After reading numerous posts I had my marketing person develop a community website for Windward Towers in Newport News, Virginia.  It's been live less than a week, but I've had several comments from residents at the towers.  It's all been positive.   I'm anxious to develop a few more this year, and am positive it will help sales, community involvement, and my own SEO too. 

www.windwardtowers.com

I've been in real estate for over 30 years.   Starting as a single agent, in the 1990's I realized that for me, selling real estate isn't just a pay-check, but a long term business entity that can have unlimited potential for growth.

Building a good team takes time and good people.  I've built my team on trust and compatability between the members of the team and our friends and clients.

Too many new agents come into the business unprepared for the expenses that soon follow, and they don't have a clear business plan for the future Year 1, Year 2, Year 5, and beyond.

What Does a Team Do for Clients?

• We never miss floor duty time - someone is always there
• We don't miss our clients' calls -- sellers or buyers
• Our call capture system always gets answered
• Sign calls always get answered
• When schedules get re-arranged, clients don't get rescheduled.  We call on one another.

What Does a Team Do for the Team?

• It allows each of us to take time off, vacations, or schedule time with our families and around childrens' activities
• We cover one another - not out of obligation, but because we have strong friendships and cohesiveness as a team -- we share similar values and commitment to our clients and families
• We have someone to call when are schedules have conflicts
• We have a strong licensed assistant who handles all marketing and transactions.  She works in a "virtual" world from home frequently.  Even the assistant has a higher quaility of life because she can be with her family if she needs to.

What Does a Team Do for my / our Future?

I'm realistic -- I'm not going to be able to sell real estate forever.  With a strong client base and a strong team, I'm confident that as a business entity, the team members can continue to grow the business.  Because my clients know my team members, they too build strong relationships, and become trusted advisors to my client base, while continuing to build their own sphere and bring that to the team too.

Creating and structuring a team appropriately can help provide for your long term financial future even after you stop selling real estate.

Condo Living Has its Rewards -- Windward Towers in Newport News -- twin towers built in 1987 - 1990 on the shores of the beautiful James River.  The towers overlook the river and the Leeward Marina.  Every unit has a great view, and all have balconies, some units have two balconies, accept the plaza level, and they enjoy large patios with a view!  The towers each have 17 floors, under ground parking, reserved parking garage space, storage spaces, and lots of amenities.   Windward Towers is a well-kept secret in many way because many of the residents have been in their units since the towers were built.  Now, we have a number of units available and reasonably priced too.   The Towers offers residents a wide variety of amenities including a refreshing in-ground pool, a gym in each building with saunas, community rooms, tennis courts, and gated access.  What most condos don't offer, that Windward Towers does, are that most utilities are included in the condo fees.  Trash/sewer/water/cable.  It's an easy carefree lifestyle with expansive views and close to everything.  If you have clients looking for a mild climate, easier lifestyle, and the kinds of views and amendities Windward Towers has to offer - we're sure to have a unit available to suit their needs.

My team has been using Top Producer 8i for about a year now.  I found myself looking for several functions at one time, and after consulting with my freelance marketing specialist, we came to the conclusion that TopProducer would fit the bill.

For the ease of managing contacts, it's invaluable.   Customized mass mailings to my sphere list is so much easier than the traditional list management and merges.  Being able to set up customized templates with my logo makes a professional look.

I also use one of the Top Producer websites, which I've found to be SEO friendly in my opinion.  When putting listings in Top Pro 8i, I can just export them to my website so they're immediately on my site in a listing widget.

We're still learning new things about it.  Just recently incorporated the BLOG function of the product into my website.  Didn't even realize it was there ... time to start blogging more seriously now.

In the Hampton Roads area we have many military installations, and find ourselves with, on a regular basis, large numbers of military personnel and their families moving to the area.  With the first time homebuyers tax credit, whether folks are using their VA eligibility or not, The Harney Team is a team dedicated to guiding and helping our military families to make just the right decision regarding their choices in real estate.  If you know of someone in the military relocating to Hampton Roads area because their duty station is here, we can help them and provide helpful information and guidance, to make their move to the area as stress free as possible.  With the tax credit being extended to previous home-owners too, when you're chatting with your military clients selling in your marketing, know that you have a resource here for them to call and help them make good decisions.

The tax credits can help those having to relocate by hopefully taking away some of the financial stress related to their financial commitments and moving expenses.

We love the military in our area especially because they do so much to keep us safe! Our area called "Hampton Roads" has many bases in the cities of Newport News, Hampton, Poquoson, and Yorktown. They include Langley Air Force Base, Ft. Monroe & Ft. Eustis Army bases and Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. On the other side of the river, we also have the Norfolk Naval Base.

We love referrals and my team and I will be delighted to provide good service to any of your military clients relocating to this area. We promise to make their move as easy as possible and to keep you in the loop regarding their progress in finding the right home, getting settled, and feeling comfortable in a new area. Stay safe while traveling on the highways!

Seems like time goes by so quickly that staying focused is often a challenge, but definitely the way to go!

One thing that helps is to have your team or another associate remind you to do the "Big Rock" things first. What are they, you say? They are the things that make you accountable, make you a better person, make you a more effective Realtor, and make you more money, often in less time.

Review your goals and re-adjust as needed. This is a great time to review your data base and contact your past clients to see how they are doing, what their market questions may be or if they need any help. Set up a system to stay in touch more often. 

Our current market has "buyers remorse" even before they write a contract. Yet, this is a great time with more selection of homes available, sellers willing to reasonably negotiate, and low rates still available. The real "buyers remorse" may set in when the market accelerates along with rates going up also.

Stay in touch with the sellers also, they know the market may be off, but they just want to know you are still there for them. Remind them that people still are looking at their properties on the internet, if not in person...

Learning to blog was another thing I wanted to do, but this is very new and scary to someone like me who is not as comfortable with all the new ever changing tech world! Thanks for your patience and any tips will be greatly appreciated.      Cathie Harney   (Southern Virginia)

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