Insatiable Curosity: A Realtor’s Most Important Asset
I’m one of those guys who is curious about almost everything. When it comes to my reading list I’m usually plowing through 3 or 4 non-fiction books, several magazines and a huge number of publications from my Google Reader. I like to stay informed. It’s a big part of my job as a real estate agent and, believe me, one can never keep up with the mountain of information out there. I thought it might be fun to show you how I go about the process of formulating some of my professional opinions about the real estate market. Let’s take the current financial meltdown as an example. There are a lot of economists claiming that the one commodity most needed in the market today is ”confidence.” I don’t disagree with this idea, but how do I articulate the notion with some facts my clients can understand? Here’s how I research subjects like this:1) I first went to Inman News which is an excellent source of information. There I found an article entitled “ Divided views on homeownership benefits” which points out that a large percentage of both home owners and non-homeowners intend to stay in their current residences for the next 12 months because of the turmoil in the marketplace. If you want to read the whole, fascinating article click on the picture below:
You’ll notice that this article has a link to a survey (highlighted). This survey is entitled ”Financial Mortgage Fallout Creating ’Crisis of Confidence’ Among Home Buyers“ and was compiled by Trulia which is one of the most comprehensive, well-respected real estate websites today. The article is an enlightening and somewhat disturbing assessment of homeowner confidence in the current market. Click on the picture to read the whole article.
Once I read these articles, I can then pass on relevant information to my neighbors here in Kenmore, WA. As it turns out, most Americans still believe in home ownership but many buyers are putting their home search on hold until the economy settles down. I believe that knowing these facts makes me a better realtor and helps me serve my clients in an intelligent way.
