Do you have the same aversion to giving out your contact info that I do? So why is it that Real Estate websites always require that you provide your contact information? You just know that as soon as you give it to them you are going to start receiving spam, junk-mail, and annoying phone calls from desperate real estate agents all trying to sucker you into being their overcharged and under-served client.

Here’s why it’s like this… Traditional Real Estate firms sell a service but it’s not the service you think it is. They don’t sell real estate services to home-buyers and sellers. They have a whole different client base altogether. Real Estate firms sell support services to real estate agents. These independent contractor agents are their customers NOT you. Accordingly their websites are built to serve their “customers

Banker & Tradesmen: April 23, 2007

Territory Real Estate (TRE), a Boston-based online company that offers exclusive buyer representation for a flat fee of $3,995, was launched earlier this month.

The agency owned and operated by Marla Mullen and Terry Sanford, who founded TRE while living in New York City. Mullen previously worked as a sports agent for six years in New York City, representing athletes in various sports. Sanford was a traditional real estate agent for Sanford Real Estate, a Nantucket firm that he helped his uncle establish, and also has experience as a marketing consultant and sales agent for a residential team at Douglas Elliman in New York.

“Any compensation we reveive about this $3,995 flat fee we rebate back to the buyer. Our average rebate is over $9,000.” Mullen said in a press release announcing the company’s launch.

Banker & Tradesmen Article

The Consumer Federation of America’s favorite topic these days is the traditional real estate industry. Recently they released a report titled “Nontraditional Real Estate Brokers: Growth and Challenges“. The report opens with a three page summary of the industry followed by a page outlining the growth of “nontraditional

What is up with the South End these days? We have a number of active clients in the neighborhood and time and time again they are finding themselves in multiple bidding situations. I pulled some data for the area and here’s what I found.

In Boston’s South End between March 20th, 2007 and April 20th, 2007 84 listings went under-agreement a 38% increase over the previous month (61 listings went under-agreement) and a 16% increase over same period one year ago (70 listings went under-agreement).

Our local MLS service sent out a message to all of it’s subscribers yesterday. Now I don’t normally pay much attention to these things but a quick scan of this one made me double take. It included a strongly worded paragraph regarding a feature on Zillow.com, a community based real estate site, that we use quite a bit.

“Recently, the On-Line Valuation site, Zillow announced a new function being made available to advertise listings for sale on that site, whether or not you are the listing broker/agent. The MLS Rules and Regulations, STRICTLY PROHIBIT the advertising of another broker’s listings without their prior WRITTEN consent. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics, Standard of Practice 12-4 also prohibits the advertising of a listing without proper authority. Better safe than sorry; do not advertise another office’s listing anywhere without prior written approval.

Your Rebate $ is burning a hole in your pocket and you need some ideas. Here are some SLEEK, COOL, EASY and FUNCTIONAL additions for your new home.

You just bought your place and want to add a little value but stay true to sleek design even on the little appliances like a washer/dryer. It’s important these things don’t stick out, especially if your space is small. Worry no mas! ASKO has come up with a genius design to solve the problem: W/D with streamlined doors! It even comes with customizable accessories that you can add on like, ironing boards, drawers, shelves and baskets.

You have decided to do some tile work and figure this time you want to go all out … You want texture, you want unique, YOU WANT CROCODILE! Well, rest assured that if you choose these high-style porcelain tiles that mimic animal skin you have ARRIVED. Simply incredible! Walker Zanger designs these for Matouche

You are unpacking your boxes in the new digs and realize your art collection has slim pickin’s, not to mention your personal decision to stop covering your walls dorm-style with pictures of you, family and friends. So now what? Well here is an innovative and cost effective way to go about filling wall space and adding to your art collection, thought up by Larson-Juhl. Here is the website dedicated to quality affordable and customizable prints. Do-it-yourself Territory RE style.

WHEW HEW! You closed on a place with a deck! You are so very luck since the summer is just a couple spring blossoms away. But your a realist, the deck is great and all but you will probably put it to use about 4 months out of the year so why spend serious money furnishing it!? Here is your justification! Orange22 has created a sleek line called Botanical Flora (benches, coffee tables and end tables) that are designed to be cool inside but are also outdoor friendly.

I could go on for hours but I have decided to end my design rant with the best find of all time, it is a NO COMMITMENT, NO HASSLE kind of solution (you know Territory RE loves these!): Wall Flats.

The bottom line is you just bought a place and you can’t even begin to think about serious renovations, but you have to do something so you decide to take on the walls … (Or, better yet, you are trying to sell your place and you are taping your fingers wondering why buyers aren’t biting) … Time to spruce! You thought about repainting the walls, using wallpaper and even tiling but what a headache! Inhabit your space. Wall coverings that will hide any unevenness or crack, give you texture and instant standout design. You can even paint them! Did I mention they are peel and stick?! Customize, and mix-and-match patterns! Endless …

Did you know?

Procuring Cause, not Agency Relationship, is the primary determining factor in an agent’s ability to collect a cooperating compensation. Agency relationships, in and of themselves, do not determine entitlement to compensation. A relationship with a client, or lack of one, is only one factor that is considered when determining Procuring Cause.

Why should you care?

If you work with Territory Real Estate or any other firm that promises to rebate you some or all of their commission their fine print likely states that you won’t receive bubkiss unless they are able to collect a commission.

What is Procuring Cause?

“A broker will be regarded as the “procuring cause

YourStreet.com is a recently launched community based real estate site. Check out their Market Monitor feature, a tool for estimating the overall condition of the market. While essentially it’s just a simple poll that asks if you think the market is currently in favor of the buyer or the seller, the “wisdom of the crowds

So, you want to live on beacon hill or back bay but can’t afford anything over 450sqreft. It has frustrated you to the point where you just refuse to pull the triger on buying. Well, I am here to tell you there is a solution. I am so jealous, in fact, i am wishing i could go back to my new york glory days when the only thing on the rental market under $1,000 per month was a squirrel hole in the west village. I would have been styling if I had these options!

Do you work or study from home part of the day? Check out this GENIUS office/bed solution.

Is the couch potato thing much more appealing then working or surfing the net?

Maybe you want the best of both worlds so you will take one of the above and a convertible bed:

I have decided to go a step further and pick out a couple adorable studios that you otherwise would have clicked right past thinking there was no way you consider a studio. Let mobelform designs entice your pocket

For $189,000 how could you not at least consider it: 70555032

Beacon Hill living (fireplace, common roof deck, quant street, steps to Charles and the commons) at a price you can afford: 70525994

And THE ONE TO BUY is …!!! Put your love seat trundle bed and convertible couch or desk in this unit and you instantly have a GEM … OH!, and don’t forget to buy outdoor furniture because this place has a private deck: 70532310

Truth is you may have the money for a bigger place but these designs are just so da** cool you will take one anyway!

The New York Times has a new online tool that compares the cost of renting to the cost of buying an equivalent home. You enter the rent and purchase info for the two homes and it plots a graph showing exactly how long you would have to own until reaching break-even. Now this is cool, but what really pushes it over the edge is that you can adjust the graph using your own estimates of annual home appreciation/depreciation and annual rent increase/decreases.