Warren Buffett is one of the world's richest men and the author of books on wealth accumulation and a published New York Times article called "Stopped Coddling the Super Rich". He also preaches conservatism and lives in the same house since 1958. But last year he put his Berkshire Hathaway name on a real estate company which is mainly residential.
Now anyone who has read this blog knows how unfair percentage real estate commissions are. As the value of the house increases the sellers pay more because of the percentage and get very little or no additional services. A seller of a $300,000 home pays $2500-$5000 more that a $200,000 seller depending on who presents the buyer. A $400,000 seller pays $5000 to $10,000 more and it gets insane from there.
These are not necessarily wealthy people - they could be your neighbors. So why then does Warren Buffet's company suck hundreds of millions of undisclosed dollars from the folks on Main Street and pay the profits to wealthy stock holders who pay around $200,000 per share - what many houses sell for? GREED!
Shame on you Warren Buffett - Shame on You!
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
A CHALLANGE TO REAL ESTATE AGENTS (NOT BROKERS)
Almost every month I ask what you do EXTRA for a $400,000 seller for the EXTRA commissions you charge compared to a $200,000 seller (figures for example only. Commissions are always negotiable but we know that's a joke too!) Now I am asking you - the folks who are in the trenches as real estate sales agents - to go to your broker and ask the same question. Demand an answer! Nail them down and remember, this is YOUR client in YOUR office.
I know there is no answer so let me ask you WHY you work for a company that disrespects your clients this way. (I know the answer is greed but give it a try.) And WHY do you disrespect your clients this way when they put their trust in you in one of the more important transactions they could have?
Again -- YOUR client in YOUR office. I look forward to hearing from you.
I know there is no answer so let me ask you WHY you work for a company that disrespects your clients this way. (I know the answer is greed but give it a try.) And WHY do you disrespect your clients this way when they put their trust in you in one of the more important transactions they could have?
Again -- YOUR client in YOUR office. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
THE ENDLESS CYCLE OF REAL ESTATE
Once again I
remind my real estate friends that the lead hawkers have no control over the
size of the market - how many sellers or buyers are active at any one
time. It’s impossible to feed fresh
leads to even 10% of NAR members yet many of you still buy them. I’ll bet you don’t even know why. It’s because of YOUR BROKER who is one of the
biggest enemies you can have in real estate!
You see, the
agent business model relies on a constant flow of new blood to go out and seek
business from their circle of influence.
Most experienced agents have worked with buyers only to lose them
because a friend or relative just got their license. “Sorry, I really liked you
though. (Sniff).” The industry’s constant recruiting creates a
million NAR members (not including referral agents) where there is a need for
about a third of them. This creates a “fish
in a barrel” environment and in order to stand out from the crowd agents spend
tons of money marketing themselves. And
since most states require you to put your broker’s information in ads, you are
really building the franchise and broker’s brand – not necessarily yours. Is this necessary?
No. Offer consumers a fair proposition and the
results will follow. Work in an office
where there is one agent for each 10,000 of population instead of enough agents
to fill a college lecture hall. Be
different, spend less and enjoy more time with your family, church or civic organization. It’s so great to be Help-U-Sell. Who has the courage to put greed aside and do
what’s right for your clients. And,
SURPRISE! You’ll make at least as much
without feeding the lead hawkers.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
IS YOUR FRIEND TRULY A FRIEND?
You
answer your door one night and your friend the real estate agent is standing
there with a sack.
“Put $10,000 in the sack”, demands your friend.
“You will never see it again!
You will never receive any value for it!
Don’t ask what it’s for – it’s none of your
business!
Just put the money in the sack!”
Would you do it?
Well,
that’s exactly what you’re doing when you sign a percentage listing agreement
based on the value of your home -- and
‘throwing money in the sack’ is exactly what a “friend” is asking you to
do! Whether your home is worth $200,000
or $1,000,000 the transaction is the same!
Why would a friend ask you to pay more?
Call Help-U-Sell today to see how you can stop
paying painful commissions with our common sense marketing plans! Our unique set fee system allows you to price
your home more competitively yet walk away with more of your equity!
For 38 years in hundreds of offices Help-U-Sell has
saved sellers over two BILLION dollars.
Why not you!!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Friday, May 16, 2014
When will they ever get it? Don't they care about their constituants?
Hey
everyone, take a look at page 45 of this edition of the Home Shopper.
It's the letter I wrote to the Real Estate Commission at the end of
January. The only response I received was from the Real Estate
Commission who informed me that the disclosure I was seeking would have
to come from the legislature. Well, DUH!. Why didn't those idiots
have it introduced? Easy, because it would be beneficial
to the public and the Real Estate Commission, which is also supposed to
protect the public, consists of real estate brokers and non licensed
cronies. In the meantime, the public is losing over $100,000,000 PER
YEAR in undisclosed excess commissions. I have also visited our
legislative office twice but no response.
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