Mike Butson's Blog

Have you read any of the articles, blogs or thinly disguised ads that tout the emerging trend of “virtual agents?” Seems your office is no longer necessary, since we have Blackberry phones, laptops, and online file management. One can execute an entire contract with nary a sheet of paper, via el...

Now is not the time to lie in the lounge chairs. To the contrary, you must jump in that churning real estate pool and learn the new strokes. There is more opportunity today than I have seen in the past three to four years. “Oh, like what?” Jill (not her real name) asked recently.“Oh, lets see,” I...

Lest we forget, we have been here before. Whether you’re about to leap from a plane, speak to of a group or sleep for the first time without a night-light, the feeling is the same. A keen and twisted knot in your stomach, coupled with thoughts of disaster that race through every corner of your mi...

I’m not one to discount the mental wear and tear we endure in this business of sales, but really, how hard is it? I suppose if I were still that restaurateur who wakes predawn to slave over a hot stove, while hoisting huge sacks of produce to be chopped, and then drive home late, only to set the ...

I've come to accept that the world is a great big classroom, so long as you open the door. Last Saturday, I ventured to the local Supercuts® to receive my bi-monthly haircut. Nothing fancy, just my usual, "Trim the sides and take a little off the top." Simple, eh? Typically, the stylist on duty w...

How many coffee fueled bloggers have started to write, only to be caught off track by an incredible snow scene outside? The stress of falling house prices, frozen credit and the “who really cares anyway” issue of California’s statewide MLS simply fades away. All that matters right now is that oft...

My 10-year-old son drinks a lot of milk, just like a gazillion other kids of the world. Somewhere around his fifth birthday, we had the talk about where milk comes from. Not exactly the hem and haw level of the “other” inevitable talk, but we covered the udder thing pretty well. We drove to a dai...

It seems the lenders of the world have no choice but to chase their tails. Whether you prefer a domino theory or remain partial to that glass house with a rock-throwing contest, the parallel is clear. On the one hand, unprecedented waves of foreclosed properties have overwhelmed these investors. ...

I like sentimental as much as the next Joe, though two to three minutes is my "guy" default limit. With that borderline ADD figure in mind, I'll share a quick tale. About two years ago, I hired Linda Gorman to sell real estate for my brokerage. She had spent one year as an agent for a smaller fir...

Remember the scene in 'Titanic,' where Leonardo DiCaprio stands at the bow of the ship and shouts excitedly, "I'm the king of the world!" Though it ranks high on the cheesiest movie lines of all time (rivaled only by, "You had me at hello."), should you put it in perspective, that dialogue, spoke...