I can remember back in 2002 being implored by Mike Fanning, Windermere VP of Technology at the time, to invest in a digital camera. The idea was that as a modern real estate agent I would have the ability to snap digital photos of a listing for upload to the MLS or (this was really hot) a custom Windermere photo gallery.

It’s true. Just about five years ago not everyone had a digital camera, and not every listing on the MLS had a picture.

Then I can remember, a couple of years ago, standing in front of a group of Windermere agents imploring them to put away their digital cameras and hire a professional photographer. We had gotten to the point where a few snapshots weren’t enough. With the rate at which buyers were searching properties on the web, we had to make a great presentation on-line.

And then yesterday, at our last office meeting of the year, I handed down a new directive: embedded video.

Face it, you’re already there. How annoyed do you get anymore at a web page that requires you to actually read big blocks of text in order to get the information you’re looking for? (Like this one!) Video is the new killer app on the web. Why do you think those YouTube guys are gazillionaires? Read the rest of this entry »

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1. Everybody else wrote on it. You can find knowledgeable commentaries here, here, here and here. OK, that last one may be a bit over my head.

2. The federal funds rate is a short-term economic tool that the Federal Reserve uses to manipulate the money supply. The cut is intended to spur the economy on a macro level. It’s effects on the local real estate market are all indirect at best.

3. It’s boring. C’mon, this is a boring post.

4. The best plain-english article that I’ve read on what the action means to mortgage rates has already been written at CNBC.com. I could have plagiarized it, but that seemed like a lot of work at the time.

5. Maximizing the sale or purchase of your home has little to do with what the Fed Chairman says or does. Those market forces are all beyond our control. So let’s worry about the things we CAN control - marketing, merchandising and pricing strategies. Now those are topics I could talk about…

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It’s Monday evening, and as is often the case, I find myself doing whatever I’m doing with Monday Night Football on in the background. I’m not a fan of either of the teams that are playing, but it’s the NFL and it’s in high-def. Maybe when my wife gets off the phone with her cousin it’ll get switched to Grey’s Anatomy or something, but for now I’m getting a little football fix.

Ron Jaworski, a former quaterback and current analyst/commentator caught my attention with his evaluation of tonight’s quarterback play. He borrowed the old real estate axiom of “location, location, location” to describe how a successful passer delivers the ball to his receivers in a way that allows them to make a play, while limiting the risk of an interception.

Well, being a successful, licensed, full-time, professional football fan - I can tell you with certainty that there’s another element to becoming a successful quarterback that Jaws has just omitted from his analysis.

Completing a pass in the NFL is about putting the ball in the right location for sure, but any coach or player will tell you that just as critical is the timing of the pass. A ball has to be delivered right on time in order to have a chance to be caught. The game just moves too fast - even the slightest hesitation leads to a missed opportunity, or worse.

Jaworski’s mantra should be “location, location, timing.” Which sounds like something my Dad said recently about real estate.

Of course, the location of a property is the one critical element that can never be changed and has the most significant impact on its value. But the other element of a succesful real estate purchase has to do with timing. Making a mistake with regards to timing can be the “fly in the ointment” of an otherwise sound financial decision. And the risk isn’t just in possibly buying at the top (apologies to those who bought in late 2005), but also in not buying at or near the bottom.

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So I’m obviously in the market for a new car, and being a textbook Gen-X’er I’ve done all my research on-line. I’ve settled on a new 2008 Honda Accord EX-L Nav. (I know, it’s not very sexy, but you want your high-tech, mobile Realtor to have a smart and practical side, right?) I’ve figured out what I’m willing to pay, including sales tax and DMV fees, how much I’m putting down and how much I’m going to finance. I won’t bore you with the details, but I’ve got a plan.

So now the question becomes where am I going to buy the car and what is that experience gong to be like? As I said, I’ve done the research and determined what I’m willing to pay and I’m prepared to go from dealer to dealer to get the deal I think is fair. I’m not looking forward to it, but I’m going to be strong - do the deal on my terms or move on. Hey, I’m in the negotiation business too.

So this morning in the office, I’m talking to Brian, psyching myself up - I want to get the car in the next few days. Then Brian reminds me that we have a friend and client who is a fleet/internet manager at the Honda shop in San Leandro. Of course! I gotta call Ray and see if he can do my deal!

We work by referral, we’re about creating a great experience, and we’re always negotiating towards win-win solutions. Whay can’t a car dealer, in this day and age, work on the same principles?

They can.

Within 15 minutes, Ray gave me, over the phone, an out-the-door price that was almost $500 less than the bottom-line number I was looking for. He assured me that if I called ahead, he could get the car and the paperwork ready so that I could get in and out in under an hour. No haggling, no checking with his manager, no optional undercoating.

I was stunned - in a good way. This is how it’s supposed to work. This is why you work with people you know. No pressure, no guilt, no need to rush down there. Just the peace of mind to know that I’ve got a guy who will take care of me when I’m ready to buy a Honda.

Hey Ray, thanks. Thanks for the deal, and thanks for the reminder. I’ll see you soon.

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Much thanks to the staff at Celebrations Christian Preschool in Brentwood for putting on another amazing indoor-carnival last night. I appreciate the work and the patience that goes into the productions that they do on a fairly regular basis. And while the kids bounce around oblivious to the whole thing, it demonstrates to me the commitment of the staff - the energy and the detail that goes into these things is exhausting to me, and I was only there for about an hour!

It was our last Christmas show at Celebrations. (All three of our girls have gone there for preschool, so not only do I feel a part of the family over there, I feel like a shareholder.) Anyhow, Rachel (and C) worked hard on her lines for the past couple of weeks and while I was a little nervous about how she’d handle her first moment in the spotlight, she absolutely nailed it. I was proud to tears, while the other parents oooh-ed and aaaw-ed at Rachel’s animated delivery.

Yep, that’s my kid.

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