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Staging, truth in advertising and dressing up Grandmother
We received this comment yesterday from Reader Erika on a post I wrote last December on home staging: What seller’s need to understand is staging is not about making the home look pretty, it’s about...
View ArticleMeasuring Realtor Competence – The Conundrum
First there was this big online debate going on about whether real estate is in fact a relationships business or simply “all business” that got me thinking about the agent selection dilemma. The...
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When will home prices start rising in San Diego?
“When will home prices start rising in San Diego?” That was a recent question posted on Trulia Voices. I love questions like this, because as a trained professional, a Neighborhood Specialist no less,...
View ArticleReal estate video done right
Video. It’s the next big thing. Or it’s the last big thing that’s still a big thing. I’m not sure anymore, but I prefer the former because I have yet to embrace the medium. That means there is still...
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Redfin’s new Agent Scouting Reports. I call horse hooey.
Brian Boero calls it the “most disruptive online real estate play in years.” He was talking about Redfin’s new agent scouting reports. Here is the short version. Straight from the MLS to you, Redfin...
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We’re Number 1! (Or are we?)
We’re #1! We sell more homes than all of the other agents south of Barstow put together. Our clients love us biggest. And by “biggest,” I mean they love us way more than any other agent’s clients love...
View ArticleMore on the Science and Art of Home Pricing
Freshly back from our Berg Bicentennial Vacation, I was catching up on some reading when I stumbled upon an article titled “Seven Ways to Make Your Home Safer.” Now, I’m not generally one to be...
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Free Real Estate Advice
photo credit: Solo, with others There is a lot of free real estate advice out there, and sometimes you get what you pay for. It’s becoming more commonplace for our clients to turn to the Google God...
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Watch out, Trulia and Zillow! Sandicor is coming!
From my inbox to you: San Diego’s four Association of REALTORS® and Sandicor are excited to announce the release of a new consumer website! This website is designed to turn the consumer’s focus back...
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Go fish. Scripps Ranch listing inventory is oh-so-low.
This is the trend for inventory of Scripps Ranch homes for sale (Altos Research, 92131 Zip code). It’s ugly. It’s ugly, that is, if you are a buyer. I was reminded that it might be time to touch on the...
View ArticleAutomatic showing feedback requests and self-cleaning ovens
Automation can be a beautiful thing. It can streamline your business and make you more efficient, freeing up valuable time for less mundane tasks — like automating other stuff. Automation can also be...
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What’s wrong with people? Beware rental scams.
In my latest installment of “What’s wrong with people?” I shall revisit the popular rental scam. Rental scams are nothing new. We began seeing them on Craigslist years ago. This is how it goes. Some...
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The Buyer Pool Revisited
At our recent year-end office meeting, we again gave our little State of the Real Estate Market address to our agents. We basically copied and pasted last year's summary — and the summary from the year...
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Real Estate Games
photo credit: josip2 Steve’s cell phone is on life support. First let me say that this comes as no surprise to the Berg nuclear family. He has a history of killing electronics. In the early days, the...
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Got Mello Roos? Beware at tax time.
photo credit: 401K A big hat tip to San Diego Castles Realty agent Sasha Harvey (who apparently reads the Orange County Register) for the link to this bit of bad news for homeowners blessed a Mello...
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Thanks to PicketReport.com, I know my daughter is among the Power Elite (a...
I just returned from my semi-annual pilgrimage to the Inman News Real Estate Connect conference. Defying logic and laughing in the face of all that is good and decent, the event planners decided years...
View ArticleRealtor badge of honor?
I’m really excited this morning. As a little background, I am a proud member of the National Association of Realtors – and the California Association of Realtors and the San Diego Association of...
View ArticleThe Debate About Syndicating to Third-Party Aggregation Sites
Note: If you are a non-real estate type, you may find this post only mildly interesting; it’s an important topic nonetheless. If you are a real estate type, chances are you have probably already...
View ArticleSandicor fires a shot across the third-party syndication bow.
The problem with not having all of the facts is that you can end up feeling pretty stupid. And for the record, Steve is wearing an "I'm With Stupid" t-shirt as we speak. (Also, for the record, he...
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Revisiting Dual Agency – Like Gefilte fish, sometimes it makes sense
(This is a little trip through Kris' brain that I originally penned back in July, 2009. With all of the recent hubub surrounding the listing syndication debate, many have chosen to make the idea of...
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