Five Charactertistics of Lazy Agents

May 18, 2016

I think it is fair to say that if you do three of five of these you are a lazy agent. If you just do two you are probably ok...

1) They don't print out the client detail reports for a showing: Instead of handing their buyers the actual listing sheet, they secretly glance at an email on their iPhone that they sent themselves. Then, they shout out the "important" stuff like the year it was built, square footage, and HOA's.

Excuse: You don't have a printer and you didn't want to go to your office (fair). Also, you look like you actually did research by "memorizing" how long it's been on the market.

2) They don't meet their buyers at open houses: It's easy to send your buyers to opens by themselves because the other agent is there. But, that should be the exact reason you don't do it. What do you think the other agent is telling your client? I'll tell you: "Your agent isn't here? You should work with me I will go with you to every showing."

Excuse: You haven't played this course before and you already had a tee time over a month ago. They don't need you there for every single home.

3) They take their own MLS photos without hiring a professional photographer: Basically, they are cheap AF and are destroying their own listing by marketing it with Polaroids.

Excuse: You are an idiot.

4) They only set up a "couple" open house signs: They put up like one beat up sign in front of the house and maybe one other down the street. This may not seem like a big deal because most people find the opens in their area with the click of their thumb on a smart phone. However, there are always a few guests that come in because they "saw the signs."

Excuse: Setting up open house signs it the absolute worst. It's dirty, it's demoralizing, and it's inconvenient. Also, you don't have room in your car and hearing them rattle around your trunk is extremely annoying. "Setting up a sign isn't going to sell this house."

5) They don't prepare the house properly for a showing: They greet you at the door and turn on all the lights as you and your client walk through the dark house. There's nothing worse than explaining to your client that the place: "actually looks good when it's lit up and open."

Excuse: You didn't have time? I don't know we've all been squeezed between showings before, but this shouldn't happen.

There you have it. If you do three of five of these things you are a lazy agent. Unlike high school and college, being lazy is not a cool thing to be in real estate.

Five Reasons to Work With A Millennial Real Estate Agent

May 16, 2016

1) Quick Response Time

You don't have to wait fourteen hours to get a response from a millennial. Chances are, we are already on our phones flicking through Instagram or SnapChatting our sashimi. Also, we are constantly checking our email to check our transaction history on Venmo.

2) Tech Savvy

We actually know how to use our phones and utilize the newest apps and technologies to help keep our clients updated. A lot of "experienced" agents are afraid to adopt new strategies because their traditional ways have worked in the past. Millennials are open to evolve.

3) Emotional Involvement

This may be a good thing or it may be a bad thing. But, when a transaction falls apart we don't just go back home and carry on with our lives. We go to the bar and rip fourteen tequila shots to deal with the emotional stress and loss of commission. We take it personally. But, we wake up determined (and hungover) to make sure that the next deal does go through. We can't cope with failure.

4) Personal Experience

Most millennial realtors do not have an entire team working for them. We deal with our clients personally. Clients won't have to fight through a wave of assistants and unpaid interns to talk to us. We do our own work and we sit our own open houses.

5) We Party

When a deal closes we want to party with you. Hell, when a deal doesn't close we want to party with you. Either way, we know how to have fun and make light of situations that some agents would take too seriously. Also, we play sick music on the way to showings and we make you feel cool when we hand you the keys.

How To Become A Successful Realtor: Be Rich and Know Other Rich People

May 9, 2016

This is the most honest blog title on the internet.

Wouldn't it be refreshing to hear someone tell you that they became successful in real estate because they were rich and knew a bunch of other rich people? Picture this: a successful realtor is on a panel at a conference and gets asked what he does to generate new leads. He responds by saying: "Well, I come from a lot of money. My father got involved in the Entertainment industry at an early age and basically knows everybody from Al Pacino to Kendall Jenner. Because of how rich we are, I grew up in a rich neighborhood and played with all of the other rich kids. In fact, I used to go to Greece every summer with Kate Winslet. As I grew up I went to a high school in Beverly Hills where I met other rich as hell students. I obviously skipped college because I didn't need to learn anything or work a day in my life. So, I got my real estate license. I don't even really know how to properly fill out a purchase agreement. In fact, I outsource most of logistical tasks to my team. But, I have the best connections on the planet. So, every time someone famous wants to buy or sell a home, they use me. I haven't cold called once. I haven't door knocked. The leads come to me. You can get a real estate coach, build your brand, farm neighborhoods, and work your sphere of influence...but it will never be as effective as already knowing rich people."

(Drops mic) - Crowd silenced

That was purposefully a little extreme. But, I think it would be awesome for one of these millionaire agents to actually admit something like that! Obviously, not every successful agent is born with connections. But, it seems like this particular aspect of real estate always seems to go unspoken. Is it because it is superficial and people are scared of how it would sound? What if a real estate coach actually told you to befriend rich people and use their connections? I know that is taboo and "unethical," but it makes more sense than blindly calling a bunch of numbers that don't work! All I am saying is that I am sick of hearing success stories of the agents who claim that their work ethic and desire got them business. Like...you failed to mention that your dad owns the brokerage.

This Week: What to Talk About with Your Clients

April 18, 2016

As real estate agents, we are constantly put in situations where we have to talk to people. Sometimes it can get awkward. So, every Monday I am going to give you a list of five conversation points to discuss with your coworkers, clients, or whoever you run into.

1) Market update: San Francisco Giants pitching coach puts Los Altos Hills home on the market for $5.9 million.

Who cares?

2) The NBA Playoffs just started.

It is the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Golden State Warriors finished with the best record in regular season history at 73-9. They look to continue their dominance in the Playoffs with a potential intriguing second round matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. Steph Curry has a delicate ankle.

3) Coachella was this weekend.

In case you don't have Instagram, Weekend 1 of Coachella finished last night with a performance from Calvin Harris. The other headliners were Guns N' Roses and LCD Soundsystem. Contrary to the rumors, Daft Punk did not make a surprise performance.

4) Silicon Valley Season 3 starts April 24th.