Real Estate Today articles from July 1995

Real Estate Today archives from July 1995

Written agreements save time fencing in court. (limitations of oral contracts)
July 1, 1995... Because many states' license laws and regulations require written agreements for real estate services, those laws also make it difficult to recover commissions when practitioners haven't set up such agreements. A recent Indiana decision shows...

Client won't pay? (real estate commissions to commercial brokers) (includes related articles on legal solutions to obtain commissions)(Cover Story)
July 1, 1995... Jeanne Ledden's tale is familiar to the many commercial practitioners who've been skunked out of a commission. Ledden was a rookie in the business when she brought a tenant to a property listed by another brokerage. The deal involved a ten-year...

How to cash in on direct mail. (marketing real estate services; includes related information)
July 1, 1995... Brokers are using direct mail campaigns to draw salespeople and keep them happy. Here's how they address the issue. "Bang! Bang! Just like that!" The confession of an armed robber? No, just the answer that owner-broker Chet Hogan gives...

The search for health care coverage: when it comes to finding affordable health insurance, knowing the market is the best medicine. (includes related article on health insurance reform in New Jersey)
July 1, 1995... When it comes to finding affordable health insurance, knowing the market is the best medicine. Dianne Simmons has good health insurance - finally. "We just had a very difficult time obtaining insurance," says the partner at Century 21 -...

Slip your personal billboard into prospects' pockets. (business card designs for real estate agents)
July 1, 1995... There's a joke among California salespeople: Since everyone and his brother seem to sell real estate there, driver's licenses and real estate licenses have become virtually interchangeable. Cops will accept either when they pull you over for...

When the government beats a path to your door: proper tax planning can help control the uncontrollable (real estate condemnations). (includes related example)
July 1, 1995... The city, wants to raze your rental house so that it can build a convention center. Or the county seizes a ten-foot strip of your front yard, where your cherished 75-year-old oak spreads its wings, just so that your street can be widened. In...

If writing a business plan seems daunting, turn to your computer. (includes list of software packages for business planning)
July 1, 1995... There's one document business experts and veteran businesspeople agree should be in the portfolio of anyone seriously pursuing a career in real estate - a business plan. Whether you bead a staff of salespeople or sell properties yourself,...

What does it really take to get into auctions? (real estate auctions) (includes personal story and list of expenses)
July 1, 1995... Dwight Selby had listed a 41,000-square-foot shopping center in Daytona Beach, Fla., for the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC). Although the RTC was asking $1.8 million, no buyer had offered more than $1.6 million. After six months, RTC...

Days of our (business) lives. (real estate agents)
July 1, 1995... Three salespeople give you a peek into their unpredictable workday, where cool heads and quick minds are the one constant. Game for some harmless voyeurism? To give you a glimpse into other salespeople's business day, Real Estate Today[R]...