re: Is Century 21 in touch with today's home buyers?

terminalsameness — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:35:28 GMT

I think with very few exceptions the entire real estate industry is stuck in a Betty Crocker time warp when it comes to advertising and marketing; either of their services or properties. The industry is ignorant, stubborn and blind to what people really want.

Century 21 tops the list of the ignorant with their irrelevant campaigns.

There's no mystery to a real estate transaction. There's no mystery to marketing houses. The process is the same across the board and if I want information I can read a book, or access the internet. It's a brave new world in the information biz.

With the state of marketing and how information is processed and accessed today, it would be wise for real estate to stop figeting with high fashion, expensive cars, the electronic gadgets other ego fluff and get a grip on what consumers really want. Information.

As David Olgivy once said, "The customer is not stupid, she's your wife."

re: What Those "Create Wealth" Gurus Won't Tell You About Foreclosures

srboydesq — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:28:10 GMT

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE INSTANT FORECLOSURE CYCLE IS DIFFERENT THAN THOSE IN PAST YEARS. WHILE MANY PURCHASERS HAD GOOD TO EXCELLENT CREDIT AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, THEY WERE JUST AS LIKELY TO HAVE A N EMPLOYMENT HISTORY WHICH WAS QUESTIONABLE . THE TREND IN 2004 WAS AWAY FROM EMPLOYMENT HISTORY, AND TOWARD CREDIT REPAYMENT HISTORY. WHILE BUYERS WERE ABLE TO REPAY THE DEBT THEY CARRIED AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE OF A HOME, OR REFINANCE OF AN EXISTING LOAN, NOTHING TESTED THE BUYERS ABILITY TO ABSORB THE INCREASES RESULTING FROM A N ADJUSTMENT AFTER YEAR 2 . THE PROSPECT OF INCREASING A MONTHLY PAYMENT WHICH HAS INCREASED BY ONE-THIRD , WITH NO INCREASE IN HOME EQUITY , MAKES A REFINANCE NOT ONLY FUTILE, BUT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. FORECLOSURE IS NOT ONLY A FINANCIAL NECESSITY, IT IS NOW PART OF AN ESTATE PLAN.

TODAYS BUYER NEED ONLY REVIEW THE LEGAL NOTICES IN THEIR LOCAL NEWSPAPER. IN THE PAST, FORECLOSURE NOTICES WERE AN EXCEPTION, NOW THEY ARE THE RULE.. PREVIOUSLY, DEFAULTS WERE THE RESULT OF EVENTS OR AN OWNERS CONDITIONA NOW THEY ARE THE RESULT OF BAD LENDING CRITERIA AND INCREASES UNRELATED TO MARKET CONDITIONS . A GREAT DEAL IN FORECLOSURE WILL BE AN EXCEPTION , NOT THE RULE , FOR THE NEXT 20 TO 24 MONTHS , WITH AN AVERAGE FORECLOSURE TAKING 146 DAYS, WE HAVE NOT EVEN BEGUN THIS CYCLE. PUT YOUR MONEY INTO YOUR MATTRESS , AT LEAST YOU WILL KNOW WHERE IT IS WHILE YOU ARE SLEEPING, AND YOU MAY BE ABLE TO KEEP IT UNTIL 2009.

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re: Is Century 21 in touch with today's home buyers?

re: What Those "Create Wealth" Gurus Won't Tell You About Foreclosures