Tag Archives: Realtors In Kansas City

Do Realtor Designations Really Mean All That Much?

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Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market

I’ve never found Realtor designations to be of much importance.  When I first got into the business back in the early 1990’s, I “earned” a couple of designations. It wasn’t a memorable experience however. One thing I do remember about getting those designations was how they didn’t really make me feel I was all the sudden a much better Kansas City real estate agent. From that point forward I swore off Realtor designations.

Well, I did earn one more designation that year. It was the School of Hard Knocks designation and that one was well-earned. But even that designation isn’t being flaunted on my business card or web site. I’ve never considered going and getting a bunch of designations so I could bring them up during a listing presentation or at an initial buyer consultation.  Clients never asked me about them and I concluded they had little redeeming value.

Yet to this day many agents swear by them. I’ve heard enough good things to make me think the E-Pro designation could provide a good value proposition to many agents. But since I’m already a leading online Realtor and teach classes on having an online presence, I’m sure it would prove remedial to me. This is reinforced by many agents I know who have the E-Pro designation not having a great grasp on how to implement the tools that will put their buyers and sellers at an advantage in their real estate transactions. So please pardon me if I’m skeptical.

I don’t want to completely discount designations though. Any education that an agent receives in getting a designation is beneficial. I’ve also heard that the GRI is a long process and that must mean there’s some real learning going on there. Some agents won’t send a referral to an agent without the CRS designation. If that’s true I’ve no doubt lost some referral opportunities. But the majority of the others aren’t much more than a several hundred-dollar check and a pre-printed designation handed at the conclusion of the class.

The SHK designation I previously mentioned is what I’d be looking for if I need an agent in another state to help me purchase a vacation home.  That means experience folks. Let me ask you this… Would you prefer your pilot to have graduated middle of the class but have years of experience or would you prefer a pilot who graduated at the top of their class but is making their maiden flight?

Experience is the key to helping clients buy and sell real estate. If you’re new to the business and lack experience, you have to try to make up for it with effort and persistence, until you have the experience. When a new potential client wants to find out whether I know what I’m doing, they ask about my experience – not about what designations I have. They also want to know I care about their success and that I’m creative and cutting edge in helping them accomplish their goals. They don’t want to know how much I’ve spent on trendy designations.


Posted by Jason A. Brown

Kansas City Real Estate Update – December 2009

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Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market
Real Estate Info for The City of Kansas City
Including zip codes 64114, 64131, 64145 & 64146
Recent 15 Days of Southwest Kansas City Market Activity
Type
#
Average $
Avg DOM
Listings Past 15 Days
 7
 $104,550
–
Total Active Listings
 129
–
–
Newest Contracts Written
 9
 $192,811 193
Newest Sold (Closed)
 4
 $240,375 117

* The Average $ of Newest Contracts considers the price the homes were listed at when they went under contract. Data pulled from Heartland MLS and deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Low samplings in any category can skew results. Stats may not be an exact 15 days from date of this post. DOM = Days On Market.

Kansas City Real Estate

Kansas City Real Estate

Using the past 15 days of market stats in the above chart, the absorption rate in southwest Kansas City figures to 16.1 months of inventory on the market. There’s just no good way to spin this and this market must pick up the pace of 8 sales per month if it’s to eat up the 129 listings in any reasonable amount of time. Whenever I see market stats  so out of whack I like to go back a little further than 15 days on the sales history and then recalculate the absorption rate.  In the last 60 days there were 31 sales and using this sales rate (rather than the past 15 days), it calculates to 8.3 months of inventory on the market — better, but still high.

It’s certainly a buyer’s market in Kansas City and whether you’re considering selling or buying a Kansas City home, you’ll want more than just 15 days of market stats.  The above market stats also take into account single family homes, condos, townhomes, etc. Contact us to request market stats that are more specific to the real estate you are considering purchasing or selling.

View Past Kansas City Real Estate Stats

Buyer’s Agents In Kansas City

Seller’s Agents In Kansas City

View All Listed Kansas City Homes For Sale

Posted by Jason A. Brown

Don’t Underestimate The Communication Factor When Choosing A Kansas City Realtor

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Hands On The Heartland
Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market

Matching up a Kansas City home buyer with a Kansas City buyer’s agent takes more than just choosing an agent who works the area. Same goes for matching up a Kansas City home seller with a Kansas City listing agent.  I can’t say it enough, ALL AGENTS ARE NOT THE SAME. For starters, an agent’s communication skills should be given great consideration. If the client and the agent aren’t able to communicate smoothly and efficiently from the get-go, everyone should prepare themselves for a painful real estate transaction.  I’m reminded of this each time I ask a potential client the biggest objection they had to their previous real estate agent. Usually the answer is poor communication. It’s so true that solid communication is a cornerstone of a successful real estate transaction.


When making initial contact with a real estate agent, do so using YOUR preferred method of communication. If that’s a phone, then call the agent rather than emailing. If you expect the agent to answer his phone and he or she doesn’t, you can move on with your agent search. Personally, I find answering the phone to often be impractical and in some cases would be rude to the client I’m with at the moment. But I understand some may expect their call to be answered and I’m aware of a few agents who advertise “unlike some agents, we answer our phones”. If that’s the type of agent you’re looking for, then leave me a voice mail and I’ll call you back with that agent’s name — there’s a joke in there, but I’m also serious that I’ll give you that agent’s name and I’ll probably even get a referral out of it.  Now getting back to making initial contact with a potential real estate agent, if the agent didn’t answer the phone (and that’s not a show-stopper), then leave a message and see how long it takes to the agent to respond. Whatever length of time it takes the agent to get back with you, expect slightly longer delays once the agent has secured a relationship with you.

For those buyers or sellers who prefer email (or social media) communication to phone, be sure to email the real estate agent with your initial communication. Again, whatever length of time it takes the agent to get back with you, expect slightly longer delays once the agent has secured a relationship with you. Also, irregardless of the type of initial communication you attempt, consider that the agent may intentionally delay their response if the message you’ve left requires some research and/or a thorough response. If you’re just wanting to test out how quickly an agent will respond to your initial message, leave a simple message asking for a reply. 90% of my clients prefer email to voice mail (music to my ears) and that often allows for a quick response via Blackberry – even if I’m working with another client or working on some other task. There certainly are many times that I can respond to an email when responding to a voice mail would be either impractical or impossible.

On a typical day, I handle business from 7 AM until 7 PM. This has always been sufficient for my clients but, for the rare buyer or seller who needs an agent who can communicate later at night, there are agents in my office who can be accommodating in that regards. Again, all you have to do ask and I’m happy to refer you to an agent who fits your needs.  I personally operate with a plan of returning voice mails or emails left before 5 PM the same day. Any urgent messages left between 5 PM and 7 PM are also returned the same day and other messages left after 5 PM are returned the next day, often starting at 7 AM.   Stepping away from my business after 7 PM allows me to maintain a happy home and ensures that I’m fresh for the next day.  In case you’re wondering, I don’t turn into a pumpkin at 7 PM and, whenever necessary, I do communicate after 7 PM — good examples being during ongoing contract negotiations or if a client or an agent gives me notice they need me after 7 PM.

Posted by Jason A. Brown
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