East Bay real estate folks who've been around the block.

In my career, I've worked for the "big company", had my own brokerage, and worked for 2 independents. I've often thought it was not a good idea to hop around and work for different offices, but rather to be careful, find a good spot and try to thrive...you trust management to do what's right, give you some space and go do your work....After working for the big company and getting a lesson in trust, I went out on my own for 8 years....and learned a little more about trust.......you trust people until you can't.....but that isn't my thought process now....it's about value...the value of an individual, and what they bring to a company. There are people who try to sell you on the value of branding, building it and investing in it....I think that's a lot of snake oil...in my experience almost all of the value of a brand is in the people you choose to work for you. I've seen so many managers hire people who will make them money, but absolutely denigrate their brand. And the public never knows...or knows well enough...When an agent compromises their ethics, honesty and fiduciary responsibility to their clients....makes money, and isn't punished....not only is the brand compromised, but the industry is as well. I've seen it happen...and it's discouraging....The lesson: if you are a manager...ONLY hire people who will be meticulously honest...have integrity in all they do... because they will be a joy to work with, and bring your company brand esteem....referrals...and no lawsuits...and reward them...with praise, appreciation and a few monetary perks. See more

When you've been in the business a long time, you get a chance to see how it's changed..sometimes for the better...often not....but why?....why shouldn't progress be good?..usually because there's a price to pay along the way...a couple of ways that people and companies do business rationalize "progress" as having to do with streamlining the process of buying a home. And in a connected way...how companies attempt to streamline how they manage their agents....I have issues w...ith both. Why?...simple..it takes away the one on one connectivity of the agent and the client...and the connectivity of the agent with the support staff that assist them along the way....to wit: many agents utilize assistants who do the "grunt work" of the job...ostensibly to "free up the agent to be more productive"....this has, over time created a monster....agents refuse to do the bare minimum of work to be accountable to their clients and to the other agent in the transaction....by saying...Oh..my assistant or escrow coordinator in charged with that responsibility...it's created a division...one agent who won't do the customary follow-up...and the agent who has to hound the other agent to do their job....Regarding how the companies have changed..."streamlining systems"...in theory should make them more efficient....instead...there are now layers of protocols and computer programs instead of people at the end of a phone line....old school worked...for a long time....for a reason. See more

This week marks 42 years in the real estate business....July of '78 I got licensed and age 24 I felt I was ambitious and smart enough to do really well. One part of the equation was missing. I wasn't very savvy, and I trusted people when they told me things. Trusting that they knew what they wanted without my asking them why. A good example was a guy who had a rent controlled apartment, lots of cash in the bank and wanted a house. Everything I showed him, he found flaws ...with and I was spending too much time showing him property that I realized would never measure up. That cash in the bank represented his security...and if he spent it, he'd lose the one thing he treasured. Plus...anyone with a rent controlled apartment rarely is anxious to give it up...it would be 9 months before I finally sold my first house. And that guy's still there up on Skyline in Oakland. See more

Very odd times in the real estate market as a result of the virus infecting people across the world. For a few agents, it's business as usual with a few changes in showing protocol. Distancing, masks, cleaning of the home's surfaces, and restrictions on the number of people who can be in the home at the same time...Also, the fact that many people's jobs are less secure, and their ability to make payments on a mortgage could affect lending practices, as well as prices....One... aspect that I will be curious to see how it pans out:..will the limiting of the access to the home make people feel victimized when they move in and discover defects that might have been discovered had they been able to personally inspect it more thoroughly....The fact that open houses and broker tours are not taking place also has a limiting effect on the discovery of potential defects. As we all know, the more time you spend in a house, the more things you notice....We'll see. See more

The real estate code of ethics says we are not supposed to make disparaging comments about our competitors/colleagues. By the same token, I've seen advertising pieces that say, " Oh, other agents do this, and I can do better, and that's why you should do business with me"...well...that kind of fudges the line a little...you say you are better, and they are worse....Advertising is a very potentially powerful way to influence people...and sometimes people do, in fact cross the... line....Here, I may cross the line a little,,,but it's a pet peeve of mine....agents who take a listing, and have no expectation at all of performing the most basic of tasks associated with marketing that listing....but...expect to get paid as if they did them all....In my market area, if you take a listing, and you do not attend the broker tour, nor the open houses, you short-changed your seller...and they shouldn't have to pay your full fee...Being the seller's representative does not mean having an assistant or an uncompensated agent doing your work...it cheapens the profession, and God knows we already have plenty of critics. My solution is that if you take 3 listings in a week, and you cannot be there to perform all the tasks, SHARE the listing with a licensed agent and the fee as well. The seller deserves it. See more