Real estate broker and retired real estate attorney Chuck Marunde has written a new book which has just been released. The title of the book is, The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents. This is a 2nd edition and almost a new book compared to the 1st edition. The 2nd edition doubles the size of the book and includes very practical, but still largely unknown, tips on marketing real estate and connecting with buyers. The purpose of the book is to help real estate agents all over the country make the transition from the traditional brokerage to the New World of Marketing. All agents will have to figure out how to bridge the gap, or they will go out of business. Consumers have moved on, but many agents and brokers around the country have not. As a real estate broker, I've had to learn how to bridge the gap from the old to the new, and for years I've tracked what successful agents are doing around the country. I've also tracked the broker bankruptcies, mergers, and consolidations.
Real Estate Broker Discusses the Brokerage of the Future
The book reviews traditional real estate brokerage and how consumer demand and preferences have changed and how technology has changed the entire real estate industry. In the context of a major real estate recession, the book's marketing concepts are cutting edge concepts and frankly way out ahead of the traditional brokers we all have known so well for decades. Many brokerages are still operating with a 20-year old business model and still primarily using the same marketing and sales techniques. But times have changed, and what used to work to sell a home and to connect with buyers does not work so well anymore. There are entirely new technologies, new methods, new business models, and a new generation of buyers who have moved into the future already.
Real Estate Broker Training Realtors
Traditional brokerage has relied heavily on print advertising, flyers, open houses, and even billboards, not to mention huge luxurious bricks-and-mortar offices, and this has been true for three decades. Agents today who practice under a traditional business model are still using many outdated methods. This is not about the character or integrity of agents. It is about the dramatic changes taking place in the industry and how agents can and must bridge the gap from the old to the new.
Real Estate Broker Speaks to Sellers
As a real estate broker I wish that I could sit down with every homeowner who wants to sell their home and every homeowner who has been unable to sell their home. Of course, that is impossible. I do not do mass mailings to reach all of these people, and I do not cold call expired listings. I also do not run expensive print ads in the newspaper. All that is very expensive and not very effective. But guess who is doing their due diligence on the Internet when it comes to real estate? Buyers! Buyers are doing extensive Internet research, but the vast majority of sellers are not.
The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents, 2nd Edition, has been endorsed by big names in the industry, including Tom Hopkins, who is known by almost every Realtor in the country as a top trainer, motivator and author.
“With more and more people depending upon social media and the Internet for information, that’s where today’s real estate agent must be in order to gain new clients. Chuck Marunde’s book is well written and provides great information. Agents who want to be in the right place at the right time for the future need to read this book.” Tom Hopkins
The book has also been endorsed by well known national trainer and author Don Hobbs, and by a broker who has sold over half a billion dollars in real estate, Beau Weidman. Don't buy the first edition which is still in Amazon.com, because the 2nd Edition will replace the 1st Edition entirely is available right now exclusively through this link below.
How does the assessed tax value and the sales price of homes compare compare? This is a question I get from clients moving to my local market, and because it’s different around the country, clients ask me if the county assessed tax value of the home they might buy is the same as fair market value or the price at which homes actually sell. In other words, would an independent bank appraisal be the same as the County tax assessment? If you are going to make an offer on a home (or write an offer for a client), wouldn’t you like to know if the assessed tax value is a good indicator of the true FMV? Clients are willing to pay a reasonable price, but they don’t want to over pay for a home in this market.
Buyers of real estate today are taking their searches and their methods to entirely new levels, thanks to the Internet. Buyers want access to instant information that is free, and they do not want the kind of uncomfortable confrontation that occurs when they have to pick up the phone and call a salesman.
I believe there are two powerful reasons for this change. First, the Internet has given consumers the ability to search the multiple listing service in their target markets at no cost anytime of the day or night. When I first started in real estate before the Internet, I had an MLS book that was published every Friday with all the listings in it. People had to actually come into the office and sit down with me while we thumbed through this two-inch thick book. Now, buyers can jump on the Internet from the comfort of their homes and search the MLS without even talking to a real estate agent. They like that.
Second, there is a cultural shift occurring that is fueled by consumers. Technology has facilitated consumers' desires to move away from traditional high pressure sales and from traditional advertising. Buyers do not like being force fed news and advertising without choice. They don't like being told what to do. Consumers want to have the power to decide what they look for, who they talk to (or don't talk to), and who they do business with. And they want to be able to come and go as they gather information without being hindered. The advent of the Internet and the explosive growth of technology on the Internet to facilitate consumers is a Godsend for the majority of Americans.
Even the news that consumers are reading is part of this cultural change. They are shifting from print newspapers to the Internet at the speed of light, and they are loving the fact that they get to choose what news to read. A fascinating study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism examined what news consumers are reading when they have a choice:
The question of whether citizens define the news differently than professionals is becoming increasingly relevant. It started with offering visitors a sense of what others found interesting: what news stories were most emailed and most viewed?
Soon, establishment news sites like CBSNews.com allowed users to make their own newscasts. Then, names like Digg, Reddit and Del.icio.us emerged as virtual town squares that became a way to measure the pulse of what the web community finds most newsworthy, most captivating, or just amusing. The trend continues, as even Myspace, the social networking site popular among 20-somethings, has launched a news page (http://news.myspace.com).
Some key findings include:
The news agenda of the three user-sites that week was markedly different from that of the mainstream press. Many of the stories users selected did not appear anywhere among the top stories in the mainstream media coverage studied. And there was often little in the way of follow-up. Most stories on the user-news sites appeared only once, never to be repeated again in the week we studied.
The sources user news sites draw on are strikingly different from the mainstream media. Seven in ten stories on the user sites come either from blogs or Web sites such as YouTube and WebMd that do not focus mostly on news.
The three user news sites differed from one another in subtle ways. Reddit was the most likely to focus on political events from Washington, such as coverage of Vice President Cheney; Digg was particularly focused on the release of Apple's new iPhone; Del.icio.us had the most fragmented mix of stories and the least overlap with the News Index.
On Yahoo Newseven when picking from a limited list of stories Yahoo editors had already pared down users top stories only rarely matched those of the news professionals.
Consumers are taking control of what and how they gather information. That is true with the news and the advertising they choose to read, or ignore, and it is true today about how they search for and buy real estate.
Home buyers can search a beautiful map based multiple listing service (see example of an MLS search that is easy to navigate and graphically pleasing), they can search the locale of interest with a Google search to find for-sale-by-owners, to find an exclusive buyer's agent, to read local real estate blogs, and view photos of the area. They can do all of this from the comfort of their home without talking to a single salesman.
The vast majority of buyers are not using real estate portals either. Buyers are no longer pulled by the big names of real estate companies branded on billboards or on TV commercials. The dominant branding of big names that was such a major factor in the 60's, 70's, and 80's has faded just as the Internet has grown. Consumer loyalty is no longer to the "branded companies." Consumers are loyal to themselves, and that is the way it should be. Technology has finally given the consumer what they have always wanted--the power to choose. They choose the information they view, how and when they view it, and they choose what to do with that information without interference from anyone.
I remember saying to myself, "A virtual office could never take the place of a real office." What a surprise it was for me when I first "walked into" a virtual office. After a one hour meeting in a virtual office, I felt exactly as I did when I attended a physical office meeting. Let me explain that, because if you haven't experienced a fully immersed virtual office (not a Webinar or GoToMeeting or a chat session), you might not understand what it is like.
When I first entered a virtual office, I walked into the big conference room by using my mouse and walking forward, and it looked just like a theater with a stage and a podium and seating. One of the participants looked at me as I walked in and greeted me and introduced me to a friend just like we would in a physical office. We chatted for a minute, took our virtual seats, and then the meeting got started. I sipped on a gourmet cup of Starbucks Espresso at my computer. The speaker was at the podium and shared a slide presentation while he talked, and we were able to ask questions during the presentation. All of this was live and virtual. Later that day I realized that I experienced the same feelings as when I attended a physical office meeting of that nature. I learned what I wanted to know. I had great personal conversations with friends, made a new friend, and emotionally I experienced the same feelings. It was a real awakening for me. The virtual office is extraordinarily efficient and as personally satisfying as a physical office meeting. The difference was that I didn't have to drive for three hours one way to attend the meeting.
The reality is most agents have an office at home already. A computer with an Internet connection, a printer and scanner, and you've got an office. It's as simple as that. The argument is often made that some agents don't have the discipline to work at home. Okay, but it's not that hard to learn.
The virtual office is not just the office of the future, it is the office of today, and agents who are early adopters are getting on board. Many are earning 70% to 100% of their income through leads generated with powerful Internet marketing systems. I can tell you that building a successful virtual business is very satisfying, just as if I had built a physical business down the street.
Why are we moving toward virtual offices from the traditional bricks-and-mortar? Because that's what clients want and demand. Because they are using the Internet to find their homes and their buyers' representatives. Because buyers want free information and they want it available 24/7 any day of the week. Because buyers want powerful online services and do not want high pressure sales or cold calls anymore. Because buyers are the consumers who determine what the demand is, and real estate agents and brokers must respond to the demand or buyers will go elsewhere.
Notice that it isn't the real estate industry that has decided to move the office from the bricks-and-mortar to virtual reality. It certainly isn't real estate brokers or agents who initiated this paradigm. It is consumers, particularly buyers who have made this happen.
This is nothing more than the American free enterprise system. Supply and demand. It's Adam Smith and Milton Friedman. Suppliers respond to demanders, not the other way around. Buyers want to be in control of their buying decisions and the entire process. Internet technologies have given consumers what they want--the power to be in control. The virtual office is a huge benefit to consumers and to real estate agents.
This has been a preview of my all new updated and expanded 2nd edition to The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents, which will be out in a few weeks. If you'd like to receive an email notifying you when it is available in the iBookStore as an eBook, email me.
By the way, if you would like a personal tour of the eXp Virtual office, let me know, and I'd be glad to show you around. Make sure you have a cup of coffee in your hand, because this is going to feel very real.
There's a new Sequim Real Estate eBook out and available as a download, Buying and Selling Real Estate in the Rain Shadow of Sequim, in an eBook format for the iPad and other eBook readers using the ePub format. The book looks beautiful on an iPad. The fonts are easily changed on an iPad, and the size of the fonts can be increased or decreased. This technology is great, and the eBook includes color photos.
Sequim Real Estate eBook for iPad
This eBook is not quite 300 pages (depending on the size of the font you use), but it does includes relevant links to hundreds of articles, videos, and audios, as well as tools to learn all about Sequim real estate. This is a great tool for buyers who want to avoid traps for the unwary and who want to find the perfect home and negotiate the best possible price. While this eBook is written with Sequim, Washington in mind, buyers all over the U.S. will find the practical tips and insider secrets that 30 year veteran real estate attorney and real estate broker Chuck Marunde shares.
Sequim Real Estate eBook for eBook Readers
The purpose of this Sequim real estate eBook is to give buyers the knowledge they need to make the best buying decisions for their Sequim home.
I openly share what you might think of as "insider secrets," because I want my buyers to have the advantage. You can download this Sequim real estate eBook right now.
Sequim WA is absolutely beautiful and sunny today. Summer is finally here! Everything is blooming, the grass is growing fast and green, and the fresh smells of flowers and rich vegetation is everywhere.
But if you're a motorcycle rider, you will be in Heaven on the Olympic Peninsula. Our curvy two lane shoreline and high bluff roads are a motorcycle driver's dream.
La Push Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on the Olympic Peninsula. For those fans of the movie Twilight, you'll recognize La Push Beach as one of the scenes in the teenage vampire love story.
La Push is about a hour and a half drive from Sequim, but what a great way to spend a weekend afternoon on a sunny day. I took my 14 year old daughter and two of her friends and we picnicked on the beach and explored all afternoon. I highly recommend this trip.
I just wrote a new book entitled, The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents, Early Adopters: The New Millionaires. It sells on Amazon for $14.95, but I'd like to have some fun and see if we can make it go viral by offering it as a download right here on ActiveRain at no cost: http://sequim-real-estate-blog.com/book/temp/newworld.pdf
The Seattle RE BarCamp is the best of the best when it comes to technology and Internet marketing in the real estate industry. This one day training camp is very popular, and is coming up March 3rd, 2011 under the shadow of the Seattle Space Needle. I expect at least 600 real estate agents, mortgage reps, title and escrow reps, and social media marketing attendees at the 4th annual Seattle RE BarCamp.
Topics will likely include the latest in Internet marketing techniques, search engine optimization, effective blogging, social media and the new wave of virtual networking, video production and marketing with green screen techniques (to be taught by yours truly), cloud software, the latest in CRM, modern advertising v. traditional advertising, paradigm shifting real estate brokerage concepts, dramatic changes in the mortgage industry, and much more.
This year's Seattle RE BarCamp will have what we are calling "newbie sessions," in which a facilitator will share fundamentals and get right to the point for those who want to cut to the chase to make money in their business in this competitive environment. Many who attend this BarCamp are the top producers in their specialites. These are the movers and shakers, the people who are ahead of the crowd.
That makes the open discussions even more valuable. Imagine, for example, what it would be like if you could hire the top producing Realtors in the Northwest, to share their most successful techniques with you, openly and honestly! Imagine if you could talk to the agents who were having great success with blogging, with video marketing, and agents who are using social media to generate millions of dollars in business! That's what Seattle RE BarCamp is all about. Sharing, encouraging, inspiring, and collaborating. In the end, we come and share because we realize we aren't competitors--we're friends on the same pilgrimage.
I believe we must re-invent ourselves and take advantage of new technologies, or we will find our businesses drying up and we'll be left behind. If you're not inspired after attending this BarCamp, check your pulse. You do not want to be like so many in the real estate industry who have not kept up with the extraordinary changes that have been taking place. They are the walking dead, but like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense, they just don't know they're dead.
This year a new book has been published by a local author that is a perfect fit for the Seattle RE BarCamp. It is entitled, The New World of Marketing for Real Estate Agents, Early Adopters: The New Millionaires. It has been my pleasure to write and publish this book, and the first 200 BarCamp attendees to register for their copy online will be able to pick up the paperback version at BarCamp at no cost. Reserve Your Copy Online Now.
Dale Kreiser, Washington State Broker for eXp Realty, wrote the Forward, and here's an inspiring quote:
"Since attending my first RE BarCamp in San Diego in 2009 with the likes of Tom Ferry and Stefan Swanepoel, I was hooked. The free flow of information and collaboration with other top agents and brokers is priceless. I am very excited about seeing all my RE friends at this year’s Seattle RE BarCamp. . . . RE BarCamp participants are diverse, although there are specific interests that bring them together. Using the Internet and new technologies is always a huge theme and business is a major theme, but BarCampers bring many passions, including art, design, hobbies, engineering, environmental responsibility, and social responsibility. All participants will find there is much to learn and teach at BarCamp. In the broadest sense, anyone who builds or uses the Internet is a part of the culture that drives BarCamp."
Don't miss this year's Seattle RE BarCamp. You will be thankful you attended. Register online now for the Seattle RE BarCamp.
I would encourage everyone to spread the word about the Seattle RE BarCamp by copying this post and re-posting it. You have Chuck Marunde's permission to do so, provided you copy the full article and all the links within the article, including this sentence so others can spread the good news. See you at BarCamp!
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.
When I first entered a virtual office, I walked into the big conference room by using my mouse and walking forward, and it looked just like a theater with a stage and a podium and seating. One of the participants looked at me as I walked in and greeted me and introduced me to a friend just like we would in a physical office. We chatted for a minute, took our virtual seats, and then the meeting got started. I sipped on a gourmet cup of Starbucks Espresso at my computer. The speaker was at the podium and shared a slide presentation while he talked, and we were able to ask questions during the presentation. All of this was live and virtual. Later that day I realized that I experienced the same feelings as when I attended a physical office meeting of that nature. I learned what I wanted to know. I had great personal conversations with friends, made a new friend, and emotionally I experienced the same feelings. It was a real awakening for me. The virtual office is extraordinarily efficient and as personally satisfying as a physical office meeting. The difference was that I didn't have to drive for three hours one way to attend the meeting.
Why are we moving toward virtual offices from the traditional bricks-and-mortar? Because that's what clients want and demand. Because they are using the Internet to find their homes and their buyers' representatives. Because buyers want free information and they want it available 24/7 any day of the week. Because buyers want powerful online services and do not want high pressure sales or cold calls anymore. Because buyers are the consumers who determine what the demand is, and real estate agents and brokers must respond to the demand or buyers will go elsewhere.
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