Array

Independent vs. dependent contractors

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, August 6, 2009.

Are you self-employed?

It amazes me how many self-employed real estate agents do not act at all like they are self-employed.

Most real estate agents are independent contractors. To the Internal Revenue Service, the tax form defines whether a whether a worker is an employee (W-2 form) or independent contractor (1099 form). more...

How to treat real estate worrywarts

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, July 30, 2009.

Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/crucially/412142792/">crucially</a>.

A few years ago I was telling sellers I could sell their home quickly and for a good price. That is what they wanted to hear then and that is what they still want to hear.

Sellers expect my listing presentation to consist of all kinds of information about how fast I can sell a home, and seem disappointed when I don't tell them that I can do anything.

These days I end up having a conversation with sellers outlining how it all works and what to expect and, of course, going over my services and fees. I also find myself spending a bit of time going over the things that can go wrong -- maybe too much time. more...

Romancing the 'hogger'

By Teresa Boardman, Monday, July 20, 2009.

Flickr image by <a href="http://www.lumaxart.com" target=blank>lumaxart</a>.

When I went to real estate school I learned about the "hogger." That is the sweet deal that our instructors told us would happen if we represented both the buyer and the seller. Stories were told about unrepresented buyers calling listing agents and those agents selling the listing to the buyer. It is also called dual agency.

Agency is an issue I think about often and every six months or so I write a consumer-oriented post about it on my blog. I keep the Minnesota agency disclosure in each of my listings so that I have it on hand at all times if I need to show the listing to a buyer. more...

Photographers' rights: an image problem

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, July 16, 2009.

"<a href ="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tboard/3641251623/" target=blank>Bean Worship</a>," Copyright © 2009 Teresa Boardman.

The idea of content being king on the Internet is not a new one. If some of that content consists of photos, there are some rules that need to be followed.

One of my blog readers took me to task over a photo I took of "The Bean" in Chicago. The bean-shaped metal sculpture -- its real title is "Cloud Gate" -- is a public work of art, located in a public park and it is photographed so many times a day that I am surprised it has not faded. People come from all over the world to worship the bean. more...

Transparency vs. privacy

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, July 9, 2009.

Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjanoodles/1963678404" target=blank>NightRPStar</a>.

The word transparency has taken on a new meaning. It used to mean being honest and giving out all the information we can. These days I read blogs where the writer feels compelled to explain personal details of his or her life and calls it transparency.

If transparency is announcing on the Internet that I had minor surgery, or that someone in my family is going through foreclosure or has died, then I guess transparency isn't for me. more...

How do you spell 'recovery'?

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, July 2, 2009.

Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewpescod/1970765755/" target=blank>Andrew Pescod</a>.

During the first recession that I lived through and was directly impacted by, my dad made the statement that our view on the state of the economy has to do with who we are and what our own situation is.

A person who is unemployed during a time of high unemployment believes that we are in a recession, as does a person who can't make his or her house payments. A person who has a good job and is earning enough to make ends meet will ride out a recession without feeling like we are in difficult economic times. more...

Keep social media social

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, June 25, 2009.

Last week I received an e-mail from a colleague in another state asking me if I know a certain social media speaker and if I would hire him. The person who sent the e-mail indicated that there are many "social media experts" and that she had no way of knowing if they knew their stuff.

She is right. It seems like everyone is an expert. A real estate agent or consultant sets up a Twitter account and after a couple of weeks begins dispensing advice on how to use Twitter. It is the same with Facebook and blogging. more...

MLS usurping brokers' tech role

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, June 18, 2009.

Flickr image by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/willc2/1347924770/" target=blank>willc2</a>.

The MLS can't replace the broker, but our MLS is now providing some of the software and services that agents could get only through large brokerages or on their own.

For example, our MLS now has real estate contracts built in and the fields are populated with data from the MLS. Instead of relying on a brokerage for contract forms or using the electronic forms that we used to have to buy yearly subscriptions to, forms are now a part of our MLS fee. Electronic forms are not all that expensive, but they do cost money. more...

The real estate CEU blues

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, June 11, 2009.

Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucasdevries/3086891980/" target=blank>Lucas de Vries</a>.

I hang my head in shame. My 15 continuing education credits (CEUs) that are required by the Department of Commerce are due in just a few days. I had an entire year to take my classes, but I didn't do most of it until last week.

After getting a reminder note from my broker, I spent 30 minutes rooting through my file cabinet and found the file folder labeled CEU. I was confident that I had enough credits. I opened the folder and looked at the dates on the completion certificates and discovered that I had about one-third of the needed credits. more...

Post-it notes and the 'un-conference'

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, June 4, 2009.

The first ReBarCamp was held in San Francisco last summer, the day before the Inman News Real Estate Connect conference.

The idea is the brainchild of Andy Kaufman, a Realtor in Berkeley, Calif., who has become the go-to person for ReBarCamp organizers nationwide. There is an official ReBarCamp blog with a list of upcoming events and a place to sign up. more...

Being there beats texts, tweets

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, May 28, 2009.

Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/myklroventine/2160778123/" target=blank>Mykl Roventine</a>.

There was a time before the telephone and the Internet when people wrote letters to each other to communicate remotely, or they spoke in person. Communication was slower than it is today, but people talked to each other.

Today, communication is lightening fast. From a business perspective, it is wonderful. This week I talked via webcam with some homebuyers who are living in New Zealand but will be moving to Minnesota, and on Sunday I helped complete a project with someone who lives in another state. more...

Much ado over IDX indexing

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, May 21, 2009.

My entire business seems to be centered around Google these days. I think it is a stretch to label Google a "scraper" of content (see story), as the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors has done. I see it as a search engine that indexes Web content so that people who are searching the Internet for information can find the information.

I remember when Google started. There were other search engines at the time, but in general we relied heavily on bookmarks, marketing and newsletters to learn about Web sites. In my very early days on the Internet, AOL issued a report every week of new Web sites. more...

Calling out real estate 'junk fees'

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, May 14, 2009.

It is all over the Internet news. A court ruled that an "admin fee" that real estate brokers sometimes charge buyers or sellers may in some cases be a "junk fee."

"In a decision late last month that is sending shudders through the realty brokerage industry, U.S. District Judge Virginia Emerson Hopkins in Birmingham, Ala., ruled that when a realty firm charges clients an 'admin' fee, for which no specific settlement services are performed, the fee violates federal law," Washington Post columnist Kenneth R. Harney reported. more...

Real estate tech for non-techies

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, May 7, 2009.

Flickr image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/448477161/" target=blank>Wesley Fryer</a>.

I recently gave a talk on social media and property marketing on the Internet. The event I spoke at was through our local board of Realtors and they called it a technology fair.

Our president introduced me as some kind of a technology expert, and even though 3.75 continuing education credits were involved I didn't want the group to start leaving the room so I quickly reintroduced myself as a Realtor who uses the Internet for social interaction and networking in my real estate business. more...

Rounding up your real estate listings

By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, April 30, 2009.

Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/smaedli/2808114720/in/set-72157607006623469/" target=blank>smaedli</a>.

It is 10 o'clock; do you know where your listings are?

After moving to a new real estate company a few weeks ago I had to update my profiles, which are scattered all over the Internet. It forced me to review my online presence. It took some time, but I learned a few things in the process.

There are a number of national real estate Web sites where property listings information can be advertised. Some are also social networks where we can interact with buyers and sellers if we choose to do so. more...

Columnists