"You are too honest for your own good!"

A few days ago, an attorney friend of mine and I had lunch.  We're both getting up there in age and for the first time we are both dieting. (Okay, we're just watching what we eat. Our metabolisms aren't what they used to be.)

Anyway, my friend, asked me about moving his office.  I asked about his remaining lease time, etc. He told me and I gave him some suggestions on what he could do.

Fast forward to the end of the lunch.  He then tells me. "David, you are too honest for your own good!"

I playfully asked if he was trying to insult me?  I told him it didn't work.

He replied he wasn't.  He continued to say he wished more real estate brokers where as plain spoken and truthful as I have always been with him.

And, that is when he said, "...that is why you lose deals to other brokers."

I wasn't shocked by this at all, because I know first hand that other brokers have slick tongues and are able to convince property owners and buyers that they desperately need them when dealing with a commercial real estate transaction.

Now, I do know the "closes" according to Tom Hopkin's Book, "How to Master the Art of the Sale."

But, most of the time, I don't use them because I feel as if it makes me "look and sound" desperate.  You do understand what I am saying, right?

So, instead of focusing on "the close," I try to be helpful and show them that my being honest with them, answering their objections directly, allows them to be relaxed and confident with me.

So far, it has worked.

Do I lose the occasional client?  Of course!  But, in some of those cases, I think they were being dishonest and they were trying to be a bigger shot than they truly were.  I'm sure, most of you have run into clients like that, right?

So, if you are looking for a Las Vegas Property?  Why not give me a call or email to see what I can do to help you.  Would that be okay?

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

Just in case you didn't know: When Acquiring a Las Vegas Resort Hotel Casino, The Buyer Pays the Real Estate Fee!

Recently, and by that I mean just yesterday, a Buyer gave me a hard time about the real estate fee that I want to charge to help him acquire a Las Vegas Resort Hotel Casino Property.

At the last minute, he doesn't want to pay and said that it is customary for the Seller to pay.

Okay, true!

In normal real estate, the Seller would, as part of the listing agreement, pay the Listing Broker a fee to market the property; and, the Listing Broker in turn would normally split that fee with a Procuring Broker.

I am good with that, because, that is what normally happens in Las Vegas, too!

However, it has been a long standing understanding, that when it comes to a Resort Hotel Casino Property sale, the Seller will NOT pay any real estate commission fees.  This, the Buyer must be willing to pay, (and I will get that agreement up front before disclosing any available properties that are for sale).

End of discussion.

And, I know there are companies (people) who think that they are better off going around a Broker. (There are several Sellers right here in Las Vegas who feel they know real estate better than a Broker.)  And I will live with that, too!

So, if you want to acquire a NON-GAMING property, I can find a property where the Seller pays my fee.

If you want to acquire a Las Vegas Resort Property, the BUYER has to pay my fee.

And, I only ask for 1%!  When Clark County bought the Riviera, they paid Morgan Stanley 3.5%

So, who rips Buyers off more?  You decide.

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

"It ain't over, til it's over," Yogi Berra RIP

As a youth growing up in the 60's and 70's, I was a huge baseball fan.

Then, the owners and players got greedy and each didn't want to give.  It made me sad that MLB finally decided that a strike was the only recourse.  (I don't like strikes.  It slows down progress.)

Anyway, as a Red Sox fan, I hated the Yankees because they seemed to always have the Red Sox's number.  And, they were never going to be denied.

However, one Yankee was always my favorite Yankee: Yogi Berra.  I don't know why.  Maybe it was because as a kid who only got to look from the outside looking in, that Yogi loved baseball.  He was going to play, rain or shine.

I decided to look up some of Yogi's quips.  I knew he had a lot, but I didn't know they all made a lot of sense...

Enjoy.

"Baseball is 90 percent mental. The other half is physical."
"All pitchers are liars or crybabies."
"He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious."
"You can't think and hit at the same time."
"So, I'm ugly. I never saw anyone hit with his face."
"It's déjà vu all over again."
"Even Napoleon had his Watergate."
"You can observe a lot just by watching."
"I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did."
"Why buy good luggage? You only use it when you travel."
"The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase."
"Cut my pie into four pieces. I don't think I could eat eight."
"Never answer an anonymous letter."
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
"If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else."
"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
"If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."
"The future ain't what it used to be."
"A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore."
"I never said most of the things I said."
"It ain't over 'til it's over."
"Always go to other people's funerals. Otherwise, they won't come to yours."

RIP, Yogi.

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes