Spokane Washington Real Estate Expert - Ross Quintana

Hello Everyone,

Over the years I have come across many types of people. A wink here, and a disclosure there. I have had people tell me things that they shouldn't and ask me to do things that I wouldn't. I have had to tell people that I must disclose material facts if they tell them to me. I have had to tell people I will not do anything unethical or illegal.

We see this come up when people want to buy a home as owner occupied that they don't plan on living in. I warn them that there is a $500,000 fine. Bottom line is there are people out there who are dishonest and they want to get you to join them. I wouldn't for personal moral reasons, but on top of that I wouldn't risk the business I have built for 9 years so they can benefit.

My fear is there are many who might look the other way. My advice for those agents is to be warned, you could face charges of ethics violation and criminal charges. Besides that you could lose your license and your reputation to be able to do work like this in the future. Is it really worth it to be dishonest. Dishonesty is a seed sown that will harvest someday. Stay clear of it and disclose upfront that you will not do anything dishonest or illegal. This is my policy and it has kept me out of trouble over the years.

Remember, "Character before Wealth"...Amos Lawrence

Spokane Washington Real Estate Expert - Ross Quintana

Hello Everyone,

This is a book I downloaded for Free from Audible.com. I thought since it was free it was going to be not that great, but I tried it anyway. Funny I didn't realize until later why it was free... because the point of the book is that you can make money by offering things of value for free. Ha Ha they got me!

This book was great because it made me look at my business in different ways. It made me rethink normal models of geting repeat business, and it also helped me understand the mindset of people who use a lot of technology. Many of these concepts can be used to forecast new trends in real estate and service based marketing. I really enjoyed this book because it opened my eyes up to new ways of marketing my business. Great Read.

If you are techy or like social media this indirectly will help you understand the mindset of tech users and what they expect. It is also great to realize if real estate services are reduced you can find new ways to make money. Great Book.

Click the Photo to get your free copy of it!

Spokane Homes Expert - Ross Quintana

Hello Everyone,

Well As we get deep into summer with school around the corner, many people are wondering if their Spokane Homes are going to sell. Contracts are running out and people must face the question of whether they can sell this year of if it just isn't going to happen.

I deal with this issue every year at this time and people get discouraged and want to take some time off. My suggestion is to give us a call. We are listing many homes that other agents aren't able to get sold and selling them. We typically sell homes about twice as fast as the average agent and fir 1-3% higher. That is encouraging in this discouraging market.

Spokane Homes are sitting on the market many times because they are not being aggressively marketed. When competition is high you have to have ways to make your home look better than your competition. That is what we do well, and that is why we are busier now than we have ever been. If you are wanting to get your Spokane home sold this year, don't wait... call us today! 509-362-1966

Remember, Marketing Matters!

Spokane Washington Real Estate Expert - Ross Quintana

Hello Everyone,

No I'm not trying to intimidate you on the street, or force you to back off, I am asking you if you are minding your own business... You may find yourself answering, "Of course I am managing my business!" But are you really? Business managers manage company resources. They don't just manage people, they manage time, assets, marketing materials, and people.

What I have found in real estate is that many people click the open sign every day, but they don't really manage the company resources that well because no one is forcing them to like a supervisor. Money isn't the only resource, your time is a resource, that any great agent will tell you, gets more scarce as you get busier. Do you have signs that are sitting in your car or backyard? They can't make you any money if they are not out for people to see. Do you time block to make sure you spend a certain amount of time on current clients every day, and a certain amount of time getting new clients? Do you have past clients that have forgotten about you because you don't keep in touch. They could be working for you, but you are not managing your best employees.

I think you see the picture. A business with no boss, no schedule where people aren't working towards the goal, signs that are not being put out, money spent on marketing that isn't making the phone ring, these are all signs of bad management and I bet most of us are guilty of some or all of these. With no supervisor managing the manager, nothing is done very well and there is no accountability. You have to be both the manager and your own supervisor.

So what can you do today? Dedicate a specific amount of time to current clients, past clients, and lead generation. Then call up or connect with people who would be willing to promote you and remind them that you appreciate their help. Look at your marketing materials and ask how you could better use them. Look at the money you are spending and ask if it is providing a return.

Your resources are: Time, Money, Marketing Materials, Leads, Past Clients, and Current Clients. Make sure they are all being managed Well.

Remember, Work Smart and Live Well

Spokane Washington Real Estate Expert - Ross Quintana

Hello Everyone,

I called up Zillow the other day to talk about a wrong number on my profile that I couldn't get off. I then in passing started talking about how they should have a more useful layout for the agents. They were advertising agents who paid for a premium membership as the only contact source for my listings. I explained the agent whose listing it is should always have their contact info on the ad. He basically said you have to check up to make sure your info is there.

Then I explained that the agents whose listing they were using to attract consumers should be treated better. He said that the zestimate was what they built their customer base with, not the agent's homes and I reminded him that like our websites, the number one reason people visit their site is for homes. These homes are provided by the agents and just because they get a feed, it is still the information of the agents.

He then said that in the beginning it was about getting their site growing, but now it all about the consumer. I said, how many times have people used agents information to get google ranking then turned around and sold leads back to the agents from the content they provided. Real Estate Agents need to wake up and realize the value is in their information. People say that the public can get the information anywhere, but this isn't true, the agents own the information and they may need to step up and start restricting who can use their information. These big companies are taking our information and making money off it. They are getting agents locally to all submit free information so that they have more collective information than any agent.

Do a google search for your town and realize why companies like zillow and trulia are top ranked. They take your information to rank higher than your site, then people buy packages from them for leads they could have generated themselves. What if Realtors demanded that Realtor.com and their local MLS's didn't sell the feeds to these companies? Local agents would rank higher, generate their own leads, and or these companies would have to build their systems around benefiting the agents. These companies make millions off our information and based on my phone call, they don't have any intention of thinking about what they can do for you or any responsibility to the people whose information they are using. Realtors need to wake up and take control of the most valuable asset they own, their own information.