Why an educated agent is better than a licensed one...

It amazes me how agents will get their license and then do the minimal requirements for ongoing education. A great example is a guy that I work with in the office. He has never once taken ANY classes over the past 8 months. BTW, he has been in RE for 8 months.

Here are his stats;

1) Fudged his way to several closings

2) Lost 3 clients due to the fact that he did not get a "buyers rep agreement". One of them was a family friend.

3) Lost a total of $33,000 in commissions due to mistakes. One of which was simple contract writing. In my opinion, a Real Estate 101 mistake.

4) An average of 20hrs a week of "wasted time"

5) Angry clients (this equals no repeat business)

6) Other agents taking time to help recover and clean up mistakesThe sad thing is, you can walk into our office almost any time of any day and there are training classes going on. Heck, I even learned how to blog on Active Rain because of a training class. The fact of the matter is that you cannot succeed in this game unless you are educated. Before I even wrote my first offer I forced myself to;

1) Take the SAME contract class 4 times

2) Take the basic MLS class

3) Take the "advanced" MLS class (twice)

This doesn't include all the classes I have taken over the past few years.

Small Disclaimer:) "I am by no means am the Tennessee RE authority and there are many agents in my office in which I look up to and even call for advice."

Where am I going with this? Well, I took another class this morning (a refresher on using our Nashville MLS search). It reminded me how an educated agent is ALWAYS better than those with just a license. Some of the basic techniques learned in the class;

1) Knowing how to use the "archive" feature. This will let an agent know whether or not the house for sale has appraisal issues, inspections issues, etc. Our teacher asked if anyone in the class uses this feature. NO ONE raised their hands! This simple feature would save a buyer from a lot of potential time, money, and HEADACHE.

2) Advanced REO search features which will show an agent ANY foreclosure, short-sale, repo, etc on the market. This is crucial for investors.

3) Email notices. This allows the agent to be the FIRST to know that a property has hit the market. This is also crucial for investors and those simply looking for a "good deal"

Those are just 3 of the important features that some agents simply do not use.

Does it really matter whether or not an agent is educated? YES. Sure, some agents can fudge their way to closing. Those agents get lucky. Not everyone has the perfect deal and that is when you need an "educated" Realtor...

Stephen Strickhausen
KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY
9175 CAROTHERS PKY SUITE 110

615-778-1818

615-480-5770

Sstrickhausen@gmail.com
http://www.Sstrickhausen.com

Nashville Homes for sale

Disclaimer:
Franklin Homes for Sale, Nashville homes for Sale, Nashville short sales, Nashville home search, Property in Brentwood TN, Franklin TN Real Estate, Franklin TN Realtor, Franklin MLS search, Nashville MLS search, Green Hills TN Properties for sale, Spring Hill TN Homes for sale, Belle Meade, Middle Tennessee, Music City, Stephen Strickhausen, and Keller Williams do not necessarily reflect any of the views or beliefs held by Google or it’s employees.

Should Realtors have to take the BAR exam?

"Real Estate is not just about driving around and looking at pretty houses." ~ Stephen Strickhausen

I am sure that most agents have learned that lesson from the beginning.

Real Estate is about protecting your clients. Real Estate is about being better than the next guy/girl. Real Estate is about education...

Just recently I got an offer on one of my listings. The buyer's agent is considered to be a top agent here in the Nashville area. The agent did a great job on negotiating and to be quite honest, tried to push us around. After all negotiations and binding agreement, then came the inspection period. This is where things got a little "shady".

My sellers were presented with the items to be repaired and in addition the sellers requested another $10,000 off the purchase price. YOU CANNOT DO THAT! You can however do the following;

1) Ask for items to be repaired

2) Ask for the seller to reduce the purchase price by the estimated amount of repair costs

3) A combination of the two

We refused to sign the inspection contingency removal form because "We were not presented with a legal Inspection Counter". Of course this went back and forth (VIA EMAIL) until the time had expired. I had even spoken to the agent's principle broker on the phone about the issue. Trust me, I was a little scared by this point. I thought that maybe they had found some loop hole that I was not able to catch.

I had kept ALL of the paperwork including all of the emails etc. This worked out to my advantage later...

To make a long story short, my clients sued for the EM PLUS the attorney fees, court costs, etc. WE WON !

The attorney that represented them said that I was "The most thorough agent he had ever worked with. To this day I am not sure where that money came from. I know that if I were a client and my agent had suggested me do something that backfired then I would request that money come from the agent's pocket.

When searching for a "good agent", not only do they need to know about the neighborhoods but they also need to know their stuff. A GREAT agent KNOWS the contracts and knows the rules and laws of real estate.

Stephen Strickhausen
KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY
9175 CAROTHERS PKY SUITE 110

615-778-1818

615-480-5770
Sstrickhausen@gmail.com
http://www.Sstrickhausen.com

Nashville Homes for sale

Disclaimer:
Franklin Homes for Sale, Nashville homes for Sale, Nashville short sales, Nashville home search, Property in Brentwood TN, Franklin TN Real Estate, Franklin TN Realtor, Franklin MLS search, Nashville MLS search, Green Hills TN Properties for sale, Spring Hill TN Homes for sale, Belle Meade, Middle Tennessee, Music City, Stephen Strickhausen, and Keller Williams do not necessarily reflect any of the views or beliefs held by Google or it’s employees.

Timing the Real Estate market is like timing a roulette table

You're in Vegas standing at a Roulette table and you see that the last 6 turns have landed on red. You throw $100 down on black. You cross your fingers and BOOM... It hits red again! "WHYYYYY???" "How could this happen to me??" "The odds were in my favor!!!". 

Sure they were in your favor but it just didn't happen. If you really break down real estate, what is it really? Real Estate in it's purist form is a dwelling, a place to rest, a shelter. With that being said, the best way to look at purchasing a new home is figuring out where you want to live and make an offer. Real Estate is more than likely a long term stock rather than "$100 on black". If you love the area and love the house then buy and stay put. The housing market will turn around. The values will go up and YOU will be happy. 

I know I know.... "The guys on tv buy the right house, paint it, and make a killing". Look, it IS possible that the roulette table will land on black but you just never know. On top of that, these guys are pros. They know their stuff. If it were truly that easy don't you think that more people would be doing it? I personally sell homes for investors who have been doing this for years. I have three houses on the market from one investor and this guy has been doing this for years. Sometimes he has landed on black and hit the big jack pots. Sometimes though he has to wait it out.  

Real Estate is an investment but it is also the place where you live. Do your research. Look into schools, churches, neighborhoods, commute time, future city plans, everything. Find what best fits your needs within your budget. STAY THERE! 

You never know. You may hit the jackpot on a house within the next 12 months but if your intention is to stay and live then you can almost never go wrong. 

 

Stephen Strickhausen
KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY
9175 CAROTHERS PKY SUITE 110

615-778-1818

615-480-5770
Sstrickhausen@gmail.com
http://www.Sstrickhausen.com

Nashville Homes for sale

 

      

 

 

 

Disclaimer:
Franklin Homes for Sale, Nashville homes for Sale, Nashville short sales, Nashville home search, Property in Brentwood TN, Franklin TN Real Estate, Franklin TN Realtor, Franklin MLS search, Nashville MLS search, Green Hills TN Properties for sale, Spring Hill TN Homes for sale, Belle Meade, Middle Tennessee, Music City, Stephen Strickhausen, and Keller Williams do not necessarily reflect any of the views or beliefs held by Google or it’s employees. 

 

No! Your house is not as nice as Leann Rimes' house...

We recently had a listing appointment on a great house in a great neighborhood here in Nashville TN. The house itself is about 8 years old and the current owners have added a nice pool in the backyard. 

My team went over to the house, we did the walkthrough of the home with the wife, and then we discussed our marketing methods. She just LOVED us! She loved how we did things and seemed to be really impressed in general. As we sat down and started to go over the comparative market analysis of the home, she immediately said that they "have a specific number in mind". Yeah, so do we... Like any good agent would do, we did our homework. We looked up the house and compared the others around the area and came up with a rough price (before actually seeing the house).

We told her that we would call her the next day after we have looked at the numbers more in depth (after having seen the home in person). We really wanted to get this listing so we thought we could try and tweak the numbers just a little higher so they would be happy... after all, she insinuated a higher price. 

That night we got an email from her husband with some comparables of other homes in the area. This list was comprised of roughly 20 homes. His search criteria was 1) Homes with a pool 2) Ravenwood school district 

Here was the problem with the list;

1) Their home was the second cheapest on the list

2) There were 4 homes on the list that were in a neighborhood that has 24 hour gated security with security guards, an 18 hole golf course, a restaurant, should I go on?

3) Leann Rimes' $6.5 Million dollar home was on the list. Why? Because it fell under the search criteria!          a) pool b) school district. 

The next day we crunched numbers and dug really deep into the comparables in the area. We were still coming up with the same numbers. Finally, she text us and asked "What number did you come up with?". We shot over our HIGHEST number we could reasonably come up with and her response was "That is the lowest number we have seen". We asked if we could come back over and explain where we were coming from and why we came to that conclusion... We never heard back from her. Why? Because they chose the agent that told them what they wanted to hear. 

What are the two biggest things that can sell a home?

1) Price

2) Marketing

We have the marketing down! We can even make a home searchable on Google (for those that aren't using agents). What we didn't have was what they wanted to hear. 

We could have listed their home for DOUBLE the market value AND someone could have come along and wanted this house. A lender however will not lend ANY potential buyer a dime over what the appraiser says it is worth. Why even ask a professional for their opinion unless you are going to take it. Am I upset that we didn't get the listing? No. I don't like my homes sitting on the market for months at a time. I like to sell quickly. Look, I didn't set the value of your home... The market did. 

For future home sellers that will be doing interviews with agents: Realtors are professionals. They know their neighborhoods and have the ability to assess a homes value within a short amount of time. Most agents can get within $5,000 of what a professional appraisal would come in at. Don't blame the agent...Blame the market

 

Stephen Strickhausen
KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY
9175 CAROTHERS PKY SUITE 110

615-778-1818

615-480-5770
Sstrickhausen@gmail.com
http://www.Sstrickhausen.com

Nashville Homes for sale

 

      

 

 

 

Disclaimer:
Franklin Homes for Sale, Nashville homes for Sale, Nashville short sales, Nashville home search, Property in Brentwood TN, Franklin TN Real Estate, Franklin TN Realtor, Franklin MLS search, Nashville MLS search, Green Hills TN Properties for sale, Spring Hill TN Homes for sale, Belle Meade, Middle Tennessee, Music City, Stephen Strickhausen, and Keller Williams do not necessarily reflect any of the views or beliefs held by Google or it’s employees. 

When client turns to friend...

A year ago I was contacted by a family who needed help moving to Nashville TN. They emailed me because they had been reading blogs I had written (On AR) about the areas they were interested in. They had literally never even been to the state of Tennessee but wanted to raise a family in a place where they could get more bang for their buck. They told me they felt more familiar with the area simply because of the videos, pictures, and blogs I had written.

I of course called the husband within the day and started talking about "options". He told me what they were looking for, and then the daily communication began, not because we had to keep talking about those "options" but because we had hit it off pretty quickly.

Their first visit to Nashville came within a month and we began driving around looking at the areas of town they liked the most. They had an immediate attraction to Franklin TN (which is where my wife and I live), and even then they had narrowed it down to the specific neighborhood they wanted to live in.

They returned home, the husband packed his stuff, and moved out here ready to find a place for his family. It didn't take long before they found the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood and before you know it I find myself sitting on the back porch of his new home smoking cigars and telling jokes.

Two months later, the wife ended up becoming the photographer in our wedding (That is my beautiful bride on the front page of her website:) They are now also very close friends.

On top of all that, their parents AND grandparents have since moved out here.

Today, (one short year later) a new family member enters the world! We are so excited for you guys and congratulations on your new baby!

I love when clients turn into friends...

Stephen Strickhausen
KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY
9175 CAROTHERS PKY SUITE 110

615-778-1818

615-480-5770
Sstrickhausen@gmail.com
http://www.Sstrickhausen.com

Nashville Homes for sale

Disclaimer:
Franklin Homes for Sale, Nashville homes for Sale, Nashville short sales, Nashville home search, Property in Brentwood TN, Franklin TN Real Estate, Franklin TN Realtor, Franklin MLS search, Nashville MLS search, Green Hills TN Properties for sale, Spring Hill TN Homes for sale, Belle Meade, Middle Tennessee, Music City, Stephen Strickhausen, and Keller Williams do not necessarily reflect any of the views or beliefs held by Google or it’s employees.