It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog about Bad MLS Photos. Here are several photos that may give you a few laughs and make you wonder how they represent a house in the best possible light. If you come across a bad MLS photo, let me know and it may be featured on this blog in the future. Email your name and a link to blog@metrobrokers.com. If you know the city where the listing is located and/or the MLS number, please include it. Feel...

“We start out wanting to do good and wind up wanting to do well” – Michael Josephson. Real estate is a complex business at its best. Meeting and cultivating prospective clients takes time, creativity, patience and stamina. Showing properties to prospective buyers or attracting prospective buyers to listed properties takes research, persistence and a LOT of energy. Overcoming objections to making an offer or negotiating an offer could try the...

Most agents and homebuyers are not aware that the IRS is often one of the major delays to be able to meet the closing date on time. You may be asking, “How does the IRS delay the mortgage process?” Well, every mortgage lender in the U.S. today must obtain the IRS transcripts for the homebuyer’s last 2 years of filed federal tax returns. These transcripts are provided by the IRS once the mortgage lender sends in the signed 4506-T form that...

I’ve attended quite a few conferences and trade shows in my time, and I think it’s important for agents to regularly attend these local events. There are several benefits of attending – first and foremost being the opportunity to get a leg up on your competition by keeping up with the latest trends in the business. It’s also a great time to network with other agents to find out what’s working (and not working) for them. Trade shows are a...

  Remodeling Magazine’s latest Cost Versus Value Report 2010-2011 has been released and it revealed that the recent declines in housing are having substantial effects on the remodeling market.   Unfortunately for homeowners, there has been a downward trend since 2006 in the cost-to-value ratio, though now this pace has quickened, falling 3.8 percent in the last year. While homeowners were once able to make upgrades and additions...