Broker Ben's Blog

In my day to day dealings as a REALTOR® here is Boise, Idaho, a number of people are wanting to know "Are home prices going to continue to fall?" or "How will we know when the market has bottomed out?"  I answer that question with a consistent answer, but one that always leaves people a little fr...

Any real estate agent that has been in the business for multiple years has inevitably gone through the following situation, or something similar.  I'm just curious what you would do in this scenario.I had a newer agent in my office come to me with a concern the other day.  He had just cancelled a...

I really appreciate all the advice and information people so willingly give on Active Rain.  I love being able to write about some issues, or concerns, and get great advice from people who know what I'm going through, and have ideas of how they would handle things.That being said, here's what I n...

I know there are a ton of different companies out there that cater specifically to real estate industry websites.  I've spoken at length with about 4 of these companies, as well as a couple of custom web designers.  I'm trying to decide which route would be better.  Here are the pros and cons tha...

Real Estate Agents know how to get top dollar for their own homes.  After all they package, market and sell homes for a living.  In detail, here's what they do to their own homes to prepare them for sell:The ExteriorAgents understand the importance of "curb appeal".  To beautify the exterior of t...

While taking a Real Estate Law class last week, the attorney that was teaching the class made mention to several different careers our state (Idaho) classified as "Professionals".  Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants, Phamacists, etc. were named.  Real estate practitioners or brokers however were not i...

I don't know about you, but I really don't have the time or the patience to have 20 different conversations with agents every Monday regarding "The showing you had on my property on blah, blah, blah."  I know you know what I am talking about.However, I do understand how important it is to receive...

A few weeks ago I ran across a story with this title on MSN.com.  My first reaction was that a statement like that was ludicrous.  So I opened the story and skeptically began reading.  Now, I don't know if the writer convinced me totally, but he definitely made me see things from another angle.Th...

There are a number of things to consider when you're buying a home.  First, where do you want to live?  If you have a growing family, maybe you want to live in the suburbs?  This can obviously affect your commute.  Is this a neighborhood where you want to live?  Also consider the investment value...

You've probably heard a family member or friend say, "I'm going to get into real estate and make a pile of money!"  That's probably why there are so many "real estate agents".  In some cities, almost one percent of the population either has or at one time had a real estate license.The truth is, y...