Real Estate Sales

Inventory and Sales Almost Equal, Is This The Bottom?

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Look at this chart from Calculated Risk carefully. If you need to see a bigger version, click on it or here.
This is the scary part. It looks like we may hit a point where the inventory of homes [...]

24May2008 | Tom Royce | 2 comments | Continued

New Jersey Realtors Mad At NAR Over Inflated Numbers

The public who follows real estate reporting, i.e. my readers, have long been amused and baffled at the overly optimistic numbers that the National Association Of Realtors has put out. Well, a new group of folks are getting annoyed at what is perceived as grandstanding by the NAR.
Actual dues paying New Jersey Realtors.
The [...]

23May2008 | Tom Royce | 1 comment | Continued

Certified ‘Preowned’ Homes - Or Selling Homes Like Cars

You got to give ZipRealty credit.
First they treat their employees like car salesman, now they are treating the homes like cars.
According to Luke Mullins at US News and World Report, ZipRealty is offering a Certified Preowned Warranty on homes that pass a 24 point inspection. While it is not a bad idea and will appeal [...]

17May2008 | Tom Royce | 4 comments | Continued

Some Classic Ideas On Word Of Mouth Marketing For Real Estate Agents

If you are a real estate agent, you have uttered the less than memorable phrase, “Please tell your friends about me.” But the question that you need to ask is why should they?
Seriously, did you go that extra mile in marketing, consultation, or execution that would make you memorable? For someone to talk about you [...]

16May2008 | Tom Royce | 2 comments | Continued

Failure and Success - Michael Jordon Commercial

This advertisement from Nike is so dead on. For agents and non agents, to be the best you have to be willing to fail publicly. As Michael Jordon said, “26 times I have been trusted to take the game winning shot and I have missed.”
Are you willing to step up and take the game winning [...]

14May2008 | Tom Royce | 1 comment | Continued

Breaking the Real Estate “Walled Garden” Of Information

The real estate world has always protected their MLS data like it was gold, and to them it is. Go to almost any real estate office and see the security that is put on the MLS computers. If you think of Fort Knox you are not far off. But the protection of the data that [...]

12May2008 | Tom Royce | 8 comments | Continued

Home Managers An Alternative To Selling Empty Home

If you have luxury properties that are sitting empty you may look into a breed of professional home sitters, the home manager. Homes tend to maintain so much better when someone is living in it. The homes also show to potential buyers when they are under constant care.
The home managers job is to maintain [...]

11May2008 | Tom Royce | 0 comments | Continued

Generational Marketing For Real Estate Agents

I just read a great article over at Copyblogger on Generational Marketing.
Really, go read it now, here is the link;
Are You Talkin’ to My Generation?
Are you back? Okay, great, lets move forward.
Here is my question for the real estate agents out there.
Who is the customer for the homes you are selling?
Not all of [...]

5May2008 | Tom Royce | 3 comments | Continued

United States Has 129.4 Million Homes- 18.6 Million of Whom Are Vacant

The United States real estate market has an inventory problem. When there are over 18 million empty homes across the country we have no reason to continue to build new homes. If this were a logical marketplace we would tell builders to take a 2 year moratorium until absorption met demand.
Instead we have builders building [...]

29Apr2008 | Tom Royce | 2 comments | Continued

NAR President Shows New Fangled Real Estate Technology - Like The Typewriter

The National Association of Realtors has released a video today showing how the Past President of the NAR Pat Combs uses her technology. She shows how cool the concept of scanning documents makes her state of the art instead of using a fax machine.
While it is not all bad, all I have to say [...]

25Apr2008 | Tom Royce | 6 comments | Continued