AGBeat Columnist: Jonathan Benya
I'm a Realtor in Southern Maryland. I grew up surrounded by the RE business, spent time as an actor, worked as a theatrical designer and technician, and took the road less traveled before settling down in real estate. I run my own local market website at http://www.somdexpert.com and when I'm not at the office or meeting clients, I can usually be found doing volunteer work, playing with my 3 rescued shelter dogs (Help your local Humane Society!), or in the garage restoring antique cars.
Leveraging the cult of personality in real estate
Off the top of your head, name 5 Realtors in the blogosphere that you consistently read, look up to, or model your own business after. There’s a common thread amongst all of them; an infectious personality. These agents have a natural ability to inspire us, make us laugh, and they have an ingrained sense of sharing. Nothing is off-limits to ...
Social Media Won’t Be Social For Long
Marshal McLuhan is often attributed with the phrase “Perception is Reality”. Never have truer words been spoken, particularly in today’s web driven world. McLuhan is also credited with this, an excerpt from “The Gutenberg Galaxy”, written in 1962: The next medium, whatever it is – it may be the extension of consciousness – will include television as its content, not ...
10 Things I wish they taught in real estate school
My office has seen a slew of new agents join in the last 6 months. I suspect it’s largely due to the heavy recruitment efforts of my fabulous branch manager – I just don’t believe that there are that many people out there just itching to become a Realtor right now. This column was originally published on February 15, 2010. ...
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Let’s build an express lane for handling foreclosures
The average foreclosure takes over 400 days from the first missed payment to the sale at the courthouse steps. The exaggerated process involved in most states is disgusting, and the blame rests on spineless politicians who are more concerned with voter turnout than they are with American economic health. If you’re a distressed homeowner reading this, I feel your pain. ...
It’s Too Easy To Make Banks The Punching Bag
The latest scandal to hit the real estate industry (foreclosure robo-signing) has really gotten me fed up. Is it wrong? Yes. Is it being investigated? Yes. We know they’re wrong, and they SHOULD be taken to task over it, but this problem is not a matter of whether banks should or shouldn’t be foreclosing on these homes, it’s a problem ...
Fannie Mae offering military forbearance- will it work?
If you haven’t been reading the most recent real estate news this week then you may not be aware that Fannie Mae has established a new Military Forbearance program for borrowers that are behind on payments, unable/unwilling to refinance, and suffering hardship due to loss or injury in active duty. Is this an excellent idea, or a piece of goodwill ...
Opening the floodgates of Realtor liability
The Hutchinson News in Hutchinson, Kansas, recently posted an article about a couple who bought a home for $300,000 and found themselves with a $900,000 bill (let me just grab my checkbook…) due to a dam on their property that needs major repairs. The buyers thought that repair and maintenance was the responsibility of the government because it’s construction facilitated ...
What matters most about brokerages to you?
Do you remember the day you became an agent? I wish I could, but the day itself was nothing more than a standard step in the path to being independent, helping others pursue their dreams while simultaneously pursuing my own. What I do remember, however, is the path I took in order to determine the brokerage I would hang my ...
You May Talk A Good Marketing Game, Now Prove It
How often do you go into a listing appointment and talk about how slick your internet marketing is? When you’re trying to impress a potential client and prove to them that your listing package is the best thing to come around since Al Gore invented the internet, it’s easy to talk about listing feeds, show a video or two, and ...
Real Estate Kung-Fu: The Legend Continues
This post is in response to Ken Montville’s recent post, “Negotiating the deal- is it really what you think?” Ken hit the nail on the head with this one about negotiating as much (or more) with your own client than you do with the agent on the opposing side. It’s the ability to overcome challenges like this that separate the ...
What’s More Important: Your Tithing or your Mortgage?
If you had to choose between paying your mortgage and tithing to your religious organization, which would you do? I’ve recently had first hand experience with people who are facing this crisis, and the dilemma is a mixture of deeply rooted religious belief, morality, and fiscal responsibility. Tithing Or Mortgage? If you tithe 10% of your income, and your ARM ...
Do your lenders love you? Something you might be overlooking
Every agent in the business today is looking for ways to attract and retain more clientele, right? If you’re not, I’m glad to hear you’re full up on new clients, but for most of us agents, we’re always on the hunt for more business. Almost every agent I know has a “preferred lender”. Sometimes it’s the lender that their company ...
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