Ping Me!

May 30, 2019 by Tom

What should I do? Who should I work with?

You could Google it...you could check Zillow...you can check Yelp...or you can just ping me for a personal referral.

I know a lot of people, in every industry, from coast to coast. I am a people connector and I am happy to help you figure out who is the best person to help you and take great care of you and your family regardless of what you need help with. After over 30 years in business, I know people who know people.

As most of you know, I am now in the real estate press box and no longer on the sidelines. I took John Gruden's old spot for color commentary! Sure, my son and a ton of my friends are in the real estate industry, but now I can be completely unbiased...or I will at least try.

30 years ago, the big names we saw in Bay Area Real Estate were Cornish and Carey, Fox and Carskadon, Contempo, Grubb Ellis, Seville Properties...and Help You Sell (the discounter). Then it became Alain Pinel, Pacific Union, Intero, Coldwell Banker...and Asante (the discounter). Today it's Intero, Coldwell Banker, Compass, Keller Williams...and Redfin (the discounter).

So...as an agent or consumer what are things you should consider when selecting a real estate agent and/or real estate company to represent you and/or work with?

I don't know about you, but when I meet with a financial advisor, my accountant, a doctor, an attorney or a contractor I am always skeptical of anyone who comes in too low. I'm almost more leary if they the cheapest...there has to be a reason why they are so cheap. It's typically because they are broke and desperate because their product or service is not very good.

Do you want a desperate and broke anyone helping you with anything except digging a ditch? I don’t!

So, here is my advice when selecting a company, agent, or anyone to represent you in anything:

1. Ping me first for a referral/reference.
2. Don't go with who tells you what you want to hear. Go with who tells you what you need to hear.
3. Choose someone you trust to truly take care of you and your family.
4. Choose the right person and company that has the resources to not only help you, but protect you when things go sideways...because things often do go sideways.
5. Steer clear of the flashy agent because that does not sell houses. It may sell cars, jewelry and clothing... but not houses. Investments like real estate are not typically impulse purchases. This is not Reality TV.
6. Check them out online. If it's me, I check everyone and everything out on social media. That is who they really are...or at least in most cases.
7. If the company does not make money, be careful. They may not be here when you need them most.
8. Don't get too hung up on how much business they have done in the past. Focus on quality, not quantity.
9. The more someone says they don't know, the more I trust them. Unlike fine red wine, older does not necessarily mean better in business. If they don't know the answer, I don't care, as long as they have the confidence to tell me they don't know and have the resources to get the answers.

Selling a piece of real estate or running a real estate business where you are representing people in the sale or purchase of what is likely their single largest asset is a big deal. Who do you really trust to help you accomplish your goals? Don't get hung up on the quick buck, or who is going to do it the cheapest, or give you the best deal. Keep your perspective and the big picture in mind.

I know it is hard to not just go with the cheapest but it is almost always the wrong choice. I can give literally dozens of examples costing people hundreds of thousands of dollars just because they wanted to save a few hundred or even thousand dollars.

Ping me...I’ve got you covered!