Name the companies that use the following tag-lines.
1. The Real Thing 2. The King of Beers 3. Mmm mmm mmm mmm good 4. Good to the last drop
Pretty simple stuff, right?
Coke is the "real" thing. (After all, Coke was first on the scene in the cola world. So, you can either have the real cola, or an imitation, right?) Let's look at Budweiser. Long has it been known that Budweiser is the "king" of beers. (It doesn't get any better than being the king. The king is the top of the heap, the head honcho, the alpha dog. Why would you associate with something that isn't the best??) Campbell's soup is "mmmm mmmm" good. Folgers coffee really is "good to the last drop".
Recognize the pattern yet? Did you catch what was being said?
All of these tag lines have been used by these very successful companies for years. Not because they are excellent brand references that people have literally heard for years...although that is certainly true...but because they SELL! Not only do the help sell the product, they sell the brand.
How much more effective could your advertising be if you treated your tag line -- your branding slogan, if you will -- as a sales opportunity rather than a contest to see who can come up with the cutest catch-phrase??
You can immediately improve your own tag line and achieve better results from your advertising by simply changing the words you use to words that actually mean something. For example, what's the more effective tag line....
1. Your (honest, hard-working, professional, friendly...feel free to insert any other adjectives here) real estate expert for life.
Or...
2. Working to deliver the best results for you. Always.
I can tell you from personal experience, if I had a dollar for every time I have seen the first one on a website, business card, flyer, postcard, etc, I could retire. It is probably one of the most over-used and, forgive me for saying so, weakest tag line an agent could use.(Hey, someone has to be honest with those of you that use some form of this line...)
There are a group of words that are used in real estate advertising that just simply don't deliver the punch that the agents thinks they deliver. Here is a list of words you should avoid:
FRIENDLY -- Of course your friendly. You work in a position that requires it. I have never met a single agent ever anywhere that doesn't possess the ability to at least fake his/her way through an appointment appearing to be friendly. Go to an appoint and be an ass and see how far that gets ya...
PROFESSIONAL -- Ummm...duh. I would hope so. Why would you waste valuable advertising space promoting something that the client is already expecting to exist merely by the fact that you hold the position that you do. McDonald's food is safe to eat. Fords will help you get from point A to point B. My service is professional. See the problem??
HONEST -- (See friendly and professional)
HARD-WORKING -- I have met very few agents in this industry that are not working hard. I have met a bunch that don't work very smart, but I think all of them work hard. Do you really want to be measured by how many more hours you will spend working for them versus how many hours your competition will put in? Or, would you rather be measured by how much more effective you are at selling homes?
Pretty much any word that you can use as an adjective about yourself falls into this category including knowledgeable, reliable, trustworthy (dear Lord, please don't use this one!!) etc...
Now, by the same token, there is a group of powerful words that can be used to deliver a better message about your ability and maintain the aspects of your ability that the client is already assuming exist within you. Those are:
RESULTS -- People are buying results when they hire you. It only makes sense to promote that fact in your tag line. You are hired to sell a home. That is a result that your client wanted. Bring that to the forefront so that other clients know you can deliver those results.
DELIVER -- Delivering something is hugely important. You are bringing them something they want. I order a pizza...I don't want to go get it. I want it brought to me. Bring me something I value and I will pay you for it. Do it well, and I will tell other people.
BEST -- Being the best at anything positive will bring you results. Be the best blogger in your area, you will get clients from it. Being the best at any aspect of your job gives the ability for you to leverage this aspect and you will get new clients coming to you because of it.
YOU -- If your advertising is a message to a potential new client, why talk about yourself?? Why not talk about what they want? Using the word 'you' implies that a specific focus on the individual client and will create a connection between you as the agent and them as your customer.
GUARANTEED -- The value of a guarantee is implied by the client, not you. Offering something that is guaranteed implies that you are true to your word; you can produce a desired result and are willing to back it up. Guarantees provide that same feeling of confidence in your clients by removing doubt and potential risk.
LARGEST -- It has long been thought that there is strength in numbers. The size of an organization has typically been thought as being the 'safest' choice merely based on the size. Remember, nothing draws a crowd like a crowd. So, whatever you can say about being the largest in your market space will help you. It doesn't have to be the largest brokerage. It could be the largest internet presence, the largest service network, etc.
There are certainly more words that fall into this group, but I think you get the hint. Your tag line isn't about a catchy slogan or a cutesy jingle. It is your very first attempt at selling your client that you are the best choice for them. In order for this to work effectively, you should be talking about what THEY want from you rather than what you want to be seen as in their eyes. Talk about what the client wants...not about patting yourself on the back for possessing those same qualities they automatically assume exist merely based on the fact that you hold the position that you hold. Therefore, choose your words carefully.
You may have noticed before, but it's a fact, I love to blog about real estate. It's good for my business, but I actually find it enjoyable too. In that vein, I would like to make it to this year's Blogworld and New Media Expo (including REBlogworld). Of course, these things cost money and there are expenses...blah blah blah. However, Alltop is sponsoring a contest to allow 3 lucky winners to attend this year's event.
I entered, but I need your help. First of all, I misread a rule, which has seriously put me behind the curve. I thought I was doing okay, but realized that the rule was rather specific and I needed to get moving - so I turn to you, the ActiveRain community for help.
The grand prize for the contest is entrance to the conference as well as hotel accommodations. With those two paid for, I can deal with the flights and food for the three days. I need to win this. Imagine how many blogs I'll churn out when I get back with all the new info I've acquired. Think of me as your Blogworld corespondent. I will report back to you - all you have to do is get me to the top! I don't know what it will take to get me there (I don't even know who's in the lead), but with the power of the ActiveRain and Twitter community, I'm willing to bet (Las Vegas - get it?) that I can win this!
Imagine how this will benefit the ActiveRain community as well! Having the power of 160K+ members pushing to help me accomplish this goal will certainly make people think that ActiveRain is the place to be.
Here's what I need:
First, reblog this post if you can. By spreading the word, there will be more opportunity for more people to act upon it. Put it in every category you can think of and make sure everyone of ActiveRain's members see it! I could care less about the points gained from the reblogs, so ActiveRain can pull the points - this is about getting me to Blogworld and REBlogworld.
Second, you need to retweet the information necessary in order for me to be counted. Visit MyAlltop page and at the bottom you will see a "retweet" button:
Click the retweet button. Click it whenever you have a few free seconds. Tell your friends to click it. Please don't sit there and click it 100 times in a row. I don't want to get the boot for "stuffing the ballot box." The contest ends at 8:00 am Pacific Time on October 1, 2009, so I need your clicks up until then. Let's get as many as we can and show everyone the power of ActiveRain, get me to Vegas, and let me bring back and share all that I have learned!
Please use the retweet button and have everyone you know retweet it too! This would be huge for me and I appreciate all the help I can get!
This is one of the most popular questions I get when meeting with sellers when they are preparing to put their homes on the market. The answer is, it depends.
Appraisals cost between $400 to $700 in our area. Most of the time your REALTOR'S® market analysis will provide you with much of the same information as an appraisal.
When an agent comes over to talk to you about selling your home, they will most likely, have a market analysis of the current market conditions in your neighborhood and the nearby surrounding areas. They will compare what homes, similar to yours, listed for and sold for in your area. An appraiser will potentially use the same information, but will go into more depth about each property.
So, how do you decide whether or not to have an appraisal done prior to listing your home?
If you live in a typical suburban neighborhood where the homes are similar in style and square footage, you probably don't need to have the homeappraised prior to listing your home. The information on your REALTOR'S® market analysis should be current and give you a very good idea of the market value of your home. If you are still not sure, maybe you should talk to a couple of different agents and see that they are all in about the same price range, that should give you a good number for your home's value.
My advice to a seller would be that you should have a professional appraisal done prior to listing your home if you have a VERY unique property. Maybe something that is on the historical register or something that was built exclusively for you by an architect and there is not another similar home in the area. If you fit into one of these categories, I would strongly suggest pre-appraising your home.
If you do decide to have your home appraised prior to listing, hear me when I say that the appraised value is one person's opinion. If you hire 3 appraisers, you will probably get 3 different values. Just because one person's opinion of value is one number, the market value might be a different story. What someone is willing to pay for the house is the market value and what your home is ultimately worth. Don't let yourself get hung up on what an appraiser says your home is worth. If it takes time for your home to sell, other homes may come on the market and go to closing which will affect the value of your home.
The other thing that is important for you, a seller with appraisal in hand, to know is the appraisal you have is for your own knowledge. If a purchaser is placing financing on your home, the purchaser and the purchaser's lender will have their own appraisal.
The bank will most likely use an appraisal from an appraiser that is on the bank's approved appraiser list. They want to make sure that the buyer is not paying too much and that they are not lending too much money for a property.
Now with all of that said, Appraisals are very controversial these days with all of the new lending laws and guidelines. We have appraisers come from out of local areas doing appraisals and it is making the sales and loan process difficult. I think it is important for sellers to understand that the buyer's appraiser, in most cases, is going to be the appraisal that will be used for financing.
Ultimately it is up to you, if it you believe your home needs to be appraised before listing, you can do that. Just make sure you listen to your professional REALTOR® to tell you how much your home will sell for!!
First off let me say that I am the queen of procrastination. I am not getting on to you, but I know human nature and I am here to tell you, time is running out. I can't tell you how many research papers I did the night before they were due in school. I made my believe I did my best work "under pressure".
Well, the same for you if you are a first time home buyer and you would like to take advantage of the potential $8000 credit, time is a wasting. You need to take action and take it now!! You have, at this point, waited until the last minute. You have 80 days from today to qualify for your tax credit . Today is "the night before your project is due".
You say, "what do you mean? I have until December 1st to buy my home?"Hear me loud and clear, YOU HAVE UNTIL DECEMBER 1ST TO CLOSE AND OWN YOUR HOME, NOT WRITE YOUR OFFER!!!! There is a big difference. Closing and owning the home and having an accepted offer on a home are two different things. Hear me one more time, you must close and own the home to qualify for the credit.
Okay, so what does that mean, what's the big deal you say? That means you need to find an agent, get qualified for a mortgage and find a home by the end of November. If the average closing takes 30 to 60 days, that means you only have 20 days to find your home!!
This means that you can search for the home you want to make an offer on, negotiate your contract and get to closing by November 30th to beat the clock for December 1st!!
So let's look at some of the details involved in getting you to closing by November 30th;
Have all of your finances in order to hand over to your loan officer to get your loan done in time
Finding a seller that can move and close by the deadline
Making sure all inspection items can be finalized by the deadline
Competing with other buyers who have procrastinated who will take up time slots to close at the last minute
Here is the most important thing I would like to say to anyone who is now trying to take advantage of the tax credit, DO NOT SCHEDULE YOUR CLOSING ANY LATER THAN NOVEMBER 15TH. LET ME SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME, DO NOT SCHEDULE YOUR CLOSING ANY LATER THAN NOVEMBER 15TH IF YOU ARE TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TAX CREDIT!!
Why? Because there are so many details involved with your loan and what and underwriter wants in a file these days it may delay your closing. You may need a week for a seller to make a last minute mandatory underwriter repair and you will need the time, with a major holiday in the middle of your closing, to make it by the deadline. The underwriter may ask for documentation from you for your loan package, there are many things that can go haywire at the last minute and you need a time cushion to get to closing on time. Just think how many other people are going to try to close at the last minute. The banks and title lawyers are going to be swamped trying to get everything done by the deadline.
You still have time but you will need to act now. Call your real estate agent and loan officer to get started right away. Remember, it is the proverbial "night before your project is due
Audrey June-Forshey | RE/MAX Reatly Group | 301-921-2672
7923 Coriander Dr, Gaithersburg, MD
Fabulous Condo!
1BR/1BA Condo
offered at $114,900
Year Built
1987
Sq Footage
759
Bedrooms
1
Bathrooms
1 full, 0 partial
Floors
Unspecified
Parking
Unspecified
Lot Size
Unspecified
HOA/Maint
$165 per month
DESCRIPTION
Pristine home with neutral decor. Original owner has kept this unit in excellent condition! Extra storage space, nice balcony and a newer furnace. Come take a look!
Audrey June-Forshey | RE/MAX Reatly Group | 301-921-2672
2100 Marymont Road, Silver Spring, MD
OPEN HOUSE Sunday 1pm to 4pm
PRICE REDUCTION!!!
Luxury One Level Living! Gleaming Hardwood Floors, New Gourmet Kitchen. Four En Suite Bedrooms. S
5BR/4.5BA Single Family House
offered at $639,900
Year Built
1948
Sq Footage
Unspecified
Bedrooms
5
Bathrooms
4 full, 1 partial
Floors
Unspecified
Parking
Unspecified
Lot Size
127,631 sqft
HOA/Maint
$0 per month
DESCRIPTION
OPEN HOUSE Sunday 1pm to 4pm
Large Custom Rambler, with new kitchen. Maple Cabinets, granite, Thermador 5 burner cooktop, double ovens.
Beautiful Sunroom across the back of the house over looking back patio and pool.
Audrey June-Forshey | RE/MAX Reatly Group | 301-921-2672
2100 Marymont Road, Silver Spring, MD
OPEN HOUSE Sunday 1pm to 4pm
Luxury One Level Living! Gleaming Hardwood Floors, New Gourmet Kitchen. Four En Suite Bedrooms. Swimming Pool!
5BR/4.5BA Single Family House
offered at $650,000
Year Built
1948
Sq Footage
Unspecified
Bedrooms
5
Bathrooms
4 full, 1 partial
Floors
Unspecified
Parking
Unspecified
Lot Size
127,631 sqft
HOA/Maint
$0 per month
DESCRIPTION
Large Custom Rambler, with new kitchen. Maple Cabinets, granite, Thermador 5 burner cooktop, double ovens.
Beautiful Sunroom across the back of the house over looking back patio and pool.
Audrey June-Forshey | RE/MAX Reatly Group | 301-921-2672
2100 Marymont Road, Silver Spring, MD
Luxury One Level Living! Gleaming Hardwood Floors, New Gourmet Kitchen. Four En Suite Bedrooms. Swimming Pool!
5BR/4.5BA Single Family House
offered at $650,000
Year Built
1948
Sq Footage
Unspecified
Bedrooms
5
Bathrooms
4 full, 1 partial
Floors
Unspecified
Parking
Unspecified
Lot Size
127,631 sqft
HOA/Maint
$0 per month
DESCRIPTION
Large Custom Rambler, with new kitchen. Maple Cabinets, granite, Thermador 5 burner cooktop, double ovens.
Beautiful Sunroom across the back of the house over looking back patio and pool.
Audrey Forshey | RE/MAX Realty Group | 301-921-2672
22 Inkberry Circle, Gaithersburg, MD
Absolutely Fabulous Home
3BR/2.5BA Townhouse
offered at $389,000
Year Built
2003
Sq Footage
1,924
Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
2 full, 1 partial
Floors
2
Parking
Unspecified
Lot Size
1,867 sqft
HOA/Maint
$83 per month
DESCRIPTION
Absolutely fabulous home! Large home with a 3 level bump out. Center island kitchen is the hub of the house w/ sunroom & FRoom - with fireplace off of the kitchen. Large living room welcomes you right into the home. New trex style deck off of the kitchen level. Enormous MBR suite, bath with large jetted tub. Lots of storage. Rough in basement only needs fixtures, floor & bath finished.
Audrey Forshey | RE/MAX Realty Group | 301-921-2672
4302 Independence Street, Rockville, MD
Super Home in Mint Condition
3BR/1BA Single Family House
offered at $289,000
Year Built
1955
Sq Footage
8,067
Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
1 full, 0 partial
Floors
2
Parking
Unspecified
Lot Size
Unspecified
HOA/Maint
$0 per month
DESCRIPTION
Super Home in Mint Condition!!! Light and bright with floor to ceiling windows. Freshly painted and new neutral carpet on the main level. Hardwoods on the main level too. Updated bathroom, new vinyl siding and soffits. Off street parking and carport! Beautiful BIG backyard!! Full finished basement with plenty of storage. NOT A SHORT SALE OR REO!
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.
Let's take a quick quiz...
There are a group of words that are used in real estate advertising that just simply don't deliver the punch that the agents thinks they deliver. Here is a list of words you should avoid:
Now, by the same token, there is a group of powerful words that can be used to deliver a better message about your ability and maintain the aspects of your ability that the client is already assuming exist within you. Those are:
This is one of the most popular questions I get when meeting with sellers when they are preparing to put their homes on the market. The answer is, it depends.
Posted by 
First off let me say that I am the queen of procrastination. I am not getting on to you, but I know human nature and I am here to tell you, time is running out. I can't tell you how many research papers I did the night before they were due in school. I made my believe I did my best work "under pressure". 
Central A/C
;)
;)
