Julie In The Press
Sound Off: Does off-market or off-MLS marketing benefit the sellers? In what cases would you recommend such an approach?
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
A: There is certainly more than one way to successfully market a property and depending on the sellers’ circumstances and goals, “off-market” sales have the benefit of delivering certainty and far more privacy. Moreover, they don’t require the seller to move out as is often the case when homes are publicly open and on full display. But take heed, off-market sales require a steady hand as - by virtue of their “off-market” status - they will not be “market-tested,” thus, are inherently full of questions marks on both sides of the transaction. For sellers, it’s “Could we have gotten more had we fully exposed the property?” And for buyers, it’s “Did we pay too much?”
The answer for both parties is “No one knows for sure.” However, if everyone is in agreement and both sides understand the risks and rewards, an off-market sale can (when appropriate) be an elegant and viable solution.
The answer for both parties is “No one knows for sure.” However, if everyone is in agreement and both sides understand the risks and rewards, an off-market sale can (when appropriate) be an elegant and viable solution.
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Sound off: What are the Common misconceptions among buyers and sellers?
San Francisco Chronicle, March 31, 2017
A: One of the most obvious misconceptions is that homes sell themselves — they don’t,or at least they don’t sell for top dollar. Sellers often also believe selling a property is going to be an easy A. In reality, it’s a production with a lot of moving parts.
In spite of what’s often an extraordinary return for most sellers in the Bay Area, they frequently leave the negotiating table feeling rather disappointed.
Why? In large part, it has to do with media buzz, heightened expectations and rumors about what their neighbor’s house down the street procured. So no matter how many well-intentioned offers present, sellers will often turn to you and say, “I thought there would be more.” (Say what?)
The truth is that selling or buying a home — in any market — is primarily an emotional journey and that’s going to be difficult to navigate, irrespective of the success or failure of a transaction.
In other words, there are no easy A’s. Get ready to earn the grade.
In spite of what’s often an extraordinary return for most sellers in the Bay Area, they frequently leave the negotiating table feeling rather disappointed.
Why? In large part, it has to do with media buzz, heightened expectations and rumors about what their neighbor’s house down the street procured. So no matter how many well-intentioned offers present, sellers will often turn to you and say, “I thought there would be more.” (Say what?)
The truth is that selling or buying a home — in any market — is primarily an emotional journey and that’s going to be difficult to navigate, irrespective of the success or failure of a transaction.
In other words, there are no easy A’s. Get ready to earn the grade.
SOUND OFF: what advice do Realtors have for emotional purchases revolving death, divorce or an unwanted career change?
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, February 17, 2017
A: Death, divorce, or career changes are frequently triggers for an impending move, as are new babies, empty-nesting, and retirement. In short, every move is fraught with emotion. In fact, I’ve yet to sell the house that didn’t have an emotional component or wasn’t highly charged.
A good friend and moving concierge I often work with put it best: “A move is the physical manifestation of a life-event that has already taken place.” How very true, which is why as Realtors, we wear many hats including: therapist, counselor, confident, and advocate. In other words: “the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker.”
But are there times when Realtors need to be especially sympathetic and compassionate with their sellers and buyers? Absolutely. Does that change the way we conduct our business? Not really.
In fact, I firmly believe that any and every real estate transaction - regardless of the circumstances - is best served when we leave our emotions out of the equation. Granted, that’s much tougher to navigate when the move is set off by an unwelcome circumstance, rather than a happy one, but no matter how emotional the situation, Realtors need to be the steady voice that reminds their clients that everything is going to resolve in the end. It always does.
A good friend and moving concierge I often work with put it best: “A move is the physical manifestation of a life-event that has already taken place.” How very true, which is why as Realtors, we wear many hats including: therapist, counselor, confident, and advocate. In other words: “the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker.”
But are there times when Realtors need to be especially sympathetic and compassionate with their sellers and buyers? Absolutely. Does that change the way we conduct our business? Not really.
In fact, I firmly believe that any and every real estate transaction - regardless of the circumstances - is best served when we leave our emotions out of the equation. Granted, that’s much tougher to navigate when the move is set off by an unwelcome circumstance, rather than a happy one, but no matter how emotional the situation, Realtors need to be the steady voice that reminds their clients that everything is going to resolve in the end. It always does.
Sound Off: Know any good ghost stories about local real estate?
San Francisco Chronicle, October 28, 2016
A: Want to scare a Realtor? Ask them to sell a home with a bunch of tacky furniture, unkempt bathrooms, and mystery odors. Odds are decent the agent conducts an exorcism before bringing over any potential buyers.
In other words, you want an agent/exorcist. Someone who understands first impressions are everything, and that people all over the world can see your home online—Instagram alone sees half a billion users every month.
So banish those smelly litter boxes, evidence of smoking, spicy cooking aromas, pet hair, sweaty athletic shoes, must and mildew, funky refrigerators, and those overwhelming plug-ins that all make for scents that are less than pleasurable to prospective buyers.For everyone’s health and well-being, open the windows and let the spirits OUT and then let’s bring in a team of professionals to eradicate The Blob. (Just a side note; how exactly did The Blob move so quickly when it had no legs? I mean, it was a BLOB, right?)
If you want to present your home as a veritable “haunted house,” it’s certainly your right to do so. But you’ll walk away with far less than your neighbor down the street, who invested the time and money into presenting the house in a fresh, new, and totally inviting way.
In other words, you want an agent/exorcist. Someone who understands first impressions are everything, and that people all over the world can see your home online—Instagram alone sees half a billion users every month.
So banish those smelly litter boxes, evidence of smoking, spicy cooking aromas, pet hair, sweaty athletic shoes, must and mildew, funky refrigerators, and those overwhelming plug-ins that all make for scents that are less than pleasurable to prospective buyers.For everyone’s health and well-being, open the windows and let the spirits OUT and then let’s bring in a team of professionals to eradicate The Blob. (Just a side note; how exactly did The Blob move so quickly when it had no legs? I mean, it was a BLOB, right?)
If you want to present your home as a veritable “haunted house,” it’s certainly your right to do so. But you’ll walk away with far less than your neighbor down the street, who invested the time and money into presenting the house in a fresh, new, and totally inviting way.
Sound Off: what is the best Approach to remodeling projects?
San Francisco Chronicle, September 30, 2016
A: With respect to where to spend your hard-earned dollars on remodeling projects, there are a couple of rules to bear in mind:
1. Adding all the bells and whistles to a project is going to increase your budget considerably and may prove to be loss leaders in the end. Additions like warming drawers, wine refrigerators and fancy built-in espresso machines are trendy, to be sure, but may not return the dollars you’ve invested in them. Stick to classic, timeless design when it comes to the kitchen and bathrooms, and these choices are far more likely to pay for themselves in increased value when it is time to sell.
2. Fresh paint, new lighting and updated hardware are easy and fairly inexpensive fixes that immediately change the tenor of your home and help make it feel more current.
3. If you’ve overlooked your garden, think again. While hardscapes and decks don’t come cheap, trees, blooming shrubs and flowers truly deliver the biggest bang for the buck and will pay you back in spades when tended. In my experience, the most surprising sales results always come from properties that treat their yards as extensions of the homes themselves, creating outdoor rooms and gardens that cheerfully beckon and set dreams in motion.
1. Adding all the bells and whistles to a project is going to increase your budget considerably and may prove to be loss leaders in the end. Additions like warming drawers, wine refrigerators and fancy built-in espresso machines are trendy, to be sure, but may not return the dollars you’ve invested in them. Stick to classic, timeless design when it comes to the kitchen and bathrooms, and these choices are far more likely to pay for themselves in increased value when it is time to sell.
2. Fresh paint, new lighting and updated hardware are easy and fairly inexpensive fixes that immediately change the tenor of your home and help make it feel more current.
3. If you’ve overlooked your garden, think again. While hardscapes and decks don’t come cheap, trees, blooming shrubs and flowers truly deliver the biggest bang for the buck and will pay you back in spades when tended. In my experience, the most surprising sales results always come from properties that treat their yards as extensions of the homes themselves, creating outdoor rooms and gardens that cheerfully beckon and set dreams in motion.
Sound Off: what are The most common deal-breakers?
San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, July 29, 2016
A: The easy response to this question is “failure to disclose,” which, don’t get me wrong, can certainly torpedo a deal in no uncertain terms and land buyers or sellers (and their agents) in all kinds of hot water. However, in my experience, it’s actually poor manners that often fatally kill a transaction and leave both sides feeling battered and bruised and worse yet, irrevocably polarized.
Our actions are one of the few things we have control over as we move through a transaction, so while the desire to best the other party may be your instinct — either by training or design — it rarely ever serves the deal when it comes to negotiations.
In a business that is inherently emotional to begin with, both buyers and sellers are better off when we leave our emotions at the door and conduct business with some empathy, thoughtfulness, integrity and trust.
Can we avoid our feelings when we perceive an injustice? No way, but we can certainly take a moment to check our responses, reconsider that late-night text and design a win-win strategy to ensure that everyone has a positive result.
Our actions are one of the few things we have control over as we move through a transaction, so while the desire to best the other party may be your instinct — either by training or design — it rarely ever serves the deal when it comes to negotiations.
In a business that is inherently emotional to begin with, both buyers and sellers are better off when we leave our emotions at the door and conduct business with some empathy, thoughtfulness, integrity and trust.
Can we avoid our feelings when we perceive an injustice? No way, but we can certainly take a moment to check our responses, reconsider that late-night text and design a win-win strategy to ensure that everyone has a positive result.
Sound Off: what are the most Common oversights from buyers & sellers?
San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, June 26, 2015
A: In the excitement of buying or selling a home, it’s easy to forget the real costs of this important transaction, which are far more than just the agreed-upon price.
Buyers should budget 2-3 percent beyond the purchase price to cover both recurring and nonrecurring fees, such as pro-rated property taxes, transfer taxes, title and escrow fees, loan origination fees, homeowner’s insurance, and notary fees, among others. They should also factor in the physical costs of moving their items from one property to the next.
Sellers need to factor in many of same costs, but add the cost of the sales commission as well, which typically falls between 5 and 6 percent of the sales price. Thus, sellers should add approximately 8 percent to the costs of selling their homes as a starting point.
More often than not, sellers will also need to spend a fair amount of money on painting, staging, cleaning, gardening and inspections. However, these expenses are “value added” and tend to bring the greatest return on your investment, so while such preparations may seem to be the most optional part of a sales transaction, they are also the most important in securing top dollar for your home. In other words, this isn’t the place to cut dollars.
Buyers should budget 2-3 percent beyond the purchase price to cover both recurring and nonrecurring fees, such as pro-rated property taxes, transfer taxes, title and escrow fees, loan origination fees, homeowner’s insurance, and notary fees, among others. They should also factor in the physical costs of moving their items from one property to the next.
Sellers need to factor in many of same costs, but add the cost of the sales commission as well, which typically falls between 5 and 6 percent of the sales price. Thus, sellers should add approximately 8 percent to the costs of selling their homes as a starting point.
More often than not, sellers will also need to spend a fair amount of money on painting, staging, cleaning, gardening and inspections. However, these expenses are “value added” and tend to bring the greatest return on your investment, so while such preparations may seem to be the most optional part of a sales transaction, they are also the most important in securing top dollar for your home. In other words, this isn’t the place to cut dollars.
Sound Off: What are some of the most effective ways to market a listing?
San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, April 3, 2015
A: Effectively marketing a property takes many forms. Print advertising and word-of-mouth are traditional routes, while social media enables us to reach a worldwide audience.
Print outlets such as The San Francisco Chronicle will remain at the forefront with respect to marketing, but truly, it’s a whole new ballgame with the advent of portals such as SFGate, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Static photos are giving way to virtual 3D tours and videos and fliers now land in an e-mail inbox with regularity. Moreover, the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) once limited to those with a real estate license, is available to everyone.
Personally, I take a “leave no stone unturned” approach, knowing that the vast majority of my buyers now begin their search online and with the understanding that generationally, the game is shifting. This means I have to adjust along with it, or get left behind.
Several years ago, I created a neighborhood blog (thepiedmontperspective.com) and that online voice has become a touchstone for my clients and community.
It’s my bit of niche marketing, and it’s proven to be popular, but whatever the medium an agent pursues, it’s with the understanding that the images we create and messages we impart are instantaneous. So effectively marketing a property takes global reach, creativity, and, above all else, speed.
Print outlets such as The San Francisco Chronicle will remain at the forefront with respect to marketing, but truly, it’s a whole new ballgame with the advent of portals such as SFGate, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Static photos are giving way to virtual 3D tours and videos and fliers now land in an e-mail inbox with regularity. Moreover, the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) once limited to those with a real estate license, is available to everyone.
Personally, I take a “leave no stone unturned” approach, knowing that the vast majority of my buyers now begin their search online and with the understanding that generationally, the game is shifting. This means I have to adjust along with it, or get left behind.
Several years ago, I created a neighborhood blog (thepiedmontperspective.com) and that online voice has become a touchstone for my clients and community.
It’s my bit of niche marketing, and it’s proven to be popular, but whatever the medium an agent pursues, it’s with the understanding that the images we create and messages we impart are instantaneous. So effectively marketing a property takes global reach, creativity, and, above all else, speed.
Sound Off: What questions should buyers and sellers ask their Realtors when getting started?
San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, November 7, 2014
A: This question hits very close to home, as I have been on both sides of this equation in 2014. I sold my own home, I bought two other properties and assisted three family members in selling their homes.
I strongly believe that local representation and expertise are a must for any successful client/agent relationship. So the first question a buyer or seller should ask is, “How well do you know this particular marketplace, and how many properties have you represented within it?” Given that real estate is composed of many different micro-markets, it’s not only important that the Realtor understand the marketplace in which a buyer or seller is moving to or moving from but that the Realtor community knows and respects the agent in question as well.
The second question a buyer or seller should ask is, “What can I expect from you in the way of communication, and how do you work?” Understanding each other’s style is not only important; it’s critical. If you need constant updating and daily interaction, you want an agent that responds to you within minutes, not days.
Finally, I might ask what sets an agent apart? Is he/she more creative, a better negotiator or a competent problem solver?
In the end, both buyers and sellers should select an agent based on location, communication and performance.
I strongly believe that local representation and expertise are a must for any successful client/agent relationship. So the first question a buyer or seller should ask is, “How well do you know this particular marketplace, and how many properties have you represented within it?” Given that real estate is composed of many different micro-markets, it’s not only important that the Realtor understand the marketplace in which a buyer or seller is moving to or moving from but that the Realtor community knows and respects the agent in question as well.
The second question a buyer or seller should ask is, “What can I expect from you in the way of communication, and how do you work?” Understanding each other’s style is not only important; it’s critical. If you need constant updating and daily interaction, you want an agent that responds to you within minutes, not days.
Finally, I might ask what sets an agent apart? Is he/she more creative, a better negotiator or a competent problem solver?
In the end, both buyers and sellers should select an agent based on location, communication and performance.
Sound Off: Are Realtors changing their procedures in the wake of Beverly Carter’s death?
San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, October 10, 2014
A: Sadly, the death of Beverly Carter, a much-beloved real estate agent in Little Rock, Ark., isn’t the first incident of a female agent being targeted at an open house — and probably won’t be the last.
Unless we are willing to make significant changes with respect to how we conduct our business — by better vetting our clientele, requiring face-to-face meetings prior to touring with prospective buyers, or by pairing up with another colleague for private showings — agents will continue to place themselves in vulnerable positions.
I’ve been guilty of this myself. As Realtors, we make ourselves available at a moment’s notice and respond immediately to a client’s request. Such immediacy doesn’t create a culture of reflection and pause. In a go-go-go market, we need to trust our instincts more.
Recently I received a call from a gentleman to meet him at his house for a prospective listing. I replied by saying, “I’d feel more comfortable if we were to meet at my office or a coffee shop to discuss your goals first.” I’m almost embarrassed to say that I had never suggested such an off-site meeting before Carter's death. However, it’s a reasonable request and one we should employ more often.
I don’t believe there is a legitimate buyer or seller in the world who would disagree with placing one’s safety above a sale. Perhaps we just need to set the expectation from the start.
Unless we are willing to make significant changes with respect to how we conduct our business — by better vetting our clientele, requiring face-to-face meetings prior to touring with prospective buyers, or by pairing up with another colleague for private showings — agents will continue to place themselves in vulnerable positions.
I’ve been guilty of this myself. As Realtors, we make ourselves available at a moment’s notice and respond immediately to a client’s request. Such immediacy doesn’t create a culture of reflection and pause. In a go-go-go market, we need to trust our instincts more.
Recently I received a call from a gentleman to meet him at his house for a prospective listing. I replied by saying, “I’d feel more comfortable if we were to meet at my office or a coffee shop to discuss your goals first.” I’m almost embarrassed to say that I had never suggested such an off-site meeting before Carter's death. However, it’s a reasonable request and one we should employ more often.
I don’t believe there is a legitimate buyer or seller in the world who would disagree with placing one’s safety above a sale. Perhaps we just need to set the expectation from the start.
Sound Off: How can a client help their Realtor be efficient, effective?
San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, September 5, 2014
A: In a perfect world, a client would hand over their keys, move out entirely and never question the costs or effort it takes to bring a home to market. On the buyer's side, they would intimately understand the marketplace and hit the price required to beat out the other bidders without losing months on the learning curve. However, for most clients, this advice isn't practical as both buying and selling are emotionally charged events.
Still, there are many ways clients can help their agents be efficient and effective and at the top of my list are faith and trust.
Without these, no amount of skill and experience can overcome nagging doubt.
Once faith and trust are established, the journey becomes infinitely easier for all parties involved and we can truly get to work.
Still, there are many ways clients can help their agents be efficient and effective and at the top of my list are faith and trust.
Without these, no amount of skill and experience can overcome nagging doubt.
Once faith and trust are established, the journey becomes infinitely easier for all parties involved and we can truly get to work.