real estate: Why Did You Become a Real Estate Agent? - 06/10/15 06:16 AM
There are many reasons why people become real estate agents. However, everyone has their own specific reason for going into the real estate business. Perhaps someone in your family was a real estate agent. Maybe you just wanted to make lots of money, and you felt that selling homes would lead you to this. Or you might believe in the common good that helping someone find a home to call their own does. Whatever the reason, it is yours, and I would like to share with you my specific reasons for becoming a real estate agent.
How Real Estate Started for Me
For … (4 comments)

real estate: Unique Broker Previews - 02/12/15 06:36 AM
We all have lots of opinions on how to hold open houses. I found this funny clip from I Love You, Man. Maybe you haven’t seen it:
 

 
Obviously it’s a rare day when an open house is that colorful! This brings me to my next question: How many of you take the time to really make your open house stand out?
 
Better yet, what do you do to draw agents into your broker preview?
 
Back in the day, (I’m not going to date myself here…) I remember a menu being dropped off of what food … (8 comments)

real estate: Can You Ever Be Too Safe Selling Real Estate? - 10/02/14 09:06 AM
In response to recent events, we are all looking for ways to be as safety conscious as possible when selling real estate. Any compromise of an agent’s protection can shake up the entire community. It is sad that we live in a day and age where you have to be so untrusting.
 
The Overwhelming Problem
One of my Agents in North Carolina did some research and found out that 200 Realtors have been murdered in the last 20 years. That was shocking to me! We all need to be more careful and put preventative systems in place.
We are in … (2 comments)

real estate: Invest Wisely to Get a Good Return - 12/07/12 01:25 AM
Analyzing your ROI with the tools you have in place is a must for any real estate agent who invests back into his or her business. There are several things to keep in mind when forming a plan and following its effectiveness.
 
If lead generation is the top priority, be sure all communication gives prospects an opportunity to respond. That means promotional materials and listing pages should provide a call to action and include multiple ways to get back to you. That’s important because it gives every prospect a chance to reply no matter their preferred method.
Continue Reading on … (2 comments)

real estate: Wrap Up the Year with Profitable Planning - 11/20/12 01:17 AM
 
Tis the season for debate on whether putting a house on the market is a good move or not. While it’s true that the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is stressful and busy regarding holiday functions, the same can’t be said for real estate agents who wonder what to do during this traditionally slow time for selling.
 
What to do? Glad you asked.
 
 
 
 
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real estate: Don't be Shy on Social Networks - 11/15/12 12:28 AM
 
There were 300,000 tweets a minute during the recent election’s peak hours, which shows the power and scope of social media. Even President Barack Obama’s first message to the public after learning of his re-election was on Twitter to his 23 million followers. We mere mortals can’t possibly attract that much attention, but using every device at our fingertips to generate leads is something all agents should be doing. Concentrating on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedInis a good start, so here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to optimizing your profile on those sites.
 
 
 
… (1 comments)

real estate: Surviving the Changing Consumer Climate - 10/05/12 10:12 AM
Twenty years ago, homebuyers sought our help for information on prices, neighborhoods, schools, ordinances, market conditions, inspections, lenders and other items. Today they are seeking the same thing, but the delivery system is vastly different. In the past, they called or had to come to our office; today the majority of people want to get their information online.
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real estate: How to Create Compelling Content Marketing - 09/17/12 10:03 AM
A new buzzword among agents is content marketing, which basically means creating and distributing materials that will get you noticed. The goal is to attract, acquire, engage and drive consumers to your website, office and in the front door of a new home … with you holding the keys, of course.
Think of traditional marketing as talking at people and content marketing as talking with them. If you treat it like a conversation, your potential clients will be more engaged and, once a relationship is built, you can subtly start the process of working with them.
The goals of … (2 comments)

real estate: Please Prospects with A Site Done Right - 08/29/12 04:13 AM
One of the major changes in real estate in the past few years is how consumers acquire information. Before the Internet started having a major impact on our business and personal lives, someone looking for a house had to pick up the phone and call us. Gotcha!
Today most consumers can – and prefer to – get their information online. So it’s up to us to make sure they get it and know that we’re the person to contact when they’re ready to buy. A recent Webinar discussed this topic. Here are some tips:

Effective tools for marketing on … (2 comments)

real estate: Why You Should Embrace A Mixed Marketing Strategy - 08/24/12 01:52 AM

Old-school networking involves meeting and greeting, attending civic events, phone calls, doing lunch, joining organizations, volunteering and, in general, shaking hands and kissing babies.
Social networking is electronically showcasing your brand, promoting your skills, advertising events and open houses, broadening your reach, driving traffic to your websites and allowing prospects and clients to easily discover you and offer instant feedback.
So what works best?





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real estate: 8 (More) Cool Apps for Real Estate Agents - 08/15/12 04:54 AM
There are apps available that produce farting noises or make it look like you’re drinking a beer. Those might be fun to break out at a frat party but not so cool to show prospects or clients. There are a lot of intriguing and inane technological options these days but lets focus on the former since we’re all responsible adults, right?
As real estate professionals we need to be mobile and accessible, which is where the following apps can be useful. Some are free and some have a fee. We’ll leave it up to you to decide which might or … (2 comments)

real estate: Set the Stage for Sharp Listing Photos - 08/08/12 08:42 AM

Selling our services to clients and selling their houses to buyers are two different skill sets. After we’ve promoted ourselves it’s time to entice the shoppers. So, how do we go about that?
A recent webinar touched on that topic with exposure, photos, open houses and staging being the main strategies. However, the lion’s share of the discussion focused on the visual side of things, with photos and virtual tours touted as the most important ways to get the house noticed and sold. The moderator even said virtual tours are starting to replace open houses, but I think buyers … (3 comments)

real estate: July’s New Home Construction Building a Good Foundation - 07/31/12 01:23 AM

A foundation is being built for the housing recovery as 2012 makes the turn toward the backstretch of a year many see as the start of something good, or at least a lot better than the previous five or six years. That foundation, appropriately enough, is coming from homebuilder confidence. A report from the National Association of Home Builders in July showed the largest one-month gain since September 2002 in the newly built single-family home market. Gains were shown in homebuilder confidence over rising sales conditions, prospects for future sales and traffic of prospective buyers.

“This is greater … (0 comments)

real estate: Do Something Extra - 07/27/12 07:35 AM

The best things in life are free. Or so I’ve heard. The past few years we’ve all probably felt like we worked for nothing because of the economic downturn. But if you’re handed lemons, you might as well make lemonade, and sometimes gestures big and small can make the difference in whether or not we attract clients or seal the deals.
Reports from HouseHunt agents and real estate tracking agencies are showing an uptick in activity in 2012, so more people are getting off the sidelines and entering the market. Are you prepared to do all you can – … (2 comments)

real estate: Are You an Eeyore or a Tigger? - 07/16/12 02:11 AM
Dead men tell no tales but they can provide inspiration long after they’re gone. Such is the case with Dr. Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh who died four years ago this month. But the message he delivered after being given a terminal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer 11 months before he died lives on thanks to videos and a book he co-authored on achieving dreams.
One such message came on “Oprah” during his final months. Paush, whose inspirational spirit became public after he delivered “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” made it clear to … (2 comments)

real estate: The Key to Keywords: Chasing Tails in Search Engines - 07/11/12 02:19 AM

It’s always been important to say and do the right things in life and business but even more so today with all of the communication devices available. In order to get noticed online you have to be searched out, and the best way to get people searching for you and your real estate business is to use the right keywords.
I recently listened to a webinar on that topic that broke it down into two components – short tail and long tail searches. Both have benefits and disadvantages depending on your goals and where prospective buyers are in the process, … (4 comments)

real estate: Survey Says... - 07/09/12 07:25 AM

Pictured right: Emerson Hall at Harvard University When it came to colleges, Harvard wasn’t on my list. It had something to do with brains and finances and the like. But I am smart enough to know that when the Ivy League school publishes something or has its name attached to a report it’s worthy of a look.
The school’s State of the Nation housing report for 2012 caught my eye, and it’s got some interesting reflections and projections regarding our business. And since it is 42 pages long, here’s a Cliffs Notes version of some highlights:
After several false starts, there … (2 comments)

real estate: Realtors vs. Lawyers, Politicians and Bankers - 06/01/12 01:40 AM

If you ever feel down, disrespected or underappreciated because of your profession, look on the bright side – at least you’re not a lawyer, business executive, labor union leader, stockbroker, car salesman or an advertising practitioner.
Those professions, and a few others, all ranked below real estate professionals when it comes to the public’s perceptions of honesty and ethics, according to a recent Gallup poll. Real estate professionals received their highest rating since Gallup began measuring Americans’ perceptions of those work-related qualities in 1976. Of the 21 professions in the poll, real estate professionals finished 12th, so you’re in the … (4 comments)

real estate: Ready or Not, Bidding is Back - 05/29/12 01:54 AM

Signs point to the housing market heating up enough this summer where buyers might get caught in a bidding war on a house they’re looking at. Yes, the phrase “seller’s market” is creeping back into the real estate vocabulary so if you haven’t dealt with multiple offers for a while it’s a good idea to dust off your skills again.
The National Association of Realtors lists Seattle, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and Southern California’s Orange County as places where tight housing inventories are leading to “multiple biddings and escalating price conditions.” A survey of HouseHunt agents echoes that and also includes … (2 comments)

real estate: Your Web Presence Should Be a Site to See - 05/23/12 04:27 AM

Image is everything. Or so it’s been said. Your appearance during client meetings is obviously important, but have you given much thought to how your website looks? It’s pretty important as well because a sharp, clearly defined, informative and easy to utilize online presence can get you noticed and contacts. Whether you’re able to set a site up a site yourself or have an expert do it for you, there are a few basic things to keep in mind, with content, design, search boxes, market updates, contact information and a little personality at the top of the list.
Continue Reading … (1 comments)