Ben Bogardus - Real Estate Agent

  Signs are easy way to let neighbors that a property is listed for sale. Directional signs can increase exposure to a broader area and help buyers and buyers’ agents find a property. I get more calls on directional signs than on yard signs. When combined with other techniques such as circle prospecting (calling neighbors to get them information about the listing), signs are even more effective to keep the property top of mind.   Here are the steps to install a directional sign: 1.       Placement – Step back and ask: which direction are most people going to be coming from? Position the sign so that drivers will see it before the turnoff, and angle it slightly to make it more visible. It can be helpful to set the sign and step back aways to see how it might look to drivers. 2.       Installation – Scrape the ground to mark where the pokers of the sign will go in. Using a long screwdriver or similar tool, hammer entry holes to the depth of the pokers. It helps to hammer some, ji

   No. Here’s why:   The Zestimate is calculated with a proprietary formula based on public and user-submitted data: the number of beds/baths, lot size, home size, location, etc. Zillow does not go inside the home and look at the interior/condition. Like weather prediction, these estimates are forward-looking and will always be wrong to some degree.   How accurate? Nationwide at the time of writing, 82.2% of Zestimates are within 5% of the sales price. This might seem pretty good except for one detail: the Zestimate is updated immediately after the property is listed to a number much closer to the list price. This is for the 1.5 million on-market homes for which Zestimates have been calculated. For the 104 million off-market homes with Zestimates, only 39% of those that sell are within 5% of the sales price.   Zillow’s stock price has tanked since a year ago, from a peak of $198 per share on 2/12/2021 to $55 today. This is largely due to their attempt to buy, renovate, and

Reverse prospecting is a powerful MLS tool where agents can see if other agents have shared their listing. Here's how it works: buyers’ agents share a listing with their client from the MLS, either directly or via an existing auto-email. The MLS then adds a note to the listing agent’s portal noting which buyers agents sent the listing but not which client it was sent to . The listing agent can then send an email to the buyers agents allowing them to identify the client and follow up with them. In addition, this system will even let the listing agent know if the client has marked the listing as a ‘favorite’.   Here is the nitty gritty of how it works for agents: From the main MLS Matrix home page, hover over My Matrix at the top and click on My Listings Click on any listing, then click on Reverse Prospect at the bottom of the page This displays a list of all the agents who shared the listing with a client To send an email allowing the agent to identify the client, click on the