Obama’s Mortgage Plan Divides, But Can it Conquer? - 03/30/12 09:56 AM
Read more on Mortgage
President Obama recently introduced a mortgage refinance plan in an attempt to shake things loose in a housing market showing signs of recovery. But as is typical with politics these days, the only thing he shook up was rhetoric and posturing.
California Democratic Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren says some ideas are “quite good,” but “unfortunately a large portion of it would require legislation, and we have seen that the Republicans ... are unwilling to pass legislation.”
Countered California Republican Congressman John Campbell: “Like many things that are happening right now, particularly from the president, this is a campaign-oriented … (3 comments)

Rise Above the Competition by Standing Out From the Crowd - 03/28/12 09:01 AM
Read more on Business Strategy
Expecting buyers or sellers to use your services simply because you’re available won’t cut it these days. Real estate agents need to cultivate leads and be creative to attract new business. A little ray of hope and a slight nudge are incredibly powerful tools.
Say you have a buyer and have narrowed his or her neighborhood choices to a manageable size. As a way to drum up transactions, send postcards into the targeted area saying that you have a buyer who wants to purchase in the neighborhood. This could flesh out people with a desire to … (7 comments)

Reblog: The Best Real Estate Camera Package - 03/26/12 02:08 PM
Makes sense to me!
#1 - A Wide-Angle Zoom Lens
To capture an 8' x 10' second bedroom from inside the room, you need a wide angle lens of about 11mm. Being able to zoom in to 18-20mm gives you the flexibility to get just about any shot you need of the average home. This doesn't need to be the most expensive or exotic one on the market, but you want a trusted manufacturer. We recommend the Sigma 10-20mm Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon Cameras
Via Brett Monk (Real Estate Photography Class):
Many people ask us, "What's the best camera for real … (2 comments)

Skill Tops Luck When it Comes to Sales - 03/26/12 09:13 AM
Read more on Lead Conversion
You’ve probably heard someone say, “I’d rather be lucky than good.” Hopefully they were gambling at the time and not on a real estate call.
While you can make your own luck by being in the right place at the time, nothing replaces being good at your job. Your client pipeline and income is a direct result of your efforts in the field, so if you focus on attaining your goals by repeatedly putting your tested system to use, that vision is more likely to occur.
Florida agent Will Landay, said his office is getting “slammed” … (3 comments)

Importance of Prospecting - 03/23/12 08:46 AM
Read more on Prospecting
It’s tough to be positive when most headlines – no matter the medium – seem to focus on the negative. That sells newspapers and gets viewers to tune in, but negativity doesn’t sell houses. If you're like many people, however, you likely dwell on what isn't happening in your business rather than what could or should be happening.
Times are tough, no doubt about it. The good news, such as low interest rates, is offset by the bad, such as foreclosures and tougher lending standards. The business is out there; you just have to find it, … (3 comments)

Going the Extra Mile for Clients - 03/21/12 09:33 AM
Read more on Lead Conversion
Just like church and state, business and pleasure are supposed to be separate. But where’s the fun in that? In real estate, prospects can become clients and clients can become friends. It just takes a little time, practice and a caring personality.
With a background in NASCAR, Bryan Dunaway is used to working fast. So when he left the auto racing circuit a couple years ago to try his hand as a real estate agent, Dunaway wasn’t sure what to expect because of the economic slowdown.
“It was tough because we didn’t really have any prospects, … (4 comments)

Calls to Action - 03/19/12 09:59 AM
Read more on Calls to Action
Step right up and buy a house from me! If that’s your call to action, you might want to tone it down a bit. Somewhere between a carnival barker and a ho-hum shrug of the shoulders should do the trick. But setting the right tone can be tricky, which puts even more importance on your message.
Don’t succumb to the urge to over complicate things. The majority of visitors to real estate sites are looking for listings, featured properties, home evaluations, community information, details about the market and advice from a professional, which is you. … (0 comments)

Initial Contact Ideas and Tips - 03/16/12 12:55 PM
Read more on nurturing leads
Blueprints are nice as guidelines, but when you’re dealing with varied personalities and situations, best-laid plans must be adjusted on the fly. Such is the case with real estate agents when working with prospects or new clients. Like a pitcher in baseball, you might need to alter your pitches or delivery from time to time. Stick with the tried-and-true things that make you successful, such as an outgoing personality and knowledge of the market, and then adapt and fine tune those skills from transaction to transaction.
HouseHunt has many successful agents using its system. Here are … (0 comments)

Agents Can Take Their Job and Love It with a Positive Attitude - 03/14/12 09:27 AM
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People who don’t combine business with pleasure must not enjoy their jobs very much. And with the housing market continuing to tease with stories of hope and despair in the same week, it would be easy for real estate agents to go to work each day with a dark cloud hovering over their heads.
Most prospecting strategies focus on the pursuit of numbers and targets. That makes sense, to a point. But it also makes the job more clinical than it has to be. You can also generate business that attracts people to you. The focus … (3 comments)

Nurturing Leads (Perseverance) - 03/12/12 02:36 PM
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Getting a lead is the start of a process that hopefully leads to the buying or selling of a house. That’s the nutshell. The fact that the finish line could be a few weeks, months or years away makes the managing – or nurturing – of a lead a tough nut to crack.
Patience, persistence, strategies, compassion, repetition, experimentation, tweaking and targeting are just some of the things a good agent must do to keep a viable lead or prospect in the pipeline. Your efforts could pay off or they might be a waste of time. … (1 comments)

Client Relationships Are What Matter Most - 03/09/12 08:33 AM
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The Internet is making some jobs obsolete, and once upon a time (way back in the late 20th century) it was feared that real estate agents would be among the professions tossed to the side of the road. But a funny thing happened on the way to the scrap heap. Figures show that membership in the National Association of Realtors has increased from 716,000 in 1997 to more than 1 million in 2011.
One of the reasons people thought the Internet would negatively affect an agent’s job was because of all the housing information that would … (35 comments)

Reblog: Smooth Videos Without A Tripod On YouTube - 03/08/12 03:51 PM
I've been trying to figure out how I can help save time and effort for my agents when it comes to making a professional looking listing video on the go. I may have found the answer. You tube has a video editing tool that will stablize video made without a tri-pod.
 

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Karen Kruschka's Web Site

Via Karen Kruschka … (8 comments)

Making the Right Choices for Success - 03/07/12 12:21 PM
Read more on working relationships If students had an option on what type of test they’d like to take, multiple choice would likely be the popular request. After all, it gives you options. And if you’re not sure about the answer, you can at least make an educated guess.
But that’s fine for a test. Get the answer wrong and you get a check mark. But what about the choices that pop up in your life and business? Making the wrong choices there can be much more detrimental.
The choices you make as a Realtor are big factors when it comes … (3 comments)

How to Build Client Loyalty through Buyer Presentations by Mike Bearden - 03/05/12 10:10 AM
Read more on Buyer Presentations Are you ready for a pop quiz? Well, here it is anyway: As a Realtor, what are you selling? Houses, right? Wrong. What you’re really selling is yourself, and it’s important that potential clients know that.
“The buyer is buying the agent before he will ever buy the house. The buyer wants to know that the agent he is working with is knowledgeable, trustworthy, understands their wants and needs and will negotiate in the best interests of the buyer. By using a buyer presentation I was able to establish all of those items before ever taking … (3 comments)