You’ve got the idea of Facebook and Twitter. So what now? Say hello to Google Wave (sign in or sign up with any email address to check it out). Launched in May, this newer program has the potential to revolutionize the way you interact with leads and existing clients, and can be used as another powerful prospecting tool . Google Wave combines the concepts of Facebook and Twitter with Google Search, Google Docs, YouTube, E-Vite, and basically every form of discussion forum on the internet. The potential is truly unlimited. Imagine running a Google search of public conversations and forums, easily accessible and in the same place. You can do that! How about starting a discussion of your own, and inviting your contacts via email? Sure. What about starting a discussion and posting it openly to the public to engage? Yes. Organize your Home Buyer Seminar and guest list and agenda, even host a home buyer seminar live online, cost-free!
Beyond networking, Google Wave will change and improve the way you work. Track tasks, troubleshoot and work in groups, embed Waves in your website, ask questions, answer questions, and much more. Sure, it is young and there are still processes to streamline and improve, but better to learn and grow with the program. Wouldn’t you love to be the one around the office with all the answers, rather than questions?
Google Wave is a game changer, and you’ll want to be ahead of the curve on this one. So, I know, you want to get started. There are so many possibilities, but as with all multi-functional, multi-purpose cool tools comes a bit of “how-to” to get your head around. Try starting here:
Don’t get overwhelmed and throw in the towel on this! You can find other suggested video’s provided by Google that will help you navigate the program. Still need help? Have questions? Ask your real estate virtual assistant to help you catch the wave!
Have you ever come across a property you are trying to figure out the lot size but you don't have it readily available or the lot size is irregular? Here is a quick and free tool to use that can give you the size of any lot nationally or internationally, FindLotSize.com!
This tool is extremely easy to use and interfaces with a Google map. Enter the address you are trying to get the information on. Then the site will show a Google map above the subject property. Zoom in so you can get a good view of the property. Click on one corner of the property, there will be a blue pin placed where you clicked. Then go to the next corner of the property, click again. This will put another pin in place and create a line from pin to pin. Keep doing this around the perimeter of the property. Eventually you will get the entire property outlined and highlighted. At the very bottom you will see the dimensions for the lot size.
Great quick and easy tool to use!
Skye Hawk
REPA (Certified Real Estate Professional Assistant) REW (Certified Real Estate Webographer) Office: (480) 463-4971 Toll Free: 800-403-2430 Fax: 866-625-8864 E-mail: Skyeh@atyourservice-va.com Web: www.atyourservice-va.com Skype:AtYourService-VA
At Your Service! Virtual Assistant Specialists "Offering exceptional off-site administrative support for the busy business professional"
This tool is a great resource for buyer's agents, seller's agents, mortgage professionals and title and escrow officers. In today's want it now technology age this can get your information out there in a second and allows you to follow up with the potential lead quickly.
So if you are looking for an affordable technology solution to assist you in your marketing efforts SikkU is defiantly worth checking out.
What is Sikku??
SikkU is a home buying/selling information tool that brings together mobile devices, online search and social networks for buyers, sellers and other real estate and mortgage professionals.
Here are just a few of its great features for buyers:
· Free to join
· Access to live real estate data.
· Check prices and other home information with your mobile device
· Get real estate information and listings
· Listings are complete: price, square footage, rooms/baths amenities and more.
· Change your search location to search other areas in the country
· Share your favorites and ideas with your family and your realtor
• Get real-time alerts for listings that match your criteria
Here is a few of its great features for Agents and Brokers:
Give buyers instant access to listing info via text by adding SikkU sign riders to your for-sale signs
Capture the phone numbers of new buyers when they request listing info off your sign riders
Track which buyers in your network are shopping--and which aren't--and what they're shopping for
Re-enforce your brand and sponsor your clients' mobile service
Integrated with your local MLS IDX, SikkU exposes your listings to more buyers
Brand your company, team and self on each listing and in your profile
Invite and feature your mortgage and title partners in your mortgage and title centers on each listing
Shortcut the title prelim by ordering title summary reports via text and get emailed a report in 60 seconds
Use SikkU text yourself to search MLS IDX, get home values, mortgage rates, title reports and more
Create and send online flyers for each listing
Easily post your listings on social networks with SikkU's share button
SikkU also provides a dashboard tool that lets you customize your own personal tracker. The registration process is fast and simple - you can sign up in seconds. SikkU offers an SMS text service that sends info to mobile phones in seconds, 24x7 (where there is wireless coverage). With basic text keywords, users can search local homes for sale, request property information, get home values, property details and payment amounts. If you have a smartphone, you can use your Web browser to get instant information.
You can access SikkU's home shopping tools from your home or office computers, from your mobile phone through SMS Text or through your mobile Web browser. The tools not only give you instant data and dashboard reporting, but they also work together to create a unique social networking site for the home buying and selling community. Check it out today at www.sikku.com.
SikkU's also offers a premium service for agents/brokers which offers additional benefits and services for less than $10 a month. So if you are looking for an affordable technology solution to assist you in your marketing efforts SikkU is defiantly worth checking out.
Okay, so you have found the buyer/seller, you have gone back and forth and it has finally come to an end. You have an accepted and signed contract! Now what? Now it is time to enter the daunting task of managing the transaction so it stays on track, on time and most importantly closes.
This can be an exciting and stressful time for any agent. You know you are close to getting that all important commission check, but you also know that you are just heading into the headache of getting your transaction closed.
Do you ever sit there and wish there was an affordable and stress-free way to get your transaction closed with as little stress on you as possible?
Well, I am here to tell you there is an affordable stress-free way to wade through the mountain of paperwork, phone calls, emails and faxes that each and every closing brings. By partnering with At Your Service! Virtual Assistant Specialist! This will allow you to focus more of your time on finding the next buyer/seller for your next transaction.
The process is simple you send us all of the transaction paperwork and supporting documents, along with all involved parties contact information and we do the rest. We keep you up to date every step of the way so you are not wondering where you are in the closing process or what is going on. We will use your current online transaction management system or supply our own (depending upon what your needs may be).
ØWe will customize a checklist that works for you.
ØWe will stay in continual contact with you and everyone in the transaction.
ØSchedule inspections and oversee any other vendor that might be involved in the closing
ØStay in contact with your buyer/seller so they know what is going on
ØEnsure that all tasks in the closing are being completed on time
We offer so many services to fit your needs in the real estate industry. Check out our website for a list of services or submit your request for assistance to one of our virtual specialist to get started today.
A few weeks ago, ActiveRain released a new feature that allowed members to export an archive of their individual blog posts. In the announcement, Brad said, "It's open nature will allow for the development of third-party import tools."
So, I sent the link to my partner, Steve Zehngut, and we put "create a Wordpress Plugin to import ActiveRain posts" on our to do list. Today we tested it and are ready to release it into the wild. You should be aware that the ActiveRain export does not include categories, tags or comments. So, our plugin imports the posts and gives them a category of "Active Rain" in your Wordpress blog. This will make them easy to find. If you're importing your posts into an existing blog, I would import them as draft. The video below will illustrate.
So my husband had the great idea to take the family to San Diego for my birthday (4th of July). All excited I decided to attempt to find a vacation rental. We recently stayed in one over the Mother's Day weekend as we took a short trip to Flagstaff, AZ (about 2.5 hours away from home). We stayed at the Comfi Cottages we loved it!! It was so much better than a hotel!!!
Attempting to find a rental first I went to Craigslist. And found a handful of rentals that fit what we were looking for. The very first one I contact had pictures posted online of the place they were trying to rent, it was perfect. I contacted them and actually negotiated a lower rate. They then sent me pictures of the outside of the condo, we were excited everything was perfect it was right on the beach, it had exactly what we were looking for in size, bedrooms and price. But then I started to look a little more closely at the details of the pictures and the details of the description. Some things were not adding up.
Thanks to my real estate knowledge I went to Google Maps and punched up the address that they gave me. It was the correct outside but when I dug a little further into sales records I realized that this could not be what they described in their ad. The building is a 3 story condo and it has 6 units in it. The ad stated that it was a penthouse suite and that is was the entire 3rd floor, red flag number one. Number two was the ad said it was 2300 sq ft but in the sales records nothing was over 1200 sq ft. Red flag number three the ad stated in the dining area there was seating for 12, but the table only had 6 chairs and red flag number four the description stated that there was a wrap around balcony, in the pictures there is no balcony on any of the units.
So at this point I was a little upset and dug a little bit further and took the email address of the person that sent me the information and entered it into Google's Search. I came up with a story from Florida where a couple paid for the condo that they thought they were renting and got to the location and there was no condo there. They had the scammers email address in the article. To my surprise it was the same email address that I had been corresponding with. This happened April of this year. The email address goes back to INDIA.
This was crazy to me that scammers are taking advantage of the vacation rental business now. I did find the real property management company that is handling that building and to my surprise they do actually rent them out as vacation rentals. I did let them know what had happened and the agent told me that they have had that problem and have been trying to stop them for a while.
Well I decided not to let this end my search for a great vacation rental so I found another 2 properties and contact them and wouldn't you know number 2 and 3 where similar issues. Number 2 wanted me to wire the payment Western Union, uh no!! Number 3 was just too easy to realize that this was not her place she was renting.
So in attempting to plan my fun birthday trip to San Diego I have had 3 attempts in 2 days of someone trying to scam me. I did report them to the FBI's internet crime division, who knows if anything will happen. So I have learned my lesson when dealing with Vacation Rentals and have put together some pointers when looking for a vacation rental.
1.) Always get a phone number and email address. Talk to the person renting to you over the phone. Ask questions about the area they should know this area well.
2.) Do some investigating take the address and enter it into Google Maps, look at the property is it the same as the pictures. Does the property match the description?
3.) Go to the state or county sales record and see who owns the property, is this the same person contacting you? If it is a property management company is a legit check out their website, read the reviews of the properties do they have valid contact information (call the numbers on the website). If you are still uncomfortable check with the state Real Estate Board to see if the agent contacting you has an active real estate license.
4.) Take a few lines of the ad or description and go to Google Search enter "then paste the copied text into the search and enter "again then hit search. A lot of times the scammers just copy and paste from other ads. How many ads do you find that come up with the same description? I did this for the first one and it was word for word matching another ad that did actually match the description.
5.) Do not ever wire money!! The first ad that I was dealing with wanted me to pay them via PayPal so be cautious and know for sure what you are renting before you pay via credit card or PayPal. The great thing about this is you can always dispute it. But never under any circumstances wire the money. You can't trace it and you cannot get it back.
5.) And last if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!!
Buyer beware scammers are everywhere now!!!
On another note we are still looking for a vacation rental for the 4th - 7th if you have one available that is a minimum 2 bedroom and sleep 6 that is close to the beach please contact me.
Skye Hawk Owner, Sr. Virtual Specialist REPA (Certified Real Estate Professional Assistant) REW (Certified Real Estate Webographer) Office: (480) 463-4971 Toll Free: 800-403-2430 Fax: 866-625-8864 E-mail: Skyeh@atyourservice-va.com Web: www.atyourservice-va.com Skype:AtYourService-VA
At Your Service! Virtual Assistant Specialists "Offering exceptional off-site administrative support for the busy business professional"
Statistics show that no matter who your target market is, and no matter how much marketing you do, a large bulk of your business will come from past clients and referrals. When you think about the impact this could make to your bottom line, don’t you wish you had a system in place that would allow you to send birthday and/or anniversary cards without lifting a finger? Keep reading because I’m about to tell you how you can make that wish come true…
Some of you may have heard of this company – Send Out Cards. It is a unique company that allows you to utilize an online system to send out greeting cards. My husband’s Aunt gave me a 10 card account for Christmas and It has saved me several times. Even though, as a virtual assistant, I am very detailed and organized, I still can not seem to remember some important birthdays until a few days prior, and that still doesn’t give me enough time to run out to buy a card and get it in the mail on time. So, when my grandmother’s birthday came up and I had 3 days to get the card out, I didn’t run to Walgreens or the Post Office. I simply logged into my account and within 3 minutes I had sent my grandmother a very nice card that even included a photo of her with my children – a very nice touch I might add.
I quickly realized how this could be beneficial to a Real Estate agent that relies on referrals and past clients for the bulk of their business. This system is an easy and efficient way to make sure birthday cards and anniversary cards get sent out to your past clients no matter how busy you are. The best part about this system is that your Virtual Assistant can manage the set-up and maintenance easily. After your Virtual Assistant has set-up your client in the system, they will receive a birthday and/or anniversary card every year, indefinitely or until you cancel the account or stop the card.
Send Out Cards is a GREEN company that makes personal and professional communications easy and simple. With a click of a button you pick or create your own greeting card. They print it, stuff it, stamp it, and mail it (with your handwriting and signature if you’d like) all for about $1.00.
I sent myself a sample so I could see the quality and I thought is was very nice. You can also choose a glossy or matte finish and upload a personal photograph.
You can’t sign-up for this service unless you sign-up “under” a current reseller. So, if you’re interested you can contact Tami Rohr at 847-245-4308 and you’ll be able to send a free card, get pricing, and sign-up if you’re ready. [Disclosure: Yes, this is my husband’s Aunt, but I believe in this product and that is the only reason I am posting this blog. Please do your own due diligence and research and by all means, if you know another person that is a reseller, contact them. You do not have to go through “Aunt Tami”; however, I’m sure she will be appreciative.]
After your account is set-up, your Virtual Assistant will be able to export your current database and import into your new Send Out Card account and begin setting up the preferences. Any maintenance or additions to your contacts, your Virtual Assistant can handle as well.
Show your SOI how much you appreciate them by sending a heartfelt card of appreciation. Take an interest in their lives and you will be amazed at the returns. Besides, it’s just good business sense, don’t you think? Give to gain – appreciation over self promotion wins every time.
As such, we've put together some questions you as a real estate sales representative can ask prospects in your pre-listing package. These questions are an attempt to create a dialogue with them and begin building a solid rapport and lasting relationship.
We recommend keeping the questions to a minimum (5 max.) to ensure your adding value and not overwhelming prospects with information or "homework".
5 Questions You Can Ask Prospects in Your Pre-Listing Package:
1. Why are you selling your home?
2. What concerns you the most about the home selling process (if any)?
3. Are there any emotional attachments with this property that might hinder your selling process? (This is a great question, and one that you can help the seller become objective right from the get go.)
4. What are some of the greatest features potential home buyers would find fascinating?
5. What is the single most important aspect of your real estate sales representative?
Don't be afraid to "lightly" probe clients to seek additional information. Showing an invested interest in them will have a rippling effect.
It is that time of year again we are all gearing up to put another year behind us and start fresh with a new year. Many of us as we do every year gear up our marketing and start planning for the coming year with a whole new look on our marketing campaigns. Whether it be starting new ones, adjusting and tweaking current ones or keeping at what we are currently doing we all have marketing on our brains.
I recently took a short course on creating a road map, if you will for my marketing efforts in 2010 and learned some key aspects that I have forgotten along the way or have never really thought about. Many of us start our businesses because we love what we do. But that is it we are good at what we do, many of us don't have a marketing degree or a background in marketing. We just assume that if we are really good at what we do and we love it the people will flock to us as soon as we say we are open for business. Yes, in a perfect world this would be wonderful but since we live in "realty" this is not what happens. We all have to market to our clients to attracts buyers of our products and services to start that ever revolving door of business.
Some of the key aspects I wanted to share that I learned from my short marketing class are some that I feel would be beneficial to all of us. Sometimes it is about getting down to the basics and really creating a strong foundation in our marketing efforts. Without a strong foundation the rest of our marketing efforts will crumble costing us time and money.
When focusing on our marketing we need to setS.M.A.R.Tgoals for it to be successful:
Specific- When focusing on your marketing efforts you need to be specific in what you are trying to do. The easiest way to figure this out is to ask yourself the following questions:
ØWho? Who is involved in my marketing efforts?
ØWhat? What am I looking to accomplish with my marketing?
ØWhere? Where is my target market located?
ØWhen? Establish a timeline for your goals.
ØWhich? Identify requirements of your efforts.
ØWhy? What are the specific reasons or the purpose for setting your goals?
Measurable- Set actions plans or steps for each phase of your goal. These should be easily measurable whether it is meeting a deadline for having a marketing piece done all the way to the results of your marketing efforts there are several steps in between that will help you stay on track and focused. Breaking your goals down into phases and phases into steps will help you in actually completing and reaching your goals. Always remember don’t over complicate the process you want simple phases and simple steps within the phases for your goals.
Attainable- When you set us goals that you feel will be beneficial to you, you begin to adapt to reach these goals. When you see what you want and see how to get there you adapt creating the ability, skills and attitude to get you there. With each phase of your marketing plan you will move closer and closer to your goal, what once seemed like a daunting task now seems attainable.
Realistic- When you set up your goals be realistic on the outcome it must represent a realistic object in which you are willing and able to reach.
Timely- You need to have a time frame on your goals and action plans. Without a set amount of time you will push it off and push it off and it will never get done. When we set up some ground rules for ourselves and hold ourselves accountable for our actions we stay focused. Keeping a time constraint will keep you focused and motivated to get the job done.
Another thing that I was taught was to really identify who your target market is for me it is more than just saying well my target market is Realtors, Brokers etc. I needed to sit down and create the “perfect client”. Who do I want to work with, what is their personality traits, are they successful, how old are they, how long have they been in business etc. Really digging down to identify who your target market is will allow you to identify who your business should be marketed to.
Once you have figured out who you then need to figure out where, where do does my “ideal client” hang out and network. What do they do for fun and most importantly how can I get myself and my business in front of them.
So really getting down to the basics and starting with a strong foundation should help to lay the ground work for creating marketing goals and successful marketing plans for 2010.
Don’t just set resolutions this year get out there and take a look at the big picture, what do I want to do in my business this year? Set goals for yourself and break them down into action plans set up a monthly, annually and yearly marketing calendar for yourself.
Beautiful Windriver Mountain Views Surround this Dubois Wyoming Home!
More Photos Below
Bedrooms:
2
Bathrooms:
2
Style:
House
Square Footage:
1,190
Lot Size:
2 acre
Year Built:
1981
For Sale By Ower-Snow Capped Picturesque Mountain Views Surround This One of a Kind Home! Enjoy the Windriver Mountain Range, Big Horn and National Elk Refuge. 90 Minutes away from Jackson Hole's Teton Village Ski Resort. An abundance of Wyoming wildlife for you to enjoy!
Skye Hawk REPA, REW At Your Service! Virtual Assistant Specialists
This blog is presented by Skye Hawk with At Your Service! Virtual Assistant Specialists offering tips and tricks for the savvy real estate professional. At Your Service! provides professional real estate virtual assistance to the real estate industry.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Google Wave is a game changer, and you’ll want to be ahead of the curve on this one. So, I know, you want to get started. There are so many possibilities, but as with all multi-functional, multi-purpose cool tools comes a bit of “how-to” to get your head around. Try starting here:
It is that time of year again we are all gearing up to put another year behind us and start fresh with a new year. Many of us as we do every year gear up our marketing and start planning for the coming year with a whole new look on our marketing campaigns. Whether it be starting new ones, adjusting and tweaking current ones or keeping at what we are currently doing we all have marketing on our brains. 
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