Quick Skim

If you’re not one of those people who naturally oozes charisma, communications expert Mark Wiskup has good news: Being likeable is learnable. In his book, The It Factor: Be the One People Like, Listen to, and Remember (AMACOM, 2007) Wiskup doles out advice for perfecting your elevator pitch, mastering small talk, giving good compliments, and steering clear of annoying patronizing patter. The advice may not be groundbreaking, but this quick read’s practical scripts and sample scenarios are great refreshers before any client meeting, party, or networking event.

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From the Book: 5 Ways to Be More Likeable

In real estate, being a “people person” is core to your job. You must forge relationships quickly and earn the trust of those you meet. Say the wrong thing, and you can kiss that first impression goodbye. Wiskup offers these ideas for boosting your likeability factor in almost any situation:

1. Be specific with compliments. Vague, lackluster praise (“I’m really happy to meet with you today”) comes across as insincere, insensitive, and can even leave the other person feeling resentful. Make your compliments stick by being descriptive and showing that you did your homework. Instead of: “Great job on the marketing report. Keep up the good work,” try “Good job on the marketing report. The third-quarter demographic stuff really helped me focus on where the money is for us. I was really impressed with your analysis of the competition.”

2. Don’t talk about the weather. Start small talk with questions about work, hobbies, and (only if they raise it first) spouse and family. These topics can set a great foundation. Try asking several questions about the same topic in succession. Make the first question broad (Where are you from?), the second one more focused (What made you move here?), then narrow the third question (Do you miss Minnesota?). Finally, offer your own information related to their response and ask a follow-up question (“I went to Brainerd for a conference once, but it was summer so I didn’t get a taste of the Minnesota winter. Have you been there before?”). If they ask you a question to keep the conversation going, you’ve made a connection. If not, maybe it’s time to switch topics.

3. Perfect your elevator pitch. Have about five prepared pitches you can use instantly at conferences, networking events, and other situations. Without using any industry jargon, describe specifically what you do for your customers, using conversational phrases such as

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Posted on April 25 at 01:48 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (3)

National syndicated real estate columnist Edith Lank, author of Confessions of a Real Estate Columnist: I've Heard it All and So Should You (Dearborn Financial Publishing, 2007), responds to your questions.

Q: I read in the book blog that you once held a real estate license and that your husband was a REALTOR®. So I'm interested to know your view of the real estate industry and the constant debate over the cost of brokerage services. What's your response to the argument that it costs too much to sell a home?

A: My first reaction is that agents don’t seem to be all driving around in Mercedes Benzes. The practice of real estate can yield a decent income for a hard-working self-starter, but it’s interesting how many people enter the field only to leave within the first year when the work turns out to be too demanding of time and energy, with no guaranteed salary. As for the cost of brokerage services — I think discount brokerages, which charge low commission rates or flat fees for “unbundled” limited services, are just fine as long as sellers know what they’ll have to take on themselves. Problem is, many people think the job consists of finding someone who wants to buy the property. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Making sure the would-be buyer is financially qualified, negotiating a win-win agreement that suits everyone, and then running interference and clearing up problems all the way to closing are by far the biggest part of the job.

Q: Everyone today talks about the Internet-empowered buyer. Based on the kinds of questions you get, are buyers today more prepared and more savvy compared with buyers a decade or more in the past? What's the implication for real estate practitioners?

A: Real estate professionals worry about the way the Internet has trashed the travel agent business, and it’s true that scads more information is available to the house-hunter now. But in the end, buyers most seem to turn to personal service, as far as I can learn. Home buying is a nervous business, so is selling for that matter, and it seems to require a lot more experienced guidance than planning a cruise. As for my reader mail, I have to say that readers seem just about as clueless as they were when I started the column in 1976. Perhaps the savvy ones don’t write to a newspaper columnist.

Q: What are some of the most common types of questions you get from readers?

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Posted on May 7 at 09:26 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (7)

Quick Skim

Clients say the darndest things! If you haven’t had your fill of comical questions from customers, you’ll get it by paging through this light-hearted book by syndicated real estate columnist Edith Lank. The book is a compilation of hundreds of letters from inquisitive readers. Questions come from consumers who are hungry for more information on all sorts of buying and selling issues, from the particulars of burying a St. Joseph statue in the yard to resolving family dramas. Even Lank is sometimes left speechless.

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From the Book: 7 Questions That Make You Wonder

These are some of the actual questions Lank has received from her readers and are included in her book I’ve Heard It All and So Should You (Dearborn Financial Publishing, 2007):

1. I would appreciate any information on Fanny Mae about buying homes and property. Also if she has any books out.

2. Stamped return envelope enclosed. Please send us all information on how to sell our home without using a realator. I think you call it being a FSOB.

3. I went to a free seminar on real estate and it seems like it would be the best thing for me to do. I don’t have the money for the rest of the course but they said they could arrange a loan for me to borrow it. Do you think this would be a good investment?

4. Upon selling a co-op or condo, would it be mandatory to divulge the fact that, at times, there

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Posted on April 27 at 07:08 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (3)

Richard Courtney, author of Buyers Are Liars & Sellers Are Too! (Fireside Books/Simon & Schuster, 2006), responds to your questions about the half-truths and common misperceptions among buyers and sellers.

Q: Your book title uses the word "liars," which is pretty harsh. Do you really think buyers and sellers are liars?

A: The title Buyers Are Liars & Sellers Are Too! is tongue in cheek and a catchy title. However, the reason I wrote the book was after observing buyers and sellers alike bringing unnecessary anxiety into real estate transactions by over strategizing. They each thought the other to be dishonest. At that point I explained the languages of buyerese and sellerese — which is not to be mistaken for lying.

Q: Here’s a scenario: I listen to my buyers' needs, make a list of their must-haves, and then they turn around and buy (from someone else) a home that is so totally different. Any theories on what I’m doing wrong, and how I could have kept their business?

A: Hence the theory that “buyers are liars”. Buyers always think they know what they want, but seldom actually know what they want. You have to learn to translate buyerese, the language of buyers.

Q: What do you think is the biggest lie that buyers most often tell their real estate agents?

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Posted on April 23 at 04:17 PM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (3)

Quick Skim

As emotions kick in, buyers and sellers often turn into their own worst enemy. Where does that leave you? In the middle, trying to sort out the half-truths and translate what your clients really mean. Veteran real estate broker Richard Courtney helps decode a language he calls “Buyerese” in his new book. Using a humorous approach, he uncovers the big “lies” of buying and selling a home from four perspectives: the buyer, the seller, and the real estate agents who represent each of them.

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Tips from the Book: 5 Buyer and Seller Misperceptions

In Buyers Are Liars & Sellers Are Too! (Fireside Books/Simon & Schuster, 2006), Courtney points out some of the following popular misperceptions of clients and offers suggestions on how you can get them closer to the truth:

1. Ma and pa approval. Warning about meeting the parents: They can spot a nail hole from 70 feet away through two sets of windows, Courtney writes. When working with first-time home buyers particularly, expect the parents to meddle, to be overly protective, and to question how in the world their little boy or girl will be able to afford such an expense! For a positive working relationship, correct parents gently when they’re wrong, reinforce their ideas when accurate, and thank them for their insight in areas you may have overlooked.

2. Popped nail — the house is falling! Don’t let home inspections scare your clients. Some home inspectors will note every nail pop, paint chip, settlement crack, and squeaky faucet. Encourage clients to educate themselves on what’s major and what’s not. After all, most repairs that inspectors consider necessary are inexpensive and easily fixable. When the inspection is done, work with the sellers and their agent to decide who will pay for the repairs.

3. The dream house, without compromise. Courtney once worked with a couple who adamantly wanted a ranch home, but not on a corner lot, and definitely not near a street with a

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Posted on April 16 at 08:30 AM | Permanent Link | Add a Comment (10)