While I don’t promote face marketing (which has been hashed out here), I know that there are many people who will insist on pasting their mug on their cards, tote bags and bus benches.  That’s fine, especially if you’re featured on the “Hot Realtor” website… but if you’re on the “could you cover that up” or the “is that a witch or a wardrobe” websites, you might want to consider NOT using face marketing.

That said, for those of you who insist on plastering your face around your fine city, please do NOT break the following commandments:

1. Thou shalt not use a misleading Photoshopped image of yourself.  If you’ve got a double chin, rock it or else your clients will meet you in person and instead of focusing on your amazing 15 second pitch, they will be studying your face and comparing it with their mental image you gave them online, leading to their loud internal laughter they will have to fight from coming to fruition! 

2. Thou shalt not use your “skinny days” photo.  Do I really need to elaborate on this?  Don’t mislead your clients or GIVE THEM a reason to laugh at you- you may already be up against this without the help of a botched pic…

3. Thou shalt not ever use the pose where you rest your chin on your single resting hand.  We know you just got out of the nail salon, but you don’t earn credibility from this ultra sophisticated pose- it’s a myth.  Leave this pose to your 6 year old daughter in the frilly dress- that’s what it’s designed for!

4. Thou shalt not use your high school senior photo on your business card, especially if you’re wearing that stupid black frock.  There is professional help out there and if you insist on face marketing, Real Estate Photography transcends photographing homes; just ask Larry.

5.  Thou shalt not use any softening effects in your image.  Putting tracing paper in front of the lens doesn’t make you more approachable, it just ups your cheez factor!  (Yes, cheez with a “z”)

6. Thou shalt not wear any of the following items at your Realtor photo shoot: a wife-beater tank top (yes, I’ve seen this- seriously), a Hawaiian shirt, shoulder pad power suits with white tennis shoes (ladies, you know you sported this look two decades ago), Flava Flav style jewelry, heavy hair gel (a la the movie “Grease”), or a Lamborghini.

7. Thou shalt not fake hair.  Some of the most successful   Realtors I know are baldies and did you know that bald is IN? Take their lead and never ever ever ever wear a toupe (regardless of what Trump says), Photoshop hair on your head (we all know how this ends up), or do the comb over.

8. Thou shalt not use any image of you standing with a celebrity.  Lance Armstrong is awesome but I don’t think he wants to hang out with you every day on your card.  Yeah yeah, we get that you’re important because you went to a conference he spoke at and you got to shake his hand, but you’re not his buddy and you didn’t sell his house- you didn’t fake me out, buddy!

I could go on and on with this one, but I leave the rest of the list to YOU… what other commandments should be added to the list?

Last week, I wrote an article calling Craigslist to remove their personals section.  I was genuinely surprised that the response wasn’t bigger, but I did get several emails from people that noted they had no idea porn is a main staple on Craigslist’s site.  Peter at OnBoardLLC came by and wrote a lengthy rebuttal to the article and asked several questions that you can read by clicking here and scrolling to his comment… my response was too long for a comment, so I thought I would revive the issue by addressing it here (see Peter’s words in bold):

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Peter, you make some great points! I can see from your website OnBoardLLC.com that you are dubbed “the industry’s foremost expert on data collection, aggregation and integration, Pete’s remarkably simple approach combined with his tenure in real estate makes him an invaluable asset.” Oh, and you have a Harvard degree.

I on the other hand am a mere University of Texas Longhorn, forging a career in real estate as the Asset Director for a local real estate company (but I’m not a Realtor). I don’t have a background in data aggregation, but I will try to respond to your argument point by point:

>Why would you presume that Craigslist is first and foremost a real estate related site (like the others you list out)?

I never made any implication that real estate is even a blip on Craig’s radar. I specifically said “It is common knowledge that Craigslist’s success began with the ‘personals’ and ‘for sale’ sections.”

>And if its not a real estate site, then how do Realtor ethics apply to the site at large (as opposed to the content of the real estate postings)?

Realtor ethics do not apply to the site, otherwise Craig would clearly have a revoked license. Realtors postingadvertisements on any site are held to ethical standards. This article was written for binary reasons, (1) to call Craigslist to remove the personals section and (2) to alert Realtors that haven’t ventured out of their tiny neck of the woods that this material is prevalent on this site.

>And I fail to see how objectionable (subjectively) content in other unrelated areas of the site are the responsibility or concern of the agent.

As you know, in the real estate world, Realtors are responsible for exposing their listings AND upholding the standards of ethics. As I said, “If you wouldn’t put ‘for sale’ flyers in a dominatrix brothel allowing children to enter, why would you be comfortable advertising homes on Craigslist where one click away are things for sale you probably didn’t know existed!?!?”

>This is FAR different from a broker opening up a community posting section of their own site and allowing this type of personals content.

I would argue that it’s not.  If Prudential.com or JoeSellsYourHouse.com opens up a clone, the real estate affiliation alone holds them responsible. Our culture is litigious and ready to pounce. It would be unfair but likely that a consumer would try to sue Craigslist POSTERS (as you saw in the link in the above article) for posting issues.

>Many newspapers have semi-explicit personals sections. Here in NYC that applies to everyone other than the NY Times and WSJ I think. Yet the Real Estate classifieds sections continue to be used there.

Well, NYC is surely a different animal regarding publications AND real estate. That said, removing the personals section doesn’t mean eliminating it completely. CraigslistPersonals.com could be a separate site requiring logins and age verification- treat it as legitimate porn and watch the dollars roll in; this could be a great venture for them!

Kijiji.com also has a personals section but by disabling html and (at least here locally) disallowing pornographic material, cussing or lewd photos, they have promoted a safer environment for shoppers- no one likes the homeless guy fondling himself in the Wal-Mart entrance… the Wal-Mart products remain and the grody lewd guy is removed. We praise Kijiji for not allowing the lewd materials and ask Craigslist to do the same.

Another site is MySpace.com which we regularly see in the news as being a playground for predators of children, a site for pornography, etc. Look, as I said before, I’m a grown woman living in a liberal town- I don’t picket porn, but while Craigslist is still touted as a media darling, websites that are ALSO networking sites (of people instead of commerce) are attacked vehemently by the media, parents, and the like.

At one point here in Austin, I understand that there was a section for “escorts” (the modern term for hookers) which was removed. Pressure from somewhere surely made this move possible; why not separate this questionable material altogether?

A client may be told their Realtor is advertising on Craigslist and think “ooh, I should check it out” and click on to other portions of the site to learn about this “marketing tool” only to find out that there is abundant material offending their personal religious beliefs. They could hold their Realtor responsible.

>Deciding whether or not to post your properties there is of course every agent’s choice. I will say that in this marketplace a great number of people use Craigslist as their primary search grounds for homes. Perhaps not so much at the top end of the market, but not using Craigslist would certainly cut into a properties exposure.

I completely agree with this. In the article, I noted “that [Craigslist] is a popular search tool for many buyers and should be in Realtors’ arsenal of marketing tools.” I still think Craigslist should be used- in some regions (such as here in Austin), it is a major resource for home buyers. I will continue to use Craigslist, but I would appreciate a predatory-free environment to be promoted.

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Look, what makes me successful in what I do is that I am a consumer first, I am a parent first, I am a neighbor first… Realtors are called to act in an ethical, responsible manner in marketing. All I’m really trying to do with this article is ask Craigslist to be equally responsible with my neighbors, consumers, and especially their children as well as bring it to the attention to Realtors that MAY have the assumption that Craigslist IS all about real estate- and as you and I agree, it is not.

Many Realtors advertise on Craigslist and between brokerages have seen success from minor to moderate to even phenomenal.  Therefore, I do agree that it is a popular search tool for many buyers and should be in Realtors’ arsenal of marketing tools.  The only problem is that most of us don’t venture past the “housing” section of Craigslist to know that one of the most popular draws of Craigslist is the “personals” section.  It is common knowledge that Craigslist’s success began with the “personals” and “for sale” sections.  Some of the personals range from questionable to pornographic.  Looking to buy a ball-gag wearing bedroom slave? Look no further than the famed Craigslist. 

That’s great for those in the market for a slave, but did you even know that the same venue you post clients’ homes on is used for this purpose?  Some places are taking action, but I’m disappointed that others have not followed suit.  Now, I’m all for free speech and I’m surely not one for shutting down any portion of a free venue, but if you ever read through the personals, you will be shocked at the level of illegal activity on the pages regardless of the “terms of service.”  Let’s say a minor is shopping for their first car on Craigslist- pornography for sale is one click away, and I’m not talking about dirty magazines, I’m talking about graphic advertisements for lude acts either free or for sale.  It is a hot bed for predators and a disgusting platform used for solicitation.  If you wouldn’t put “for sale” flyers in a dominatrix brothel allowing children to enter, why would you be comfortable advertising homes on Craigslist where one click away are things for sale you probably didn’t know existed!?!?   I’m not a prude, I’m a grown woman; but I think it is irresponsible that Craigslist continue to be touted as the media darling while social networking sites are being beat up on in the media and in court for their lack of safeguards.

If the ”personals” section of the site is removed, Cragislist will be a much better tool, not to mention safer environment that may come a tad closer to reflecting the ethics Realtors have vowed to follow.  The traffic may decrease to your homes from the people that while searching for a prostitute or a free stove realize they might be interested in buying a home to put their prostitute and free stove in. 

I think it’s worth the risk, and I ask Craigslist to consider removing their personals section, especially since it has failed and due to the size of the task will continue to fail to be moderated to be kept safe. 

REDFIN GETS REDFINNED!

Sidenote: this logo actually appeared on Leesa Finley’s site, where she asked, ”Premium service?  Or have you been… [insert logo here] If you’re not sure, send me an email!”  Great marketing!  We created this image and the image on her site- please feel free to use either or create your own and send us the link!  Let us know how it goes!

I recently read the following letter to the editor in REALTOR Magazine which is a publication sent to all members of the National Association of REALTORS.  In response to REALTOR Magazine’s “30 under 30″ article highlighting achievements of the newest generation of Realtors, the letter writer said,

“As Pat V. Combs says in ‘A nod to youth’… we live in a youth-obsessed culture- which is reflected in REALTOR Magazine.  Every year, you publish ‘30 under 30.’  Why?  How hard is it to start out when you are young, probably don’t have too far to fall , and are already techno-savvy?  It’s much harder when you’re older to start over in a new career, learn new skills, and catch up on technology.  However, I’ve never seen an article in REALTOR Magazine that even gives a ‘hello’ to that notion.”

FIRST, I will say that I am eligible for the “30 under 30.”  I completely object to the thinking the writer subscribes to.  I agree with the second portion that attention should be paid to the achievements of more than just the “under 30″ crowd, but I think this reader/letter writer is confused…

We DO live in a culture of youth obsession.  But that’s Hollywood.  It’s important to be a 14 year old with the body of a 21 year old- if you are auditioning for a role in a blockbuster movie.  A high price is put on the value of youth in social arenas and at some point, we all become self aware of that varicose vain that wasn’t there last year and we go buy microderm abrasion cleansers to make sure we don’t age.  I agree that especially women are subjected to these standards because of magazines read and the teeny boppers next to you on the treadmill at the gym.  But that’s Lindsay Hilton Spears, NOT the board room.

In the PROFESSIONAL world, the opposite occurs.  A high value is placed on age.  Walk into a room of professionals and the biggest paychecks go to the 45+ year old men.  That’s called corporate America, and most of the readers here are either Realtors or members of the corporate rat race.  The “youth obsessed culture” the letter writer addresses is inapplicable to the world most of us live in from 9am-5pm (or 7am-11pm if you’re in Real Estate). 

I object to the letter because those who have been successful in the corporate world that haven’t hit their 30th birthday SHOULD be celebrated.  As a member of that group, I will tell you that my biggest professional obstacle is NOT my sex, my background or my vocabulary level- it is my age.  Most of you know I’m not a licensed Realtor, but as an Asset Manager, I rub elbows with buyers, sellers, builders, lenders and other Realtors every day.  Over the phone, people are always impressed with me, but the challenge becomes overcoming the objection of my age in person.  “Oh, I thought you were older.”  In the professional world, being young is the equivalent of being a puppy- you have to know A LOT of tricks and be able to outshine all the others in order to succeed.

I agree with the letter writer that the younger you are, the shorter the fall but that is no reason not to celebrate those who have NOT fallen, because many many many DO.  I would argue that youth doesn’t equate tech savvy.  I know many people my age who can barely check email, while in my mind, 90% of the Real Estate bloggers are over 35.  Just because I haven’t hit my 10 year reunion doesn’t mean that I was born with a microchip containing “tech savvy” implanted in my cerebral cortex- just ask the most successful voices in the Real Estate blogiverse who have embraced Web 2.0, (Greg Swann, Jeff Brown, The Bergs, Larry Cragun, etc) all of which are over 40.

I personally have enjoyed surprising people with my age and I don’t need the arm floaties that most my age do when swimming with the older, bigger sharks of corporate America that have roamed these waters since before I was born.  Without looking at a resume or even saying words, if you sit a young lady like myself up against a 45 year old professional (male or female), you will decidedly have more faith that they are more intelligent and experienced.  The culture that matters in Real Estate is the professional culture, and those under 30 face great obstacles and must constantly prove that they are intelligent, capable, and most of all- worthy of clients.

So, REALTOR Magazine, when you read this, please DO highlight other age groups, or maybe the “started late” Realtors.  To the letter writer, don’t be fooled- Hollywood is where boobs and youth matter… in the professional world, it’s your age/experience which puts those under 30 at an extreme disadvantage which is why so many fail in Real Estate and move on. THAT is why they (we) are featured.

Regarding a recent article on RE Revealed, we recently learned that:

“Maine-based company United Systems Access has bought the right to offer Amp’d’s monthly plans, meaning the customers of the doomed mobile company now have an exit ramp, should they choose to take it.

The service is being offered through their Prexar Mobile unit; Amp’d gets a 25% stake in Prexar, and will be paid according to the number of customers who make the switch.

There’s more info at the Prexar site.” 

The short of it is that if you rely strictly on VC money to function as a company, you may end up belly up with no more than a 25% share in your business.  Look, I would accept VC money if someone threw a bag of cash at me, but I would look to diversify my income sources so I wouldn’t end up like Amp’d, where the glass is only 25% full- boo!  Hey, 25% is better than 0%, BUT the VC leeches should take note…

Recently, Maureen wrote about a Realtor’s job from the pov of her 4 year old, followed by Jay whose teen is tactful in addressing their future as a Realtor (or non-Realtor). Both are wonderful, mandatory reads that have inspired me to resurrect this blog post. Some time ago (in the Blogger days), I started writing this but shelved it. Below is a promising picture of the future of Real Estate:

Future Realtor #1:
Our son, T is 16 going on 30- incredibly smart, thrives on humor and is extremely sensitive and aware of people around him.  When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he asserts that he will be taking over Daddy’s brokerage.  Easy, pal.  He has actually decided recently that he wants to open an office under his father’s name in San Diego.  All I can say is that the BERGS better watch out- he’s enthusiastic, dedicated and is overly skilled in negotiation (”I don’t have to stay out later, I just don’t want to disappoint my friends or inconvenience anyone by making them leave the movies early”).

I personally think he would be an amazing doctor, but he wants to work next summer at the firm, so we just might have your next big competitor on our hands!  Plus, he knows MySpace and SMS like the back of his eyelids.  (I would say hand, but we all know teens are MOST familiar with the rears of their eyelids- you know I’m right)

PLUS, T wants to be “rich” and decided about two years ago that rapping wasn’t going to pay the bills, so he’s going to try on Dad’s shoes.  This photo is actually of him- he already looks the part! 

Future Realtor #2:
All I can say is that if a 9 (now 10) year old triples your time spent in IKEA by DEMANDING that she point out all of the “lovely” features of each vignette as she pretends to be a Realtor, you might actually have a Realtor on your hands. (”This kitchen offers wonderful white cabinets and you can open the drawers.  Your kids will love cooking at this island because it is very pretty and wide, so you can put a lot of food on here.”)  When her girlfriends from next door come over and she sits in daddy’s home office chair and explains to the girls what a listing is and why she is going to sell their home for “$20 billion dollars” over what the market is demanding… you might have a Realtor on your hands.

If you ask her about her future, she’s already got her team named, and she’s designed her yard signs on PowerPoint… I’m pretty sure she’s practicing Real Estate behind our back…   She already wants business cards since she helps with filing at the office.  Great.

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So, for those of you worried about the integrity of Real Estate, relax!  We’ve never even told our children they should consider Real Estate as a career, but being around it so much and the glitz and glamour rubbing off on them (hahahhaha) has led to a new generation of Realtors.  How many of you can say you’ve been involved in Real Estate since you were 10?  They’ve been to numerous open houses, and spent many hours at the office and in the home office.  They’ve sponged up hundreds of hours of negotiation into their kid brains simply by listening to daddy on the phone or in person.  Seriously- those first year agents today ain’t got s**t on these kids!

As I noted yesterday, I’m playing along with ProBlogger’s daily topics.  Today we’re told to blog about a question we’ve received.  I typically do that instantly so I have nothing pending, so I’ll address a question I see and hear Realtors get frequently.

QUESTION: “What is the best neighborhood to live in?”

Uh oh.  Red bells go off regarding fair housing and how anyone defines “best” (or “good” or “safe” for that matter).  This is one of the few questions Realtors hear that there is a scripted answer that doesn’t vary much (unless someone doesn’t actually care if they keep their license).

ANSWER: “There are plenty of Internet resources you may use to make a decision for yourself…”

“Best” to one person may mean the cleanest, to another the most prestigious, to another top ranked schools.  A Realtor should never (and typically don’t) assume what the asker means, rather refers them to resources that allow them to make their own decision.   Sperling’s Best Places is my favorite resource bar none.  Local police departments will publish sex offender lists, NCES has basic facts about schools and CNN Money rates cities every year based on a plethora of criteria.  No Realtor can answer this question under any circumstances- the Internet is an amazing tool and the main point of reference.

I came across an article recently about 10 dating disasters and immediately thought of what so many Realtors do incorrectly (or “do wrong” if you’re here in the South). I thought I would modify the typical dating lists to read “What Not To Do Before or On The First Meeting With a Client” or in short “How Not To Screw Up…”

1. Do not have someone Photoshop your picture to smooth your skin, remove your double chin or give you hair. When your client meets you, they will be very uncomfortable because their insides will shake with laughter. If you’re ugly, so what? It’s a misconception that people hire Realtors based on their most recent mission to Plasticsurgeryville.

2. Do not wear a Hawaiian shirt on a first meeting, no matter how Rico Suave you are. Remember, Hawaiian shirt wearing is for the exclusive few that are (a) Hawaiian, (b) on vacation, (c) are fat and middle aged, or (d) my father.

3. When a local broadcaster or someone of local fame calls you, don’t rent an ultra-luxurious car and claim yours is in the shop! If you’re sportin’ an Escort, just give it a bath and let your client know you intend to roll the Escort until the wheels fall off (oh and make sure it smells nice, no one likes day old catfish leftover smell).

4. Don’t let your cell phone get in the way of your Realtor mojo. If you can’t have a first meeting without gabbing on your phone (and everyone is SO guilty of this), turn the dang thing to silent. Have a general VM that says “I am currently meeting with a valued client, but I have a great habit of checking my voicemail the moment I get into my car, so don’t worry- you’ll hear from me soon!” If you appear to love your Star Trek bluetooth more than the precious time with your client, you may never hear from them again.

5. Don’t be late. Period. You are not the only one who values time and if you are late to a first meeting (or well, to any) it is a great sign of disrespect. Plan on being 15 minutes early, finish phone calls in the car and approach the door of your meeting destination right on time. When you are late, you explicitly tell your client that you are the center of the universe, they should bow because you have entered a room, and you believe that their time and business is of no consequence to you (unless that’s how you see it).

6. Don’t over promise. This is the cardinal sin in Real Estate, especially during listing presentations. If you don’t have a guarantee (see Russell Shaw’s website), don’t promise a home will sell in 6.34 days. Don’t promise to be “available at all times” when you know you don’t answer the phone when it’s dark, the game is on, you’re napping or you’re at your “day job” (which should be #7, but I’ll be nice).

7. You are not Oprah. Keep your bragging to a minimum. Bragging and presenting yourself in a factual manner are different matters. For example, “I’m Austin’s best Realtor” is lame, try “In this subdivision, I sold one out of every two listings last year.” At a first meeting, you are likely applying for a job with that client, so don’t bog down the “interview” with inflating or stroking your own ego. Don’t be bragadocious.

8. Don’t badmouth the competition. Dogging on other Realtors (typically local competitors) online can get you in deep dookie here in Texas, but doing it in person is just low. When someone talks about their past Realtor (operative word being “past” aka non-threatening, so shut up), refocus the conversation casually to you or their current home situation rather than noting “yeah, he’s an a-hole, he spilled a drink on me at this massive party just after admitting that he doesn’t work weekends and he dresses in drag when he’s alone.” Muy mal.

9. Don’t be inappropriate. This includes the joke about the dumb Aggie (they probably went to A&M, poor guy), the racist joke (their absent spouse is likely of that race), the Pope joke (I’m probably Catholic), or the handicap joke (their mom is probably paralyzed). It’s not the time or place. Making dirty jokes, using crude language, any physically inappropriate gestures or otherwise can actually put your career at risk and there’s nothing funny I can say about that. Don’t be an idiot- you’re probably not as funny as you think anyhow.

10. My favorite- don’t be cute. This applies mostly to you guys out there aged 40-55 who are clinging to that last hope that you are as cute as you were when you were president of your frat way back when. If your kids are in their 20s, I’m begging you- don’t flirt with your 25 year old female client- she’s not interested. Trying to bring sexy back during a first meeting can ultimately screw things up.

Now it’s your turn- start adding to the list beginning with #11…

Once upon a time, I vowed to write about my various customer service experiences under the guise of the “CSI Factor” and relate them to the Real Estate industry. We frequently migrate to my husband’s homeland (Oklahoma; boomer!) to see family. This weekend, we are in Oklahoma and I’ve had two experiences with Marriott: