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Garages are a specialty. Oddly, after deciding that I really wanted to focus on fellow gear heads, I find that there is more of a need than I thought. Personally, the garage has always been one of the first places I went to when looking at a house. I guess I enjoy it in the same way a cook enjoys the kitchen, and a movie buff enjoys the media room. And then I catch a news story that garages are the new exercise room, kinda like pink is the new black. It seems that there are a lot of people li... Read Full Post

I was out showing a house to a contractor for a buyer the other day. As they toured the house and sized it up for renovations, we spent a lot of time chatting about the market, strategies for prospering, and building wealth through real estate. While I'm not enough of a typist to cover everything that we said, I would like to pass along a few of my impressions of the conversation. Keep in mind that I am the agent of the seller, and therefore not working "for" this buyer. As a little backgroun... Read Full Post

As promised, I wanted to delve a little deeper into this subject. The first thing we need to get out of the way is the "Myth of 6%". Since the VAST majority of sellers that are going unrepresented (FSBOs) offer to pay 3% to a buyer's agent, we can cut that number down to 3% (the remainder). Let's start with an average house, perhaps something around $250k. That 3% is $7500. The next thing we need to do is go after the listing fees that one might pay with a limited service broker or other brok... Read Full Post

As I watched TV recently, I noticed a commercial for a very popular "By Owner" company. There were a string of people giving testimonials about how much money they saved using this company's services. Then, earlier today I saw that there was an article in the NY Times about how unrepresented sellers (FSBOs) in one city, Madison, WI, when studied between 1998 and 2004, sold their homes for about the same price as represented sellers. Interesting. I already am familiar with data from the Nation... Read Full Post

I was out showing a house to a contractor for a buyer today. As they toured the house and sized it up for renovations, we spent a lot of time chatting about the market, strategies for prospering, and building wealth through real estate. While I'm not enough of a typist to cover everything that we said, I would like to pass along a few of my impressions of the conversation. Keep in mind that I am the agent of the seller, and therefore not working "for" this buyer. As a little background about ... Read Full Post

I had a new experience today. Not that I am new to real estate, but I just hadn't had the occasion to hang out for one of these. I attended an eviction. The clean-out crew, locksmith and Sheriff's Deputy we all scheduled to arrive at 1:00. I got there a few minutes early. My job was to take a look at the property, and put on a lockbox with the new key. The rest of the players arrived, and the deputies entered and cleared the house. There was nobody inside, there were no guns, cash, drugs or o... Read Full Post

Not too long ago, I had a friend and client tell me that he and his wife were "stalking" a house. Around the corner, in the same subdivision they were in was a house that they loved. In their case, they were friends with the owners, and joked that when their friends moved, they wanted the house. It got me thinking... always a dangerous act. My wife and I have been stalking a house, too. We don't know the owners. We just admire it as we drive by. Every day. Several times. OK, the route to my s... Read Full Post

My wife and I are thinking of buying a new house. So, we've been out looking at houses. It's tough. We like our house (like, not love) and we really like where we live. As we look around, we wonder if we really want to move. We definitely want more space. We have a three bedroom house and would like to have a four bedroom house. We have a two car garage, and really need more space there (I could fill a six car garage). The yard is a good size, and fenced, like we need it. Enough about that. W... Read Full Post

Let me start by saying "welcome." Kick off your shoes and stay a while. Post up questions, comments and impressions. I'll be happy to answer what I can. I'm a real estate agent in the Atlanta, GA area. I tend to look at property a little differently that most of my peers, though. To start with, I tend to get caught up in the garage. As a car guy, I'm always looking at the toy storage area. A two car garage just isn't making it. One good project can load up two or three bays without too much f... Read Full Post