Great article! I'm thinking about selling my car and buying a new one in the near future and these tips will definitely help. I definitely will not be saying "How about...?" anymore
I'm sure it's great to be the little guy who's happy with his lot—except when someone with a bunch of capital behind him decides to take over the space.
For example, look what happened to little bookstores when the big-box bookstores moved into town. Granted, a lot of that was Amazon and the internet totally transforming the business model, but part of it was just the inevitable consequence of the small guy trying to compete with someone who is willing to go big, and has access to cheap borrowed money.
Great article. It might even be better to be the little guy who is totally satisfied with his single coffee shop and the modest take-home income from it. No debt, no expansion risk, decent income.
Great points. New homeowners can sometimes get lost in the excitement and forget to prepare. But $20K for furniture -- yikes. Time to hit some auctions and consignment stores. :)
I went to a clothing swap party this winter and had a great time! I did need some clothes and ended up bringing home a few things that I now wear a lot.
It's always a given that dinner will take place, but what about preparing your spouse's favorite dessert? That could be a delectable surprise that either of you would certainly appreciate. Also, this is somewhat cliche but not mentioned in this article- flowers. Not only for the woman, but for the man as well. Giving flowers is a generous, "just-because" gesture that can be longer lived than you think. Having the flowers sitting on the table can remind you every time you look at them of the amount of love and care you have for each other- and they will definitely put a smile on your face.
Like in many areas, the bigger the risk the bigger the reward is a gamble you need to think about. Those who are bold and brave enough to take a big risk will either fail hard, or be very successful- but either way they took a chance and did the best they could. A lot of this seems like it would only be plausible if you yourself were the only one to consider in the decision-making process. If one has a family, a wife and kids, the decision process may have a little more weight to it- if you are in debt alone, you only have to worry about yourself, however if you make a big risk like this and become engulfed in debt, your family could suffer as well.
Although it may sometimes be unavoidable to say "let me get back to you" this definitely is one of the quickest ways to lose a good deal. When you've been in a conversation with someone for a period of time, you're the only person that's on their mind in terms of buying (or selling) so you should try and keep that momentum as you've probably already negotiated a deal by this time. Also, you're very right that using the phrase "I haven't gotten a chance to look into it much..." is probably the worst thing to say. This shows you lack the knowledge to make an educated decision, and you don't know enough to haggle down to what the appropriate price may be.
Thanks for your comment and the post idea of motivating teens. In general, though, I tried to pick things that teens would either want to do on their own or that you could easily get them to do. Most of the teens I know are motivated to do something, just not always what the parents want them to do.
The interesting stories never stop! Sometimes, the parents may not realize that their teens didn't know something that was considered common knowledge. I think that storytelling and explanations are entertaining, and can help teens appreciate their family and their friends' families, instead of worrying about not have a perfect life.
Money is always the easiest, but unless you know they'll use it wisely, it may not be the best choice. However, for those going off to college, more money is always needed.
I am reading this article and comments "5 years after" (should be 10). There are many good points on either side of the isle, but please don't use ETHICS as an alibi. What does RE ETHICS really mean in court? Ethics is long gone from medical profession, and I have to say I've never heard of SALES ETHICS. Why? Because there is no defintion of it. Broker business is to work with two or more parties to bring them closer with the objective of closing the deal in which everyone is happy, while at the same time covering few technicals to protect self. Is that what you call ETHICS?
How would your RE BROKER ETHICS work if you were a listing agent and I came to an open house, liked the house, opened the trunk of my car, counted 30% more CASH then the asking price, show you the withdrawl slip from my bank, and told you get this house empty for me by tomorrow 12PM sharp. Would it be ETHICAL to sell and take the money and run, or would you tell me, wait a second you are paying way too much, let me check with the seller if his ETHICS will allow him to take your offer?
It is 2012 now, mortgage rates are 3.5%, sellers are gone from the market, some people are testing the market with listings in Suffolk, LI that are 10-20% over the top.
BTW, I saw today on ZILLOW a house that sold for 1.4 millions on a cul-de-sac where all houses are just about the same, on the same size lot, two are listing for 525k, one was also sold recently for 485k and one that was listing for 399 (in bad shape) is under the contract. Few more discrepancies like this one could be seen. It looks to me that people that can do it, are fighting and finding ways to beat the system and one way or another recover some of the losses from their properties that were inflicted upon them.
Zillow is still showing property RE taxes for 2010, while 2011 taxes can readily be seen on most properties online.
How do you define RE BROKER'S ETHIC in this market? How do you gauge the right market price and right advice to a sell side and to a buy side? What price discovery methods do you use and what kind of analytics do you use to come up with right advice, while abiding traditional principles of your professional ETHICS?
This is such a great article! I wished that I had read this a long time ago. I was informed by Mgt a couple of months ago that a significant pay cut was coming (probably followed by a pink slip somewhere down the road). Many of the signs described above were evident, but subtle. Beware when the compliments stop coming regardless of what you do, or how hard you work! Also the answers to questions from my immediate boss were getting shorter, and more abrupt. The "thank yous" and "cudos" just stopped coming about 4 -5 months before hand. Things that used to win compliments just weren't working anymore. Nothing I did seemed to matter - the work seemed flawed and imperfect even though it was very good. People in the office just stopped visiting with me, but seemed to continue to visit with each other. I don't think that there is anything worse than feeling "shunned" by the staff when you're still doing a good job. Questions that I had about the process just didn't make sense, and the responses were irrational. Bottom line - it was all about cutting costs and protecting the sacred cows. I think that once the Company starts down this path, there are numerous reasons for moving on - most of all your sanity and self-respect. It is a slippery slope indeed!
True, one other point that i think the writer left out, is the credit card mileage programs, where you get x amount of miles if you sign up for a credit card, but in small print they write "$99 annual fee", many get tricked, but i got the sapphire and then canceled the card after 2 months.
In this time of crisis we cant really deny the fact that some of us resolved into dumpster diving. For me this is not an issue, what matters most that you are doing it with regards to your health and with some safety precaution in mind. There are lots of money behind dumpster, that is if you are really am hardworking and very resourceful surely you can find lot of things that may be useless to some but very useful to others.
Great article! I'm thinking about selling my car and buying a new one in the near future and these tips will definitely help. I definitely will not be saying "How about...?" anymore
I'm sure it's great to be the little guy who's happy with his lot—except when someone with a bunch of capital behind him decides to take over the space.
For example, look what happened to little bookstores when the big-box bookstores moved into town. Granted, a lot of that was Amazon and the internet totally transforming the business model, but part of it was just the inevitable consequence of the small guy trying to compete with someone who is willing to go big, and has access to cheap borrowed money.
Great article. It might even be better to be the little guy who is totally satisfied with his single coffee shop and the modest take-home income from it. No debt, no expansion risk, decent income.
Great points. New homeowners can sometimes get lost in the excitement and forget to prepare. But $20K for furniture -- yikes. Time to hit some auctions and consignment stores. :)
I love this article! I especially like (and always try to live by) "laugh your ass off". Thanks for the tips!
I went to a clothing swap party this winter and had a great time! I did need some clothes and ended up bringing home a few things that I now wear a lot.
I like giving gift cards with a personal note :)
It's always a given that dinner will take place, but what about preparing your spouse's favorite dessert? That could be a delectable surprise that either of you would certainly appreciate. Also, this is somewhat cliche but not mentioned in this article- flowers. Not only for the woman, but for the man as well. Giving flowers is a generous, "just-because" gesture that can be longer lived than you think. Having the flowers sitting on the table can remind you every time you look at them of the amount of love and care you have for each other- and they will definitely put a smile on your face.
Like in many areas, the bigger the risk the bigger the reward is a gamble you need to think about. Those who are bold and brave enough to take a big risk will either fail hard, or be very successful- but either way they took a chance and did the best they could. A lot of this seems like it would only be plausible if you yourself were the only one to consider in the decision-making process. If one has a family, a wife and kids, the decision process may have a little more weight to it- if you are in debt alone, you only have to worry about yourself, however if you make a big risk like this and become engulfed in debt, your family could suffer as well.
Although it may sometimes be unavoidable to say "let me get back to you" this definitely is one of the quickest ways to lose a good deal. When you've been in a conversation with someone for a period of time, you're the only person that's on their mind in terms of buying (or selling) so you should try and keep that momentum as you've probably already negotiated a deal by this time. Also, you're very right that using the phrase "I haven't gotten a chance to look into it much..." is probably the worst thing to say. This shows you lack the knowledge to make an educated decision, and you don't know enough to haggle down to what the appropriate price may be.
Kind of corny, but honestly... Advice from an experienced friend who knows the graduate well.
Thanks for your comment and the post idea of motivating teens. In general, though, I tried to pick things that teens would either want to do on their own or that you could easily get them to do. Most of the teens I know are motivated to do something, just not always what the parents want them to do.
The interesting stories never stop! Sometimes, the parents may not realize that their teens didn't know something that was considered common knowledge. I think that storytelling and explanations are entertaining, and can help teens appreciate their family and their friends' families, instead of worrying about not have a perfect life.
the hair trader website is not free it is $14.50 to post an ad for 3 months.
If someone spends $30,000 on Landscaping, they deserve to go broke.
I like your page on Facebook
Money is always the easiest, but unless you know they'll use it wisely, it may not be the best choice. However, for those going off to college, more money is always needed.
I am reading this article and comments "5 years after" (should be 10). There are many good points on either side of the isle, but please don't use ETHICS as an alibi. What does RE ETHICS really mean in court? Ethics is long gone from medical profession, and I have to say I've never heard of SALES ETHICS. Why? Because there is no defintion of it. Broker business is to work with two or more parties to bring them closer with the objective of closing the deal in which everyone is happy, while at the same time covering few technicals to protect self. Is that what you call ETHICS?
How would your RE BROKER ETHICS work if you were a listing agent and I came to an open house, liked the house, opened the trunk of my car, counted 30% more CASH then the asking price, show you the withdrawl slip from my bank, and told you get this house empty for me by tomorrow 12PM sharp. Would it be ETHICAL to sell and take the money and run, or would you tell me, wait a second you are paying way too much, let me check with the seller if his ETHICS will allow him to take your offer?
It is 2012 now, mortgage rates are 3.5%, sellers are gone from the market, some people are testing the market with listings in Suffolk, LI that are 10-20% over the top.
BTW, I saw today on ZILLOW a house that sold for 1.4 millions on a cul-de-sac where all houses are just about the same, on the same size lot, two are listing for 525k, one was also sold recently for 485k and one that was listing for 399 (in bad shape) is under the contract. Few more discrepancies like this one could be seen. It looks to me that people that can do it, are fighting and finding ways to beat the system and one way or another recover some of the losses from their properties that were inflicted upon them.
Zillow is still showing property RE taxes for 2010, while 2011 taxes can readily be seen on most properties online.
How do you define RE BROKER'S ETHIC in this market? How do you gauge the right market price and right advice to a sell side and to a buy side? What price discovery methods do you use and what kind of analytics do you use to come up with right advice, while abiding traditional principles of your professional ETHICS?
This is such a great article! I wished that I had read this a long time ago. I was informed by Mgt a couple of months ago that a significant pay cut was coming (probably followed by a pink slip somewhere down the road). Many of the signs described above were evident, but subtle. Beware when the compliments stop coming regardless of what you do, or how hard you work! Also the answers to questions from my immediate boss were getting shorter, and more abrupt. The "thank yous" and "cudos" just stopped coming about 4 -5 months before hand. Things that used to win compliments just weren't working anymore. Nothing I did seemed to matter - the work seemed flawed and imperfect even though it was very good. People in the office just stopped visiting with me, but seemed to continue to visit with each other. I don't think that there is anything worse than feeling "shunned" by the staff when you're still doing a good job. Questions that I had about the process just didn't make sense, and the responses were irrational. Bottom line - it was all about cutting costs and protecting the sacred cows. I think that once the Company starts down this path, there are numerous reasons for moving on - most of all your sanity and self-respect. It is a slippery slope indeed!
JimBob
Definitely money!
True, one other point that i think the writer left out, is the credit card mileage programs, where you get x amount of miles if you sign up for a credit card, but in small print they write "$99 annual fee", many get tricked, but i got the sapphire and then canceled the card after 2 months.
Mine yielded about 22 cookies. : )
In this time of crisis we cant really deny the fact that some of us resolved into dumpster diving. For me this is not an issue, what matters most that you are doing it with regards to your health and with some safety precaution in mind. There are lots of money behind dumpster, that is if you are really am hardworking and very resourceful surely you can find lot of things that may be useless to some but very useful to others.
Thanks for the mention Ashley!
I agree that paying with cash forces you to avoid impulse buys. It takes some discipline to implement but I highly recommend it !