In real estate contracts, an escalation clausesometimes called an escalator clauseallows a buyer to increase how much theyre willing to pay if a seller receives a better offer. On the surface, this can seem like a good option when you have a client who is determined to have their offer chosen in a sellers market. Though legal, escalation [...]

There is no doubt that the real estate industry is quickly changing and evolving as evidenced by the D.A.N.G.E.R. report published  by the National Association of Realtors®. Some of us at Benchmark Realty predict that the real estate industry will see more changes in the next three years than it has seen in the last ten years. That's why at [...]

The new Realtor Code of Ethics is in full swingit became effective January 1and there are a few changes. While policy changes in the Code of Ethics are designed to raise the whole bar professionally, according to the National Association of Realtors president Chris Polychron. At Benchmark Realty, [...]

Weve all seen it before: a client whos so excited about buying his or her first home that theyre making classic mistakes.

As a Realtor, its your job to help them do the right thing. The good news? You can do that while building their loyalty and earning their respect and its probably easier than you [...]

As a Realtor, youre probably a people-person. Youre probably friendly, positive and pleasant to be around (at least after a cup or two of coffee, that is), so it might not cross your mind to take safety precautions when youre out and about but security experts say that real estate is a high-risk [...]

Have you ever heard the phrase, A few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch?

If youve ever had interactions with another agent who didnt follow the Code of Ethics, violated TREC rules, or just didnt keep up their end of a transaction, than you know exactly what we [...]