<rant> There are bad apples in Real Estate, we all know that!  There is plenty of greed, incompetence, disloyalty, and plenty of other less than honest traits in this business — on both sides of the table. The struggling state of the economy brings out the best and the worst in people.  In our best [...]

From the 2007 National Association of REALTORS® Member Profile 60% of REALTORS® typically work at least 40 hours per week. 25% of a REALTOR®’s business is based on referrals from past customers. Half of REALTORS® are affiliated with independent, non-franchised firms (local Brokerages). The median income for a REALTOR® working 40-59 hours per week is [...]

A recent topic of conversation brought up by my clients and friends is of the fate of Austin’s Realtors®.  We all know the typical narcissistic reputation of Realtors® brought on by a few out-spoken but bad apples.  So the big question is… “Is the housing downturn weeding out those in the business for the wrong [...]

Real estate is a viciously competitive business in Austin. How do you choose your REALTOR®? How do you choose any professional? Relation to a family friend? Referral from a friend? Fancy website? Use of technology? Use of traditional methods (ie a traditional salesman)? Someone whose personality is similar to your own? Dedication to the job? [...]

After my recent post “We Are the Real Estate Experts, Aren’t We?” you may argue that large, national chain brokerages may be better because they have the resources and the budgets for agent raining and education. And while I think that these Brokerages are a great place for new agents to start for that reason, [...]

I know that I have a pretty strong mix of consumers and Realtors® reading this blog and this is an issue that really matters to both. What is the value of a Realtor®, what are the basic levels of experience you expect, and should standards be raised? I read a blog for agents several times [...]

From the National Association of Realtors® Housing Market Facts Website (http://housingmarketfacts.com/). I was reminded of this site after seeing another TV commercial by NAR as a part of their public awareness campaign. Real Estate as a Long-Term Investment Real estate is an investment in the future and includes social and economic benefits. Homeowners are more [...]

Calling Austin Realtor®s! I found a great new resource while reading the Agent Genius blog called RealBird.  This great new listing marketing service has innovative features including yellow pages, a listing publisher, and my favorite, a map-based MLS system.  There are many great widgets that integrate with other sites including Active Rain. Sign up and [...]