March is awards season in the real estate world. I am very grateful for 2025 as I head into my 31st year in real estate.
To celebrate, here are 31 reflections:
- Agents don’t make the market, they interpret it. (For those willing to listen)
- Drama is not mandatory but some people sure seem to enjoy it.
- Closings should happen on time.
- Buyers who refuse to get PreApproved start off on the wrong foot and it is hard to recover.
- Sellers who know everything need agents who don’t care. ( expertise is a nuisance )
- Amazing marketing gets wasted with a bad price.
- People who talk too much do that during negotiations too.
- If there’s an attitude during the offer stage, brace yourself for the inspection.
- Doing the absolute minimum usually results in less than that.
- Bullies are bullies; avoid them if you can. No one wants to have to hire a lawyer to make someone keep their word.
- Service provider relationships can give you and your clients an edge in multiple offers.
- Square footage numbers in the Atlanta market are a mess.
- Being nice goes a LONG way.
- People really appreciate it when you hold up your end of the deal.
- The best Listing Agents are great story-tellers
- Downsizing is really hard
- Rightsizing is smart.
- Do it while you are healthy and feel good.
- Find a way to live where you want to live – you can always change the house.
- Want to get ignored and feel out of control? Overpriced your house.
- Surround yourself with great people.
- As a buyer, you can make a Seller so mad they will make it their goal to sell their house to anyone but you.
- List Prices have the shelf life of an avacado – after two weeks they start to go bad.
- The internet will never convey smells and noise.
- It’s easier to ride out a down market when you live in a great neighborhood.
- Deferred maintenance is a deal killer.
- Staging is almost always worth it.
- Great photographers are worth what they charge.
- Porches sell houses.
- Great furniture hypnotizes buyers.
- You can get great marketing when you sell your house. Please don’t settle!
Bonus: If you want to find out what you are really made of, get into real estate sales as your primary profession. This business will expose you. Extra points if you do it without the income from a significant other.
Congrats to all my friends and fellow agents who are helping people with these big decisions! You don’t last if you don’t love it.