Let’s review the ways you can plug in! The bubbleinfo mobile app is available at the Apple Store and Google Play Store. The mobile app uploads blog posts from the category ‘Jim’s Take on the Market’, which is why you sometimes see posts in that category even though it’s not my opinion.
You can also find bubbleinfo at the various social media outlets. Every blog post uploads to the bubbleinfo.com facebook page:
An interesting case underway in Santa Ana over whether oceanfront property owners have the right to protect their property. According to PLF attorney (and good friend) Larry Salzman, it was a good day in court yesterday:
Are you thinking of moving? I want to be your realtor! The primary focus of this blog is to provide educational materials about our local market, and to demonstrate how I can help you.
Here is how it turned out for one recent seller (thanks skerzz!):
I followed Jim’s blog for several years and decided to contact him (along with several other realtors) when an out-of-state work relocation required me to sell my home in San Marcos, Ca. At our initial meeting, Jim spent a significant amount of time discussing pricing options, strategy, as well as providing recommendations for improvements /upgrades (including recommended contractors) that would help sell our property quickly and return maximum value.
I ultimately selected Jim because of his knowledge of the market, his honest assessment of my property and condition, experience handling multiple offers, contractor resources, professionalism, and pricing.
I am extremely happy I selected Jim (and Donna & Kayla) to sell my home. Jim went the extra mile with regards to all aspects of the sales process; everything from recommendations of top-notch (and affordable) contractors, to the amazing professional photography (including very cool drone photos), exposure of my listing on his blog, driving TONS of traffic to the open house, nailing the listing price, patching pot-holes in our private drive to overcome buyer objections, to his professional assistance in analyzing multiple purchase offers and negotiating sales price, terms, repairs, etc. — Jim more than exceeded expectations.
Once under contract, Jim’s wife (Donna) did an amazing job at pushing forward with the paperwork and all the behind the scenes details to ensure a fast and timely close of escrow.
Ultimately, Jim and his team delivered on everything I was looking for — a quick sale, strong sales price that returned the value he estimated on his recommended improvements/upgrades before listing all while limiting my stress during the process. It was refreshing to work with such a great agent and team. I highly recommend Jim and his team and would not think twice about using him again for any of my future real estate transactions in San Diego County.
For more reviews, see the right-hand column or click here:
I am very grateful to have so many in the audience – over 5,000 unique users per month! Thanks for being here! The age demographics are interesting too – 54% of you are between the ages of 25-44!
A. One of the sellers who moved out of state took a job in Toronto. The weekend we sold the house, the temperature in Toronto was 1 degree! I told the seller to hang onto my card!
B. Four properties sold were dual agency – we represented both buyer and seller. It sounds like a high wire act, but I am clear about my duty – I give advice based on what’s best for the person with whom I’m speaking with, and don’t disclose anything about the other party. When you can keep it clear in your head, it’s not a problem. None of them were ‘sold before processing’.
The commercial brokers do it all the time, and it’s likely enough to come to the residential side that keeping my dual-agency chops up will pay off someday.
C. Seven of the 24 sellers sold a house that I sold them. I can’t rely on past clients as my only sellers – people aren’t moving like they used to!
D. Two-thirds of the buyers expected to invest more than 10% of their purchase price into repairs and improvements. Fixers provide additional inventory, and I think we did a good job to adequately discount the price paid.
E. All of my listings were featured here at bubbleinfo.com, and my SP:LP ratio was 99%. Do the video tours and blog exposure help? They must!
F. A sign that the frenzy is over and the market is flattening out is the second negotiation – the request for repairs. None of them go down easy.
We have more readers here than video-watchers, so let’s just discuss the last ten years, rather than do a show.
When this blog started ten years ago today, I saw a great potential for realtors to use blogging to demonstrate their talents and abilities. I thought if I could just get a few months’ head start then maybe I could beat the rush.
The rush of realtor blogs never materialized.
But as we moved through 2006 and 2007, it was clear to data-driven consumers that there was trouble brewing. Real estate blogs written by non-realtors were flourishing, and I started commenting on the bubble bursting – and backed it up with MLS data.
The blogs that helped me build an audience:
Ben’s blog, with lots of help from CA Renter, a local commenter:
I have met the authors of these blogs, and expressed my appreciation in person. But I’d like to thank them publicly for their dedication to educating the consumer, because without them, bubbleinfo.com would not exist today.
As the bubble began popping and the mass media got more interested, a writer for the L.A.Times named Peter Hong took interest in bubbleinfo. He came to visit one day and rode around with me while we discussed the market and saw some of the evidence.
He had the great Don Bartletti contact me for a photo shoot, and the next thing I know, I’m on the front page of the Los Angeles times – above the fold!
My phone started ringing at 7am that day, and the first call was from ABC News Nightline. A couple of weeks later, their reporter Vicky Mabrey spent 1.5 days with me, and the clients who were featured in the video ended up buying a handful of houses from us – even though I had never met them before the day we shot the video!
The article in the Times and the Nightline show both ran in April, 2009, which was the same month we hired Richard Morgan to assist us with helping buyers. It also happened to be the low point of the San Diego Case-Shiller index!
The added media exposure, combined with the bottoming of the market caused the blog readership to explode. We were working 100+ hours per week and scrambling like crazy to help everyone we could! Richard and I have closed over 150 sales with people who came from the blog – thank you very much!
Our peak year was 2011, when we closed 73 sales, and a third of them were with blog readers. Back then, the Google Analytics for bubbleinfo.com was showing around 12,000 unique users each month.
But in 2012 there was a gigantic shift in the market that changed things forever – the banks stopped foreclosing.
We had hired two great assistants and thought that, between REO listings and blog buyers, we’d be pumping out 70-100 sales every year.
But in 2013, we received no REO listings. So I began a deliberate shift in the content of the blog in hopes of appealing more to sellers.
It was a big gamble.
Sellers are notorious for their lack of investigation – they just want their price, and grab an agent they think can deliver.
But I believed that showing pertinent data AND demonstrating my abilities would cause some sellers to hire me to assist them. It hasn’t been an easy road, but 10 of the 21 listings that I closed last year were with sellers who came from the blog!
I say it hasn’t been easy because I think I have lost some blog readers who were interested in buying, but haven’t seen enough buyer-related content here. But I still work with buyers!
Of my closed sales over the last 12 months, I’ve maintained about a 50/50 split between sellers and buyers. I hope that buyers can benefit from all the content here, and that you contact me when ready – I want to help you!
But I have to keep a steady dose of seller-related content to keep sellers interested, and keep demonstrating why you should hire me to sell your home.
It has been a great ten years! With over 5,200 blog posts and 2,000+ videos, it has been a fantastic outlet for me to share an insider’s view of the marketplace with you. Thank you for being here, and let’s all stick around for another ten!
If you, or someone you know, is thinking of moving, I’d sure appreciate a call!
September 24, 2005 was a Saturday, and early that morning I started a free account on Squarespace to begin this blog.
At the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger was our governor, Kayla had just started her freshman year of high school, and I had more hair!
I had already been warning sellers that this party wasn’t going to last, and I thought that if I could produce a steady stream of data to make my case, they might be more inclined to believe it, and take the appropriate action.
Boy, was I wrong.
But home buyers were interested in the locally-based data, and thanks to a few breaks from Rich Toscano and Bill McBride, the audience began to grow.
Ten years later, here we are!
Join us on the evening of September 24, 2015 to talk about the good old days! I will practice on Google Hangouts between now and then, and we’ll do a live broadcast to discuss the last ten years.
Have a specific topic you’d like to cover? Favorite moments? Video clips?
Leave your ideas here in the comment section, and we’ll build a show – and hopefully have some special guests too!
The Pacific Beach hillside remodel is complete. Here are a few photos of the journey, and a recent video tour:
Mr. Buyer delivered what might be the best quote of the year: “I finally buy my wife a million-dollar house, and the first thing she does is tear it down!”
They are predicting that Southern California is due for a 5.0 to 6.0 earthquake on Sunday or Monday. You’ll see on their website that they predict earthquakes in SoCal frequently, so who knows if we will see any action.
But they are calling it a 98% risk:
Previously I mentioned that this blog was hosted out of the country, but that was wrong – the actual hosting equipment is in Los Angeles. If/when an earthquake or other disaster strikes, this blog could go down.
In which case, check the new @bubbleinfo account on Periscope, the live broadcast website – the apps can be downloaded at the App Store and Google Play.
