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Hi Folks. As we all know, nothing can derail a real estate transaction faster than a home inspection that uncovers "serious inspection issues".

Recently I had a home inspection done on one of my pending listings. It was an older property and I was a little bit nervous and hoping there wasn't going to be any major issues to deal with.

Anyway, shortly after the inspection was completed I get the e-mail from the selling agent to let me know we have "serious inspection issues." She also sent me a copy of the inspection report and the WDO (wood destroying organisms) report. Darn it!!! We have termites!,  wood rot and major AC issues.

Well, being the good little Broker that I am, I pick up the phone and call my "peeps", Wendal my HVAC guy, Dan the Termite Man and Khan my handyman and wood rot specialist. They all return my call within 5-10 minutes and stop what they are doing to go by the house and check it out. Within one hour, I have writen estimates from all three and time set aside on their schedules to get the repairs taken care of.

OK, now I'm prepared to call my Sellers. So I give them a call, explain the situation, go over the estimates and within 10 minutes I have authorization to move forward with the repairs.

Smartly, I had spent time during the listing presentation discussing inspections and repair issues and my Sellers were prepared. They understood that these were serious issues and would not just go away. So, they agreed to "let's solve the problem and close the transaction."

Now, a little over an hour after receiving the inspection report and e-mail from the selling agent, I give her a call. Folks, for some reason she seemed to be surprised that I called back so quickly, not to moan and groan about a problem, but to let her know the problem had been solved, repairs had been approved and scheduled and the signed repair addendum was on the way over from the Sellers. I think this REALTOR(R) will be happy to show and sell my listings in the future.

What could have been a deal breaker was not even a bump in the road. It was just a few calls to the right "peeps" and a well informed Seller. We were back on track.

Folks, it's all about educating your customers/clients and having people that you have worked with for years who are willing to drop everything and help you out when you need them.

So, have you built and nurtured your business relationships("peeps")? Are you in a position to solve problems this quickly? Are your Customers/clients educated and well aware of issues that my arise during the contract period? I hope so. There's a lot more involved with being a listing Broker...... than marketing.

Broker Bryant's Tips

1. Educate your Sellers at time of listing
2. Get estimates for repairs so the seller can make an informed decision. It's rarely as bad as they will imagine.
3. Have "peeps" that you can depend on. Make sure they get paid quickly. 
4. Repairs issues will not just go away. The seller will pay one way or the other. Best to just do them and close the deal.

That's it. What say you?

Have I ever told you how much I love expired listings? Well.....I'm going to tell you again just in case you didn't hear me the first time.

If you read my blog then you know I LOVE expired and withdrawn listings. They are by far, my number one source of business, even though blogging is slowly catching up.

I have been soliciting expired listings, every day, for 13 years. It's one of the things I never stop doing and it's also something I have to do first thing every day or my whole day is thrown off track. I've made it a habit.

It's my opinion, as a listing Broker, that there is no better way to get listings. I mean think about it, these folks have already decided to sell and they have already decided to use a REALTOR®. How can it get any better than that? It can't.

If you want to be a listing Broker, you really need to make this part of your marketing plan. Whether you are in a Seller's market or a Buyer's market the person with listings rules. Of course, this assumes they are priced right and ready for the market. I am not an advocate of taking every listing that comes your way. I strongly believe you should pick and choose and only list properties you can sell.

One of the advantages of having an expired listings program in place, is, if you are consistent with it, you will get enough real Sellers calling that you have the luxury of only taking good saleable listings.

I actually turn down more listings than I take. Unfortunately, in my market, Poinciana Fl, many potential Sellers owe way more than I can reasonably expect to sell their property for so I have to turn them down. With very few exceptions, I'm too busy to deal with short sale listings right now.

OK, back to my expired listings program. First, I believe in simple. If it's too complicated you'll find reasons not to do it. So this is what I do and what works in my market. I mail one letter, to every expired or withdrawn listing in my market area, every day. That's it!!! I don't call them. I don't knock on their door and I don't follow up with them. One letter, one time, every listing, every day. Is that easy enough for you?

Here's the key. Just do it. That's it folks my big secret. Just do it. OK, so since you asked, I'll give you a little more information:

• Don't try to pick and choose which listings you feel will list with you. Hit them all.

• Have a standard letter and just personalize the envelope.

• Mail to the address in the tax records.

• Don't try to see if they have re-listed. What difference does it make? If their listing expired you are within your right to send them a letter. They may list with you the next time around.

• Make it a one page letter with some color and enclose a business card.

• Make sure your letter has your website and blog address.

Here's another add on advantage to working the expired listings market every day. It forces you to look at your MLS Hot sheet. Every morning I see what's new on the market, what sold, what was reduced, what went pending, what expired and what was withdrawn. Can you imagine how much market knowledge I have just by doing this one thing, every day, for 13 years? Well, I'll tell you, it's a lot!

Now folks, don't start this program and then start complaining because you haven't received a listing call from it in 4 months, "the program doesn't work". If it doesn't work it's because you quit. I don't care what kind of marketing you are doing, if you don't commit to at least a year, you are wasting your time and your money.

If you are in a difficult market then there is no better time to start taking listings. It will give you increased visibility in your market. It will give you a better chance of getting some sales and it will help you improve on your communication skills. It's not easy keeping a Seller appeased for months on end. Now's the perfect time to learn this skill.

Trust me on this, when the market changes, the folks with a ton of good saleable listings will dominate. If I were you, I would start loading up, while they are so easy to get. I hope this post helps you to get motivated. Don't put it on your "to do" list.....just do it!

Heck, I'll even help. The letter I use is imbedded in this post here. Feel free to modify it to work in your market and go for it. The rest is up to you. Just stick it in a envelope and lick the darn stamp! Do it! Will you?

Bryant Tutas
Broker/Owner
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker
http://CentralFloridaShortSales.com

http://ShortSaleSuperStars.com

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Copyright © 2009 http://www.brokerbryant.com/ | All Rights Reserved

Hi folks. I’ve read a couple of posts this week that have left me scratching my head. Both were about listing agents and their “unethical” practice of not handling multiple offers according to the Buyer agent’s expectations.

In the comments on these posts the listing agents were called lazy, unethical, unprofessional, bad, rude, unfair and greedy. The consensus was that “The listing agent was not looking out for the Seller‘s best interest.”

Well my question is: “How do you know what’s in my Seller’s best interest”. The answer of course is “you don’t“. You have no clue what my Seller and I have discussed.

As a listing Broker it is my job to counsel my sellers. My Sellers need to know that they do not have to…….

…..disclose multiple offers.
…..counter offer.
…..ask for “highest and best”.
…..even acknowledge your Buyer’s offer.

There are many reason why NOT disclosing multiple offers or asking for “Highest and Best” may be the best way forward.

• The Buyer may NOT submit an offer if they know there are multiple offers.

• A Buyer may also NOT want to get caught up in a bidding war.

• By disclosing multiple offers I could very well keep my Seller from getting a better offer.

I can’t even count how many times a Buyer’s agent has called me to say they were sending over an offer. Frankly it goes in one ear and out the other. I NEVER believe them. I am not going to contact my Seller and get them all excited only to have to let them down when the offer does not materialize.

Send me the offer and I’ll present it to the Seller. And send me a COMPLETE offer. Telling me you will provide a pre-approval and/or proof of funds tomorrow does my Seller or your Buyer no good. Without these items the offer will not be presented. It’s a non offer.

As an example: I received an offer on one of my short sale listings on Friday. It was cash and very low. It was also sent over with out proof of funds (POF). I emailed the agent and asked them for the POF.

I didn’t receive POF until Monday and then......I couldn’t read it. I had to ask the agent to resend it. It took the agent took another 24 hours. Finally, 5 days later, I was able to discuss the offer with my Seller.

My Seller countered. Shortly after that we received a far better offer that my Seller will probably accept. After discussing it we decided to ask the cash offer for “Highest and Best” just to see if they would come up.

I received an email from the agent moaning that she thought her Buyers would get an answer today and that they were not happy with “Highest and best” and were in fact upset that there were now multiple offers because we “didn’t disclose this to them”.

Now if this agent were a Blogger she would probably write a post about how  lazy, unethical, unprofessional, bad, rude, unfair and greedy I am. And how “I’m not looking out for my Seller’s best interest.”

But that’s OK. My Seller just accepted the other offer that was $15,000 better than the cash offer. I really don’t give a crap what the Buyer’s agent and the Buyer think. I work for the Seller. They are the one’s paying me.

While I certainly agree with having “professional courtesy” it does not extend to giving you insider information to help you negotiate a real estate transaction. Always remember who you are working for.

If your expectations are different....then you are setting yourself and your Buyers up for failure. That’s all I have to say about that. What say you?

More articles on handling multiple offers.

Video is the property of ROAR!! Productions. Hands off!!

Bryant Tutas
Broker/Owner
Tutas Towne Realty, Inc
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker
http://CentralFloridaShortSales.com

http://ShortSaleSuperStars.com

***The content of this blog is solely my opinion***

Copyright © 2009 http://www.brokerbryant.com/ | All Rights Reserved

Hi folks. I have on occasion been accused of being "cocky" or "arrogant" when it comes to my selling style. Of course the reality is....it's just confidence. I have an over abundance of it.

When meeting with a potential buyer/seller my technique is to educate them. I'm not selling at all. I'm teaching  them and giving them the information they need to make an informed decision. By doing this I'm building trust.

If you are having a difficult time "selling" folks it's because you are asking for the business prior to building trust. Building trust is the main ingredient to any sales job. And trust is built by really being knowledgeable about what you do and  having the ability to present that knowledge to your potential customer/client  in a confident manner. Confidence is contagious.Your confident manner will give them confidence in you.

And listen to them. I mean really listen. Get off the stage and place your client up there. Let them tell you what they are trying to achieve and then show them how you are going to help them achieve it.

Our job is NOT about selling it's about building relationships and solving problems. If you are trying to sell people you are missing the boat. I'm a trusted adviser, a negotiator, a friend, a calming force and a problem solver. Forget about the sale. Forget about the commission and concentrate on the people sitting in front of you.

Am I really arrogant?

Are you a Florida REALTOR(R) looking for a change? Check it out. http://TTRealtyNet.com

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 Copyright © 2009 http://www.brokerbryant.com/ | All Rights Reserved

Hi folks. Recently I received an email from an agent asking me about Listing Presentations. I've written often on how I handle my presentations. Here are the basics.

First, I want to let you know that my listing presentation may be a little different than most. I've never had any training and I've never been on a listing presentation with anyone. I haven't read the book and I didn't listen to the tapes. My presentation was learned by 15 years of trial and error.

To me, the most important part of the listing presentation, is the phone interview, prior to me meeting with the potential Seller. By the way, the Seller is not interviewing me, I am interviewing them. When a potential Seller calls me, I always chit chat for a few minutes, get the address of their property, their phone number and tell them I will call them back in a few minutes when I can give them my full attention. What I'm doing is delaying the conversation to give me time to research their property. It only takes a few minutes but I want to find out as much as I can before I call them back.

When I call them back, normally within about 15 minutes, I already know how much they paid for the property, how long they've owned it and what range the value should fall in. I've sold a lot of properties in my market, so my rough estimate of value will be within $5,000 to $10,000 with out even seeing the property. Now what I need to know from them is:

• Why are you selling?

• How much do you owe?

• Where are you moving to?

• What do you feel your house is worth and why?

If the answers to these questions are satisfactory, I make an appointment to meet with them. This is what I say:

•  "OK so let's set a time to get together so I can look at your property. Once I've seen it I will be able to give you a precise estimate of where we need to price your house to get it sold. What's your schedule like? You don't get home until 6 pm during the week? Sorry I don't do evening appointments. I'm a morning guy and I want to be 100% when we get together. Are you off on Saturday? Great, let's get together Saturday at 11. That will give me time to get all my information together, so when we meet, we can get your house on the market right away. See you then. Oh, before I forget what's your E-mail address? I want to send you some info so you can read up on me and also see how I handle my marketing and how your property will be displayed on my website".

Now folks, as you can tell, I have already taken their listing in my mind. I will send them an e-mail as I told them I would and they can do their own research on my services. I do not need to rehash this with them when we meet. I have also already pre-qualified them and know that they have a property I will be able to price right and get sold.

When I do meet with them, it is really just to get to know them a little better and to go over pricing with them. I do not go over marketing or any of that stuff. Once I have given them my pricing strategy I immediately start talking about how showings will work, how we negotiate offers together, the possibility of Buyers asking for closing costs, inspection and repair issues, prequalification letters, the closing process etc... What I am doing is keeping them focused on selling and closing NOT whether or not to list with me.

My strategy, cocky or not, is that I am the one deciding whether or not I want to list their property not vice versa. I have a lot of confidence in my ability to sell their house and I want them to "feel" this from me. I do not beg for listings. I do not fear losing the listing. My job is to give them the truth about the market and what it will take to get their house sold. If for some reason they do not want to list with me, at the price I have recommended, then there are no hard feelings. I wish them luck and I leave.

I leave them knowing that they can call me anytime, whether it's to list at a later date or if they just have questions. I am there for them when they are ready to take my advice. I never burn my bridges. 

Broker Bryant's tips:

• Always be 100% honest about pricing.

• Tell Sellers what they need to know NOT what they want to hear.

• Be genuine. Folks can tell when you are faking.

• Concentrate on what they are trying to achieve NOT how good you are.

• The listing presentation is about them NOT you.

• Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen.

Got any tips for me?  

• Make your listing presentation a listening presentation!
• Sellers are not stupid!
• Lock and load, baby! (90 minutes, sign in the ground)
• 45 day listing agreements. Weak?...I don't think so!
• My listing has already been sold! 

Are you a Florida REALTOR(R) looking for a change? Check it out. http://TTRealtyNet.com

CENTRAL FLORIDA REALTOR(r) OPPORTUNITIES

 Copyright © 2009 http://www.brokerbryant.com/ | All Rights Reserved