‘For Real’ Estate

31 July 2012

Today I have decided to sell a piece of real estate. Why? Because, I never have before and I like learning new things.  Oh, and I get to keep the commission.

After having bought four properties and renting them out for my brother over the past fourteen years (while he built up his local portfolio from his international perch in Japan), the hammer has swung to selling them off. 

Where do you start? Procrastinate for a few days then cruise by the property and take a photo from *your car in the rain. Decide to write a blog to “stay true to myself” through the process and for motivation.

Then you get a whiteboard.  All good projects have them.  Print out the postage stamp photo you took on your iphone and tape it to the middle of the board in readiness for some wild brainstorming and note-taking to take place around it.

Next, you email the insurance broker and confess to having lost the policy documents and demand they attach them to a return email as well as advise on any new rules I should know about. (Copy in my brother, so he knows I’m serious – and intelligent).

Also email your friend in the industry and ask for inside information; recommended/cheap valuers and solicitors. Preferably not corrupt.

Enough work for one day.

*Calculate potential commission on your iphone to excite yourself.