FROM A TRUE PROFESSIONAL
JIM CASEY AND NON-TRADITIONAL BROKERAGE
Today, I want to highlight Jim Casey, a Burbank Realtor and a friend. Jim was a national speaker, and I attended many of his presentations at the National Association of Realtors, the California Association of Realtors, and other locations. He was one of the “really” great ones. We both believe in having fun when relaying real estate information.
Maybe we bonded as we were both born in Wisconsin. We can discuss snow, mosquitoes, real estate, and the Packers. To introduce you to him, I have included his bio from Harcourts Prime Properties so you can understand his background—and why I chose him to follow up on my previous article.
Break a leg, Jim!
Getting to know James Casey
I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Architecture from the University of Minnesota. I have been a licensed REALTOR since 1986 having started my career in Minneapolis, MN. I managed a 50 person real estate office and taught pre-license and continuing education courses in Minneapolis before launching an international speaking career teaching sales and technology to real estate professionals in several countries. The first contract trainer for Coldwell Banker University in the late 90’s, I was also the most frequently appearing technology trainer on the REMAX Satellite Network (RSN) during it’s first years of broadcast. I have been an on-site consultant to some of the most successful real estate agents and teams in North America.
Born in Wisconsin, I am married to Caryn and have two daughters, Siera and Carlie. We have lived in Burbank since 1999 having moved here so our children could pursue their dreams of acting. We have a love affair with rescue dogs and donate our time and money to the cause. We own an historic home in Minnesota and I have been “flipping” houses since it was known as “Renovation” and “Restoration.” I love woodworking, motorcycles, sailing, the outdoors, movies, comedy and making old things new.
Every home tells a story. My custom real estate marketing system is a blend of my architectural, construction and photographic skills to show every one of my properties in their best light with extraordinary detail. I believe in full disclosure and the win-win-win scenario where the buyer and seller settle on a fair price, knowing in great detail both the terms of the agreement and the condition of the home. My job isn’t done until we have completed all inspections, poured over and verified all disclosures, the appraisal, title and loan work is done and both parties successfully close escrow. I add value to each and every transaction by making it easy to understand and fun. I can’t wait to start working for you!
Email from Jim regarding my recent newsletter from June 5th, “Open Houses Coming Back?“
Duane,
Your newsletters and emails are “Must Read” for all of us agents.
Your topic of Open Houses hits home with me. I left my traditional real estate brokerage 7 years ago to join Harcourts, a New Zealand based brokerage that leverages open houses as part of their auction platform. In fact, the only way to see our auction listings is through open houses. We do not allow one-off showings. Sellers LOVE THIS. We all remember the frustration in a seller’s voice when they call to ask if, after cleaning up, grabbing the dogs and children, and leaving the house for a private showing, whether the agent ever showed up? Or the agent who is late and is still there when the seller returns after the allotted one hour showing time. Even worse, the private showing where the buyer walks in the front door, takes one look and says, “Nope.”
Open House only listings force serious buyers to rearrange their schedule to see the property on the seller’s terms. We are required to hold two open houses a week from the day of listing to the auction date or until an offer that comes in advance of the auction is accepted. That’s typically a Wednesday or Thursday evening for 90-120 minutes and again on the weekend, either Saturday or Sunday for a similar amount of time. Our Bid-to-start-price is typically 20-25% below market value so open houses are PACKED. As the listing agent, I get to meet everyone in person, whether they come with their agent or not. My percentage of double-end deals has doubled because we also require all sellers to perform home inspections, termite inspections and all seller disclosures in advance of an offer so the buyers can download them from our website. The majority of our offers have the buyer waiving the inspection contingency fee as part of the initial offer. To the buyers, our listings are more transparent and they feel more comfortable making offers quickly.
Although Harcourts offers traditional listing strategies like every other brokerage, I’ve experienced 95% of my clients want to go the auction route partly because of the open house only showings. It makes their life easier, cuts down on wasted showings, and they love knowing they’ll never be asked for a price reduction or extending the listing beyond the 21 days until the auction. 100% of my listings have sold prior to the auction as buyers get into a silent bidding war trying to avoid letting others have a chance at the live auction.
So, are open houses a good idea? Absolutely! Jim
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