Expect the Unexpected! From Bangalore to Brentwood

Whether you are practicing real estate in Brentwood or Bangalore, a good rule of thumb is to always expect the unexpected and prepare, prepare, prepare!  Buying or selling a home is one of the most emotionally charged experiences in a persons life, and it is up to the agent to take a strong advisory role during the course of their client's real estate transaction and guide them through the process. 

I have often seen hazardous situations go unattended (photo: fire safety measures on a million square foot development site in India) because the real estate professional was more concerned with hurting their client's feelings rather than upholding their professional pledge to always act in their client's best interest.  

Granted it isn't easy to tell someone their property is worth less than what they thought, inform someone their dream home sold five hours before their offer was submitted, tell an elderly parent they can no longer handle the stairs in the home they raised their children in, but we all know that when things become sugar-coated, they are rarely better for us. Delaying the inevitable only hurts our clients in the long run. So do some push ups and get strong for your clients.  They need your professional experience and talents!

Prepare, role play, do whatever it takes to be able to respond in productive ways to those emotionally charged situations that always occur in residential real estate. Expect the Unexpected!

Bangkok or Beverly Hills Real Estate? Where to Start in a Foreign Market

Bangkok or Beverly Hills Real Estate? Where to start in a foreign market:

Those of us who are lucky enough to travel and experience new people, places and things often find ourselves wondering if investing in another country is a wise decision, and if so where.  We find ourselves thinking of numerous questions we want to ask someone, yet don't quite know who to ask or how to find them. 

Whether you are considering investing in an up and coming market (Bangkok) and/or a well established market (Beverly Hills), I have one tip that will get the ball rolling on your real estate research.  Start at the Four Seasons, Peninsula, Montage or any other International 5 star resort!

No need to book a room right away.  This tip is based on simple real estate basics, location, location, location and other factors such as transportation, zoning and income.  Start with mapping out the actual location of the hotel.  You'll rarely find a hotel of this caliber in an undesirable area.

Then head to the concierge, they are a wealth of knowledge! Ask them who they would recommend for a local realtor or real estate attorney, but do not under estimate the concierge local knowledge about pricing and desirabilty.  

Head out to the patio for lunch and ask your local waiter where he lives, where he would like to live, and what rental rates are like.  Most of the time you will find that your waiter is not shy, unless of course there is a language barrier.  If you encounter some difficulty at lunch, don't fret, there are plenty of other opportunities to learn about the local market.

After lunch, mosey into the lobby/lounge area for a coffee and strike up some conversation with some hotel guests.  Try to avoid the family that looks like they are there to visit the local version of Mickey Mouse and look for someone who appears to be on a business trip.  Don't be bashful, just stick out you hand and say "Hi. I'm (your name), pardon e for bothering you, but I'm doing some research on the local real estate and was wondering if you had any recommendations of good locations to visit.  I am looking for a good (residential, commercial, industrial, investment) property."

So where are you flying to next, Bangkok or Beverly Hills? If it is Beverly Hills, call me :)!