FranklyCRA: A Comparative REALTOR Analysis. Unleashed.

(Warning long a** post, but my best of year.)

FranklyCRA: A Comparative REALTOR Analysis. Unleashed.

Imagine legally eavesdropping onto the conversation of the listing agent, with buyer in tow.

You know, the one that goes like this, “Well, in my experience I think you should…”

Well what if I could tell you there was a way to know what that experience exactly was? Trends that the other agent repeats. Yep, and I have been doing it for 4 years.

A REALTOR friend that I taught this technique to, and works for one of the big boys said, “No Stop, Don’t Tell Anybody!”

So, could that be interesting data? Maybe? Maybe not?

DEFINED: Frankly CRA ™ technique where one agent can run a report to view the last 5-50 sales of the other agent. Showing you their style and pattern. Are they an overpricer? Are they a weekend warrior, do they create bidding wars? I find it even more useful then the traditional CMA (Comparative Market Analysis). Note this is just 1 of a dozen techniques to figure out a strategy to offer on a place.

Example 1: FranklyCRA on a listing agent, it helped us get a LOWER price.

I found that she was a “chronic overpricer, 30 day price dropper. And recently she had 5 deals where she dropped the price exactly after 30 days. I had a buyer interested in paying near full price. It was 28 Days on the Market. After looking at the report, we know that she already whispered into her client’s ear that it was time for her “usual” $25,000 price drop soon (also she then sells them within 4 days thereafter). So we offered $30K below list, and we GOT IT. The client was willing to pay more, so they were thrilled.

I was rebating at the time see “I used to rebate, but then I got good.”

Is it cheating? Nah, it just has to do with knowing how the MRIS database works and putting sold data to good use.

This information saved them $5-20K since they really wanted the house and were willing to pay more. They didn’t care about my rebate, they just cared about the unexpected savings that I helped them get. At that point, my focus turned to saving people a greater NET, vs handing over my commission to get more business (a great strategy for newbies and pencil pushers).

(Side note: Why do some Realtors always overprice? See “buying a listing”).

But Frankly CRA can also show you data that might lead you to spend MORE! What! Another scam! “Trying to have your clients overpay so you get more! You should be arrested, sneaky bastard!”

No. Settle down Beavis.

How can that be good? Well data is king, and it is all about VALUE, not about % off list (see Lowball Myth video).

Example #2 Another listing agent look up resulted in a HIGHER offer.

My buyer found (sidenote: usually my buyers prefer to do the 6 hours a day of searching, like a hobby) a $350K TH in Alexandria. It was the 1st week on the market.

My client says, “I need this house, I want to offer $20K off.” My reply is, “Hold on we aren’t Redfin” (no offense, I love Redfin, but their model is different, their buyers call the shots and even submit offers online.)

I ran a Frankly CRA report. Turns out the agent is a “proper price, fast seller”: 8 of his last 10 sales in that exact community sold within 7 days for full list. That, coupled with a ton more data… “do you still want to offer $20K under, or do you want to actually buy this place?” (side note: It is easy to get caught in the Vegas style machismo of getting a “deal” and lose the focus which is to find a home for the right VALUE, VALUE,VALUE, not %off, %off, %off, for that go to Bloomingdales.).

Sure we could offer less, but my stats showed we would have a 20% chance, and actually make it easier for them to sell it to somebody else (people love making offers on places with offers, subscribe to the blog, I have a detailed diary of a bidding war coming soon).

As an alternative, we could go buy the $50K overpriced place for $30K under list (ie overpay by $20k)and you can brag to your friends, or we can strategize to keep this from getting bid up.

This blog post would be too exhaustive to go into more detail (and there is a ton), and no we didn’t “just offer list.” Just last week I won a bank property, and we were NOT the highest offer. Smart offers (like ones where you tell the listing agent you will risk your entire commission because you are confident you will close it on time.)

 

Example 3: Frankly CRA uncovers Weekend Warriors and Newbies.

It can show me if an agent is brand spankin new! If you think I don’t take a completely different negotiation strategy with a newbie, vs a 20 year veteran, then I hope you hire one and I get to be on the other side.

Also do they tend to do $200K deals and we are selling a $800K place? Is the agent from MD and somehow got stuck in a random Arlington listing? All this intel matters (at least I think so but I might be full of it?).

Example 4: Frankly CRA to look up the BUYER AGENT’s background (when I list).

I sold, and closed, my mom’s listing to a new agent in 4 days for full list. 3 agents said it was overpriced. What a compliment. Reputable agents (including one of my own, and one on the board) said it was overpriced, yet we got full list (sign up for blog, that detailed post is coming soon)

Example 5: Frankly CRA to look up actual sellers/owners prior 10 year selling history (when I’m the buyer agent).

This seller had a $1.8 million home in Great Falls. I did a look up for the last 10 years. They were owners of two other properties (300K + 700K). Each took 200 days and sold exactly for 15% under list!

Unknowingly, our offer, based on a ton of other metrics was also 15% under list. Coincidence? I think n
er=”0″ />
ot. The seller was a “15% overpricer, long holder.

Starting to sound like ordering at Starbucks? (Something I still can’t do right)

Again with builders. Either within one condo building or if they sell 5 houses a year, run a Frankly CRA on their Realtor coupled with that exact builder. What percentage below did that $1.2million builder take last month? Do you think that might be relevant? I think so, but maybe I’m just a data guy. Maybe what really matters is your gut feelings?!

A good friend of mine bought a detached home new construction builder (he used his aunt, who was a Realtor). He was going back and forth. They were within $20k of list. It was 100 DOM. He bought it! Without telling him, I then ran a Frankly CRA. The builder recently took $50k below list for the same DOM… might he be bluffing… very possibly. (Oh well, at least he can save face with his aunt at Thanksgiving)

Example 6: (New) Frankly CRA on Banks!

Some banks will price aggressively and get bid up. Wouldn’t you want to know about the bank’s last 10 deals and how 7 went over list? Well you might not be as quick to lowball on day 3, now would you be?

Related background research… Look up a listing agent’s last 10 deals and contact some buyer agents for those deals. Ask them, “Hey when you bought that place, was there a ton of back and forth, or did they take your first offer?” Or “Hey, I see you got $50k under, did you all come in at $50k under, or did you start at $80k under?”

So all of the above just scratches the surface of what we do. Part of me wants to bury this post, so the competition doesn’t know what we are up to, but part of me says it doesn’t matter if the other side knows our strategy.

WHAT IS THE POINT?

It is important for consumers to know the difference. Not all Realtors are paper pushers, and a good one can actually save you money. Our company is NOT just bullet points, or a checklist of services to see whose list is longer. This stuff isn’t taught by the cattle call-take-everyone with a heartbeat large firms .(test that theory, call your favorite large company and say you are thinking about getting a license).

This STUFF (and other stuff, ie subscribe to this blog) NETS YOU MORE.

If you already have an agent see if they can run a Frankly CRA for you. If they look at you funny, send them here for the bullet points. Also, if you haven’t already, make sure to check out the Wiki MLS, FranklyMLS.com

If you read this via RSS, or email, come back to Blog.FranklyRealty.com to read the comments and add your own.

Written by Frank Borges LL0SA- Broker FranklyRealty.com

See you at INMAN!

(please report typos, so I don’t look dumb)

  • 22
  • July
  • 2008

98 Responses to “FranklyCRA: A Comparative REALTOR Analysis. Unleashed.”

  1. Bryant Tutas-Tutas Towne Realty, Inc says:

    Frank, This is really good information. I’ve been doing my research on agents and properties for years but not to the extent you have outlined here. Now that I’ve started working with some buyers I will certainly implement your strategies prior to making an offer.
    Now go delete this post:)

  2. Ray Nelson (Century 21 Battlefield) says:

    Frank, what a great idea. Great home selling tactics, and something I will definitely use. Thanks for the tip.

  3. "Antoinette" Scognamiglio ~ GRI Morris County, New Jersey Homes for Sale (Prudential New Jersey Properties) says:

    REALLY WELL WRITTEN!

    I’ve been looking up realtor stats for only about 6 months and the data is extremely telling. I really appreciate how you’ve truly wrung this technique to get the full benefits…much more than I had realized!

  4. Stanton Homes - Penny Hull: Raleigh Area Custom Home Builder (Stanton Homes Inc - Raleigh Custom Homes) says:

    Very interesting approach…

  5. Erik Hitzelberger, --Louisville-Bullitt County Real Estate (RE/MAX Alliance) says:

    Frank, I’ve been doing my own version of a bank CRA for investment properties. I’ve gotten pretty good at predicting the 30 and 60 day price drops.
    Reading this created the ‘duh’ moment that I should expand to the other categories you mention.

    Thanks for turning the light on. (Well deserved feature!)

  6. Earleene Woods, ASP, CRS, GRI (Grey's Properties, LLC) says:

    Frank,

    Been in the business for over 20 years, but, had not thought of “digging so deep” into the agent’s pricing and selling past. Of course, we are a small Board (only 60 agents in the whole board, smaller than some offices in large cities) so you kind of know the agents and their “mode of operation” when you are full time and have been in the business very long.

    You brought up some very intuitive points.

    Thanks for sharing!!

  7. Cindy Jones-Northern Virginia Real Estate & Military Relocation Services (RE/MAX Allegiance #1 RE/MAX Company in the World) says:

    Frank-I’ve figured out some of these with past offers and it is especially telling with certain company foreclosures as to where they are heading. Now if you could only figure out why an agent who seems to have it together when they write an offer turns into a slacker after the contract is signed :-)

  8. Crystal Allen (Century 21 Service Realty) says:

    Hi Frank,

    Newbie here and thanks for the valuable info. Fantastic!

    Crystal

  9. Justin & Katie Keisler (Realty Executives of Hickory) says:

    What an interesting approach! I really enjoyed reading that!

    Have a great week!

  10. Kelly Sibilsky ~ Lake Zurich RE/MAX Real Estate Agent (RE/MAX Unlimited Northwest) says:

    You state that you:

    “sold my mom’s listing to a new agent in 4 days for full list. 3 agents said it was overpriced. What a compliment. Reputable agents (including one of my own) said it was overpriced, yet we got full list.”

    If the listing was truly overpriced, how will it appraise for that price (unless it was a cash deal)? In my market, appraisers are being overly cautious. If it does appraise out, then it probably wasn’t overpriced, but priced perfectly!

  11. Property Connections Realty Inc. says:

    Creative — like your style !

  12. Dee Neal Philadelphia Real Estate (Exit Realty Waterfront Group) says:

    This is great! information. another home run for my rain-o-pedia. i swear i learn something new everyday!

  13. Matt says:

    Seems quite simple in retrospect, yet I can certainly see how many people don’t think of it. Definitely a good technique! It also seems to be cause to vary your listing tactics to be a bit less predictable. Of course, that assumes that lots of agents catch on….

  14. y Duane Marlink, Rate A Home (Rate A Home) says:

    Frank,
    wow, thanks for the disclaimer on the length at the beginning, still went through the entire post. Great job! Interesting concept and so true on all of your points. Your buyers (and sellers) have to be glad they chose Frankly Realty!
    Kudos to you.

  15. Menomonee Falls Real Estate - Matt Yogerst (RE/MAX Realty 100) says:

    Great Info! It wouldn’t matter if you left it out for your competition to see since most of them are set in their ways or too lazy to change! I have used a truncated version of this technique and have helped my buyers $ave big! I will be applying this to my listing side as well now.

    When you say “Our company is just bullet points, or a checklist of services to see whose list is longer.” did you really mean “Our company is not just bullet points, or a checklist of services to see whose list is longer.”?

    Love your very informative blog and great writing style. And I would think that your strategies MUST work VERY WELL since you don’t have time to post more. Thanks for the tips and strategies.

  16. Tim . (HomeAtlanta.com) says:

    Excellent post. Stuff like this is something that can set you apart from the pack. Not many other agents even know how to do a search for an agent’s sales history. I’m going to try to do a lot more of this and work it into my marketing.

    Sometimes I do a CRA for people who write here at ActiveRain. It’s shocking to see how few sales many agents have. They might have a lot of points and act like they do a lot of business, but then you find that they did something like two sales last year.

  17. kathy Judy says:

    Being the partner in charge (by default) of keeping up with things, I PRINTED THIS ONE OUT TO SHARE WITH OUR AGENTS!

  18. Tracy Williams Pender, MBA ~ Knightdale & Raleigh, NC Real Estate (Realty Executives) says:

    Good info Frank. I’m an analytical person, so this is right up my alley.

  19. Bob Carney Licensed MD/PA Real Estate Agent (Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.) says:

    Damn you Frank…you let out all the secrets!! : )

    Great advice for agents. Not only do homework on the home but the agent too. I usually do this also to see if how much I will have to carry the other agent. Their lack of experience can cause a perfectly made transaction go south quick. Totally frustrating buyers and sellers for no reason.

  20. Anonymous says:

    I’m impressed.

  21. Melina Tomson, M.S. Salem Oregon Real Estate Specialist (Tomson Burnham, llc) says:

    I do something similar quite a bit. I showed a home a couple of weeks ago and told them that the agent ALWAYS overprices her homes. I agree that agent trends are really important when working with buyers.

  22. ARDELL DellaLoggia (Sound Realty) says:

    Can’t wait to meet you…in a few hours. I hate those agents that get 30 day drops PRE-SIGNED at time of listing! You Go Boy!

  23. Anonymous says:

    great info Frank. I think I will add something like this on my website. thanks!

  24. Renee Burrows - Las Vegas NV Real Estate (Nevada Realty Solutions) says:

    It’s not easy to search an agent’s sales history in the MLS here but I have it all in a special grid in my search :)

    It also helps to get to know other agents and be friendly w/ competition. For example, this am, met w/ buyer’s agent to write offer. I know the LA, I know she is up at 7 AM, have the phone number in my cell, ringy dingy and details go flying.

    BINGO we got a sale :)

  25. Angela Clark Graviss, ABR, GRI Owensboro Kentucky Realtor (Tony Clark Realtors, LLC) says:

    Being a member of small-ish board (about 200 Realtors), you get to know other agent’s staregy and personality. But actually showing their data from MLS to your client.. you are too clever!

  26. Jeff Dowler ~ Carlsbad Real Estate (RE/MAX Associates) says:

    Some great ideas here, Frank. I do some research but not nearly like this. You’ve provide a few great strategies to immediately implement. Thanks for sharing – and I agree with Bryant.

    Jeff

  27. FRANK LL0SA Va Broker- BLOG.FranklyRealty.com says:

    Thanks everyone!

    I just thought of another thing. Recently I found a bank that had the EXACT strategy. They dropped 9% (yep, not 10) every 45 days. Good info wouldn’t you think?

    And then of course the % below list that they take (based on DOM) is also important. Do we create a new world record or go for something in the middle of what they are used to. It is up to the client and their ability to take stress!

    Frank

  28. Will says:

    Wanted to do this years ago after a comment was made on a forum here in Vancouver. Unfortunately our board has blocked looking up any other realtor’s performance. I can search my own (by name, email, phone#, ID#, etc.) but cannot look up any other. Boo.

    Then again, we have our own strategies for getting a sale and while you may enjoy looking up others performance to see through their strategy remember that others are able to see through yours, as well.

    Yes, it helps to fight the chronic “listing buyer” and other scourges of the industry… but it may also hurt your sellers if others know you chronically price in say a $5000 negotiation span (therefore, we won’t offer full price) and takes away from the salesmanship that is also employed by good realtors.

    Remember, such a system goes both ways. Just not here in Vancouver.

  29. JB Brookman says:

    This is fantastic information and I will implement some of it, immediately!

    Thank you!

  30. Brandon Weber says:

    Great strategy! I always look at the past transaction, but never thought to present to my client. Thanks for the great tip. I will use this TODAY!

  31. Brian and Rita Burke says:

    Great post – again.

    We have been following other agents trends but nowhere in this extent – great, more work on top of the work we are busting out now. Our MLS isn’t very easy to pull this info out either. Thanks. Love reading your stuff – even the lengthy ones.
    ~Rita

  32. Joshua Jarvis says:

    Exactly! I’ve been saying this stuff for years. It matters if the agent wants the deal or not. Agents can also tip their hand on the conversation. Tell you what their clients want… heck, why didn’t you price it that way, is the only question I have.

  33. Joan Whitebook, ABR, e-Pro, CEBA: says:

    I have been doing this type of thing for a long time — now it is out in the open (lol). It is very interesting!

  34. Marcus Peter says:

    I like the approach

  35. Mike Saunders says:

    Frank – an interesting approach, I like some of the points but not sure if I would use it. I prefer to sell myself on my merits rather than on the deficiencies of someone else. In a previous life, which regularly dealt with selecting products and equipment we used internally at a Fortune 50 company those that successfully got our business learned to do just that. While somewhat new to this business, I haven’t found that I have to change my approach. I prefer to just point out why I am better.

  36. Megan says:

    Clearly you know I’ve been using this for years, since you taught it to me. I researched the listing agent of the bank-owned property that I bought last summer. It highly influenced my offer, and fortunately we won the contract over 3 others. It was appraised for $50K higher than we paid (and before we cleaned it up). We love our house!

    This has also significantly helped both my sellers and buyers get the best “Value” as you say. I ratified 2 contracts last week for 2 buyers both who were willing to pay about $10k or so more for the properties.

    Also, I just closed on a listing last week that originally came in $35k less than our list price. I researched the agent and realized she’s a weekend warrior and doesn’t do much business. We stayed strong on our price, and after several more attempts, they agreed to the full list price.

    Megan Buckley, FranklyRealty.com

  37. Anonymous says:

    Frank, it’s not the typos that make you look dumb.

  38. FRANK LL0SA Va Broker- BLOG.FranklyRealty.com says:

    Just saw a listing agent use the phrase ” STEAL OF A DEAL” I looked up his past deals. He always uses that. And many dropped another 10%. What a steal!

  39. Anonymous says:

    should be “buyer in tow”, not toe.

    Cool blog. Wahoowah.

  40. Michael Eisenberg, Bellingham Realtor (Fairhaven Realty) says:

    Awesome post, you are the king of data mining, Thanks for the tips.

  41. Neal Bloom-Realtor ® Assoc.-CRS-Weston FL (RE/MAX Premier Associates) says:

    Frank,

    I’ve gone father than that…I try to dig deep into their thoughts when I feel they don’t seem to know whst they are doing. I’ll even look to see if their license is still active…there are some that have told me they did a deal with an agent who wasn’t even active and that’s pretty scary.

  42. Paul LeMay (Keller Williams ) says:

    Great post…knowledge is power, and from what I am learning, one needs to truly know their market data, its one thing to know inventory and local neighborhoods, but you need the raw data, (numbers) on all levels. Thanks for the education.

  43. Kathleen "Kate" Elim, LAKE ANNA, VA Real Estate (RE/MAX Lake & Country) says:

    Hi Frank…
    Much of what you mentioned I do or have done. Working in a small market enables us to know our fellow agents pretty well and we know the ones that buy listings, etc.

    As far as Newbies, it can make a big difference if they have a mentor (we have a great mentor program) so if an agent did not know that about a particular new agent they might not find the deal that easy for them. There is also the agent that has moved to a new area. Even if they are learning that market their previous experience is hopefully going to make them more savy than a brand new agent without someone working along side them.

    I think there are plenty of agents that are going to find this post helpful.

    Kate

  44. Olan Carder (Myers Park Mortgage) says:

    Fun to read and very informative! I am trying to figure out how I can translate this into the lending world!

    Olan Carder

  45. Kim Kelley (Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty) says:

    OHHHHH… CRAFTY… NOT SURE IT WOULD FLY IN MY NECK OF THE WOODS, SMALL TOWN AND I DRINK WITH THESE PEOPLE. LOL!!! No, really, actually this is a great technique.

  46. Bob & Carolin Benjamin - E Phoenix Arizona Real Estate (The Benjamin Team - Keller Williams Integrity First Realty ) says:

    Interesting post. P\One must do what one can to make deals go together.

  47. Leslie Stewart – Realtor ®, CRS, eCertified (Prudential Real Estate Professionals) says:

    Great post. Make tons of sense. I am in a small area and we tend to know the SOP for most of the areas brokers. But doing the work would solidify that info.

  48. Tracy Santrock - Cary NC Real Estate (Fonville Morisey) says:

    Great information and thanks for your “trade secrets”. Now, as Broker Bryant says, delete this post!

  49. Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Real Estate says:

    You’re smarter than the average bear.

    This is something I’ve been teaching for 10 years and doing since the early 1990s when the data was available.

    I still consult with most of my former agents and when they call me for advice, the first thing I ask is the production of the listing agent. Critical to know whom you’re dealing with. For some reason, they have never already looked it up.

    It pays to know your competition.

  50. Sellstate Access Realty Network says:

    Great article Frank. I use a similar system in my office called Broker Metrics. It gives us a complete bio, if you will, of the agents current book of business and complete history of performance, productivity market share…..and so on. It help us a great deal with recruiting as well.

    Regards,

    Joe

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