If that's the case, I want to show you how to correct that mistake and get all the money you deserve from your property!

Okay, what's the biggest mistake made by sellers in the current real estate market? The answer may surprise you. By far, the biggest mistake is... Not making a counteroffer on purchase offers you deny! It's one of those things that's so simple and so obvious that we tend to overlook it. Let me explain why counteroffers are so important.

When a buyer comes in with a low price, many sellers get insulted and automatically cross that buyer off the list. This is a HUGE MISTAKE!


A lot of buyers come in at a low price on the first offer just to see what will happen, and that's true even when they're prepared to pay full price. In other words, they're testing the waters and hoping to get lucky.

So, instead of blowing them off, try to come to an agreement with an offer of your own that's below what you're asking but above what they offer. Your aim is to keep the lines of communication open.


Here's the "nitty gritty" of any home transaction: the buyer wants to pay as little as possible while you want them to pay as much as possible. That's why they call it "negotiating." So, remember, counteroffers can be a great way to sell and buy a home. 

You want an experienced pro who knows all about negotiations and counteroffers. In this situation, you definitely need a true professional, someone who's preferably done a number of successful deals.

Now I may have been born in a barn, and maybe even left the door open a few times, but is this the message needing to be sent out to a seller in today's market?

I'm not sure what to believe, the fact that 1) there might really be sellers out there who need to know and implement this advice, or that 2) there are Agents out there who would not already be advising their clients of this very obvious concept and scenario?!?

With all due respect and admiration for ALL my fellow friends and industry professionals, I do hope this is something you're already doing, but if not, I promise I won't tell anyone that you were here reading this.... and then changed your ways. :-)

reblogged from a spam email sent out...

Reinventing the way Agents practice real estate
Agents now have a useful, more intimate version of the laptop

"Most agents use laptops in their office.  Some even use them for presentations.  Almost no one uses a laptop when they are out showing clients properties.  At any level.  An agent can use the iPad to quickly and impressively deliver and present information to their clients.  You’re buyer wants to see the tax records on the house you’re looking at right now?  Pull them up immediately on your iPad.  It’s either in your hand or in your briefcase...."

ReBlogged from: Ben Roberts @ The Exit Pro

Reblogged by: Allen F. Hainge - Founder of the CyberStars

"Ever felt that you, as a real estate agent, are on “information overload” when it comes to available technology?  Such information overload can lead to “Analysis Paralysis” when it comes to selecting technology that will help your real estate business."

150+ of the Best Speakers in the Industry Will be at Connect NYC.

Inman Connect is coming to New York City on January 12th, 2010.  There will also be a Real Estate RainCamp the day before which has been touted as one of the "Best One Day Conferences" in the industry for the money.  If you want to stay ahead of the competition in 2010, you need to learn how to use the tools available and understand Social Media Marketing and Networking.

The greatest sources and resources in Real Estate will be at both RainCamp and Inman Connect. The question is.. will you be there?

Using Twitter for Real Estate Business - New Web Tool

Real Estate and Social Media go hand-in-hand in today's market.  As more and more Real Estate Industry Professionals jump on the Twitter, FaceBook and Social Media wagons, it's important...no, critical that you understand why and how to use these tools for your Real Estate Business.

"While some social media gurus will tell you to jump into social media, get a feel for it and adapt, we encourage seeking out and implementing tools that track your use because we’re not here to play, we’re here to do business." Lani Rosales~

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6 Ways to Get Your Blog Ranked High on Google

"Recognized Expert, Active Rain, and Christian Blog are all examples of niche community blog sites. Recognized Expert is a site for marketing experts, Active Rain is for real estate professionals and the Christian blog is for, you guessed it, Christians. These niche sites have tons of traffic along with the undivided attention of Google and the other search engines."

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Turn FaceBook into a Marketing Machine for Real Estate


"If you are one of the 10's of thousands of REALTORS to already create a Facebook profile, you may be enjoying networking with your old high school friends, family and industry colleagues.  Facebook can be addictingly fun, and can take up an enormous amount of time in your day if you let it, but is it working for you as a prospecting tool?  Are you making money from the time that you invest 'playing' on Facebook."

HP and REALTOR® Magazine promote the Nat'l Marketing Challenge to REALTORS® at NAR San Diego 2009. The Marketing Makeover, Stage your Business for Success. 



"HP today kicked off several initiatives for real estate professionals at the 2009 National Association of REALTORS® Conference and Expo."

"At the HP-sponsored Young Professionals Network event tonight, the company will showcase the winners of its fifth HP Real Estate Technology contest, which recognizes real estate professionals who have gained a competitive advantage by using technology both in and out of the office.

"In addition, HP and REALTOR® Magazine have opened the search for five association members to participate in their first-ever national marketing challenge, “The Marketing Makeover: Stage Your Business for Success.” The REALTOR who wins will receive a prize package worth $4,000 and be featured in the magazine."

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In today's Social Media and Marketing arena, you had better have a smart and effective Marketing Plan.  Technorati published a post today that is a "must read" if you want to be successful in Social Media Marketing. 

What steps for success are you willing to implement and invest into your business?

"There are more than 300 social media sites listed in the 2010 Social Media Directory. Inside those site are tens of thousands of groups. In those groups are hundreds of millions of people."

Read Original Article at: Technorati

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"Realtors are being encouraged to start a blog, to obtain accounts on Twitter and Facebook, and to find any other social media outlet to connect with the consumers. Now that Google and others are listing the latest tweets, it might be encouraging to have homes listed in this medium. In fact, you can find blogs and Twitter accounts dedicated to the selling of one home."

By Frank Schulte-Ladbeck

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A fantastic post by Dean Guadagni from DeansGuide:

10 Reasons Why Realtors Should Blog: There Are No Excuses

"In today’s world, Corporations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs have adopted blogging in a steady stream since the advent of Web 2.0. The actual number of established blogs is in debate, yet the rough estimate is that their are over 150,000,000 blogs in existence today."

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More, more, more real estate in Google Maps

"First of all, we've made it easier to find real estate listings. Now, you can simply select "Real Estate" from the 'More' button on the top right of any Google Map to discover listings.  From there, it's a simple matter to refine your search using the left hand panel - price, bedrooms, bathrooms, and so on.  Of course, you can still pan the map to search for the perfect neighborhood and it'll automatically update with more listings." 

Read more... Google LatLong: More, more, more real estate in Google Maps: "*"

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"Here are some of the big problems our nation (and world) face currently that I believe need addressed and possible solutions proposed. I don't claim to have all the correct answers, but I believe the media is corporately/politically driven and many of our real problems aren't even being talked about to the extent that they should."

reBlog from JimmyZ57: The Real Estate Tomato

What is it? VirtualREBarCamp is a One Day, All-Day, Online Real Estate BarCamp. The REBarCamp phenomenon has exploded over the last year with dozens of in-real-life gatherings where the real estate community comes together to discuss and demystify the current trends in technology and marketing. The goal of VirtualREBarCamp is to bring this experience to you as opposed to having to bring yourself to it. – In place of a rented venue, we'll be holding the event online.– In place of break-out sessions in rooms, we'll we have simultaneous webinars, all day.– In place of the hallways, we will be chatting on Twitter, Facebook, Backnoise and TomatoChat.– In place of traveling you'll be able to attend from the comfort of your home or office.– In place of an impromptu calendar, we will be filling presentation slots all month.

JimmyZ57, The Real Estate Tomato, Oct 2009

reBlog from RealBird:

The easiest way to imagine how a Google Wave application will look like is to take all the scenarios where you or your visitors or your clients initiate an email conversation. Replace the email communication with Wave and imagine how much better the whole process will be when other stakeholders and 3rd party information can be attached to the conversation thread.  RealBird, Real Estate Blog - Google Wave will change the way real estate transactions are conducted online, Oct 2009

Image via CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

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