Confessions of a Real Estate Agent

Article Written and Prepared by: Neoli Marcos

So You Want to Be a Real Estate Agent?

There's the persistent myth that the real estate business is an instant money-generating, easy treasure trove. Well, it is, but with hard work, patience, and best of luck.

For the newbie in the business, though, real estate can be a thorny, if not downright frustrating venture. It's basically a gamble; profits will come rushing in only after one or two years down the road. After all, you are just establishing yourself and building your name and credentials. Add to this the fact that you're up against more cutthroat veterans.

In the meantime, there's always the temptation to regret the day you traded your regular and stable job at the office for the more unpredictable, often heartbreaking real estate bubble. Times like this, you have to focus on the future benefits, not the present drawbacks.

Lose some, lose some.

As everything changes along with technology, so does real estate. You'll still need your pen and paper of course, but it would be heaps easier if you armed yourself with a PC or a laptop and a fast internet connection. Now, more than ever, information on current real estate trends and marketplace behavior is available, so take advantage of all that. Knowledge is power, so goes the cliché.

Real estate is all about making connections. Not necessarily the right connections; any connection is good and will come in handy in the future. Any tip, juicy scoops, or new finds in the business is always appreciated, and that’s what connections are for. The point is, in the real estate business, people skills is a virtue always worth honing.

Win some, lose some.

Partnering with someone is a good way to get started especially if you don't have enough money to lay on the table. Your partner will be the one to worry about the finances, while you do the legwork (scouting properties, looking for buyers, touring them around, etc). And then you split the profits between yourselves depending on the agreed percentage. A commission of twenty percent may not exactly be top-notch cash, but what you're really after—since you're just starting—is learning the ropes of the trade.

Win some. Then win more.

You make new contacts everyday, know who the key players in the business, and earn their trust regarding future team-ups. Overall, you’ll be growing comfortable in a business best characterized by constant ups and downs.

Whatever the case, in the real estate business, you are your own boss and you own your time. There are no routines, no office chair restraining you. What replaces these are sweet victories with every successful deal made.

Before long, you’ll be glad you made the switch.










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Neoli write articles and press releases for http://www.ozfreeonline.com - this piece he made served as an article exclusive for http://realestate.ozfreeonline.com - which offers a comprehensive list of office & commercial real estates, homes for rent or sell and an apartment finder to thousands of properties in Australia.

House for Smell: The Powers of Odors in the Real Estate Business

Article Written and Prepared by: Neoli Marcos



Have you smelled your house lately?

If it's a perfume you're buying, then there's certainly good sense in smelling it first. But if it's a house, what then?

Obviously, people usually buy houses because they look great, seems comfortable, is fully-furnished and well-taken care of, lies in a good safe neighborhood, is close to the workplace, has a good seaside view, etcetera, etcetera, among many other factors. But, curiously enough, smell is not one of them.

Indeed, people often take smells for granted. This is because we register the world mostly through our sense of sight, unlike animals which predominantly rely on their olfactory sense for survival (hunting food, and detecting enemies and prey). For us humans, we only notice smells when they're offensive, but even then, there's the possibility of us growing accustomed to them that we forget they're there in the first place.

This is what you should watch out for when you're selling your house. Your house might pass any discriminating home buyer's checklist in flying colors. You've repainted the walls in a soothing cream brown, you've had the kitchen floorboards polished, installed additional security system, and even threw in new iron-wrought chairs for the garden. But if you really want to make a good impression; a subtle but effective one, then aim at your prospective buyers' noses.

Get rid of those little smelly details of your house that you might not be aware of anymore, but would definitely be an assault to visitors. Pet odors and cigarette smoke are the immediate culprits. But don't just rest your faith on a handy deodorizing spray can, because they just mask odors and don't address the problem. Needless to say, you'd have to keep the dog out for the meantime that your house is up for sale, and well, as for you, you’ll have to transfer your ashtray outside as well.

Smell, Smell, Go Away.

And then, really, as in really clean up. Wash carpets, curtains, rags, any fabric that stores odors.

Now, for the fun part. Bake bread with cinnamon, or lasagna, or anything that smells good and worry-free. Bring out those essential oils or light up aromatic candles, for a more natural pleasant smelling atmosphere, not synthetically induced by any spray can. Lavender oil, for instance, has a positive calming, effect.

Smells trigger memories and coax emotions in us. This is because our brain's limbic system which stores our memories is also the one responsible for tagging a particular odor received by the chemo receptors.

Which is why when we’re giving house tours to visitors, we want them to remember the house even long after they’ve left the premises. And we want them to remember in a good way. So, okay, pretty flowers standing at attention in a vase might not exactly be your house's strongest selling point, but they can put your visitors in a buying mood and really make a difference.












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Neoli write articles and press releases for http://www.ozfreeonline.com - this piece he made served as an article exclusive for http://realestate.ozfreeonline.com - which offers a comprehensive list of office & commercial real estates, homes for rent or sell and an apartment finder to thousands of properties in Australia.

Is Your House Cool Now?

Article Written and Prepared by: Neoli Marcos




That trading spaces show can be scary.


Imagine a group of strangers flocking to your house one fine day, okay, completely well-meaning they may be, but at the same time blunt too, because, nah, they've decided your house just isn't cool enough and you definitely need an upgrade in your sense of style. Should we say more? Or are you already considering changing that kangaroo print pillowcase in your living room?


Cool. That word. What's up with cool anyway?! For a concept that supposedly shouldn't have any boundaries, cool has frighteningly evolved into something we religiously pin on a particular person, activity, place, and gadget. And yes, home.


Okay, we're not talking about cool homes here, as in energy-efficient homes (it's a perfectly worthwhile topic of course, but not for now). We're talking about homes being top-dollar cool in the market here; we're talking about cool homes palatable enough for choosy and discriminating buyers. Cool translates to good status and good worth—something you would want others to catch you in. We just know what's cool and what's not. The scary part, though, is when we insist others to be cool—the right kind of cool—just like us.


Real estates are admittedly a business that heavily depends on projecting the cool image and right surface. Home designers and interior decorators are no wonder sought-after people because they seem to know what cool people want for their homes. Or maybe they just dictate what should be cool.


Can cool be manufactured then? If you're seriously considering selling your house, then there's certainly no harm in invoking the cool inside and outside. Nothing wrong with a cool paint of Van Gogh yellow, or cool stainless steel countertops, or cool surround system, or whatever that's currently cool. (Here, you’ll be reminded that cool sometimes requires money.) Whatever cool stuff you do, just be careful you don't overwhelm the house with too much cool that it doesn't leave space for the buyers’ identities anymore. You want the new owners to plot out their own sense of cool too, of course.


So, don't let anyone tell you what's cool for your house. After all, cool—for it to be cool—should never be a prescription.






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Neoli write articles and press releases for http://www.ozfreeonline.com - this piece he made served as an article exclusive for http://realestate.ozfreeonline.com - which offers a comprehensive list of office & commercial real estates, homes for rent or sell and an apartment finder to thousands of properties in Australia.