Santa Clarita Open houses favicon choice by Connor with honor
Skip to main contentSkip to main navigation menuAccessibility MenuEmail Me(661) 888-4983**(661)888-4983
**Facebook**Twitter**Instagram**YouTube
Santa Clarita Open houses favicon choice by Connor with honor
Connor with Honor - August 26, 2024** Tags: [real estate](/-/Blog/tag/real estate), [connor with honor](/-/Blog/tag/connor with honor), [santa clarita open houses](/-/Blog/tag/santa clarita open houses) ** 0 Comments | Add Comment
Down to the favicon. I have some of the most important items at my clients’ fingertips. My concept for a real estate website has been evolving since 1998, when I first got into the business. That was the time that AOL online and dialup services were 56.6k - remember that sound when the internet connected?
I remember when I first started, we had to fill out a sheet called a MLS entry sheet and deliver it or fax it to the Board of Realtors, where they would input it into the MLS system, which was not online, but contained in a book what was printed with a dot matrix printer.
Some offices would print an entirely new book, others would just subtract and add pages, lining out any sold listings due to the split on the page including the updated data.
The agents would scurry to get the new data for their farms, those neighborhoods where they touted to be the local expert, the agent who everyone who sold homes, used.
I wanted a website that had a full search function, including the market reports for the cities that I am most active in, but within all other areas that are serviced by a Local Board of Realtors, where the data is housed. I wanted that website to be unlocked so those visiting could search without having to register for anything. I wanted the site to be guaranteed mine, a singularity where I would not share, sell, trade, or pass along anyone’s personal and private information. I wanted it to be secure, SSL and encryption enhanced. I bought SantaClaritaOpenHouses.com and I have that running on my iHouse web platform. I wanted it to update asap when a new listing was added, taken off, sold, or with any other change in “status”. I also needed it to have a robust blog where I could write articles like this one so my clients could view what I’m talking about, and when someone asked, questions like “Connor, how do I know what I’m going to be paying if I sell my home at $750,000.00? (check this out here)
Looking back, the “neighborhood expert” thing seems like a monopoly of sorts. Today, the veil has been removed, and being the “local area expert” is valuable, but it tends to create unfair competition between other listings. If you, as an agent, have a home listed for sale and one of the neighbors calls to list theirs, how are you going to serve two masters on the same block, who are now competing with one another? When it’s an entirely other agent, then we can have a fair match - but when the agent is one in the same, I’d say that there is one of those sellers who may not get the best service and advice.
Some can do that well, I suppose there is always one exception to the rule.* I continue to think out loud and as a result, those who know me know my from the hip style and have no issues with it.*
Others, well - I’m sure I won’t be working for them anytime soon.
I did a post the other day due to the changes in the real estate commissions and concessions, seller offerings, and the online display of commission amounts being halted by the Board of Realtors.
The blog post was talking about value, above and beyond the typical. I’m a Top 1% realtor. Yes - if a realtor closes only a few deals, with all of the licenses out in the world, with many realtors but not as many active as you’d think, selling a few puts most agents in the Top 1% of Realtors Nationwide. Especially in the more expensive markets. Selling a single home for $1,000,000.00 causes and agent to be close to being in the top 1% of realtors.
Then, talking about those who people hire due to them getting the proverbial postcards and door hangers, even some spam emails and text messages come through, touting they are the number one neighborhood expert. They have been commissioned by your HOA, by your neighbors, by those who live on your street to be the agents who can sell your home the best due to the large amounts of closings and the relationships they have with the other local agents who have a multitude of buyers for your home. In fact, they, too, will say they have a buyer for your home.
Do they? What if you said, “Great, bring them over and let me meet them, I’ll let you handle the deal, I’ll pay you a flat fee and you can represent both of us? How does that sound?” After the agent picked up the phone, dropping it because of the shock of being called on their bluff, you’d would see they have no buyer, or not a buyer that is ready to go making the contact valid and the time initiated.
Some agents play these old games. Others have moved their “bait and switch” within the online channels. Some syndication websites have what homes are worth, with unclear algorithms running when I check values. Of course, I use them because my sellers are using them, and I need to be prepared for their version of “amplifying” the data to solicit some decision for a home seller or a home buyer. Decisions that equate to the home seller wanting to sell because they see an over-inflated price, or a home buyer seeing a “deal that is too good to pass up”. All are shown due to a “tweaking” of the real estate syndication websites’ program when someone wants to know their home’s value.
Oh - not to mention, once you enter an address - it’s game over regarding privacy. The online ads you are viewing are going to be about real estate. You may even get mailers, as my sellers have had when I “anonymously” ask what their home is worth. That data gets captured, and with a few “cross checks” on those “data mining” websites, they have your email, your address, your phone number, and more information than you could possibly imagine.
Then, if you dare, click on one of the “new” ads you see for the first time after your “what is your home worth” inquiry. You just drove the final nail into the coffin.
You have been identified and agents paying for your information will be using interruption marketing to reach out to you. Maybe with a buyer ready to go :)
I have had more great experiences, not being the local neighborhood expert, coming into an area and getting those sellers more for their homes because I’m working for them, not trying to build some reputation that is self-serving.
I don’t play golf, and I sure don’t with others in my business. I know that connections help real estate transactions. I have found that when I don’t owe anyone anything, my sellers and buyers get the biggest benefit. No favors, just the facts, Ma’am—to quote Joe Friday.
My Favicon. It’s simple, and it says it all. When I write and publish a post, which is on most days of the week, I do it based on the questions my clients have had in the past. I also give stories like this one about coming into an area where a single agent has been the “go-to” for many years, breaking form, and ending up making a record sale higher than any past sales. And this maybe to an agent who is not “a local expert” either, but has clients who have been trying to break in, but could not due to factors unknown.
Life is funny, isn’t it? I will tell you this: there are many reasons why you should hire the best for the job, and those reasons should start if you even like what the agent has to say. Online, on their blog (if they are relying 100% on social media, I think that is an issue due to less accountability. This is my blog - I write every article with my fingers. I may inquire about converting real estate stats that I generate within my Real Estate Multiple listing service system within ChatGPT, but that is to a minimum. I don’t want schewed data or any halliclucinations that sometimes come about with the LLM’s. (large language models - chatgpt, etc.)
As far as what a home is worth, I’ll run that interference for you. I’ll use my accounts so I get the data, but beyond that, you will be instructed to not click on any ads pertaining to your social media due to the search I ran, where your data in the “advertisers and marketing” circle will be researched.
I’m Connor with Honor. Let me know how I can serve your real estate needs and I’ll leave the light on for you. Connor with Honor, over and out!
** Share This Post## Comments
Already have an account? Yes NoLog In and Post CommentProtected by reCAPTCHA. Privacy • Terms
Explore
Connect
**Facebook**Twitter**Instagram**YouTube
🤝
Full Transparency
Yes, I earn referral fees when you work with agents I recommend. But unlike national platforms like Zillow or Realtor.com, I personally know and vet every single agent in my network of 17 trusted professionals.
My recommendations are based on YOUR specific needs and the complexity of your situation—not who pays the highest referral fee. I live in Santa Clarita Valley, and my reputation in this community depends on your success. Local accountability matters.
Ready to sell with a deliberate strategy?
Get seller-focused guidance built around your timeline, equity goals, and negotiation leverage.