Sean Purcell's (spurcell) Blog

I spent a good portion of yesterday pondering Jeff Brown's post on hyper-local farming.  (I know, I know; my ex-wife used to wonder how I was going to pay the bills too.)  In a post over on BloodhoundBlog, Jeff celebrates the vindication of an earlier thesis on hyper-local blogging - or in Jeff's...

How can watching a TV program make you a more successful real estate agent?  There is one reality show on right now that exemplifies referral marketing like no other.  I am talking about Survivor.  This year the producers of Survivor decided to create two teams: one comprised of fans of the show ...

I just finished reading another brilliant blog post by Brian Brady: the great and powerful Oz.  (He gave up his moniker as "America's Most Opinionated Mortgage Broker" a while back and now he is just "America's Mortgage Broker".  I think he needs a new nickname and "the great and powerful Oz is m...

"This is not your fault.  You were never properly trained (educated, informed).  I have the answer."  Does this sound a little formulaic?  Lately I am seeing a trend and the statement I just refrenced sums it up.I attend a lot of seminars in my role as coach, motivator and seminar host for real e...

There is currently a tremendous marketing opportunity to move buyers and sellers off the fence at the same time!  The recent rate drops by the Fed provide several possible outcomes.  I have discussed them before and Option 3 was more fully explored by Dan Green.  But they can be a great source fo...

There is a great scene toward the end of the movie Animal House.  The Deltas have decided to wreak havoc on the Faber College Homecoming parade.  The grandstand has been destroyed, floats are running amok, people are fleeing for their very lives and there is chaos in the streets.  One of the ROTC...

Last night 60 Minutes aired a piece on the mortgage crisis and how foreclosures have impacted communities like Stockton, CA.  I reviewed this show and I have commented on it more in depth here.  My question for the Active Rainers is this:  Are there some people that just do not deserve to own a h...

Last week I suggested to the Realtors I speak with each week that our theme be "A Great 2008", but we need to remember that more than just attitude is needed.  This is the time to talk about skills and confidence as well.  I often note that being a Realtor is similar to racing a triathlon: it is ...

There has been a lot of discussion in the press regarding the mortgage industry and foreclosures.  But in all of those discussions I have yet to see an accurate representation of what has happened (which is not much) and what is coming (which is another story entirely).  Our own local paper, The ...

At the beginning of the year, I predicted here that the newspapers would start printing stories that will actually help us.  Their headlines up to now have been less than kind to the real estate market, the real estate profession and especially the real estate mortgage profession.  One might sugg...