Realty Bites

The March 19, 2008 post pretty much sums up what this blog is all about. Here it is reprinted in its entirety:

Why am I Doing This?

Posted on March 19th, 2008 | Mike

Why am I doing this? It’s a question I’ve asked myself many times over the last 40 years. But this time it takes on a special resonance, as I contemplate starting a blog about my unconventional experiences in the very conventional real estate business. Do I really want to lay it all on the line? Share my innermost thoughts? Well, no. I’ll start with my outermost ones, and we’ll see where it goes from there.

It started when I began my real estate career in 1989. I went to work for some of the well-know brands, beginning with Coldwell Banker. But this being 1989, a major downturn in the real estate market was just getting underway. Within a year, it was decided Coldwell Banker no longer needed a Baltimore office. I moved to Better Homes and Gardens, which couldn’t survive either. Within a year, the company was sold to Prudential. After a year, that company, too, pulled out of Baltimore.

I swear none of this was entirely my fault.

Now, I know you don’t start a company looking for job security, but that’s exactly what I did. In 1992, I founded The Kupritz Group, Real Estate Professionals, Inc. It’s been in business ever since.

The idea behind my company was that real estate agents charge too much, the process of buying and selling homes is broken, and people need better representation in real estate transactions. I believe I’ve fixed those problems in my company. Some day I would like to do it for the industry as a whole. Stay tuned.

A bit about me: I was born at a very early age on a tiny island called Manhattan. I came to Baltimore for school. At Johns Hopkins, I soon discovered I could not get up in time for those 8AM classes, so I switched from engineering to economics. Still, 10AM was too early for me, so I finally graduated with a degree in creative writing. The classes started around dinnertime.

After 12 years practicing real estate, I went back for another degree, this time in business. The University of Maryland has a great program, and I made many good friends studying corporate strategy and business technology there. So, now I’m a Realtor® with an MBA.

One of the things I love to do is renovate old houses. You can often find me haunting Baltimore’s historic neighborhoods, which are one of my specialties. Builders and renovators enjoy working with me, because I speak their language.

Another specialty is luxury condominiums. I am fortunate to live in — and work from — a lovely one overlooking the Inner Harbor. Here’s a picture taken from the balcony.

I also make time volunteering for the Board of Realtors®. I serve on the Professional Standards Committee, which is the group that hears ethics cases brought against Realtors®. I could go on and on about this topic (and probably will).

Back to my original question. Why am I telling you all this? I want you to get to know me. Yes, I’m a little shy about putting it all out there on the InterWeb. But I have a unique perspective on the real estate business that you really can’t get anywhere else. It’s time to share. I want you to get to know me so that you can tell me what you’d like me to write about. Maybe you’re interested in which way home prices are headed. Perhaps you would like to know whether Realtors® really have a Code of Ethics. Just tell me, and if I think your concern has broad appeal, I’ll post an entry. No subject is off limits, provided it is on topic and, you know, something that interests me.

But don’t worry. I’m interested in almost everything.