February 2020

All The Awards

February 24, 2020It’s that time of year. Best Of and Readers Choice Contests are proliferating in our local newspapers. I always feel conflicted when the word BEST is used to measure any services that Realtors provide to their clients. But that wasn’t always the case… I was excited about my first real estate award 28 years ago. The Association of Realtors gave me a plaque that said Champion Producer on it. (Still sounds like something given to a milk cow!) Throughout the 90s, I received a...

What’s the market doing?

February 18, 2020It’s the middle of February and the question more buyers and sellers are asking is: “What’s the market doing?” The short answer is: “Not much at the moment.” But that’s the norm for this time of year. Not many new listings are hitting the MLS and there aren’t enough sales to formulate a reliable opinion about the marketplace. The good news is, we won’t have to wait long for more data because March 1st marks the unofficial start of March Madness - the flood of...

Recent message in front of a Sunnyvale church

February 11, 2020Continuing....wondering whether we’re at an inflection point where the all-encompassing embrace of technology will finally begin to wane. As more folks get overwhelmed by the cumulative effects of too much tech and begin to resist the temptation to integrate one more device and password into their daily lives. Where is real estate’s place in all of this? How does tech’s powerful drive to make everything faster and easier clash with the more traditional role Realtors used to have? Will algorithms replace Realtors? Will buying and...

Life and work via the internet is what’s expected

February 4, 2020I’ve been in a contemplative mood lately. Something that often happens when the winds of real estate settle into their customary calm this time of year. Most Buyers are on a furlough until after the first of the year. That’s when they’ll push the reset button and venture back into the fray. And most Sellers have their sights set on 2020 and are busy prepping for early spring. For now, I’m enjoying a little distance from the daily grind. There’s been a nagging notion rolling...