The Sales Lab

Is the Housing Market Healthy? Housing Industry insider Jeff Tucker, Senior Economist at Zillow, joins The Sales Lab to discuss the home-buying landscape. With monthly mortgage payments up nearly 60% YoY and housing sentiment at its lowest since 2010, what is the impact on housing demand and prices? Jeff and Anthony also talk about the factors leading up to historic market upheavals and how they compare to today.

Amid a fast-changing housing market, Anthony talks with CoreLogic’s Selma Hepp about what she’s seeing in market data and what CoreLogic’s Market Risk Indicator really has to say about potential housing price declines. From her perspective as Executive of Research and Insights and Deputy Chief Economist at the Office of the Chief Economist at CoreLogic, Selma discusses a resilient housing market with strong demand, overvaluation in many metros (where housing prices outpace wage growth), and how inflation may affect buyers. Selma also covers her article Potential Risks of Price Declines in the Real Estate Market.

Everyone sees the market changing. With rising interest rates, home prices up 20% year over year, and declining buyer sentiment, it’s clear many buyers are mortgage-ready but are hesitant in a shifting market that doesn’t inspire confidence. We talk to Amy O’Connor, Senior Consultant at Shore Consulting, who offers her insight on what builders are experiencing in the new home sales process and the most important selling skills today.

Financing is often the scariest part of the home buying process, so it seems important the new home sales team should speak to it. But what should you discuss? Where in the sales process? And when should preferred lenders become involved? Brian Bullock, VP of Sales and Marketing for Homes by West Bay and Casa Fresca Homes in Tampa, Florida, has integrated financing into his sales process. He joins us today to answer these questions and explain how - even in a hot market - financing increases sales conversion.

Jobs where your make a living satisfying the needs of the general public are very challenging. Why? Everyone in the general public is unique! On this episode of The Sales Lab, Dave Mitchell, founder of The Leadership Difference and author of the best-selling book “The Power of Understanding People”, covers the importance of understanding your customer’s unique needs and how to respond to them. Dave covers four basic communication styles you may encounter, and explains how understanding people is the key to increased sales, enhanced organizational performance, and strong relationships.

The real estate market has grown considerably over the last 10 years. However with low inventory, supply chain issues, rising interest rates and prices, and declining buyer sentiment, what will this year hold? Tim Sullivan, Senior Managing Principal at Zonda Advisory, shares his thoughts with us on current market conditions, potential challenges, and where we are headed.

The housing industry has been in the online space for as long as that space existed. But in the last 18 months, there’s been a deluge of buyers who rely, sometimes exclusively, on online technologies to research and purchase homes. This has amplified the challenges some builders have faced in the past but also provides opportunities for growth and sales efficiency. Joining us to dig deep into the current sales climate is Jen Barkan of DoYouConvert.com. She’s an online sales coach and has managed online sales programs for builders across the county. Listen to our discussion and get actionable tips on selling homes online.

Chris Dorociak, Senior Vice President at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, has joined us to discuss the reactions to today's housing challenges, how they differ from market to market and what insights we can apply to our sales strategies. With supply chains remaining tight and our customers continuing to reflect a growing number of millennial buyers, what are the benefits, risks, and possibilities we can plan for in 2022?

The last 18 months have seen a white-hot housing market. Homes list and sell almost immediately, home price appreciation has skyrocketed and build times for new homes is now up to a year. But what is the health of our housing market and how long will this last? Jeff Tucker, Senior Economist at Zillow, joins Anthony Grasst to discuss today's market, the economic forces and trends at work today, and what the future holds.

After 18 months of “Pandemic-Based Empathy,” the honeymoon between builders and buyers is over. Before, buyers had the patience to deal with the inevitable roadblocks that came with home construction. Even negative feedback and testimonials included phrases like, “But we understand…” or “We look forward to having this repaired as soon as things normalize.” However, buyers are now frustrated with broken timelines, lagging responses to their post move-in service requests and other issues. In this episode of The Sales Lab Podcast, Anthony Grasst is joined by the CEO and owner of Eliant, Bob Mirman, and together they’ll discuss how builders can better understand this phenomenon and adapt to raise homebuyer satisfaction despite the real challenges they face.