Jeff's Lead Generation, Search CRM Blog

Referrals from Lead Gen Companies Have Been So Disappointing

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:52:04 -0700

BestHomePro has launched a brokerage with heavy emphasis on referral of leads. We have created The BestHomePro MarketPlace, which some have said is the "match.com of real estate." We are pleased with that analogy.

In fact, our software and systems allow Opt-In for both consumers and agents, and there is no expense to agents, whatsoever, unless a client to whom they present themselves actually choose the agent.

Our search software uses patented preference profiling to determine precisely what homes fit that user the best and then our systems allow buyers and sellers to opt-in to our BestHomePro MarketPlace to see profiles and offers from agents before they choose an agent.

All agent subscribers to BetsHomePro are alerted by email or text that a client is looking for an agent. The agent can actually see the consumer profile, including recent search results, target move date and other information before they opt-in to make an offer to the prospective client.

Our system is definitely different from other referral systems, while it is quite similar to the dating service approach of matching people who want to meet each other. Our system does not sell contact to random agents and it does not force agents to pay for leads that don't fit their interest.

We think it is a win-win for everyone.

If you are a REALTOR in The Triangle, NC or a consumer looking to buy or sell a home, check us out at www.BestHomePro.com, currently operating in The Triangle area of North Carolina. We are planning expansion this year into other markets as well, so if not in The Triangle, keep you eyes and ears open to announcements about expansion.

Also, please stay in touch by reading our blog at www.BestHomePro.com/blog. We would also love to see your comments.

Forever True: Buy Low. Sell High

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:10:54 -0800

Consumers, and even agents feel low these days because we are in a recession and home values are down from where they were two years ago. If you are trying to sell, that certainly is a problem, but if you or your clients are in the market for a new home, now may be a great time to buy.

Research has shown that with the stock market, a vast majority of small investors hold back from buying when the market is low ("ah, things are really bad in the market!") and they tend to buy when the market is near the peak. Is this not true in real estate? When the market was "hot," buyers were lining up to get the deal because they were afraid they would completely miss the increasing investment values. Well, many bought near the top of the market and now are severely burned.

Remind your customers that "smart money" buys low and sells high.

Read more in my BestHomePro blog post, Simplel Economics...

By the way, we are looking for a few great agents who want to work with knowledgeable consumers in a whole new way. Our IDX offer is FREE and you never pay for a lead unless THEY select you. Check it out at MarketPlace.

Thanks

Jeff Johnston

Looking for Triangle, NC Agents to Try New Lead Model

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:59:48 -0800

BestHomePro.com has launched a new lead and referral model in The Triangle. It is called the BestHomePro MarketPlace and is based on the philosophy that REALTORS and consumers should be in more control of their time, choices and expenses. Our basic tenants are as follow:

Consumers

1. Search all you want with no requirement to register

2. Use the most advanced home search tools in the world

3. Be assured that your contact information will never be shared until you choose an agent

4. When you decide you want to work with an agent, you get to choose which agent you wish to work with, based on detailed agent profiles and offers from multiple agents.

REALTORS

1. Never pay anything unless a consumer chooses you

2. Be in control by deciding to which clients you want to be presented

3. Only make offers to prospective clients that you are interested in serving, based on detailed profile information, including search results, target move date and other information.

4. Only work with clients (or leads) that have a high probability of closing a deal

We are now generating traffic and leads, and our consumers need top-notch agents to serve them

If you are interested in participating in this FREE trial offer, please visit www.BestHomePro.com and click on Agent Tools. We offer a powerful IDX solution and we are now offering the opportunity to examine and make offers to great leads.

Feel free to email me at Jeff.Johnston@BestHomePro.com or call our office at 919-794-3350. Currently, we are available only in the Triangle area of North Carolina. We have plans to expand into other markets nationally in late Spring.

We are offering a new and different model for a highly competitive Internet world.

Jeffrey M Johnston

President & CEO

Are ARMs a Good Thing for Most or Should they be Dissed?

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:17:08 -0800

Getting a mortgage at 1% less than a conventional approach might seem like a great idea, but beware the future of interest rates if you expect to be in the house more than 3 to 5 years. If your income is rising and home values start rising again, then that 1% can look pretty good. But if the home price stays the same, or decreases; and your income stays the same or decreases; and mortgage rates begin to climb: watch out!

ARM or Diss-ARM on my BestHomePro blog.

BestHomePro is just launching its MarketPlace. Direct-to-consumer search services, a promise not to share their contact information until they want to find a REALTOR. IDX and MarketPlace Free to REALTORS until they make offers and the client chooses them.

Find an Agent: Check it out

We would love to hear from you.

Currently available in The Triangle, NC

Are Low Interest Rates a Good Thing for Real Estate?

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:31:51 -0800

It sure seems like we rejoice about interest rates being low, but my analysis suggests that extremely low interest rates may actually depress prices on homes. In my BestHomePro blog I write about the trade-offs in considering the impact of low interest rates.

Are Low Interest Rates Good?

I would certainly like everyone's opinion on this. It is an important topic for our times. Can real estate values begin to increase consistently again? What will it take? Is everyone a victim in this economy or can we do something to help consumers and help ourselves?

Give this some thought and comment

Thanks

Jeff Johnston

President & CEO

BestHomePro.com

Wouldn't It Be Nice - The Beachboys - Rings True Even Today

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 09:08:00 -0800

We are all so eager for this economy to be fixed. We want things to be the way they were in 2005 through 2007. But The Beachboy song, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" rings in my ears and resonates in my brain.

Quick fixes are seldom possible. Bush was at fault for everything. Now the tide has turned and Obama is blamed.

Let's think before we accuse. Let's analyze the trade-offs between government stimulus and allowing the natural laws of equilibrium and market forces to play their roles.

I wrote a blog at BestHomePro.com on the subject and how it relates to real estate.

Give it a read at Wouldn't It Be Nice, and please comment with your thoughts...

Is the World Turning Green with New Urban Development?

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:23:19 -0800

Recently, I have been educated about the benefits of "New Urban Development," "Traditional Neighborhood Development," "New Urbanism," and "Walkable Neighborhoods."

But in searching on Google and Yahoo I mostly see esoteric studies and commentary about this "new trend." I actually believe that this trend is real, describes the re-birth of urban living and a style of new construction that is both esthetically pleasing and good for the environment.

Check-out my blog at www.BestHomePro.com called The World is Turning Green in Real Estate, and add your comments regarding your knowledge of this trend and your belief or disagreement about issues related to neighborhoods and "green."

Can Residential Real Estate Be a Good Investment Anymore?

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:22:55 -0800

The answer would be "YES," if a poll had been taken anytime from 2000 to 2007. Now, there are a lot of questions about this. It is illiquid and has a high cost.

But with all the problems in real estate in the last 3 years, many U.S. citizens are beginning to wonder if things will ever be really good again for building wealth through owning your own home or investing in residential real estate. My answer is "Yes," but only if you buy low and sell high, and take into consideration some key factors in how to finance a home, when to buy and how to sell.

Check out a recent blog post on my BestHomePro blog: Is Residential Real Estate a Good Investment?

What do you think?

Each Town Needs an Evangelist (and more than one)

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:41:52 -0800

Reyn Bowman is retiring as President of The Durham Convention and Visitor's Bureau today. He has been running this organization promoting Durham as a great place to live and work for nearly 20 years.

Because Durham, NC is a great place to live and work, and because Reyn and others have been evangelists, Durham now gets the respect locally and in the national media that it so richly deserves.

Check out my blog post about Reyn and the article about him at WRAL, and think about who in your community fills this roll. Are you the leader in your city or town? Is there a leader? Can you make a difference in how people feel about your location?

Let me know if you can identify those leaders in your communities. They can make a real difference.

We Deserve a Break Today (and this year)

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:30:40 -0800

I write in my BestHomePro blog that very much like the old McDonald's 1970's ad campaign, "You Deserve a Break Today," we all deserve a break in 2010. But I also have my three keys to getting that break in 2010.

1. Get off our duffs and do something about it

2. Think more of what will satisfy others, and

3. Don't wait for devine intervention.

Check-out the entire blog post at We Deserve a Break.

Cheers and let's get it done this year!

It is time to think "Hopeful" for 2010

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 11:07:40 -0800

I wrote a blog on BestHomePro that reflects on the state of our psyche as we have moved through 2009 and the importance of reframing our mindset to think positively, count our blessings and move into 2010 with hope for the future and a determination to overcome our personal and financial challenges.

Check it out. It may be my last goopy, positive, thoughtful email for a while; but I honestly believe we can change the world if we frame our lives in the positive, rather than focusing all the negatives that surround us.

Reality is what we make it, so challenge yourselves to focus on "the possible" rather than all that might go wrong.

Happy and prosperous new year to all...

Jeff

www.BestHomePro.com/blog

"Too Much Noise?"

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:02:27 -0800

Like most people, I have felt completely overwhelmed of late.

The economic news is mostly bad, my personal business environment is tough, every charity is desperate for funding, the wars are not going well. Each night on the news we hear about celebrity failings, car wrecks, bombings and even bad weather.

There is just "Too Much Noise."

Check-out my blog on www.BestHomePro.com/blog entitled "Too Much Noise." It harkens back to one of my favorite children's books and is a parable about shedding all the extraneous noise in your life and focusing only on what really matters.

Happy Holidays.

May you have peace, quiet and dreams of good will and well being for all.

Dr. Seuss Gives Sales Instruction

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:14:32 -0800

According to my friend, David Bass, Dr. Seuss may have written one of the great sales training books: Green Eggs and Ham.

In his recent blog on the subject at Arena Capital Advisor , he suggests that the protagonist (actually not a particularly likable guy) is successful in selling green eggs and ham to Sam-I-Am because he is persistent. He listens to the prospect and nudges him to try the green eggs. Sam-I-Am finally does try them and likes them very much.

Is that where the term "'egging' someone on" comes from? Ha!

Anyway I liked the creative way David talks about the importance of the persistence factor in sales.

My only caution is that persistence with prospects must be tempered with a light touch. Heavy-handedness turns prospects off and will most likely not result in a successful relationship.

Persistence, "yes!" Spamming, slamming, harassing, and badgering do not work.

Durham, North Carolina Continues to Innovate

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:09:00 -0800

As I said in my last BestHomePro blog entry, Durham continues to thrill me with its innovative, caring, community persona.

The new initiatve in Durham, called Bull City Forward, started by Christopher Gergen, Bill Kalkoff, Casey Steinbacker, Michael Lemanski and Andrea Bazan is designed to create an incubator of "social companies." Their plans sound grandiose, but let's shoot for the moon in this area. Research Triangle Park was but a gleam in the eyes of a few visionaries 25 years ago. Why not dream that Durham could be the beacon for the creation of socially conscious businesses.

This is just one more example of why Durham is a great place to live and to work and to play.

BestHomePro MarketPlace Goes Live

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:03:24 -0800

The BestHomePro MarketPlace is now live and our first seller referral has entered. We are beginning to build consumer traffic to our site, which offers an advanced, preference-based home search too, a pledge that we will never share consumer contact information until they request service and a system that allows consumers and agents to match-up with profiles and offers. To learn more, go to BestHomePro MarketPlace.

We are excited that our first seller lead entered The MarketPlace yesterday and agents are making offers.

Our goal is to create an entirely new paradigm in real estate lead generation and assistance in building positive, transparent and profitable exchanges for agents and consumers.

Agents can get a FREE BestHomePro account by going to: BestHomePro Agent

Use it as your own personal IDX solution or just use it to review the leads we refer and make offers to consumers.

Currently serving The Triangle area of North Carolina, but soon to be expanding to Charlotte, The Triad, Asheville and other locations.

Sense of Urgency Drives a Lot of Things

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:55:04 -0800

I recently posted a blog on my company website called House On Fire. It speaks about how sellers must make trade-offs between price, the condition of their home and how quickly they need to sell. Everyone wants top dollar, but can't afford to wait.

Even if you choose to lower your price there is not guarantee that it will sell quickly.

Are sellers better-off trying For Sale by Owner or choosing a Realtor to help them price their home, stage their home and market their home.

The economy is tough and the winter is a slower time for home sales anyway.

When dealing with sellers, be a consultant and help them make those trade-offs.

First Time Home Buyer Credit - Perspectives

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:59:32 -0700

It seems that Realtors and consumers and The Feds are so eager to boost the economy that they believe a variety of stimulus packages will make everything right.

I am not so sure. The Wall Street Journal had an article a few days ago discussing the benefits and drawbacks. As I read it I was wondering if The First Time Home-Buyer Tax Credit program is actually beneficial. Is it just sticking a finger in one part of the dike, only to have water squirting elsewhere.

The Cash for Clunkers Program was a big hit for a while, but it sucked-up demand in the short-run and now very few cars are selling because all the "pregnant" buyers took advantage of the cash-back and there aren't any more.

Wouldn't the free market actually take care of demand?

Read my blog post Buyers on Fire in our new BestHomePro.com blog which discusses contemporary issues in real estate. We would love to have you read and voice your opinions.

Let's say that the first time home buyer's tax credit gets 1,000 homes in Durham and Chapel Hill sell before the end of November. Hurray! But let's then say that because of this, only 50 homes sell to first time buyers per month over the next six months or a year, and that is 50 below the monthly average. Are we really any better off?

At some point in time there has to be real demand, not contrived demand. I am not saying that stimulus is not necessary, but someone has to pay for stimulus or we allow the natural order of supply and demand to rule.

Your thoughts are more than welcome.

Durham continues to be misrepresented in the press

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:02:19 -0700

The News & Obersers' free Saturday newspaper rag called, The Durham News had as its major headline: Home Break-Ins Spike Across City. Wow! I thought. Our city continues to fall into the great abyss of crime and degradation!

If you listen to the news and read the papers you would think that Durham is like living in Bagdad. It is NOT. There is crime in Durham, but I contend no more than Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill or other local areas. I remember seeing an ABC special a few years ago with the title: "Are We Scaring Ourselves to Death?" It was great. It talked about how crime statistics often mispresent the facts. Stakeholders who want more money (local police, FBI, Homeland Security) have an incentive to report things in the worst light. Let's add media companies to that.

Who would read an article entitled: "Crime remains about the same in Durham," or "Crime is actually down in Durham." You have to sell papers, so why not print a headline that has nothing to do with the facts.

The numbers in their article actually show that crime was down in 2008 compared to 2007and, according to my calculations will only slightly higher in 2009 than in 2008. This is hardly a huge "spike across the city."

Durham continues to have two great universities. Great employment. A wonderufully diverse population. Incredible one-of-a-kind restaurants and safety. Bad economies result in more petty crime in every city -- there are more desparate people. But I have seen and felt that reporting crime in Durham is an over-reaction and an easy story for people to write.

Back-off Durham News. If you want people reading your paper in Durham, please be balanced and resonable.

Foreclosure Workshop can help

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:58:26 -0700

I wanted to commend The Herald-Sun Newspaper for hosting a free Foreclosure Prevention Workshop on Thursday of this week.

Read the fine print...

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:12:14 -0700

I am all about truthfulness. I am not perfectly honest -- no one is, but when I see businesses processes that are not in good faith, it really ticks me off.

Recently (and against my better judgement) I responded to a banner ad for a teeth whitening product. After much hesitation I clicked on the "Special Offer" icon and put in my credit card for a $4.95 shipping charge for a tooth whitening product. 14 days later I was charged $89 and one week later $93.92. (Read my wwww.JeffPref.com blog to hear the whole story.) I think I will get my money back, but it has taken a lot of time. Even my credit card company indicated they have lots of complaints against Pure Essentials.

Today I read a posting about an IDX vendor with "fine print." Wolfnet is a national company which offers IDX and other web services. For the most part I have heard good things about them, but this is crazy.

Writes Eric Bramlet in his post: "I signed up with wolfnet/mlsfinder in 2005, and upgraded to maptracks in 2006. I was a pretty heavily trafficked user so was spending ~$250-$300/month b/c of their "overage" fees. A few months ago, I finally made the switch to another system, and notified wolfnet that I was terminating service - sent them an email & a fax. I get a call from one of their sales agents asking why I left, "you have so many users, why would you go somewhere else?" I tell him that I liked their product, but found something better. He then tells me: Quote: You're in an automatically renewing annual contract. We're going to continue billing you through March 2010, which is when this agreement expires."

Read his entire post: http://www.realestatewebmasters.com/showthread.php?t=37609

Blogs, Tweets and other social media don't let companies get away with this anymore. If you are a consumer, you are likely much more savvy than you were a few years ago.

If you a business person (except for my failing to follow my gut in an attempt to try a cheap teeth whitening product) you likely ALMOST never fall for these things.

But you as Realtors and I as a businessman must always keep in mind that the communities we serve will eventually find out the real truth about our practices; and when they do the world will know.

Who Gets to Decide What People Want

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:54:51 -0700

One of my favorite gurus is Seth Godin. He is a bit quirky and off-beat, but in my opinion we all need to be that a little bit more.

He posted a question on his blog yesterday: "Who Gets to Decide What You Want" with some of the following comments: http://tinyurl.com/mdr59f

"In order to want something, you probably need to know it exists. One definition of happiness is wanting the things you're likely to get (or, conversely, not wanting the unattainable). One definition of marketing is persuading the world it wants what you have...

And so, once again it seems to come down to a personal decision. If you decide what you want (instead of letting someone else decide for you) perhaps you could choose the things that would actually bring you and your loved ones the satisfaction you can live with."

In real estate, it seems that we need to give our clients the benefit of our best advice and access to the best tools to help THEM find what THEY want in a home. My suggestion is to market your high quality service to them. Don't market that you will find them the perfect home, but that you will give them all the tools and all the advice they seek to find a home that fits them perfectly, whether it be in Durham, NC; Chapel Hill, Morrisville, Raleigh, Cary or Wilmington, NC.

Think like a teacher. Act like a thoughtful consultant. Offer the best tools.

Consumers may not know what they want to begin-with, but when they find it, they will know. We need to help them find it.

Congratulations Herald-Sun.net

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:03:24 -0700

Bull City Rising, a Durham mainstay blog, wrote about the new Herald-Sun website in a post entitled "Herald-Sun Launches New Website - Fear Not, You can Contribute." http://tinyurl.com/mooomn .

Like most newspapers, The Herald-Sun is working hard to remain a vibrant part of the communities it serves. Newspapers are struggling to find new avenues to provide compelling content and communication. www.Herald-Sun.net just launched today. It offers a wide range of ways for citizens to read about their communities and contribute content -- original content.

People can read AP stories almost anywhere, but uber-local content is hard to match. Perhaps the new Herald-Sun website will greatly boost the volume of community information, interaction and communication.

My firm, BestHomePro, is offering home search services on the real estate tab on Herald-Sun.net and .com. In a matter of days we will be offering The BestHomePro Marketplace. This represents an entirely new model for the way consumers search for homes and the way agents and consumers hook-up. It is what is called "Opt-In" on both sides. Consumers can search all they want with our pledge never to share their contact information until they indicate they wish to find an agent or see a home. Then, without identifying the contact by name, agents will be allowed to see what the consumer is searching for and make offers to the consumer. The consumer then chooses an agent from among those shown.

Congratulations to The Herald-Sun for moving forward WITH technology,rather than fighting the tidal wave.

Contribute meaningful content and enjoy reading the thoughts and stories of your neighbors.

News: BestHomePro Offers Best IDX Solution for Free

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:38:01 -0700

Our company has been offering the most advanced home search solution in real estate for the last two years. BestHomePro IDX offers a search solution for brokers and agents that creates a preference profile, then matches that profile to the MLS database of homes. The result is search results that are displayed in priority order.

How many of you have talked with new or prospective cllients who say, "I have printed 33 profiles of homes that my wife and I like. Could you help me sort them? Ugh!

BestHomePro sorts results for you, and keeps them in-touch with you and with the market with "Top-Ten Alerts," which are emails, texts or Tweets that are sent only when their top-ten best fit homes change.

This cements your relationship and keeps you in touch in a very meaningful way.

Subscriptions to BestHomePro were $29.95 per month. We are now offering BestHomePro to agents and brokers for FREE. Our contract is you have use full-featured BestHomePro for FREE until you get 10 active clients on your Dashboard. That represents the perfect free trial. Then it is $24.95 per month.

We would love to have you give it a try. Go to our website: www.BestHomePro.com or call us as 919-794-3350.

Is the recession over?

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:30:37 -0700

Steve Murray, Publisher of RealTrends writes, ""This is clearly the best month of results that we have seen since we first started publishing the REAL Trends Housing Market Report two years ago. While we know that there are substantial challenges ahead, with a predicted rise in foreclosures and continued downward pressure on prices as a result, it would appear that we are closer to the floor of this recession in housing than we have been at any time in the last four years."

Are we seeing the same turnaround in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding communities. Downward pressure on pricing remains a major concern, but volume of sales seem pretty good.

Are you seeing those upwardly mobile home-owners listing their $250,000 to $350,000 homes, selling them and purchasing homes at the next level. It seems that this is where the market is hurting.

Your thoughts? What about your specific communities?

Back from Alaska

Jeff Johnston (BestHomePro) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:03:37 -0700

Our grown children gave my wife and me a cruise to Alaska for our mutual birthdays. What a great present to parents. All children should be instructed to do something so nice!!!

Alaska is 4 time zones away and it felt like we were on another planet. Not much population density up there. Sarah Palin certainly has room to spread-out. Being so far away from North Carolina, Research Triangle and Durham was a breath of fresh air (literally). Wide-open spaces; glaciers that knocked our socks off; enormous expanses of open territory; waterfalls galour; orka and hump-backed whales gliding by our boat and playfully jumping out of the water.

The trip was glorious, but even more glorious was our return to our home turf. Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill is a little too crowded, but that is a sign of progress. There weren't many restaurants in Skagway or Juneau to compare to Nana's, The Lantern, Bullocks, Sishi Sushi and many others. The price of gas was not even much less up there.

Alaska was a vacation of a life-time, but coming home is always a great treat as well.

The decision by our children to give us this treat involved few trade-offs: perhaps sun and warm versus cool and dramatic.

We are trully blessed to have such a treat (and such wonderful children/adults) and we are many-times blessed to live in North Carolina.

BestHomePro might eventually help people find homes in Alaska, but it will be a while until we have features such as "Caribou view" or "glacier view."