Things are heating up!

So, the big banks decided not to remove their moratorium on REO's and now inventory is down to a 90 day level yet the numbers of new NOD's is growing out of control. Are we going to get hit with a tsunami of REO's? We're starting to see some commercial REO's creep onto the market and with the number of vacant commercial space, it looks like we'll see a bunch of them. Maybe that's just California where our political hacks seem to want to drive business out of the state. I don't know, maybe I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. I for one, would like to see the market work without a bunch of "stimulus". The stock market went up this week on news of Citigroup earning $8 billion! Wow, Give me $40 billion and I'm sure I could do the same, while standing on my head, in Mexico, drinking a cerveza. Gimme a break.

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My Coldwell Banker Blog

Check out my CB blog here:
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Back to basics.....or....a new beginning

So, many in the biz keep saying we need to "get back to the basics". I've heard managers tell their agents this and heard agents share the remark with each other over the past 2 years. I say yes, and no. As real estate professionals we need to get back to serving our clients at a higher level, not just whatever level we were at prior to the incredible market run we experienced. For agents that got involved in the business over the last 5-7 years, they don't really understand what the "basics" are, so they need to come to their own definition. The basics are all about doing the right thing, serving at a higher level than you did the day before, and always putting the clients needs above your own. But, more than this basic concept of service is in play here. The real estate business is changing.....drastically.....every day. Many of the OLD basics that got us by in the past will no longer work today. In order to be relevant today, we, our industry need to reinvent ourselves. We need to keep up with the market segments we serve. We need to communicate with clients in the manner that they want us to. I've had clients that want a weekly phone call, while I have increasingly more that would rather receive regular e-mail updates. Today, I have clients following me, and me them, on Twitter, Facebook and Linked In. I am evangelical when I discuss how Jott changed my life and allowed me to make a voice call and it end up in my clients or family members e-mail and text. YEAH, I'm getting excited. We have sooooo many more tools today to assist us in our business. We have so many more ways to encounter new people, develop new relationships and be available to serve. That's really what it's all about. I hope your basics include new beginnings, exciting new paths to travel and a gratifying experience in this business.