Marianne Cusato—author, designer, and creator of the critically-acclaimed “Katrina Cottages”—is out with a new book aimed at house hunters. On first glance, Just the Right Home: Buying, Renting, Moving—Or Just Dreaming—Find Your Perfect Match!, to be published April 2013, is aimed directly at your clients. However, there are some things real estate professionals might find useful, especially in the getting-to-know-you part of an agent-client relationship.
Throughout, Cusato engages in a frank discussion with her readers about what they really want in a house and why. You may be thinking, “Easy for her to do; she’s not talking to real people looking for real houses in a real market.” On the other hand, you may wish to adapt some of her probing questions and prioritizing checklists into your routine with buyers. And this book may be especially helpful for newer real estate professionals, to help them get inside the mind of the house hunter.
Credit: Pulpolux !!!
Perhaps the most enlightening part of the book is where Cusato talks about working with a real estate professional. She coaches buyers on how to be savvy in their choice of real estate professionals. She also notes how REALTORS® are different, mentioning the code of ethics and noting that they’re likely to be well connected, have a deep local knowledge, and be up on the latest industry news. But she also prepares readers with a dose of skepticism and a list of questions to ask agents who are looking to secure their business. Can you answer these questions? Continue reading »
In the classic cult comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Sir Arthur and his knights must answer three questions each in order to pass over a bridge. It’s a study in inanity, something those Pythons do wonderfully.
Bridgekeeper: Stop. Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see.
Sir Lancelot: Ask me the questions, bridgekeeper. I am not afraid.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your name?
Sir Lancelot: My name is Sir Lancelot of Camelot.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your quest?
Sir Lancelot: To seek the Holy Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your favourite colour?
Sir Lancelot: Blue.
Bridgekeeper: Go on. Off you go.
Sir Lancelot: Oh, thank you. Thank you very much.
…
Bridgekeeper: Stop. What… is your name?
Galahad: Sir Galahad of Camelot.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your quest?
Galahad: I seek the Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your favourite colour?
Galahad: Blue. No, yel…
[Galahad is thrown over the edge]
Galahad: auuuuuuuugh.
Bridgekeeper: Hee hee heh.
Does that sound familiar? How about this:
What… is your name?
What… is your price range?
What… is your favorite reason to pass on a house?
Jeff Shore wants you to move from what to why. In his new book, The 4:2 Formula: Getting Buyers Off the Fence and Into a Home, Shore pleads with readers to stop trying to get to know prospects by asking them how many bedrooms they want. Continue reading »
Edith Lank
National syndicated real estate columnist Edith Lank, author of Confessions of a Real Estate Columnist: I’ve Heard it All and So Should You (Dearborn Financial Publishing, 2007), responds to your questions.
I read in the book blog that you once held a real estate license and that your husband was a REALTOR®. So I’m interested to know your view of the real estate industry and the constant debate over the cost of brokerage services. What’s your response to the argument that it costs too much to sell a home?
LANK: My first reaction is that agents don’t seem to be all driving around in Mercedes Benzes. The practice of real estate can yield a decent income for a hard-working self-starter, but it’s interesting how many people enter the field only to leave within the first year when the work turns out to be too demanding of time and energy, with no guaranteed salary. As for the cost of brokerage services — I think discount brokerages, which charge low commission rates or flat fees for “unbundled” limited services, are just fine as long as sellers know what they’ll have to take on themselves. Problem is, many people think the job consists of finding someone who wants to buy the property. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Making sure the would-be buyer is financially qualified, negotiating a win-win agreement that suits everyone, and then running interference and clearing up problems all the way to closing are by far the biggest part of the job. Continue reading »
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