This is the season of open houses. We should be doing more open houses than ever. When you’re hosting them, think about incorporating curiosity questions into your conversational strategy. Curiosity questions can unlock the door to continuing a relationship after someone leaves your open house.

Let me give you an example. What if I said, "Hey, feel free to walk around the house. I’ll answer any questions you have and point out some unique features. But one quick question for you— the seller has authorized me to give anyone who’d like a copy of the CMA we used to price the property. The comparative market analysis—it's almost like an appraisal. Would you like a copy of that?"

This is catnip to most buyers. They usually can’t resist wanting it. Often, they’ll say yes. I’ll respond, “Great! I can text it to you or email it to you—what would you prefer?”

Now I’ve gotten permission to continue the relationship.

Of course, before I make this approach, I would’ve cleared it with the selle...

In my second year as a real estate agent, I took 150 listings. Managing that as a young 20-year-old was a lot, but I knew early on that I needed to systemize my business. That's when I implemented something I called the "auto price reduction."

When I met with a seller, I'd say something like:

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"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Seller, as part of my communication strategy, I like to do something a bit outside the box. Every two weeks, you'll receive a message from my team—back then it was a letter, but today it would be an email—asking if you want to consider adjusting your home's price if it hasn't sold yet.

I don't want you to be offended by it. If you're not interested in a price reduction, just disregard it. If you want to think about it, set it aside. But if you're open to having a deeper conversation about possibly adjusting the price, we can discuss it. It's simply a prompt to keep the conversation going every two weeks.

The reality is, the longer a home sits on the market, the harder ...

As we approach the end of summer, many listings might still be lingering on the market. Currently, two-thirds of listings in the U.S. have been on the market for over 30 days, and 40% have been on the market for over 60 days. We're seeing more listings and less activity on the sales side, leading to a buildup of inventory and a shift toward a buyer's market.

If you have a listing that’s been on the market for a few weeks with little activity, try this script:

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Seller, this week I’m refreshing all my listings. Here’s what that means: I’ll be updating the lead photos so your listing looks new in the MLS. I’ll also revise the property description and review all the data points to ensure everything is accurate.

I’ll also schedule a 'meeting the market' to discuss any potential improvements to the listing. This meeting involves considering any incentives we might offer buyers or buyer’s agents. For buyers, we could consider offering to buy down the interest rate, contri...

Hey guys, price drops have hit an 18-month high. Here are three stats you need to know:

1. In May, 6.4% of home sellers dropped their home prices. In the last week of May, home prices actually came down by $3,000.
2. This is the first time home prices have declined in the last six months.
3. Homes are also staying on the market longer, now averaging 46 days. We are seeing more stagnation with listings.

When analyzing the market, we consider supply versus demand. We still have very low supply, but demand is decreasing due to high interest rates and record-high home prices. This combination makes affordability tough for many home buyers.

When discussing this with sellers, it's important to explain that a market can have pricing power or pricing pressure. For years, sellers had pricing power due to low supply and high demand. Now, with demand dropping, pricing pressure is entering the market.

The best time for a price adjustment might be surprising—it's at the listing appointment. At the...

Quick question:

What is in your buyer presentation right now?

With the NAR settlement just around the corner, you need to address what you’re doing about it. One thing you need to do is have your buyer presentation dialed in.

Here are 11 things to include in your buyer presentation post NAR settlement:

1. The Search Process: This can't just be you searching the MLS. Buyers can do that on Zillow or realtor.com. Go further by curating listings, hand-selecting the best fits, and commenting on each one. Be involved in the search process daily.

2. No Stone Unturned: The best listings sometimes don't hit MLS. Look at for-sale-by-owners, expired listings, and network with other REALTORS on coming-soon listings. Canvas neighborhoods to find potential sellers.

3. Research Process: Dive deep into any specific home you're interested in. Check permits, architectural plans, disclosure statements, plat maps, aerial maps, assessed values, and neighborhood trend lines. Interview neighbors to gat...

Last month, 32% of all transactions closed involved a cash buyer. If you stack up a cash buyer against a finance buyer, as a seller, which one would you prefer? Probably a cash buyer.

Financing has hurdles: the buyer has to qualify, the home has to qualify, there's appraisal and underwriting approval. So, if I had the choice, I would probably want to take a cash buyer.

But how do we incentivize this?

Most agents aren't having this conversation with sellers. Would you like to incentivize cash buyers to make offers on your house? Why? Because with a cash buyer, you're not dealing with qualification issues, low appraisals, or underwriting roadblocks. We can remove contingencies faster with a cash offer, which means we can speed up closing generally faster than with a finance buyer.

To incentivize those offers, you might consider giving a cash discount. What would you give? Maybe a 1% or 2% discount off the price. Let's be honest, with a financed offer, the buyer often asks for closing...

We know that NAR lost the lawsuit, totaling $5 billion. It's actually $1.8 billion, but it was tripled during the court process. Additionally, some major franchises in America are also involved in this lawsuit.

You might think that it doesn't affect us because it will get appealed, but that's wrong. The major news outlets have been covering this story since the trial, and now, after the verdict, they're going to continue. Your clients, both buyers and sellers, will be talking about it.

A situation might arise when you or another agent in your market is taking a listing, and the seller asks, "I read in the newspaper that I don't have to pay a buyer agent commission. Is that true?"

How do you respond to that?

Well, here's how your conversation should go:

“You have the option not to offer a buyer agent commission. It's entirely optional. But let me frame this for you as it's a competitive and buyer-related issue. If we choose not to offer a buyer agent commission, it ...

Did you know that pools are currently in high demand in the real estate market? If you own a house with a pool, you can expect to sell it for about 8% more on average compared to homes without pools.

This is important for us as real estate professionals because we can inform pool owners that they have the potential to sell at a premium.

Speaking from personal experience as a pool owner, I can tell you what happens after buying a house with a pool:

Initially, it's an exciting novelty, and you use it constantly for the first couple of summers. However, over time, the novelty fades, and while you may not use the pool as much, the constant maintenance remains. This maintenance can be quite a hassle if you're doing it yourself, or it can become expensive if you're hiring someone to maintain it.

For those who have owned a pool for several years, it can eventually become more of a headache than a luxury. This could lead them to consider trading in their pool-equipped home ...

Here's a quick video idea that'll resonate with everyone:

Are you a fan of bargain shopping? I sure am! Everyone loves a good deal, no matter their financial status. In fact, even decamillionaires—those with over $10 million in wealth—are big bargain hunters in real estate. So, here's your engaging content for this week:

Start with this:

"Do you love snagging a deal like I do? I'm all about finding amazing bargains. Let me clue you in on how you can score an incredible real estate bargain right now.

As you scan the market, you'll notice two distinct trends. On one hand, homes priced right and in great condition are getting snapped up within weeks.

Then, there's the second category—properties that have lingered because they might have been initially overpriced or needed some TLC. If a property sits for more than 30 days, sellers often start to realize they missed the mark on pricing or presentation.

What happens next? Motivation rises. They become more willing to ...

Hey guys, what if I told you that today may be a better time to sell your home than even last year when rates were 4%?

Let me give you the data (and a script you can use):

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“According to the National Association of REALTORS, home prices are now only $4,000 away from their all time high last June, and we are at 11% less inventory than we were at that time.

The other great thing that is happening in this market is that sellers are now back to getting 100% of our asking price on average in our market. And get this: 37% of sellers are selling for over full price.

So this is a market that is a great market for sellers in most price bands. If you're thinking about selling, I'd love to chat with you. I'd love to have you send me a text or a quick call.

Let's talk about what it might look like for you to put your home on the market.”

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That's the script I want you to use. That's the script I want you to put out because it’s the truth.

The market for sellers probably ...