Mike Browning

Author: MB

  • But Some of My Best Friends Are Appraisers…

    But Some of My Best Friends Are Appraisers…

    You can’t choose the appraiser, but you can choose who’s at your side. Choose wisely.

    Whenever a bank loan’s involved, you can bet an appraiser is too.

    The bank hires them to make sure they’re not loaning a million bucks against something worth $300K. They’re not there to predict whether the buyer will default, just to confirm the collateral makes sense.

    When it comes to houses, they usually get it right. Plenty of comps, plenty of data. Every house is technically different, but they can pull enough nearby sales to pin down value pretty well.

    Land is a whole different ballgame.

    Finding relevant comps is harder, and the results can get screwy fast. I once had two residential lot deals going at the same time, same area, same price point, roughly $120K each. Two different appraisers. One came back right at $120K. The other came in at $75K.

    One was close. The other wasn’t.

    That buyer kicked in extra cash and closed anyway, but that’s rare. A low appraisal usually blows up the deal for everyone. The appraiser still gets paid the same either way.

    Another listing went under contract at full price. Buyer was paying cash but got an appraisal anyway, just to make the partners feel better.

    You probably know where this is going.

    The appraiser used awful comps. One seven miles away in a rural area, one outdated, and one sitting mostly in floodplain without adjusting for it. The only relevant comp, he adjusted down for no reason anyone could explain. If anything, that comp made us look underpriced.

    His report told my buyers they were overpaying by $500K.

    They walked.

    A few months later, the highway route was announced. That property’s now a future corner. We doubled the price, and we’ll get it.

    That appraiser’s “discount” cost those buyers seven figures in future value.

    To be fair, most appraisers just don’t have enough experience with land. They’re used to houses. Land’s a different animal.

    But you know what wrecks just as many deals? Agents out of their depth.

    Most agents focus on houses. Nothing wrong with that, unless they list land without knowing what they’re doing. Overprice it and the property sits forever. Underprice it and you leave money on the table. Miss a key issue and you get expensive surprises later.

    We all have the same real estate license. That doesn’t make every agent qualified for every deal.

    If you were leasing retail space, would you hire your cousin Karen who’s never read a lease? Even if she asks. And she’ll understand why you don’t.

    So why list land with someone who doesn’t specialize in it? She will understand why you don’t there also.

    Does it make sense to hire people who aren’t experts in a specialized field?

    Does it make sense to fly blind when there’s someone offering a free analysis of your property?

    Even if you aren’t considering selling today, does it hurt to know what you might be sitting on?

    Ready for me to shut up?

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  • Tomorrow’s Probably Coming—Plan Accordingly.

    Tomorrow’s Probably Coming—Plan Accordingly.

    Sometimes Salespeople Send Slogans Saying Silly Stuff

    I got an email the other day where the sender had a slogan in their signature line:

    Live each day like it’s your last.

    Maybe an ok sentiment for a Hallmark card. Pretty lousy motto for a business email.

    Because if today were actually my last?

    I wouldn’t be working. I wouldn’t be sending emails. You wouldn’t see a blog post, unless it had been scheduled beforehand.

    I’d be with my family, maybe some close friends. That’s it.

    I get the idea—you’re trying to say, “Don’t waste your time,” or “Make the most of today.” And that’s fine. But the way it’s worded sends the wrong signal.

    If I’m considering doing business with someone:

    • Don’t waste time? Great.
    • Seize the day? Fine.
    • Be where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to be doing? Now we’re talking.

    But “act like tomorrow’s not coming so I can blow off anything I don’t feel like doing”? Nope.

    Most of the time, tomorrow is coming. And another one after that. We aren’t promised anything, but that doesn’t mean ignore the future.

    If your business is about helping people, you don’t always get to do what you want. You have to put others first, at least some of the time.

    I like to have fun as much as anyone. My family is a priority, and one of the perks of working for myself is being able to show up to my kids’ games or take care of what they need. But that’s not the same thing as “living like there’s no tomorrow.”

    It takes planning and discipline. If I’m out all morning doing something for me, I might need to stay late to make sure the important stuff gets done. I’m not glued to my phone, but I’ll return your call.

    That’s the balance. Not “live like it’s your last day.” More like: live today so you don’t regret it tomorrow.

    Land sales work the same way. They usually move slow… until suddenly they don’t. That can bug me sometimes (I’d rather get it done sooner), but for most people buying or selling land isn’t their most urgent problem. And that’s fine—it gives room for deliberate decisions.

    The key is having someone who doesn’t pressure you but still responds, follows through, and keeps things moving.

    That’s me.

    Is it the wrong time to get the latest market analysis on your property?

    You know what to do.

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  • Begging Strangers Is a Terrible Strategy

    Begging Strangers Is a Terrible Strategy

    “Thoughts and prayers” won’t pay your bills, proper preparation will.

    I’ve ranted before about people who think they can predict the future—and insist on telling you even though nobody asked. If they really knew, they wouldn’t be here lecturing you.

    They’d be too rich to waste time on you.

    But here’s one prediction you can take to the bank:

    If someone starts with “you know I’m not racist…,” you can bet your last dollar the next word will be “but,” and whatever follows will be racist.

    And when someone says “I’m not trying to be political…”? Same story.

    It’s either about to get political, or they’re pointing out something so obvious it shouldn’t be controversial—although there’s always that chunk of society that will argue with a stop sign.

    So. I’m not being political here.

    A while back, somebody told me their friend got sick—cancer, I think. No insurance. Didn’t know what they were going to do, except maybe start a GoFundMe.

    Apparently my response wasn’t the “right” one.
    Instead of a sympathetic head tilt, I said, “Maybe they should have had insurance.”

    You’d think I’d just kicked a puppy.

    Here’s the thing: insurance isn’t a mythical gift your employer hands you if they’re feeling generous.

    It’s for sale. You can go buy it.

    I do. And it’s not cheap—I pay more for my family’s insurance than I do for our house every month. It sucks. But that beats begging strangers on the internet for treatment money.

    But if you don’t make much money? What do you do then?

    I literally just helped someone price full coverage. For them the total cost—premiums plus max out-of-pocket—worked out to about seven bucks a day. That’s a fancy coffee.

    Don’t mistake this for an endorsement of Obamacare. I wish it were gone yesterday.

    But you play the hand you’re dealt, not the one you wish you had.

    It’s called being prepared.

    If you can protect yourself for $7/day—or even my number—it’s a no-brainer.

    What’s this got to do with real estate?

    Nothing… except that being unprepared there will cost you, too.

    If you own land or lots and there’s even a chance you’ll sell soon, is there any downside to having the most current info?

    Especially considering I’m not going to charge you a penny to talk.

    You know what to do below. But if you’re not subscribed yet, fix that first—before your GoFundMe for “real estate mistakes” goes live.

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  • Faith Isn’t Magic. It’s Harder Than That. And More Than That.

    Faith Isn’t Magic. It’s Harder Than That. And More Than That.

    What works between you and God works everywhere else too.

    When you hear “faith,” what comes to mind?

    If it’s some hazy, mystical just believe and the universe will deliver thing… congratulations, you’ve been sold the “name it and claim it” version.

    That’s not faith. That’s a bad infomercial.

    It’s not insert prayer, get dream house. And don’t get me started on the guys who tell you that if you only send them money, God will pay you back.

    Biblical faith is a lot more grounded—and a lot harder.

    It’s trusting what God says is true even when all the visible evidence screams otherwise.

    Case in point: the gospel says if you’ve trusted in Jesus, you’re perfect in God’s sight.

    Not “getting better.” Not “almost there.” Perfect. Right now.

    But look around your life and tell me how perfect you feel.

    • You still want to do stuff you know is wrong.
    • You still do it—maybe less than you used to, but still.
    • You skip doing what you know you should.
    • You screw up without even realizing it—by forgetting to trust, by thinking you know better, by not even knowing what you don’t know.

    From where you’re standing, “perfect” is the last word you’d use.

    Faith says, “Yeah, but I believe what God says over what I see.”

    In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill talks about faith too—but it’s a different animal. He’s talking about believing you’re going to achieve your goal before you’ve got a shred of proof.

    You carry yourself like it’s already a done deal.

    But when you see evidence your way isn’t working, you don’t just stand there and wait for it to fix itself. You change something. You adjust. You improve.

    That’s the split right there. With God, you’re not the one making the thing happen—He already did it. You’re not improving His system. You’re just trusting it.

    With your own goals? You are building the thing. So you trust the end result will happen, but you also fix what’s broken as you find it.

    Jeff Olson in The Slight Edge doesn’t call it faith, but it’s basically the same principle: small actions, repeated over time, lead to huge results.

    The problem is, most people quit because they can’t see it working yet.

    Faith, in Olson’s world, is knowing those boring little actions are paying off—even when the scoreboard says zero. So you keep doing them.

    Biblical faith says: trust what God says, even when the evidence doesn’t back it up. Hill’s faith says: trust your goal enough to take every step like it’s already yours. Olson’s edge says: trust the process long enough for it to work.

    The difference is who’s doing the heavy lifting. With God, He’s the Creator. You rest. In your life when you’re the creator, you adapt.

    Either way, the key is the same: live and act today like the unseen thing is already real—because in the ways that matter most, it already is.

    I’m not even going to try to tie this one to real estate—you either see it or you don’t. But I’ll still ask you to subscribe…

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  • Relax — I’m Not Talking About You. Probably.

    Relax — I’m Not Talking About You. Probably.

    Unless you’re ready to sell your land — then I’m definitely talking to you.

    I talk about all kinds of things here, then twist myself into a pretzel trying to tie it back to real estate brokerage. With varying degrees of grace.

    I always make it back to real estate — just not always smoothly or convincingly.

    Most days I’m writing about whatever catches my eye. Lots of times there are other people in the picture.

    The principles are pretty universal, and the stuff I write about happens to most of us. So you might wonder:

    Is he talking about me?

    Almost certainly not.

    Although… a while back, a new subscriber popped up who I had definitely been thinking of when I wrote one or more of these.

    And no, it wasn’t the Coexist Lady (as far as I know).

    I’m not trying to single anyone out, so I keep things vague.

    At least most of the time.

    So if you think I’m talking about you, I’m not. Unless I am. But usually not.

    If you own lots or land, I’m probably not talking about you — but I am talking to you.

    Unless you’re these people.

    When you’re ready to sell, you want someone who’ll shoot you straight (me) without shooting you in the foot (also me).

    I won’t try to hurt your feelings, but if you’re allergic to honesty, this might not be the partnership you’re looking for. No hard feelings.

    If you’re fine with it — you know what to do below.

    P.S. If you haven’t subscribed yet, hit the button. It helps me, and you might even enjoy it.

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  • Reading Between the Bumper Stickers

    Reading Between the Bumper Stickers

    You’re signaling all right — just not what you think.

    So I was driving up Preston Road this week, looked at the back of the car in front of me, and there it was.

    The Coexist bumper sticker.

    Always displayed by someone trying to signal that they’re tolerant, smart, and above the fray — while convincing nobody but themselves.

    Tolerant? Anyone who’s dealt with these folks knows they’re rarely as tolerant as they claim.

    Smart? We all agree it would be nice if everyone got along. But to act like centuries of conflicting worldviews can be squared with a one-word bumper sticker? “Smart” isn’t the right word.

    Above the fray? Only until you say something — probably by accident — that contradicts one of their beliefs.

    In truth, the sticker’s a red flag. Stay clear.

    One thing they don’t coexist with is critical thinking.

    There are plenty of other examples of people thinking they’re sending one signal while the rest of us read something very different:

    • The 50-year-old who brings up their college in every conversation — wants to sound educated, but really shows they haven’t done anything impressive in 25 years.
    • The guy with the aftermarket exhaust — thinks it’s swagger, but it reads like overcompensation.
    • The middle-aged woman getting tattoo sleeves — aiming for youthful and edgy, but looks like chasing something that should’ve been outgrown decades ago.

    It happens in real estate too. The classic is overtalking — trying to impress a potential client with a flood of knowledge. It might fly in the housing market, where most buyers and sellers know little beyond their own home and some market generalities.

    But in land? Owners tend to know a lot more. It doesn’t take long to spot when someone is saying things that sound good but are flat-out wrong. And that makes all of us look bad.

    I try to avoid signaling as much as possible. I want to be seen as smart, but I’d rather be trusted than flashy. If I say something, it’s because I’m as sure as I can be that it’s right.

    Give me the less flashy guy I can trust over whatever else is out there.

    And as long as we are talking about signaling, how about this:

    I voted for Trump.

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  • If It’s Time, Don’t Waste Time

    If It’s Time, Don’t Waste Time

    If you’re ready and the market’s open, take the shot.

    Yesterday I was talking about how landowners are rarely under pressure to sell.

    In the home market, it’s different. A job transfer, a growing family, downsizing after the kids move out—life timing usually matters more than market timing.

    Land? Almost the opposite.

    If your place has an ag exemption, your carrying costs are basically zero. You don’t live there, you can own it from across the country, and even if you do move halfway across the map, you usually don’t need to sell.

    You might want to sell when the market’s good, but you can wait when it’s not.

    Here’s the catch:

    The land market is the housing market’s moody cousin.

    With houses, there’s always some activity. People always need to move, one way or another. Demand might go up or down, but it doesn’t just vanish.

    Land is different. Most buyers don’t need it—they want it.

    They’d like to build their dream place in the country or have a weekend spot to hunt or fish. If interest rates or construction costs get too high, they’ll just wait.

    That means land demand can disappear almost overnight.

    So if you’re thinking about selling and can get a price that satisfies you, the smart move is usually to do it.

    Decide slow, act fast.

    Like I always say—there’s never pressure from me. I’m not here to tell you to sell. But once you’ve decided you might want to, it often makes sense to move forward before the market changes.

    Because it will.

    In the meantime… is it ever a bad idea to keep tabs on the market with a trusted advisor?

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  • Everybody Wants to Buy a New Car, But Nobody Wants to Buy One

    Everybody Wants to Buy a New Car, But Nobody Wants to Buy One

    Sometimes people say things that don’t really make sense, but also make perfect sense. (Hey, there’s another one.)

    Years ago, ex-Hardline host Mike Rhyner said it on The Ticket. I think it might have been part of a spot for a car dealer, but I don’t remember for sure.

    What the Old Gray Wolf was getting at is this: everyone likes having a new car (or a used one that’s new to them), but nobody likes going through the process. From the moment you walk onto the lot and a salesman makes a beeline for you… to the haggling… to the warranty pitch you don’t need — it’s just a beating.

    Most people hate it. Me? I’ve learned to kind of enjoy it.

    But I negotiate for a living, so going through an adversarial situation like that is more like practice.

    For most people, though, it’s not that way. From the time you arrive, you feel like you’re being pushed along in a process.

    News flash: people don’t like that.

    Even when you’re doing something you want to do (like buying a car), the moment you feel like you’re being pushed, you instinctively want to push back.

    There’s a book called Power vs. Force by David Hawkins. A good chunk of it leans a little “woo woo” for my taste, but the core point is dead on:

    • Force pushes. Power pulls.
    • Force burns energy. Power builds it.
    • Force meets resistance. Power creates cooperation.

    Car sales tend toward the “force” side. And it makes sense — the dealer knows there are countless other cars out there, and if you leave without buying, the odds you come back are slim. So they push.

    Residential real estate can work the same way. Lots of supply (even in tight markets), and buyers and sellers are often under time pressure. Using force can move things along, but nobody likes it — and it’s a big reason the stereotypical agent gets a bad name.

    But land and lots?

    That’s a different world.

    There’s rarely real pressure to sell. If you don’t get the offer you want, you can just wait. Which means there’s no reason to force anything.

    If I try, you’re just going to push back.

    So I don’t.

    I lean into the power side — using cooperation to create a good experience, even if a sale doesn’t happen. It’s better for you, and it works for me.

    You end up feeling like you were dealt with the way you’d want to be, and you’re never left wondering whether I was working for you or just working you.

    No pressure. In this part of the market, it’s not just a better way — it’s the only way.

    I’d never push you to do anything… but is it a bad time to look at the current market for your property?

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  • Good Thing You Called, It’s Almost Under Contract!

    Good Thing You Called, It’s Almost Under Contract!

    Just like when your kid is gonna clean their room tomorrow…

    A lot of times when I call on a property for a buyer, the listing agent will either flat-out claim they have several offers on the table… or drop hints that an offer is “coming any minute.”

    It makes sense. Having more than one offer is about the strongest position a seller can be in—unless, of course, they’ve also hired a super-agent. And I know where you can find one of those.

    Sometimes it’s true. Was more common a couple years ago. But often, that “other offer” is a lowball number they’d never accept. Technically, there’s an offer… but it’s not real competition. Other times, they just lie.

    So what do you do as a buyer?

    As always, it depends.

    If it’s up to me, I’ll often say something like:

    “We could be interested—let me know if that other offer doesn’t work out.”

    If they’re bluffing, they’ll usually call back within a day or so to tell you the “other offer” is gone. That’s your cue that you’re the only one looking.

    This is especially important if you’re buying as an investment—because you make your money when you buy, not when you sell.

    If my client wants to make an offer anyway, I suggest we make the same offer we would have made without the supposed competition. If there’s no other offer, we should be fine. If there is, we’re not going to get into a bidding war anyway. Then we move on.

    There are exceptions, of course.

    If you’re looking at a lot or homesite that you—or your spouse—really like, don’t miss it over something trivial. Make a strong offer.

    You still want to pay as little as possible. But if you’re about to spend $500,000 building a custom home, an extra $5,000 on the lot is less than 1% of the total project. If you love the lot, make sure you take your best shot. Otherwise, you might regret it later.

    Most important, use a broker you trust—one who knows how to negotiate, not just someone trying to sell you something so they can close the file.

    I know where you can find that.

    When you’re ready, click below.

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  • Forget the Pain, Keep the Edge

    Forget the Pain, Keep the Edge

    Nobody wins every time, but the smart ones keep going

    A cornerback in football lives on an island — one mistake, and it’s a long touchdown.

    Everyone in the stadium knows exactly who to blame.

    If he dwells on it, he’s finished. The next snap is coming, and the same receiver might be running right at him again.

    It’s called cornerback memory — the ability to forget the sting instantly but keep the lesson. Then line up ready to win the next battle. Without it, he won’t last long.

    It’s a form of outcome independence.

    Control the process, not the results.

    In Texas Hold’em, pocket aces are the strongest starting hand you can get. But even against the worst possible hand — 7–2 offsuit — you’ll still lose about 12% of the time.

    So if you shove all-in with AA in a tournament and get cracked, did you make a mistake?

    No. You made the right play. You just got a bad result.

    Selling real estate works the same way.

    When we market your property, we’ll control what we can:

    • Find and fix any “hair” on the deal we reasonably can.
    • Be up front about anything we can’t fix, so buyers don’t waste time on impossible scenarios.
    • Vet buyers so we avoid the ones with a history of being flaky or dishonest.

    Will that make closing a certainty? No. Even with our best efforts, deals sometimes fall apart.

    If that happens, we use our cornerback memory. We keep the lessons, drop the baggage, and move on to the next opportunity.

    It’s harder to act outcome-independent when you’ve got one property to sell instead of a string of plays or poker hands — because it’s a one-off.

    A good hack is to think of it as one in a series of important moments in your life. Do the work. Make the best decisions you can. Every time.

    Will you win every time? No.

    But bumping your success rate even a little can make a huge difference in your overall results.

    I don’t promise results.

    But when you want the smoothest process possible — with trust and integrity — click below.

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