Ask a Realtor: Do you ever get the jealousies?

July 19, 2010 by  

1 Comment

When it comes to East Los Angeles real estate, Rob Kallick is your man. With an affinity for mid-century and craftsman architecture, Rob seeks out the most stunning homes in East Los Angeles (including hip ‘hoods like Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Los Feliz) for his blog, Take Sunset. And because he’s a realtor, they all happen to be for sale (yipee!). I sat down with Rob recently to dig into the mind of a realtor.

  • Do you ever get jealous of clients, watching them buy amazing, jaw-dropping homes?

I do! There are some AMAZING homes in LA and I definitely fantasize about trading places with some of the owners. However this only drives me to work harder so I can someday (hopefully soon) have an amazing house of my own. But when I’m checking out a million dollar mid-century in the Hills with a pool it’s hard not to get a little jealous sometimes!

  • I’m sure you’ve seen a few dream homes while showing houses…what’s the latest favorite? And what would your perfect dream home be?

My dream home right now is an updated mid-century by a well-known architect. I think it would be so cool to live in a house with great design yet updated for today’s living standards. In general, my dream home would have a view, be high up in the hills and my fiance really wants a pool so we need that too. The interior would be very open, get lots of light, high ceilings, high end finishes and have three bedrooms.  A guest house would be nice, too.

  • Do you think agent specialization in certain neighborhoods and types of homes really matters, or is it a marketing tool?

I think specialization is very legit. There’s something to be said about working with an agent who TRULY knows the neighborhood. They can help you avoid bad situations (like overpaying for a home) and point out not-so-obvious good situations. Furthermore, if an agent specializes in a type of home, it can come in very handy during home inspections and appraisals.

  • Have you ever dealt with homebuyers who you can tell aren’t really ready to buy a home? What do you do in that situation?

Long term business and referrals are super important for a realtor, but our time is our most valuable asset. That means we have to be careful not to be “doormen” -  i.e., if someone just wants to see homes for fun and they aren’t real buyers, then a good agent needs to suss that out and focus their time on real buyers. It’s definitely important to engage with everyone we come in contact with on a regular basis, but not necessarily by driving them around to see homes. There are other ways to do that.

  • How do you feel about working in an industry with such a bad reputation? It seems realtors get short shrift, similar to lawyers and insurance salesmen.

It’s hard. People definitely come into a relationship with a realtor with a pre-conceived notion and some skepticism. It’s a good realtor’s job to win them over and earn their trust. I think some realtors just don’t give the time and attention to their clients, but most of the “shady” agents get pushed out of the business.

  • How can a homebuyer ensure they’re working with a good realtor?

It’s really about making sure your agent is committed to you and has your best interests in mind. Does your agent reply to your emails in a timely manner? Are they available to take you out for showings or do they brush you off? Are they writing offers with other clients on the same house (be sure they’re not!)?

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If you love East LA or mid-century modern homes, I encourage you to follow Rob’s blog, Take Sunset. You’ll notice I source a lot of my Real Estate Porn from there. Get your fix straight from the source! Also, if you’re interested in moving to LA, Take Sunset has a bunch of useful neighborhood guides.

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    A Public relations campaign consisting of electronic newsletter distribution, e-mail marketing or even online webinars is slowly becoming the norm when business leaders look for new ways to reach their target markets.

    It comes as no surprise that many buyers are using the internet and mobile devices as vehicles to do more product and service research. As the internet becomes more accessible using smart phones as a utility device, small business owners need to become easier to find and reachable. The old days of using the yellow pages to find a good lawyer, dentist or real estate agent is long gone.

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