From our President

Wondering why we affiliated with Weichert, Realtors after twenty years of going it alone? Please read the following article from this week's Broker and Tradesman newspaper...
Here's an excerpt.

Residential Real Estate

Real Estate Market Slump Fuels Weichert Expansion

Weichert offers a system for everything from recruiting new agents, to managing leads, to running open houses, to doing listing presentations.

Cambridge broker Bill Luther was so impressed that after 20 years of operating his business, Channing Real Estate, he joined Weichert last July. He said his first introduction to the company came through the relocation business that Weichert was funneling to his firm.

"As I began to suspect that the market was changing, I began to think back to the last downturn I experienced in 1989 and 1990, and began to think about how it was a struggle to move through that downturn," said Luther. "I thought aligning myself with a national organization would give my agents lines of incoming business that they would never have been able to have."

I was right

You can access the full article here.

Buyer's who plan to stay in their properties for a number of years are at an advantage if they buy before the market finds its "bottom." Here's the caveat: think local.

Some towns have a ways to go to reach that point. Other markets, like Cambridge, are buzzing along again. In fact, we're seeing a shortage rather than a glut of certain kinds of property. There are so many buyers looking for three bedroom condos and singles above a million in Cambridge that the supply of listings just isn't enough.

In either case, the winning strategy for buyers is somewhat counter-intuitive. DO buy while prices are falling. Your bargaining power is greatest when sellers are uncertain about when and if home prices will reach bottom. Once the market hits bottom, you'll find it harder to get a seller to make concessions.

Here's an article from the Boston Globe that explains it all.

In a recent message to Weichert affiliates, Jim Weichert, the president and founder of the Weichert family of companies, shares some of his thoughts about customer service.

It has been said that the traditional way of doing real estate is on its way out. The reasoning goes as follows. A growing demographic of tech-savvy buyers with information at their fingertips relies less and less on the assistance of real estate agents when buying a home. So, if real estate agents are to stay ahead of the curve, they have to respond to buyers' increasing demand for instant information. A recent article in the Boston Globe describes this trend.

It makes absolute sense that if more and more buyers want to communicate by IM chat or text message and seek out real estate professionals on social networking sites, real estate agents should accommodate. But it's misleading to say that technological expertise can replace the essence of salesmanship: personalized service. It never gets old.

Jim Weichert explains.

Personalized Service is Still King.
That's Why People Buy People Before Products or Services.

No one can deny the positive impact the Information Age has had on real
estate. A significant number of buyers search online for a home, and there
are hundreds of real estate blogs and other Web sites that provide
consumers with information about the industry. At the same time, people
have begun relying heavily on e-mail when communicating.

While this is all well and good, please never lose sight of this fact:
While the Internet and e-mail can be effective in delivering information,
it can never replace personalized service. A computer can't close a
transaction, just like an e-mail alone will not typically win you a new
client.

Our business was built on service, and we all need to be salespeople,
first and foremost. Remember to take your clients to tour properties
first-hand and not just virtually. Follow-up on your e-mails with a phone
call the same way you would have for a postcard or mailer.

Remember, people buy people before products or services.

Jim Weichert

We share this philosophy at Weichert, Realtors - Channing Real Estate. While we continue to embrace innovative ways selling real estate, we'll always roll out the red carpet for our clients. It's personalized attention and the human touch that make our services unique.