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Jan

29
2010

Buyers, sellers need equal representation

By Inman News, Friday, January 29, 2010.

Re: 'Who wins with dual agency?' (Jan. 22)

Dear Editor:

Who wins with dual agency? The dual agent or agency.

Having practiced single agency since 1973 and exclusive buyer agency since 1986, I am pleasantly heartened by the fact that some of the rank and file in the real estate community are finally starting to get it. Both the seller and the buyer need equal representation.  more...

Jan

28
2010

Cash cab

By Bradley Inman, Thursday, January 28, 2010.

I recently hopped in a San Francisco cab and the driver turned to me and said with palpable delight that I was his last passenger.

"Why, what are you doing, where are you going?" I asked.

He was ready to tell me his story and he did.

"When I was 21 years old," he began, "my Papa in Argentina wanted me to come work in his locksmith shop. His life was simple; he woke up late and enjoyed breakfast with his friends. Then, he opened his shop around noon and worked until 6 p.m. He fished on the sea at dusk; then joined his friends for wine before having a long dinner with his family and friends, often playing music, dancing and laughing.  more...

Jan

26
2010

Setup, confrontation and resolution

By Bradley Inman, Tuesday, January 26, 2010.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18967167@N00/2381055837" target=blank>VideoVillain</a>.

Around the time that I started Internet video company TurnHere, I saw a film shoot for a television commercial that blocked off an area between 5th and 6th avenues on 44th Street in New York City. I counted 75-plus people, a catering truck, off-duty policemen and two big rigs -- all to produce a 30-second commercial that we would someday TiVo out.

For years, the details of this scene anchored my story about "Why TurnHere?" I contrasted the extravagant scene on 44th Street to the TurnHere production model -- that company has produced 22,000 video ads at a very low cost, each with a one- or two-filmmaker crew and minimal equipment -- no caterers, no booms, no off-duty cops and no big rigs.

When changing an industry, such comparisons and contrasts are central to the entrepreneur's story. Examples help people relate to and understand what startups are trying to do. Spreadsheets, business theories and metrics are a necessary part of the story, but they do not engender enthusiasm to build support for a new business idea.  more...

Reforming a broken system

By Inman News, Tuesday, January 26, 2010.

Re: 'Bad agents are here to stay' (Jan. 21)

Dear Editor:

I read the "bad agents" article and I couldn't agree more. As a real estate broker, unfortunately the first thing I tell my new (fresh out of school) agents is to prepare for the horrible attitudes displayed by our fellow agents.

As a new agent in 2002, I was so naive in starting a new career in real estate that I automatically assumed everyone would help me and be willing to schedule appointments.  more...

A win-win in dual agency

By Inman News, Tuesday, January 26, 2010.

Re: 'The dual-agency double standard' (Jan. 21)

Dear Editor:

I have heard this argument for over 30 years. And it is flawed. The seller has hired me to develop a qualified buyer interested in buying their property. People espousing this argument would suggest that in every negotiation there is a definitive winner and loser. In any successful negotiation, it must result in a win-win agreement.  more...

Jan

22
2010

Who wins with dual agency?

By Inman News, Friday, January 22, 2010.

Re: 'The dual-agency double standard' (Jan. 21)

Dear Editor:

I have long thought dual agency should be illegal or at least listed as unethical. As the article states, one of our fiduciary responsibilities is loyalty to the client. Well, would you want a prosecuting attorney representing your defense?  more...

'Soft heart, soft head'

By Bradley Inman, Friday, January 22, 2010.

In my first business venture, I partnered with my younger brother Jeff -- we were 10 and 12 years old. With my mother's nonstop encouragement, we started a window-washing business, Bucket & Brush Brothers. We handed out fliers to the small businesses in our hometown, Carlinville, a southern Illinois farm burg. The charge: $1 per business.

Our first customer was my parents' business. We washed the windows of their ladies "ready-to-wear" shop on the north end of the town square. My Dad was a tough customer -- he had strong ideas on how to wash windows the "right way."  more...

Jan

21
2010

The real estate listing, redefined Premium Content

By Scott Einbinder, Thursday, January 21, 2010.

The Holy Grail of our industry has been the listing. The control of the inventory is the coveted goal that all brokers strive to achieve.

This philosophy, despite all the technology advances, Internet Data Exchange sites, social media and networking strategies, recruiting plans and brick-and-mortar transitions, remains virtually unchanged for most of the practicing brokers. Even the most progressive brokers still remain rooted in the "same ol', same ol'" listing philosophy.

Specifically, the listing is still viewed as a sterile, non-personal potential revenue unit, while the truth is that it is something much different. Let's first start with what we call our client's for-sale home: a "listing." The word is derived from decades ago, when homes for sale were placed on a list.  more...

Dual agency can 'work very smoothly'

By Inman News, Thursday, January 21, 2010.

Re: 'The dual-agency double standard' (Jan. 21)

Dear Editor:

This article actually makes some sense of dual agency. Some attorneys do not like it, true, but generally speaking most have a jurist view. As real estate agents for buyer, seller or (both) ... we are not litigators! That's for the attorneys. In any agency situation, as a buyer you should have an attorney review any and all documents that you sign.

The agent should not be the source for legal representation. In most cases, no matter what the agency relationship is, the buyer and seller will determine the qualifications of the sale. A professional Realtor with training and experience in dual agency can guide a transaction with the utmost of integrity.  more...

Jan

18
2010

Let's name it BillySoft?

By Bradley Inman, Monday, January 18, 2010.
Ad for Home Buyers Fair

People ask how I came up with the name Vook, the new ebook publishing company. Was I typing the word "book" and inadvertently tapped the "V" key instead of the "B" key, which sit next to each other on the keyboard? I do not recall how I came up with the name. However, I have several stories when I named other ventures.

Twenty-three years ago, I started a consumer education business that taught people how to buy homes. The San Francisco Examiner was my partner in the annual all-day event, running house ads to get people there. When I approached the executives at the Examiner with the conference idea, I pitched the title "In Search of Equity," a corny knock-off of the best-selling Tom Peter's book "In Search of Excellence."  more...

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