So you have an online lead. Now what? Once you receive a response to one of your online campaigns, you might find yourself on a slippery slope when it comes to responding and monetizing. The strategy below has worked successfully for my clients and me. Take it offline Once you come across someone who wants…

Financially, home buyers looking to move-up have a much easier time than first-timers, who are trying to scrape up enough cash to cover a down payment and closing costs. But trade-up buyers face a whole new complication: Buy first or sell first? Buy First This strategy makes the most sense if you’re in a hot…

To invest in real estate, you can do it the old-fashioned way, buying a property with a loan or cash, then collecting rent or fixing it up to sell. Or you could invest in a real estate investment trust, a kind of fund that buys residential, commercial or industrial properties. Or you could do it the…

If your home is struggling to catch the eye of a buyer, it could be for an entirely valid reason. Maybe you’re stuck in a sluggish market or have the poshest place on the block (always a tough sell). But there’s another possibility, too—your home could be sitting on the market because of a rookie selling mistake. All of us can make…

A successful agent has been the go-to Realtor in a particular neighborhood for many years. The neighborhood is becoming popular now, and colleagues from the agent’s own office are starting to get listings there. Does the agent have a right to his own “turf” since he has been there for so long? Agent perspective For more than a decade,…

In 1994, nearly 500 banks were headquartered in California. Today, there are fewer than 180. By the end of the year, if current trends hold, Californians will have only one-third the number of banks to choose from for their mortgage, small business and personal savings needs than they did just a couple of decades ago….