December 29, 2021
Throughout the year, we provide tips on how to get your NJ real estate license, how to pick the real estate school, and how to succeed in your new real estate career. On this last blog of 2021, let’s have some fun and give you some fascinating fun facts that you can use to totally bore your friends and industry colleagues!
- According to Zillow, home prices in the US have increased by 7.2% since 2018.
- Almost 44 million homes in the US are rented, compared to 75 million owner-occupied homes. (National Multifamily Housing Council)
- 4% of rental housing units are owned by individual investors. (US Census Bureau)
- 90% of the world’s millionaires became rich thanks to real estate. (The College Investor)
- 9,821,000 single-family homes were sold in the US in 2020, which could mean that 2021 will see a 10-million-sold single family homes record—although an inventory shortage could affect that final number.
- Amazon named a building after its first customer, who spent $27.95 to buy one book. The purchase was made in 1995, and the book was about artificial intelligence. (Seth Williams in Inman News)
- Over 30% of millennials view a garage as unnecessary. (Born2Invest)
- About 36% of sellers try to sell their home themselves at some point. They find this to be more challenging than they expected, and so they will eventually hire an agent.
- Gen X, those who were born between 1965 and 1979, is the largest proportion of homebuyers in America (24%). They are also the biggest generation of home sellers. Older millennials (1980 to 1989) make up the second-largest group of homebuyers, at 23%. (fitsmallbusiness.com)
- With low inventory and sky-high prices, San Francisco is the nation’s most expensive rental market, according to Zumpter.
- Homeowners in Scotland paint their front door red when they pay off their mortgage.
- Millennials are expected to form more than 20 million new households by 2025. (RealtyBiz)
- According to NAR, for 78% of home buyers, neighborhood quality is more important than home size. 57% would rather have a shorter commute than a larger lawn.
- Roughly 12 million US residential lessees spend at least 50% of their income on rent. (PWC)
- Investing in smart home technology is worth it! According to a survey by Venturebeat, 63% of individuals want smart home security and climate controls, while 58% would appreciate smart lighting options.
- In 2004, construction began on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Towering 2,722 feet above the streets below, the Burj Khalifa holds a combination of business offices, private residences, and hotel accommodations. That said, lucky and quick visitors can take advantage of more than just the beautiful views from the two observation decks. This is a rare place where you can see the sunset twice! Once from the ground, and after a quick trip to the top, watch it slip over the horizon one more time! (baymgmtgroup.com)
- In 1997, Pepsi and Fox TV held a contest to win a life-size replica of the Simpsons house or $75,000. The contest winner chose the cash. The house was then renovated to look like a normal home and re-sold. (Seth Williams in Inman News)
- The average American homeowner will move 12 times. There’s your motivation to become a successful real estate agent! (US Census Bureau)
- Warren Buffett, the 4th-richest man on earth, still lives in the modest 5-bedroom 2½-bath home in Omaha that he bought for $31,500 in 1958. (You would have thought somebody from Berkshire Hathaway Realty would have made a persuasive listing presentation to him by now!)
- Homes in the US that had black or charcoal grey front doors sold for an average of $6,271 more than other homes. Those having yellow front doors sold for $3,000 less than expected, according to Zillow.
- Between 2018 and 2019, median house prices rose only $13,000, but between 2019 and 2020 they rose $25,000, and then between May 2020 and May 2021 they rose $66,000. (fitsmallbusiness.com)
- When he designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Gustav Eiffel built a 1,000-square-foot apartment for himself on the top floor. It remains there today.
And now for some real estate humor, provided courtesy of Emile L’Eplattenier at https://theclose.com/real-estate-jokes/. If you wouldn’t dare use these, use them on your kids:
- The last buyer I worked with wasn’t that bright. When I handed him an exclusive buyer agreement that said “sign here” at the bottom, instead of signing his name he just wrote “Capricorn.”
- A listing agent I know promises a free abacus with every closed deal, but I wouldn’t count on it.
- CRM salesperson: “This CRM will cut your workload in half.” Real estate agent: “That’s great, I’ll take two!”
- After reading books by Tom Ferry and Brain Buffini, and going to seven coaching seminars this year, I think I’ve finally discovered the secret to making serious money in the real estate industry—I’m going to become a real estate coach!
- What room in your house are zombies most afraid of? The living room.
- “Dear Lord, all I ask is that you prove to me that money won’t make me happier by tripling my GCI this year.”
- What’s a realtor’s favorite Christmas song? For Lease Navidad.
- Cringeworthy pickup line for real estate agents:
- “Hey, girl, are you a mortgage? Because you’ve got my interest!”
- “Hey girl, you probably don’t know it, but you have a lien on my heart.”
- “Around the office, the other realtors call me coffee cause I grind so fine.”
- “Do you have a map of the listings we’re going to see today? Because I keep getting lost in your eyes.”
- What does a house wear? Address.
- Ninety percent of the people in this city hate carpeting. The other 10% hate YOUR carpeting.
- “I need a raise in my commission,” the realtor said to her Managing Broker. “There are four other companies after me.” “Oh really?” asked the manager. “What other companies are after you?” “VISA, Verizon, the electric company and the gas company.”
- Why did the mortgage broker always eat lunch by himself? He was a loaner.
- California agent always sent a bouquet of flowers with a nice personal card as a housewarming gift for his buyers. One day there was a mix-up at the florist, and his buyers ended up with a card that said: “Rest in peace.” Furious, he called the florist to tell her how angry she was about the mix-up. Her reply? “Look, I’m sorry for the mix-up, but just think, there is a family somewhere at a funeral who got a bouquet of flowers with a card that said “Congratulations on your new home!”
And if you were able to survive those, all that remains is for all of us in the Garden State Real Estate family to wish to an AWESOME 2022 in real estate!
Want to get your real estate license?
Garden State Real Estate Academy offers live pre-licensing, broker licensing and Continuing Education classes for aspiring and existing New Jersey real estate agents. We also provide the “Supplemental Course” for out-of-state licensees wishing to earn their NJ license and our popular “Across the River” class to prepare NJ agents to pass the Pennsylvania real estate licensing exam. These are all delivered by live instructors via Zoom.
We also offer online self-study real estate licensing classes in 21 states through our partnership with The CE Shop. New Jersey does NOT allow self-study pre-licensing classes.
For information on the real estate school’s upcoming New Jersey licensing classes, click here: https://gsreacademy.com/pre-licensing-courses/
For real estate licensing classes in all other states, click here: https://gsreacademy.theceshop.com/pre-licensing
David C. Forward is a licensed real estate broker and instructor and was first licensed as a Realtor® 33 years ago. During his career, David and his business partner sold more than 500 homes in South Jersey. He is now School Director of Garden Real Estate Academy, has won numerous awards for real estate sales, is a much-requested public speaker who has addressed audiences on six continents and is the author of 19 books.
