Dee's Blog

MLM Epidemic Hits Real Estate Agents Hard!

Dee Nott — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:54:29 -0700

Ok so that is a pretty strong headline...but it is so true! The economic forecast is looking pretty bleek right now, people are nervous and the conditions are perfect for new MLM opportunities. That means huge numbers of people, who have little to no experience in MLM, are approaching family friends and eventually total strangers trying to rush to get them signed up so they can make what they think will be big money at the end of the month.

With the recent downturn in the real estate market these companies are now telling their reps to go after real estate agents and I personally have been approached so many times over the last 6 months that I'm afraid to answer the phone or go out of the house!

I am a big fan of the MLM concept and the leverage of time to make money. Agents need to be aware that it takes a lot of hard work and time to be truly successful with any of these opportunities. You will quickly run out of family and friends ( and may even loose some if you come at them with your opportunity over and over) and have to learn the fine art of attraction marketing ( more money to spend as there are a ton of mlm gurus out there ready to sell you a" great system") in order to become successful and make the money you can make if you take the time to do so.

But you are a real estate agent! Even if you are struggling right now you understand the time and effort it takes to build your business and know that you need to keep at it so you will be positioned for the next wave. It is not a new development, real estate had always had peaks and valleys. A distraction right now will throw you off your game and that is exactly what MLM opportunities will do.

You know that you need to leverage your time and that is just sound business!
You know that you are in real estate and you want focus on that and not have to get a part time job or invest time and money in a MLM opp.
You know that there just has to be some way to do both!

There is! ( you knew I was going say that!) Connect Realty has built a model that will not only help you take your real estate business to the next level with the tools and support that the average agent simply can not afford on their own, but they also offer a way to leverage your time to make more money with a 3 level residual income opportunity that is unparrelled in the industry. Now you can relax, grow your business and your team if you choose to do so. ( as a stand alone the real estate model offers you a better commission split, better tools and better support) You can build multiple streams of income and the payoff if much larger when you figure you will earn 4% override whenever somebody on you team closing a sale.

You don't have to chase down your family members and friends, you just introduce your fellow agents to a better company and if they see it too they will join ( just as thousands of agents are doing right now) and create something that will put you on track to financial freedom for you and your family!

The next time someone approaches you with their 'opportunity" you will be able to say No Thanks...I'm Good!

What Sellers Can Learn From eBay- Create a "HOT MARKET" for the home!

Dee Nott — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:26:45 -0700

In my last post I talked about the different options sellers have when it comes to marketing and selling their house. I'm introducing a way to do this faster by creating a buyer frenzy! Hard to believe that is possible? Not really when you look at what buyers want and focus on how you can market to them in a very creative way.

We talked about what it is that buyers want...no big mystery...they want a DEAL. Buying is an emotional exercise whether they choose to believe it or not. If it were not they would just find a house on line and order it like they do a pizza! They have to get into the house and make a connection. That is what you as a seller can create that for you house. This is psychology 101.

So What makes this system work, while nothing else will?

1. Buyers want a DEAL: Start low and Prices JUMP

2. Deadline To Buy: "Sold SUNDAY Night"

3. Gone Tomorrow; Give Buyers A Sense Of Urgency

4. Tone Of Offers; Create Buyer Frenzy -Price Climbs

I'm using the term "Auction" in general so this is not a traditional Auction that I am talking about...this is about creating Multiple Bids and selling to the highest bidder. Before we go into the differences let's look at why "Auctions" work.

Buyers Feel They Are Getting A "DEAL"

               *This one factor has made eBay the #1 auction company in the world!
               * eBay users sold over $60 Billion worth of merchandise on eBay in the final
               quarter of 2007.

What Sellers Can Learn From eBay- Create a "HOT MARKET" for the home!

If you position your home as a good "Deal" buyers will flood you with offers

Benefits of an "Auction" like sale

         $. Fast way to get a lot of buyer interest
                  $. Fastest way to sell your home at a fair price
                   $. Avoid drawn out showing and selling process

What an "Auction" Can Do For You That Nothing Else Can!- especially selling the traditional way

1. Attract 50 -200 buyers in 1 weekend!

2. Get you multiple offers in 1 weekend

3.Create a buyer frenzy.....................!

Differences between the Sold In A Week System and Traditional Auction

Regular Auction -VS- Sold in A Week System

Absolute - Sell WITHOUT Reserve Reserve- You don't sell below a fair
price you set

10% Buyer Premium-Buyer pays an additional No Buyer Premium- You attract more buyers!
10% at closing

Buyer MUST have $15k to $25k down payment No Large Down Payment- Regular Real Estate
down payment

Can't do Inspections- If you buy at a normal auction Allow Inspections - Give buyers 10 days for
you have to do all your inspections inspections.

Normal Real Estate Closing- Give buyers time
to get financing and close

Home Sells to Investors Wholesale Price -VS- Home Sells To Families Normal
Retail Price

If you are interested in finding out more about the Sold In A Week System give me a call 910-494-2480 or email DeeNott@Connectrealty.com Also check out www.soldinaweekhomesellingsystem.com

Can you start a bidding war for your house?

Dee Nott — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:44:00 -0700

Looking at the traditional method of selling a house it is no wonder the chances of selling are so low!
Tons of Competition-
In our MLS area since January 1 2009 to today their where 4878 homes listed and 2542 sold, just over half!
Few Buyer Showings-
Because there is nothing setting your home apart from other homes for sale. Few buyers come out and look at it.
Hard to get a lot of showing WITHOUT "Giving Your Home Away" -
to get a lot of buyer activity, you have to price your home 10% below market.

Here is a Market Pulse Report for Jan 09 to today:

Market Pulse Report
Activity Date:	New	BOM	Pend	Pend/CS	Expr	With	Sold	Avg Sold$	DOM	Median Sold$
Jan 2009	632	198	355	1	289	187	261	$63,115	87	$108,500
Feb 2009	633	167	364	0	185	183	302	$81,354	80	$122,250
Mar 2009	729	198	419	2	213	206	359	$77,422	85	$118,000
Apr 2009	756	179	459	8	174	161	357	$76,310	79	$120,000
May 2009	712	186	441	5	219	180	358	$77,320	76	$123,000
Jun 2009	456	116	283	6	112	121	264	$79,514	76	$127,125

8.9 months of Inventory equals tons of competition
"Give Your Home Away" To get any showings and to get buyer activity you have to price your home 10% below the market

What are the options for home sellers?

Hire a real estate agent sell the home

The standard agent will only net the home seller 77% "if" you are aggressively priced.

What Used to Work Isn't Working Anymore

There are about 20 lockboxes on that pole.
Each lock-box is a condo for sale. so you want 75% of

Fair Market value?

I use condo to punctuate my point...obviously on single family home those lock-boxes are spread out, but you get what I'm saying here!

What about those buyers? What do they want?

With all the media attention given to the foreclosure crisis, buyers are programed to look for a deal! They are looking at At Least 25-50 homes, before buying!

They make "low ball" offers and walk away if the seller makes a counter offer...let's face it they have options.

They back out of buying a home becasue they decided the home wasn't a good enough deal.

When Do Home Buyers Buy?

1. When they feel they are getting a Good "Deal"

2. When they have to, Job Transfer, etc

What Does EVERY Home Buyer Want?

SAD BUT TRUE - To Practically ROB A Home

The longer they wait the cheaper prices get
Trying to Gage the "Bottom of the Market"

So if your home does not sell what are your options?

Rent the property? This is just not something most people are prepared to do...it is just a huge headache to rent out a house as well as some other pitfalls that come with it.

Lose your Homestead Exemption ( taxes jump)
Your insurance would go up ( ave jump 25%
Capitol Gains double in 2010, lose tax savings

Does it make sense to become a landlord?

Late night toilet runs, broken hot water heaters
An average of $5,000 is spent every year fixing up the home whenever a renter moves out.
You would have to repair anything the tenant broke.

The Best Option for a Home Seller

Reduce the 6% real estate commission

Sell your home in ONE WEEK ( or less) & Beat out other sellers!

Use our Sold In A Week Method to create a Buyer Frenzy and Tons of offers!

In my next blog will outline this system and show you how to sell your home in less than a week and save tons of money by doing some very simple things. In the meantime feel free to check out www.MyHomeSoldInAWeekSystem.com for more information!

You can always call to find out the details and set up a no obligation appointment to check out my system and see if you can benefit from using this to sell your house and move on!

Real Estate Franchise...$4

Dee Nott — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:41:39 -0700

Anyone looking at buying a real estate franchise should take a look at this blog by Mike Terry of Connect Realty. It is amazing to know that there is an opportunity for any agent out there to make even more money by investing $4.00 ( Connect Realty's first ever promotion now until July 4th 2009) and a small monthly $29.99 or once a year $299 fee to build an organization of amazing agents without having the cost associated with owning, running and maintaining an expensive and ultimately obsolete franchise. Check it out!

Via Mike Terry (Connect Realty):

Real Estate Franchise...$4

Have you ever dreamed of owning your own franchise? We all have. Buying a franchise would give you the opportunity to leverage your money. This allows you to make money from someone else's efforts. We all wish our fathers bought that McDonalds franchise in the 1960's.

Have you ever checked out the cost of a real estate franchise? According to entrepreneur.com your start up cost can be between $10K and $500K. This cost factor makes it almost impossible for most agents to make this type of move.

This means that most real estate brokers will always trade time for money. Sounds like an employee to me. Work, get paid, and repeat. Work, get paid, and repeat. Work, get paid, and repeat. Is this a familiar picture?

Now there is an opportunity of a life time. Connect Realty's business model allows its agents to get paid from the efforts of others. Pretty much, it's the sharing of the wealth attitude of the Connect management that creates that feeling of owning a franchise.

How does this work?

Real Estate Commission for Connect Realty agent

$10,000 Gross commission

$ 8,000 Agent Mary's portion (80%, no roll backs)

$     400 to Agent John who recruited Agent Mary

$     400 to Agent Susan who recruited Agent John

$     400 to Agent Sally who recruited Agent Susan

$ 9,200 paid out, an amazing 92% of gross commission

For some people they would not get excited from getting $400 from a $10,000 commission even if they did not have to do anything to create it. For some people they can't get excited paying a teenager $8 an hour to make $.99 hamburgers. Its leverage when you have multiple transactions that makes the difference. Let's look.

Joanne's Real Estate Franchise

Joanne sponsors 12 agents'                                                           12 agents

The 12 agents then each sponsor 8 agents'                                     96 agents

The 8 agents then each sponsor 4 agents'                                     384 agents

                                                                                                492 agents

In this example Joanne has recruited 12 agents and she will receive 4% of the gross commission from 492 agents. The national average is 6 closings each, so that would be over 2900 closings Joanne did not close but got paid for. Joanne sponsored 12 agents but gets paid for 480 other agents that she did not recruit and may not even know. You want to talk about leverage? Check out Connect's calculator for sponsor revenue http://vo.connectrealty.com/calc.html this way you use your own numbers.

What about the $4? In celebration of the 4^th of July Connect Realty's sign up fee of $199 has been reduced to $4. The opportunity of a life time and the cost is only $4.

With McDonalds, they pay a lot of teenagers to make $.99 hamburgers. They have now sold billions or even trillions of hamburgers. It now costs millions of dollars to open a McDonalds. Only the ability to leverage makes this a solid business venture where you invest millions of dollars to sell $.99 hamburgers.

If you would like to become your own franchise and leverage the work of others so you can make money even when you don't have a closing then here is your opportunity. Or you can work, get paid and repeat.

Mike Terry
Connect Realty
Business: 704-361-7027
Fax:        704-542-5259
MikeTerry.Connect@gmail.com

What would Sam Walton think?

Dee Nott — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:20:00 -0700

This is an outstanding post by my good friend in Charlotte Mike Terry! Does your company meet this criteria?

Via Mike Terry (Connect Realty):

Harvey Mackay, the best selling author, was talking about Sam Walton's rules for success in his weekly column this week. There are 10 rules for running a successful business according to Mr. Walton. Please understand that even in this economy Wal-mart is not only making money but prospering.

If you were to apply these rules to real estate firms how would they stack up? Not knowing everyone's business model I thought I would compare the new firm that I have joined and see how it ranks with these rules.

If Sam Walton were checking out Connect Realty.com to find out how they worked under his 10 rules he would find:



•1)      Commit to your business. Believe in it more than anyone else does. Connect Realty was founded by Jim and Rod Canion in 2007. They created a business model that works in the ‘Google Age', not the same old way of running a real estate firm. Please note that Rod Canion was one of the founders of Compact Computer, the business to reach $1 billion in sales the fastest. As I see firms shrinking or leaving the market place it is good to know that the company that I am with is already profitable. They have the knowledge of how to run a successful company and have transferred that into the real estate industry.

•2)    Share profits with your employees. If you treat them as partners they will treat you as a partner, and together you will perform beyond your wildest dreams. Connect Realty agents (who have historically sold at least 5 transactions) make 80% of the gross commission they earn. There are no roll backs or tricks. Even more important Connect Realty has created in their business model the opportunity for its agents to make money even when they don't sell real estate. If a Connect agent sponsors another agent into the company they receive 4% of the gross commission earned. This is paid out at 3 levels. That means that Connect Realty pays out 80 +4 +4 +4 or 92% of the gross commission. Pretty good, huh Mr. Walton.



•3)    Motivate your partners. Money and ownership are not enough. Set high goals, encourage competition and keep score. Connect Realty creates accountability better between their agents in an agent network. Let's face it, when agents from across the nation merge and spur each other on with weekly conference calls and webinars it is much more effective than the ‘Broker' standing at the front of the conference room telling how he did real estate 20 years ago. The competition is with agents from across the nation who help you get better.



•4)    Communicate everything you possibly can to your employees. The more they know the more they understand. Connect Realty is an agent up company not a management own company. Connect Realty prides itself with a line of communication with their agents on a weekly basis. This interchange of ideas from the corporate office with their agents helps Connect to reflect on the reality of the market place. Connect realizes that its agents are their biggest asset, and they could leave at any time.



•5)    Appreciate everything your employees do for the business. The Connect business model has made all of our agents owners of not only their own business but a piece of the overall company without buying a franchise or investing any real money. Many of the agents have expanded their business beyond state lines. Now that's great appreciation, right Mr. Walton.



•6)    Celebrate your successes. Find some humor in your failures. Don't take yourself so seriously. With Connect's agents being connected (I couldn't help it) and their success having a direct impact on you and others there is a level of communication that is far greater here. This allows the agents around you to share in your success help you through failures and prove to you that practicing real estate is not doing ‘heart surgery'.



•7)    Listen to everyone in your company, and figure out ways to make them talk. Connect speaks to all parts of the country to maintain a pulse of what their agents are doing and need. The business model keeps a line of communication with all levels, because no matter what there is always at least 1 other agent (your sponsor) excited about what you want and your needs.



•8)    Exceed your customer's expectations. With Connect the agent is the customer. They are not an employee and should not be treated (or mistreated) as one. Connect gives all their agents 1) Web page 2) Realtor.com Showcase membership 3) IDX feed 4) Recruiting site 5) Sales training on line 24/7 6) Virtual Office 7) Transaction Management 8) email hosting and support 9)Unlimited virtual tours. That should pass any agent's expectations.



•9)    Control your expenses better than your competition. Connect Realty agents pay $29.95 per month. There is no annual fee. In a time where real estate firms are trying to find ways to get more money out of their agents, Connect Realty is giving a technology platform with a value of $300/month and the agents pay $29.95 a month, that's controlling expenses, wouldn't you say Mr. Walton?



•10   Swim upstream. If everyone else is doing it one way, there is a good chance you can find your niche by going in the opposite direction. While new real estate firms are adding new office space and more overhead Connect Realty has only the corporate office to pay for. Most agents (not just Connect's agents, all agents) work from home, their clients never set foot in the office and many times neither do the agents. Connect is about technology and how it can help agents be better agents. With over 85% of all real estate starting on the internet it only makes sense to invest where the biggest return comes from. In Connect Realty you have a company that is a virtual office but you are not alone, you still have the team to help you out. As Connect goes upstream I am sure that other companies will follow but until they make the agent a bigger part of their business model, we may have this niche. I think we really made a good impression, right Mr. Walton?



If Connect Realty can open their doors at the time when real estate is having one of its worst times in US history and thrive, just think of how well it will do when the market comes back.

Interviewing your next listing agent.

Dee Nott — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:43:33 -0700

Ok spring is here and we are starting to see the Fayetteville NC market move! YAAA that is the good news! The bad (and I plan to turn this into a positive for those of you reading this) there are a ton of homes on the market that have been on the market for quite some time.

If you are getting ready to put your home on the market here are my suggestions as to what steps you should take right now. I'm going on the assumption that you will enlist the services of a professional REALTOR. Statistics are in your favor when you do for a faster sale and higher sales price. ( yes you can net more with an agent even paying a commission.) I won't go into that here but I do have more information about how you reduce your risks (and there are a lot) when you use a professional.

Your Realtor is an important part of the process so make sure you take your time and do your research here. I suggest you write down some questions and interview several. Google the agent to see if they have a true internet presence, and by that I mean how they are marketing their listings, how they are attracting buyers. Just having a website is not enough. Are they truly adding value by syndicating their listings to show up on all the major sites, do they use lots of picture and descriptions to make the listings "sticky" and compel buyers to take action? Are they taking listings that have no chance of selling because they are priced too high or in poor condition? Why is that important? A serious agent will take their fiduciary obligations to their client very seriously. If they are not going to be straight with their client by telling them the dangers of overpricing and marketing a home that will not compete in the market they are in my opinion doing a disservice to both themselves and the their clients.

Do they have a marketing plan, in writing? You need to know what it is they will be market your house and why! Make no mistake; the commission is not earned until the house is closed. The agent will be "fronting" the money to market the home and if they are going to just "wing" it and do the very minimal amount you will lose valuable time and money. An experienced agent does not "wing it" They are invested in the sale of your home and have a clear plan to accomplish that. Get the marketing plan prior to the appointment and read over it carefully. If there is something you think they should be doing that is not on the plan you will want to ask them about it in the interview. Most agents have long since moved on from what used to work, things like open houses that are pretty much a thing of the past unless it is new construction.

Another trait you should look for is an agent who has all the information about your area in the way of stats on what is selling and what's not. Absorption rates, Days on Market, odds of homes selling etc. Don't limit your competition to just the immediate area, buyers have access to every home on the market. The agent should be able to provide you with information about where buyers are buying and how to prepare your home to compete with them.

What extra services does the agent provide? Do they use a professional photographer? Home Stager? Do they have a good list of service providers such as contractors, homes inspectors, lenders and other professionals that are at the ready. Do they utilize social networking sites and use tools like video and virtual tours to market your home to a larger audience?

What skills do they bring to the table? Marketing your home is only a small part of the equation. Once your home is under contract this is where the agent really earns their commission. There are a number of details and dates to keep up with. They need to be able to communicate will with the buyers agent, the buyers lender, and have the experience to anticipate any problems and proactively deal with them before they blow up a deal. If they are bragging about how they are a hard-ass (sorry but that is the only word that I can think of!) they may not be well liked by other agents and if that happens other agents will do anything to avoid being in a cross sale with them. This will hurt the seller in the long run. A balance can be achieved with an agent with good social skills, they will know how to represent and protect their client's interest while achieving a smooth transaction.

Communication is key...will they list your home and disappear when things do go they way they should? You should ask how they will be communicating with you and how often. Sometimes just making a weekly "date" prior to the sale will be enough for you.

If the agent is not living up to what you agree upon will you be able to get out of the listing agreement? What are the penalties if you do back out? Do they offer an easy exit listing agreement?

Should you go with a brand name company or use a single agent? I'll say this about that! Every agent no matter what company they are with are independent contractors. They are their own company within their company. If they are using that company as the reason you should work with them ask them what it is that their company provides that makes that so. Ultimately the agent is the focus of your interview. Just because they work for a "top firm" does not instantly mean they have the experience to get the job done.

I could go on here because there is more to listing a home then putting a sign in the yard and a picture on the local MLS. Do your research and get your questions together make your appointments. Take your time, ask a lot of questions. You will be working with this agent for awhile and need to feel confident that you made the right choice.

Can You Stand More Twitter Sites?

Dee Nott — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:01:45 -0700

If you google twitter you will certainly see why so many agents on Active Rain are posting about it! Twitter has become an integral part of my online experience. Heck if major news media is using it to communicate and interact with their viewers we can certainly figure out how to harness the power in our business.

So this is just another list of great sites and tools to help you understand and utilize Twitter to it's full potential! Don't dismiss Twitter as just another frivolous social networking site. Our goal is not just to join Social networks and tell people that we just brushed our teeth! Join three or four and work towards the goal of overlapping these networks. By that mean if someone is following you on twitter, facebook and myspace ...that is where the power is! You should add value to these people and share what they add to the game. Don't just be part of the noise out there...rise above with relevance!

A lot of them, such as Ping.fm and Tweetdeck, are probably familiar to most of us. Others, like TwitHire and Twubble, not so much. This is by no means a definitive list, but I think it'll serve us as real estate bloggers, Internet marketers, entrepreneurs, and social media junkies well. I found this list on a blog post so I can't take credit for doing the leg work! deontee.com is the source for these but after tweaking a few on the list I think it is a darn good one!

I have no doubt that there are new sites being added everyday and love to hear about new ones so just add to the list and pass it along! Oh, and follow me here: @deenott

Contact Management

TweetBeep- Google Alerts meets Twitter. Great service that notifies you whenever your name (or any other word you specify) is mentioned. Use it to catch @replies that might have been missed, for reputation management, or customer support (you'd be surprised how many people vent their frustrations on Twitter).
GroupTweet - Great tool to use if you want to send public tweets simultaneously but only to a select group of people. For instance: sending notifications to your web development team or special updates to members of your family.
DoesFollow? - Find out if who if the person you're following is following you back.
FriendOrFollow - Gives you breakdown of a) those you follow who do the same, and b) a list of those you don't follow but follow you.
Twubble- Want to find more Twitter peeps to follow? Twubble is a sweet site that searches through your "friend graph" to get an idea of your current social network. It then returns a visual list of those who you might consider following based on that information.
Tweet2Tweet - Allows you to view a conversation in a much easier fashion.

Twitter for Bloggers
Twitter Tools- This plugin allows you to "pull in" your tweets to your blog. It can also updates Twitter whenever you make a new blog post. (note: you might have to scroll below the fold to find the plugin on the site)
Twitter for Wordpress- Simple plugin that also "pulls in" your tweets using a sidebar widget. Very easy to use; in fact, this is what I'm currently using on www.deontee.com.

Search and Directories
Twitter Search(formerly Summize) - Hands down, one of the best tool for finding Twitter conversations and conducting niche/keyword research.
Twitscoop - Real-time current events for Twitter. Use it to research the latest trends and to find out what's the hottest buzz... Also has a nifty tag cloud feature that's quite useful.
Twellow- A great Twitter directory... Fantastic way to connect with others in you niche and industry. Also links to other social networking profiles such as Facebook and LinkedIn. P.S. Don't forget to add your profile as well.
Just Tweet It - Another cool directory. This one allows you to be notified of new additions to your particular niche/industry category. Great for connecting with like-minded individuals.
Twitterholic- Showcases the top 100 Twitter users. Test out your reverse engineering skills by following with these Twitter rockstars and find out what they're doing to gain followers and increase their visibility.
Twollo.com-which is an application that helps twitteres never miss out on a conversation. Twitterers tell us what they are interested in and we find users who are talking about your interests and auto subscribe a user

Time Savers, To-Do's, and Productivity
Tweet Later - An essential service for many Twitter users. This site is all about automation. With Tweet Later, you can automatically 1) send ‘thank you' and welcome messages to new followers, 2) "return-follow" your new followers and 3) schedule tweets to be delivered at a specified time in the future.
Remember the Milk - The popular task management service now has Twitter integration to let you manage and create tasks right from Twitter. Notification and task reminders can also be setup to be delivered.
TwitterCal- If Google is your calendar of choice, take a look at this site which lets you add entries just by sending tweets.
iTwitter- An application that integrates with your iGoogle homepage.

Desktop Software/Clients
Tweetdeck - An absolutely fantastic Twitter client. This Adobe Air application integrates with your desktop and gives you a enormously wide range of features and controls to extend and enhance your Twitter experience. You can sort your tweets into replies, groups, keywords, topic, etc. Other features include multiple columns, overnight updates while you sleep (or bar hop), and tweet filters.
Twhirl- Another great Twitter client. Features include the ability to cross post (to sites like Jaiku and Pownce), a built-in URL shortener, and the ability to connect to other services such as Seesmic and Friend Feed.

Status Updaters
Ping.fm- Update Twitter and a plethora of social networking sites such as Myspace, Facebook, and Pownce at the same time... Wonderful time saver!
Hellotxt - Another good status updater for your social networking.

Creative Uses, Interactivity
TwitPic - Easily post your photos and share them on Twitter.
TwitSay - Record a 10 second voice message and share it with your Twitter peeps. Use it as a quick and creative way to engage your followers, especially when you can't text or don't have access to a computer.
Twitter Keys- Have you ever seen icons and shapes in someone's tweets? You might've even sent some yourself. Well, this cool site provides you with a bookmarklet that you can drag to your bookmarks toolbar. Click it to reveal a nifty, little popup with plenty of characters and icons you can use to spice up your tweets and make them stand out.
TwittyTunes- If you're using the FoxyTunes plugin for Firefox, you can use TwittyTunes to easily tweet about the song you're jamming to online. You can also share the sites you're viewing, and videos you're watching.
TwitHire - A free job listing board. Employers can promote their employment opportunities to social savvy job seekers... One of the most unique uses of Twitter I've seen.
Straw Poll - Need to get feedback? Create a poll and solicit responses just by tweeting... Cool interface, too!

URL Shorteners
Snip URL - As I'm sure you know, Twitter doesn't lend itself well to the long-winded. With only 140 characters at your disposal, shortening long website addresses is a must. Snip URL is one of the best in the game, in my opinion. You can create an account, easily share your links, and even view unique clicks (something many similar sites don't offer).
TinyURL- One of the most popular URL shorteners around. Also has a bookmarklet you can drag to your bookmarks toolbar... Allows you to create shortened URLs with a single click.
is.gd- With only four letters (and a dot), is.gd is great for URL shortening.
Tiny.cc _ allows you to track the stats to see how many people actually click on your links!

Account Management and Notifiers
TweetTake - Backup your followers, favorites, or just your entire Twitter account. Why? Remember the Twitter crash of Black Thursday (back in July 2008 when scores of users lost followers overnight)? I rest my case.
Twitterless- Service that sends you a DM (direct message) when you lose a follower.
Qwitter- Another services that sends you a notification when someone stops following you. This one sends you an email instead of a DM. Caveat: I think the jury is still out on these services. There might be legitimate reasons someone stops following you (e.g. they're "following" you more on Pownce or Facebook). Or, there might not be a reason at all. However, this service mightbe good to use if you've been losing followers and want to find out why. Perhaps, you're adding more noise than value. Maybe you tweet entirely too much. Regardless, use at your own discretion. Personally, I wouldn't recommend confronting the person who un-followed you. Use this tool for research, not battle. (Make love, not war.)

Stats, Metrics, and Tracking
TweetBurner- Another essential service to add to your Twitter toolbox. This service lets you track the links that you share on Twitter... Also acts as a URL shortener.
Grader for Twitter - A tool that grades your relative reach and influence on Twitter. It also suggests a few people you should follow based on your profile.
Twitter Counter- Simple to use site (just plug in your Twitter name) and get stats that span a week. Use it to chart your progress in acquiring followers. Also offer a chicklet counter that can be added to your website or blog.
TweetStats - Add this stats tool to the essentials pile. This site offers detailed stats of your tweets, who you sent them to the most and when you usually sent them... Very nice breakdown of data.
twInfluence - Great tool for measuring the reach of your account and your entire network... Measures metrics like your "velocity" and "social capital."
Hashtags - A service that lets you tag your posts as a way to group and organize them with others.
TwitterTise - Brand advertising meets Twitter... Track your links and measure their effectiveness.

Mobile
Twittelator- Twitter for your iPhone... Comes with a massive and very impressive feature list.
TwitterBerry- Crackberry users rejoice! The latest version boasts new features and a larger cache.

Honorable Mentions
Twitter Digest- A site that helps you read your Twitter updates in a more manageable fashion. You can view the tweets in a "digest" format in either a Web page or RSS feed.
Twittad - Monetize your Twitter account by selling your background space. The idea is interesting, but I'm not sure how much it'll catch on (or even if it should). Regardless, it's definitely something worth checking out.
TwitterIM- IM junkies can send tweets using their Windows Live chat client.
CurseBird - A hilarious site that culls the profanity laced tweets together and displays them in a real-time feed. Great for a quick laugh - especially when a sports team is playing. Ah, the things that piss people off.
Twitturly- Think Digg meets Twitter. Twitturly is a site that acts as a real-time link tracker. A great way to find out what's the latest buzz on Twitter. As of now, a lot of the entries appear to be links pointing to the same few topics, but as Twitter grows, I believe the usefulness of Twitturly will too. Regardless, there are still some gems to be found. A site worth checking out, in my opinion.

Why entire brokerages are moving to Connect Realty

Dee Nott — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 06:58:33 -0700

I've talked to several smaller brokerages who are struggling to keep their agents on and door open. I understand their frustration and let's face it blow to the old ego when they can't stay afloat. Nobody wants to admit when that things don't go the way you had hoped.

It's great to be on your own and do things the way you want to do them, but the cost of doing business in this economy is just too high for many to achieve that alone.

But there are companies that are moving their whole company over to Connect Realty and saving face by doing it! They now can present to their agents a better compensation plan, industry leading tools and bringing them a way to retire! They have happy agents who are sharing with other agents and growing teams without the headaches, expense and more importantly it's viral and once they get started it just takes off!

What happens when their agents have a vested interests in the growth of the company and their team is a beautiful thing indeed. Agents don't jump ship looking for a company that will magically make them successful. Connect is loaded with the tools they need to make them successful ( we are serious about real estate) the agents are listened to by the company and rewarded for introducing and signing up agents for their teams.

So what can you offer your agents by moving to Connect Realty? I thought you would never ask!!!

Commissions paid when you did not make the sell, YOU get paid when you sponsor agents and they make a sell. I sponsor Jack and he gets a $6000 commission I get a $240 sponsor fee.

Lower overhead:
Agent Website

• Agent Office & TMS

• IDX Feeds

• E-mail, Hosting & Support

• REALTOR.com® Showcase membership

• Virtual Home Tour, unlimited

• Marketing & Development, Complete online sales training

• Transaction Point

All of this and only $29.95 per month, that's all it is.

These are things you will not find at Connect Realty.com

NO TRANSACTION FEES

NO FRANCHISE FEES

NO ROYALTY FEES

NO ASSOCIATE FEES

NO ROLLBACKS

NO ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS

NO DESK FEES

NO BRICK AND MORTAR

So...think about the possibilities and then give me a call to ask me about what Connect Realty can do for you!

Staging Gives Your House Wings!

Dee Nott — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:22:25 -0700

I'm loving this group! I've pretty much started my real estate career as a buyers agent as most do, but I soon realized that I missed being creative as I came off a 20 year Visual Merchandising career because of an accident.

When I heard about Home Staging a year into my RE biz I immediately signed up for a Home Staging class ( via Stagedhomes.com) and got to work on obtaining listings...the nastier the better! lol

I'm fueled when I walk into a listing appointment and the house is cluttered and walls are a deep maroon!!!

One of my first listing was a hard sell for the staging part until I took the sellers to some of the surrounding homes that where for sale at the time. Some nice some not so nice. What happened was they started to put on their Buyers Eyes and got it! They would need to do some work to put their home into market ready condition. Homes in the area where taking 60+ days to sell! They needed to sell fast. The seller really surprised me when I presented the staging plan and even went above and beyond what I asked of them. The moral of the story is...they sold the home in 11 days not 60+ and those other homes stayed on the market a heck of a lot longer and some sold for substantially less than orig asking price...we got full price!

Here is what we where up against here is the result

Peeking at the Competition when Selling your House

Dee Nott — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:02:19 -0700

If you are planning on selling your home it is a good idea to get real clear on what you are up against. By that I mean who is your competition. If you think it is just the other homes in your neighborhood you might be surprised to hear what I'm about to say.

Now those other homes in you neighborhood are important, but that is just one place to look for your competition. Buyers have tremendous power now that they can search for homes on the Internet. And being that over 80% start their search online they are looking at a ton of homes that are similar in price and size, so you need to know what they are looking at so you can do your HOMEWORK to make your house shine!

How do you do that? I suggest getting online right along with the buyers and run a search in the price range you feel you would list your home for. You can narrow down the search by looking at homes that are similar in style and age.

One of the first things I do when I list a home is to take the sellers out on a little house previewing tour so they can actually see first hand what those other sellers have or have not done to prepare their homes for the market. The seller is now looking at homes through the buyers eyes and can get a real feel for how a buyer might look at things. Using that information we will go back and take another look at their home and come up with our plan to stage and do any repairs that are needed to to make their home very appealing to a buyer.

The next step is to look at how they will position the home on the market to sell in the time frame they need to sell. By that I mean how will they price the home to come up in the searches we need it to come up in and stand out as the best value. Remember earlier when I said buyers are looking in other areas and will choose a home that stands out in price, condition and location. So if they see your home and like your area but also see another similar home in another area they like your home better be priced better, look better even smell better ( ya...I said it) You never know what is going to push that buyer to make a choice.

It is not easy to step out of your Home and view it as a product, but just keep in mind that you are not alone out there. Not every house that goes on the market sells. if it where easy there wouldn't be over 3000 homes for sale in my immediate market right now.

Check out your competition and start putting your plan together!

Why I got "Connected"

Dee Nott — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:46:21 -0800

You are reading this...good...listen up. What I'm about to say is going to change your life. Ok well maybe not...that was just good marketing. But I will tell you that Connect Realty is changing my life..and for the better. This is one time that whole "if it's too good to be true" adage just doesn't apply. More about that later...

Right now I want to tell you about my first deal I closed with Connect Realty!

I have just closed my first transaction with Connect Realty today. Now, I was the buyers agent and did all this without a fancy office! ( and the fancy office fee that goes with it) The on-line transaction management made this a breeze! I just uploaded my docs to the system and presto chango..they magically appeared. From there I was able to email them to my client right from the site! I don't have to keep a file cabinet full of files that I would have to dig through if I needed to look something up. Once I uploaded everything and sent it to the state broker for his approval he sent the closing attorney the instructions to wire the commission and the money will just show up in my account. ( don't ask for a loan...it's already spent)

I'll tell you all about the cool listing tools soon.. I have a listing just about ready to go. Can't wait to use my free Realtor.com showcase listing. Too many other listing tools to mention right before dinner time!

Our Latest Staging Project

Dee Nott — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:37:16 -0800

Our latest staging project just completed on one of our Hoke County listings! I took a peek at the competition as I always do just to see what we where up against and as usual the most people do to prepare their homes is run the vacuum ( if they even do that!) That's ok with me! My clients understand I have a firm policy in place to stage my listings or forget about it! From the outside in they must be willing to get that house in Market Ready Condition! Good lord you will detail the heck out of a car before you sell it...why not your largest investment...your house!

Not yet on the market...still have a few more things to do...but preview 118 Winterfield Drive at

http://118winterfielddrive.weebly.com/

UPDATE HOUSE UNDER CONTRACT ..LISTED ON A FRIDAY 1ST SHOWING CANCELED SECOND WROTE CONTRACT...ACCEPTED CONTRACT BY THE NEXT SUNDAY. THAT'S LESS THAN A WEEK IN MY BOOK!

New Construction....too many Chiefs

Dee Nott — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 08:11:14 -0700

As a newer agent ( 2 Years In) I've had to learn a lot of hard lessons. This is how we learn after all. When dealing with new construction there are a lot of people involved in the process and it can easily get out of hand. So this is where the hard lesson comes in! Making sure the client knows only to deal with their agent will make things sooo much easier. Clients that go out to visit the jobe site to check on the progress, often run in to Billy Bob the site foreman who tells them about how things are going and when he "thinks" the house will be done. Or he may make comments that causes alarm in the clients eyes. They are coming back to me telling me what the builder says or worse yet...they are not letting me know and are making plans based on those conversations.

Too many people giving different information causes a lot of problems and ultimately messes up the timing of the closing. This sucks up a lot of the Agents time.

What is the fix...put everything in writing. Call logs, who said what to whom and when. email all correspondence and save to a file, make a follow up phone call to all those being emailed. We should already have a buyers package ready for our buyers, but make sure the information about new construction is very detailed. letting the buyer understand that all communication should go through their agent and not to rely on Billy Bob at the site.

This is a bit of a reaction to a recent new construction deal. Up until now I have had very few issues. I know I feel better now!

I welcome any advice on this subject!