Here’s one for you big city brokers. Best of the Hotline Facts. I am planning to move my office to an office building that permits no exterior signs. Also, signs are not permitted in the first floor lobby where one might expect to see a marquis showing the names and locations of the tenants…
Read On
Strongest Second Quarter In 11 Years ENOLA, PA (July 11, 2016) – The number of residential housing units sold in south central Pennsylvania increased 13.7 percent in the second quarter (April – June) of 2016. According to the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service, 2,825 units were sold, up from 2,484 units sold in the second quarter of 2015…
Read On
Imagine that you meet with a buyer client for whom you are about to draft an offer. The client seems somewhat distracted and his occasional winces suggest that he is in some physical distress. During the meeting he says to you that he is experiencing a burning sensation in his chest. He confides that while he believes it is indigestion…
Read On
With Facebook resembling an MLS data feed, it’s time to revisit your advertising protocol. The Real Estate Commission’s rules are clear: An advertisement by an associate broker [or] salesperson . . . shall contain the business name and telephone number of the employing broker. Those who violated this simple regulation are subject to prosecution that can lead to license suspension (not anticipated for a first offense) and/or fines (very likely to be imposed)…
Read On
Who in the world signs an agreement of sale promising to sell a home then suffers a change of heart and refuses to budge? It happens, or at least is threatened, many more times than you might expect. And who are these seller‐offenders? Many times they are older sellers who have lived many, many years in the homes they are selling…
Read On
Median Home Sale Price Decreases Slightly ENOLA, PA (April 12, 2016) – The number of residential housing units sold in south central Pennsylvania increased 10.6 percent in the first quarter of 2016. According to the Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS® Multiple Listing Service, 1,775 units were sold, up from 1,604 units sold in the first quarter of 2015…
Read On
It has been almost 17 years since Act 112 of 1998 became law authorizing real estate licensees to act as dual agents in a real estate transaction. During that time, I have consistently heard real estate licensees tell me that they “must” become a dual agent when an unrepresented buyer wishes to make an offer on one of their listings…
Read On
Dual agency has been around long enough now that we see how it is working and whether it’s causing hardships for those who practice it. Here are few tips regarding dual agency issues that are either overlooked or not handled cleanly enough. The law requires that buyers and sellers consent to dual agency before it may be practiced…
Read On
ENOLA, PA (Feb. 11, 2016) – There’s a difference between a licensed real estate agent and a REALTOR® and it’s one that matters to consumers. “REALTORS® are members of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and their local and state associations,” said Greater Harrisburg Association of REALTORS® President Jodi Diego. “What distinguishes us from other licensed agents is that as REALTORS® we're held to a higher…
Read On
A FSBO, or for Sale by Owner, is objectively a seller who is marketing his/her real estate without the assistance of a licensed real estate broker. Subjectively, we think of a FSBO as cheap and not wise enough to know what he/she does not know about the marketing and sale of real estate. You, my readers…
Read On
