Real Estate Agent's Café

Reading Feet | The Body Language of Business

Carol Kinsey Goman, author of "The Nonverbal Advantage," explains how a person's feet can give us clues about what they're feeling or where they want to go.

 

Funny Real Estate Sign #5

Real Estate Brothel Sting

Real Estate Brothel Sting - Watch more Funny Videos

Funny FSBO Sign #4

Real Estate Business In a Nutshell

When I was starting my career in real estate and interviewing around seeking a home, these words were imparted to me by one particularly interesting and colorful individual. As we were chatting during my interview he said to me;

"Kid, let me tell ya the business in a nutshell. All you have to know is if it's a buyer's market or a seller's market. If it's a seller's market you stick it up the buyer's poop. If it's a buyer's market you stick it up the seller's poop. All you have to know is who's poop to stick it up and when!"

He also informed me that the hardest thing that I would have to do in this business would be to "suppress my brains".

I left with quite an impression.

How To See Through Real Estate Broker Tricks

Forewarned is forearmed. This one really burns my ass. The problem is that this slick piece of propaganda will be believed to be true. You'll notice that it really doesn't advise the viewer on how to select a broker. It does a better job in scaring the viewer into going FSBO.

It says 50% of house hunters look on the Web for homes, but it doesn't say how many are actually sold that way. I get the feeling that the creator of this piece of work has a real ax to grind. Perhaps they were to stupid to pass the licensing exam.

Funny FSBO Sign #2

FSBO Funny Real Estate Sign

The law says you must give full disclosure of any problems with a house when you sell it. Here's someone who followed that law to the letter.

Wimpy

You remember Wimpy? That Sleaze-ball in Popeye.

For the younger real estate people out there wondering; Who's Popeye? Popeye  first appeared in a comic strip in 1929 and was later developed into a TV cartoon character. Wimpy played a supporting role who had a serious addiction to hamburgers. So-much-so, he would have sold his own mother down the river to get his mouth around one.

His famous line was: "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." Spoken like a true addict.

Well, let me tell you what a "Wimpy" is in the real estate business.

I'm sitting down with a property owner just finishing up a listing presentation, when he says to me "lets talk about your commission". (When the first thing mentioned is my commission, I know it's never good and things are about to go sideways.) He goes on to say that If I take this listing for a (significantly) reduced fee, he will also give me a listing on another property that he's planning to sell sometime in the future.

So I reply, Oh, what you're offering me is a Wimpy! (perplexed look) You know. Wimpy? On Popeye? I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today? At this point, if we can't come to an agreement, I pass.

I never let the conversation evolve to see if on the second listing I'll receive my customary commission rate, plus the portion of the commission that I didn't receive on selling the first listing. There's probably a third future property to list, if only I take a reduced fee on listing the second property too. Talk about diminishing returns!

I don't believe there is ever a second property. The whole thing smells like, well, a rotten hamburger. Although, I'm sure some of my competitors are willing to take a "Wimpy" for a listing.

You know, I never saw anyone take Wimpy up on his offer. And, I never saw Wimpy pay anyone back.

Reverse Psychology

O...k.  Here's one (counter) marketing strategy.