Will Higher Commissions and Bonuses Sell My House?

Realtor leaving house with Priced Reduced sign

I see this question online and hear it time and time again.  The answer is ‘no’ – and ‘yes’.  Let me explain. It is important to know what is common in your local market to offer the Buyers’ Agent.  The compensation that you pay your Listing Broker is usually split so that 50% goes to the [...]

More Bad Photos

room-corner

I can’t help myself.  I don’t want to pick on my colleagues but really, some of this just begs to be picked on.  And in the interest of supporting those that are seriously trying to sell their homes, I need you to be aware of the importance of photography. I know this is some of [...]

Not Much ‘Relief’ in this Housing Bill

capitalgainsexclusion

The President signed the Housing Bill last week.  I’ve been reluctant to talk too much about it until I had a chance to understand some of the particulars.  I’ve learned a lot in the last week about it and consumer beware be aware.  There is a lot of hype and I’m not sure much help here. The [...]

Orange County Sales – 1 in 4 Have Been In Foreclosure

Housing market collapse

‘Foreclosure frequency in O.C. looks pretty good vs. the rest of the state, where 40% of second-quarter sales had previously been through a foreclosure (And it was 73.3% in Merced!)’, according to Jonathon Lansneron his Orange County Real Estate Blog.  He also stated that Orange County didn’t look too bad by comparison.  25.1% of OC [...]

The Reputation Of Your Agent Can Impact Your Sale

There is a great article on Agent Genius that is worth checking out.  The audience for the article is intended to be other agents.  But as a seller selecting an agent, it is equally critical to understand the role this plays. For example, did you hire an agent that was happy to take your overpriced listing?  [...]

The Hits Just Keep on Coming…Another Bank Bites the Dust

bank-bites-the-dust

Another bank falls apart, 1st Heritage Bank.  This is the first local one to fail in Orange County since 1994, according to Jonathon Lansner.  Check out Jonathon’s article for full details. We’re not through this thing yet, not by a long shot.