Robert OHaugherty, REALTOR, ABR

Marketing in the commercial real estate market is dull! Our office covers a wide range of real estate needs: residential, commercial, land, ranches, resort. Mainly because of our clientel and where we are located. But the commercial market is beginning to slow. I've been looking for more marketing ideas, like thinking outside of the box to market property that's for sale or available space to lease. We've come up with holding a version of residential open houses. During the week, holding open a lease space, putting out the open house signs and banners, having refreshments and finger foods, and brochures to expose the general public of the availability of the space. We open during the middle of the week, from 11:30am to 1:30pm to be available in the noon lunch hours for anyone who might be driving by on their lunch hour. I've had only one commercial open house and had 10 people show to look at a lease space. Most were realtors, one banker, and others. But the lease space stayed on the market for only a week later after the open house before it was leased. I don't know if the open house helped to lease it, but the exposure to the public and the 10 contacts may have been worth it. Any other ideas for marketing commercial property would be welcomed.

Once in a while, when doing your general real estate transaction, the regular ho-hum, non eventual, transaction you hit a glitch in the road. And then it takes every second of your 7 years of experience to get it to close if at all. It's when this happens that a remarkable person will sometimes appear and do the right thing, at the right time and not panic. A panic at closing has happened to me twice. The latest panic has occured in the last two days and over the lending and getting the funding done before the closing. Several agents, a FSBO, and two contracts closing one day apart fueled the panic with only one mortgage between both. And now enters the QSMA (quality supporting mortgage agent). She calms the three clients, had all the supporting paperwork to the title companies in plenty of time, and then she called with the southing words "Ready to fund at closing". It's like a warm blanket. My closing tomorrow will go unblemished and my client is happy that it's getting done on time and funded. I don't care what RESPA says. I'm taking her to lunch on me.

Realtors have a dual role in their industry as the way I see it. In tough and uneasy times, the good realtors continue doing their best, giving their best to help their community ride the storms of financial turmoil without monetary reward. And now is that time for realtors to come to the aid of both their clients and the place where they live by being a binding force and keeping a fiduciary responsibility forefront of their own needs. Be active in the community, be a voice in the politics at the grassroots level, join a committee which benefits the city or neighborhood, produce a neighborhood newsletter and stick to it, note and voice changes in the school system, meet and greet the political leaders, report changes in interest rates and join the local chamber. Realtors can have a dramatic influence as a binding force and as a prudent fiduciary confidante.

With the number of mortgage brokers, mortgage companies soliciting realtors, how does an agent determine which mortgage company to use, which ones have good service skills and, of course, which ones are just bad to deal with. I just recently had a mortgage company associate fail to return phone calls when I needed info on the loan and funding info on a contract prior to the financing addendum expiring. Am I being unrealistic about a prompt call to let me know the status of funding? Or, since I'm only a real estate licensed agent and not a licened mortgage broker, am I just impatient? I even sent e-mails on other correspondence about this contract and have not received any response. I close in less than two weeks, the mortgage says they are funded, but how can I tell if I really do have funding prior to closing?

When I got my Texas real estate license I guess I missed the small print at the bottom of the license which states: "...you must wear many hats...". Since I started I have mowed grass, cleaned windows, decorated, cleaned houses, sat with pets, and given advice on a multiple of subjects, and now I'm a financial analyst on Global banking. Now, don't get me wrong. I hold my own with my clients. But I wonder where the Phd financial advisory hotrods are? Where did they go? When one of my clients thinks of me, his realtor, to find out the financial condition of our country I start thinking these financial types must be out of clients and not making a living.

That's all right. I've picked up more customers and it just opens another line of marketing to sell real estate.