Posts in category 'Fairfield County'

Real estate often seems like a fun, easy, high-paying career to outsiders. But it seems even more appealing to people when the market is hot, like it had been over the past few years. Couple that with a pandemic that caused people to either lose their jobs or simply look for something they'd rather do for a living, and the past few years saw the number of real estate agents swell to record numbers.

But now that interest rates have risen — causing many buyers to either hit the sidelines or get priced out of the market — a lot of real estate agents are calling it quits. In fact, 60,000 agents have left the business in just the last 6 months alone, according to 

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Real estate agents spend a lot of time in their cars! It's not only a means of getting from one appointment to another, it's also a mobile office, and pretty much a second home to many agents.

Unfortunately, a lot of that time is wasted sitting in traffic jams, driving long distances, or just going to back-to-back appointments all day. If only there were a way to make that time more productive…

A chauffeur to drive their car would be nice, but that's not in the budget for most agents. But a self-driving car might be!

Okay, there are probably laws that would forbid an agent from doing any of these things, but let's take a look at 8 things agents could do if they had a self-driving car and could truly put it on 100% auto-pilot:

1) Chill and Netflix…

No, that's not a typo — those words are in the correct order! (Although, depending on the agent and their love life, a little Netflix and chill in the car might be appealing…) Agents get a lot of great recommendations from clients about shows they should binge, but they don't have the time to watch an episode, let alone an entire series. If they had a self-driving car, they could finally see what all the rage is about with that Tiger King show!

2) Actually take a lunch (or dinner!) break…

Eating in their cars isn't something new for agents; they probably eat more meals in their car than they do at home. But it's usually something quick they can scoff down, or easy to eat while driving, like a granola bar. To have an actual leisurely meal (even if it's fast food) while the car drives itself would be heavenly.

3) Snooze control…

Agents are often up early and working late into the night, so they don't get a lot of sleep. Not to mention all the things on their mind that keep them up at night once they do get to bed! The only thing better than a full belly, would be to loosen the belt after a nice meal, recline the seat, and take a power nap, while letting the car cruise to the next appointment.

4) Clean out the backseat…

Take a peek into the backseat of an agent's car. There's a good chance you'll see brochures, files, half-full water bottles, empty energy drink cans, fast food wrappers, for sale signs, and probably some random paint cans from 1989 that a seller tried to leave behind so the buyers could do touch-ups, but the buyers refused to close until they were taken away, so they somehow ended up in the back seat of the agent's car. Don't judge! When you're constantly on the go, things can really start piling up! A self-driving car could give an agent time to do some tidying between appointments, and make room for the trash another seller leaves behind on closing day.

5) Beat other buyers' agents to the punch…

It doesn't matter if the market is hot or slow… when you find a house you want, your agent needs to get an offer written up and sent over to the listing agent ASAP to avoid losing it to another buyer! With a self-driving vehicle, your agent could whip out their laptop and crank out your offer the minute you leave the listing while gliding along to their next showing.

6) Quickly respond to Internet leads…

Agents need to respond promptly to anyone who calls them if they want to survive in this business, but they have to respond at the speed of light if it's a lead that's coming in off the Internet! People surfing the web looking to buy or sell a home want an immediate response. They'll literally choose another agent just because they replied within a few minutes, rather than carefully choose the best agent to help them with their needs. Unfortunately, it's kinda tough for an agent to respond when they're driving, so a self-driving car could allow them to speedily respond as the car speeds along.

7) Keep track of miles more easily

Agents can use the mileage they put on their cars as a write-off on their taxes… as long as it's well-documented. Keeping track of the mileage doesn't sound difficult, but it's the kind of thing agents forget to do in the midst of a hectic work schedule. Sitting back and just watching the miles tick up on the odometer as the car drives itself would be a great reminder (and the perfect time) for them to jot down the information in their records so they aren't scrambling to do it on April 15th each year.

8) Take a trip down Memory Lane…

Here's a fun fact: real estate agents turn their heads and look at every single house they've ever sold in the past as they drive by them. (If you've ever been in the car with an agent, you know this, because they'll also point them out and tell you they sold it…) But it's just a quick peek, because they need to keep their eyes on the road. Having a self-driving car would allow an agent to take a long gaze at the houses they've sold over the years, and fondly remember all the times they spent with the particular client they helped buy or sell them.

Whether you've been planning on buying a house in the near future or not, you've probably heard that people with higher credit scores are now paying higher fees, and people with lower credit scores are paying lower fees when getting a mortgage.

Hearing that might make you feel one of two ways if you're planning on buying a house:

• Yippee! I'm finally getting a fair chance. It's not fair that people who don't need lower rates and fees always get the better end of the stick, and now I have a chance at buying a home.
• Not fair! I've worked hard to improve and maintain a great credit score, and now I'm being penalized for it?! What was the point of caring? Does it even pay off to be careful with m...

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Plenty of people work around others all day long, but real estate agents are pretty much on stage all day, with clients watching and witnessing their every move.

Inevitably, things happen that agents wish a client weren't around to see! But if and when they do, it really helps when a client laughs with them, instead of at them!

For some reason, it seems like there's a handful of embarrassing things that happen to almost every agent at one point or another. Let's take a look at 7 of them, to give you some practice laughing with them if it happens on your watch:

1) Getting lost

It was way worse for agents back in the day before GPS was around and had to use actual maps, but getting lost can still be an issue every once in a while. Whether it's an incorrect address, a lack of satellite service, or simply getting distracted and missing a turn, it's so embarrassing when clients see you get lost!

There probably isn't a person in the world who hasn't gotten lost, so it shouldn't be that embarrassing, but agents (and probably a lot of clients) often feel like they need to at least look like they know the location of every house, on every street, in every town they show houses in.

Instead of getting frustrated or quietly judging your agent if he or she gets lost, share a funny story about a time you got lost! You know you have one…

2) Falling

It's so embarrassing when you trip and fall in front of someone, but it's even more humiliating when you're in the middle of showing a house to a client! It's bound to happen to an agent sooner or later due to a slippery floor, stairs, or a pair of high heels.

If you see your agent take a nosedive, first make sure they're not truly hurt, and if they're not, feel free to joke with them by scoring their fall like it was an Olympic dive!

3) Having a stain on their clothes

Considering how often agents have to quickly scoff down a drink or some food in their car between appointments, it's a miracle they don't always have a stain on their shirt or pants! While it'd be smart for agents to travel with a spare wardrobe in the trunk, most don't, and there's rarely time to head home and change before their next client. So there's a decent chance your agent will show up to an appointment one day feeling a little self-conscious about their appearance.

You can either try with all your might to never glance at it by maintaining eye contact at all times, or you can make light of it by taking a guess at what type of food or drink caused the stain. (Bonus points if you give them a bib or stain remover as a thank you gift on closing day!)

4) Can't get into a house

Unlocking and opening a door doesn't sound like a tough job description, but you'd be surprised at how often an agent runs into an issue getting into a house they're trying to show their buyers.
Sometimes the lockbox that holds the key gets jammed, or the key is missing. Other times there's an issue with an electronic code. Or perhaps the owner locked the deadbolt and there's only a key for the actual knob.

Trust that it's as frustrating for them as it is to you! Also trust that it's nothing they could have prevented, and not a sign that they don't know what they're doing. If it happens, crack a joke about giving them a boost to hop in through a window to break the tension and let them know you understand and aren't mad.

5) Losing house keys

Once an agent gets you into a house, they need to make sure they keep track of the keys. Might not sound like a big deal, but most agents have a routine and put the house key in a certain spot every time they show a house in order to not forget it or lose it because it's certainly happened to them at least once in their career! But no matter how organized they are, every once in a while, they get done showing a house and can't remember where they left the key to the house.

If it happens when you're out with them and you want to make 'em laugh, hit them with this classic as they frantically look: "Where was the last place you saw them?"

6) Letting a pet escape

Many houses an agent shows have pets, and your agent is usually given instructions on the listing to make sure not to let the dog or cat get out of the house. Agents take this seriously and do their best to make sure the door is closed once you get in the house, but sometimes a pet is faster or sneakier than an agent can react to.

It won't be a laughing matter until and unless the pet is wrangled and back in the house, so look for the pet's favorite treat to try and help your agent catch it and bring it back inside. Once the escapee is back inside you can laugh all you want and resume the tour of the house!

7) Walking in on someone

You'll probably notice that your agent rings the doorbell at least once, maybe twice before entering a house they're showing. They may even throw in a loud knock, and then holler "Hello…real estate agent!" as you walk in. This is on top of the fact that they're already set an appointment with the owner, so it shouldn't be a surprise that they're there.

But sometimes owners forget, or not everyone in the house was notified that an agent would be coming, and they're still sleeping, or taking a shower (or something else) in the bathroom, and don't hear the agent announcing him or herself. Next thing you know, your agent opens a door, you hear a shriek, an apology, and a door quickly slam.

It may seem like your agent was being a little careless, but rest assured they most likely did as much as they could to avoid walking in on somebody unannounced.

To ease the tension, ask if they were naked…

When you decide to sell your house, you'll often hear real estate agents say that they'll get your house sold quickly and for top dollar.

Who wouldn't like that?! Everybody wants as much money as they can possibly get, and most people would prefer not to have buyers coming to see their house for months on end, so, the quicker the better.

But what defines quick? Well, there's no absolute definition and it depends upon a few factors. It can mean a few days, weeks, or even months, depending upon how the market is in your area, the price range of your home, and the choices you make as a seller.

Over the past couple of years, it probably seemed like every house was selling within a few days of being listed for sale. While many houses were selling that quickly, not all of them were. In fact, according to this data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the lowest median days on market last year was 31 back in May, but it was as high as 62 days on market back in January of 2022.

Looking at that data, you can see how the days on market fluctuate up and down over time, and even during "hot" markets the number of days houses are on the market can vary greatly. So when you hear news about houses taking longer to sell, you might want to take it with a grain of salt. The number of days on market has been climbing since last May—and recently hit 75 days in January—but it's not that big of an issue.

It's only an issue if you have the wrong expectations, which could easily happen if you aren't aware of the actual data and think that houses sell much more quickly than they actually do on average. Mind you, these are the median and average numbers we're talking about. So there are some houses that sell more quickly, and others that are taking longer than the median or average numbers, and these are also based upon national data, not your local area.

To some degree, the amount of time it takes for houses to sell is cyclical and driven by the market, which neither you or your agent can control. But if you want to sell your house as quickly as possible, here are a few things you can control:

• Know the local average days on market. You can't entirely control how long houses are taking to sell due to market conditions, but you should at least know how long it's taking on average for houses in your area and price range to sell. This will help to ensure you and your agent are on the same page, and have a sense of how long to expect your house to be on the market.
• Price your house appropriately. One of the most common mistakes homeowners make is to overprice their house. This is easily one of the biggest causes for houses to linger on the market.
• Make it easy for buyers to see. It can be annoying to have buyers wanting to come see your house on various days and times. But the more agreeable you are to letting as many buyers come at the most convenient time to them, the more quickly your house will sell.
• Adjust the price if necessary. You will almost always see the most serious buyers in the market and your price range come through your house in the first week or two of listing it. If you aren't seeing much activity, interest, or an offer in that time frame, it's probably (although not definitely) a sign that you need to reduce your price. Discuss with your agent whether it's just a matter of being patient at the price you're at, or the activity is an indication that your price is too high and needs to be reduced.

The Takeaway:

There's a lot of talk about houses taking longer to sell. It's true that the number of days it takes to sell a house has risen from a median of 31 days in May of 2022, to 75 in January of 2023, but that's not even a big deal, as long as you're aware of the data. It's only an issue if you have unrealistic expectations that your house will sell in less time than it's likely to take, or you make choices that will cause it to take longer. So, if you're planning on selling, make sure you know how long it's taking in your local area and price range for houses to sell on average, and do what you can to work with your agent to control how long it takes by pricing your house appropriately, making it easy to see, and quickly assessing how the market reacts to your house after a couple of weeks on the market.