by Phillip Dwyer on September 15, 2011
I’ve been asked to be a presenter with fellow Las Vegas appraiser, Debbie Huber, at the Nevada Association of Real Estate Brokers event titled What Was This Appraiser Thinking?–Meet The Appraisers! The event takes place Tuesday, September 20, 2011 from 9-11am at the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors offices. The cost is $10 for nonmembers. If interested, you can register at www.narebnv.org.
This should be an educational experience for both me and the attendees. We’ll be discussing how appraisers select comparables, our views of the market, FHA property standards, and how adjustments are made in the sales comparison approach. With all the changes taking place in real estate, appraisal, and mortgage lending, I’m not sure 2 hours is enough time. I’m excited to learn what concerns local brokers have regarding the appraisal process and our market.
by Phillip Dwyer on July 23, 2011
Today I was reminded why people in the real estate industry get a bad rap. When pulling into my subdivision, I noticed an open house sign. I try to visit open houses in my neighborhood to help support the local agents, and to get a better feel from those practicing on the street. I entered the open house this morning, and was greeted by the wife of the agent hosting the open house (he wasn’t there). She was wearing what most people would throw on to mow the lawn. Her tank top had huge stains. Meanwhile, she was trying to sell me the home, but she’s not an agent. When her husband showed up while I was trying to leave, they started to make lunch. His attire wasn’t much better. I wouldn’t have left my house this morning looking like that.
Why bother hosting an open house? Pulling off a successful open house requires a lot of prep work. Why go through all of the invitations, flyers, and setting up signs, if you’re not willing to prep yourself? Open houses generally aren’t for selling the house, they’re for selling your skills, knowledge, and professionalism. If I were a potential client walking through that door, I would have tried to leave as soon as I ran into these deshelved sales people.
If you’re a new agent trying to rustle up some biz, take this as an example of what not to do. You never know who you’ll meet on any given day. Dress professionally always. There are enough yahoos like I saw this morning giving all real estate pros a bad name. The good part for us, is that it’s not too hard to compete against laziness.
If you’re a home buyer out there attending open houses, take this as the first que of what not to work with. If an agent is too lazy or doesn’t care enough about their appearance, how is he/she going to take care of you and your transaction? If they don’t respect themselves or you find a new agent. Besides, dressing the part is just common sense. There are great Realtors out there to help you with one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever make.
