Skip to main content

Can you put a price on experience? In real estate, you can. It is about $25,000 for the average house.

Can you put a price on experience? In real estate, you can. It is about $25,000 for the average house.

Veteran agents sell homes for an average of 12% more than their less experienced counterparts, says Bennie Waller, professor of finance and real estate at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. Veteran agents also tend to list more new properties, more townhouses and condominiums and larger properties.
"The more experience you have, the more likely you are to sell the properties that you list, the more likely you are to sell it at a higher price and the less time it stays on the market," 

Prof. Waller says. Prof. Waller, along with Ali Jubran, a student at Longwood University at the time, examined 10,065 real-estate listings in a mid-Atlantic multiple-listing service from March 1999 to July 2009. They divided the listings into three groups—ones listed by agents who have been licensed for two years or less (called rookies), agents who have been licensed for two to 10 years and agents who have been licensed for 10 years or more (called veterans). They controlled for property characteristics such as size and location to isolate the "experience variable," and then compared the results for rookies and veterans. The study was published in the Journal of Housing Research in May 2012.Prof. Waller became interested in quantifying experience when he noticed an increasing number of agents who chose not to renew their licenses after two years. Real estate has "very, very, very low barriers to entry," he says. But brokers then face a steep learning curve and many struggle to reach a level of Two-thirds of properties listed by veteran agents sold, while only half of properties listed by rookies did. That may be because rookie agents have to be more flexible in picking up listings, even if the chances of selling are low.

"If a house is priced ridiculously, they might say, 'Fine, I'll take the listing,' " Prof. Waller says.
Generally, experienced agents have greater knowledge of the neighborhoods and a larger network of buyers and sellers, as well as relationships with home inspectors, appraisers and mortgage brokers.
For some, confidence comes with time. James Stroupe, a real-estate agent at Realogics Sotheby's International Realty in Seattle, says he used to take listings priced above-market, but now, with nearly 20 years of experience under his belt, he isn't afraid to suggest an alternative price. And then there are the lessons learned. Michael Rankin, principal and managing partner of TTR Sotheby's International Realty in Washington, D.C., began selling real estate right out of college, so he faced the twin pitfalls of inexperience and youth.
"I would meet people and say I'm a real-estate agent. They would joke and say, 'I've got children older than you. Are you sure you're a real-estate agent?' " 
Mr. Rankin says he didn't get referrals until his third year in the business. Referrals now make up about 70% of his sales. His listings stock also has changed dramatically. In his 20s, his average sale price was about $300,000 to $400,000. Now, it is more than $2 million.
Experience taught him how to deal with consumer behavior. "Residential real estate is really an emotional transaction. I don't think I was prepared for any of it. It's about understanding and knowing people. That, to me, is what an experienced broker brings to the table," he says.
When Pamela J. Hagan first began practicing real estate about 30 years ago, she had a listing that just wouldn't sell. After zero offers in eight months, she asked a more experienced agent to help. "We tweaked the price and staged it properly, removed clutter and everything. I just didn't think of that when I was new," says Ms. Hagan, of Century 21 Beggins Enterprises in Longboat Key, Fla. "After we got it all set up and dropped the price, we sold it within 30 days."

Popular posts from this blog

Team Thayer Real Estate House Flipping Traps! #flippinghouses #eugeneoregon #oregon #housing #market #realestate

If you’ve got several leads waiting to turn into potential deals, you can’t wait for one to suddenly come knocking at your door. Successful real estate house flippers have one trait in common: they place an emphasis on proper planning. Once you’ve secured a deal, you must decide what kind of rehab you will perform. Will you conduct a few simple cosmetic upgrades (like these  10 rehab projects you finish in one weekend )? Or, is the home nice enough to sell after  an easy prehab ? Are there structural damages that will require you to carry out more major renovations? Will you focus on implementing environmentally friendly renovations  – also known as “greenhabbing” – so that you  qualify for certain tax benefits ? Once you’ve determined your strategy, it is important to ask yourself these specific questions before diving into the construction action: What are the current market conditions in my area? What does my ideal buyer look like? Does my marketing cam...

First-Time Home Buyer Mortgage Risk Edge Up Team Thayer Real Estate news.

The first-time buyer share in April, May, and June was launched to new highs, supported by improvements in the labor market, riskier mortgage lending, and continuing low mortgage rates. The  American Enterprise Institute (AEI)  International Center on Housing Risk  recently released a  report , finding that first-time buyers account for 58.8 percent of primary owner-occupied home purchase mortgages with a government guarantee, up from 57.2 percent the prior June, according to the Agency First-Time Buyer Mortgage Share Index (FBMSI). The Combined FBMSI, which measures the share of first-time buyers for both government-guaranteed and private-sector mortgages reached an estimated 52.9 percent, up from 51.6 percent the prior June, according to the report. In addition, AEI determined that the Agency First-Time Buyer Mortgage Risk Index (FBMRI) stood at a series record of 15.83 percent, and increase of half of a percentage point from the average over the prio...

Understanding the tax advantages and disadvantages of homeownership #realestate #taxadvantage #taxes #housing #market

It’s no secret that some of the major perks of homeownership are the tax write-offs and advantages that follow the purchase. In fact, according to a 2015 survey by the National Association of Realtors, 80% of homebuyers see homeownership as a good investment, and 43% think it’s better than investing in the stock market. Reaping the rewards of mortgage interest and property tax deductions is just one way to think of your home as an investment. But there are even more real estate–related tax advantages and disadvantages that can slip under a new homeowner’s radar. It can be relatively easy to trigger tax liabilities or perks (and then fail to claim them) on that new piece of  Eugene, Or, real estate . This is why it’s essential to touch base with your tax pro before every real estate transaction, no matter how minor a question you may have. Sometimes planning and timing make a major difference in the financial impact of a real estate–related tax; other times, ...