Austin Texas Real Estate Blog (and other stuff)

Quick disclaimer: I really want to start a discussion with this post, not an argument. I recognize that the ideas below might not be watertight yet, but I think it's worth discussing. Nothing here is meant to indicate that we should all agree on how to do business OR how much to charge, because t...

I have been licensed and selling full-time in Austin since 1997, so I'm fast approaching my 18 year anniversary in the business. Years ago, I remember seeing all of those letters after agents' names and I remember wondering what they were for: CRS, GRI, ABR, CCIM? I have owned my own company sinc...

This was inspired by my friend Greg Nino's post from yesterday, "What My Seller Had to Say About "Door Knockers". It made me think about some of the sillier marketing ideas I've heard over the years, and it reminded me of a larger marketing principle that I learned years ago. As a quick aside, I ...

Over the past 2-3 years or so, prices in Austin, Texas have been skyrocketing in many areas. As a result, I've seen many buyers wait too long to purchase, only to find that they are unable to qualify when they are ready to go. I helped two different young ladies earlier this year who were both in...

I am not posing as a marketing expert, although I have always loved learning about marketing and advertisting, and I took every class on the subject when I was in college, and I've read so many books on this topic that my wife wonders when I will write one.  Having said that, as a consumer who ha...

Over the past couple of years, I would estimate that 60-70% of the deals I've handled have involved multiple offers. If a home is priced correctly, it will sell. Even though we're in a seasonally slow time of year, the last two offers I wrote for buyer clients were turned down, even though both o...

"Zeroscaping" doesn't exist. You may have heard a friend talking about "Zeroscaping" their new home, especially around Austin where it seems we are constantly under various watering restrictions. Simply put, there is no such thing as "Zeroscaping". The word you're looking for when talking about l...

    Referrals are the lifeblood of a successful career in real estate. I'm thankful to have been the recipient of many buyer and seller referrals over the years, and the percentage seems to increase each year, it seems, at least when times are good. I could certainly do a better job of nurturing ...

I lost one of my favorite people in the world today. My good friend, Russell Lewis, passed away this morning from esophageal cancer. Thanks to his wife, Margaret, I was able to see him Saturday afternoon for a couple of hours. He apologized so many times for being sick, which struck me as poignan...

With a post this past week entitled, "It's Official: Real Estate Agents Are In It For the Money", Motley Fool has joined the ranks of those who feel compelled and qualified to criticize our industry, which is one of the few bright spots in our economy in recent years. The article was written by A...