Cheering up the real estate crowd

September 30, 2008
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Imagine being asked to speak to a crowd hit by the biggest downturn in its industry in decades, and motivate them to get back out there and keep selling. Or try to sell.

Thatâ??s what Dan Lappin faces when he speaks tomorrow to the Hamilton County division of the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors.

Lappin, a Fishers sales trainer, says heâ??s never spoken to a group in such dire straights.

Housing sales continue sliding in the Indianapolis area, MIBOR figures show. Even in affluent Hamilton County, both the number of houses sold and the median sale price in August tumbled 8 percent from a year earlier.

What does he plan to say?

For one, his speech will be about hard-headed reality.

Convince buyers theyâ??re getting great value and sales will follow, he says. That means putting extra effort into finding out what individual buyers want.

â??Make it about your prospect. Put your own needs aside,â?? Lappin says.

What do you think? Will his strategy put points on the board?
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  • Realtors, builders, and any homeowner expecting to sell their home need to look closely at what buyers want in a home. Location, layout, quality, and amenities. People love the advanced systems my company installs but many builders are reluctant to install them in a spec home because they are pricy. Then they wonder why the house isn't selling! I expect to see a lot more renovation projects as people decide to update their existing homes rather than simply packing up and dumping an amenity-free home for a new home. Jobs in a region will also improve home demand and sales. Buy US!

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  1. If a television station wants to improve viewership, get rid of the local blackout. I was born by the brickyard, and have attended 15 or more races. I have children now, I won't attend unless circumstances are perfect. As those with growing families know, they never are. I'm always impressed that upwards of 250,000 people attend the 500. However, as a growing, or, more apt, sprawling city, Indianapolis and its immediate suburbs count almost 2.2 million. Show the race live, let the venue get a kick-back on revenues, and open-wheel racing might have a fighting chance to be relevant again. Just in time for those tax-payer lights to make sense.

  2. John Moore, I too have had the same issue recently. A property next to my house was on the Land Bank and I was interested in purchasing. When I tried to contact Reggie, I got back emails that had nothing to do with what I asked about. Actually my latest response from him was on this past Friday. I had asked about how to buy the property and if it was still available. His response to me was to contact the mayor's office to get the schedule of his appearances. (???) Hopefully the city is able to do something to fix what this guy has done, it would be nice if they would take the properties back and sell them properly so land owners like me and you mother would have a fair chance.

  3. I too work in the industry, with over 25 years of experience and your political spin has probably nothing to do with any rebranding. "Let's dress it up" would have nothing to do with the government "telling us how and what to eat." Give it a political rest. And being a producer for a radio show doesn't mean you've been involved in advertising and branding for 30 years.

  4. Ms. Morris did not understand the ways of the business world, otherwise, like the IMS, she could have petitioned the State Legislature for a handout of State Funds for her charity work. Ms. Morris should consider becoming a state lobbyist for Lemonade Stand Operators.

  5. David Copperfield!

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