Call Nashville Home

Google Analytics Active Rain Solution

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:27:55 -0500

Google Analytics has a new option for adding statistics to your site and I have it working on my Active Rain account. When you are on the final page, or you are editing your analytics in case you have already tried it out. There is a tab at the top of the "code" section that says New Tracking Code (ga.js). Copy paste that code into your "My Settings" Blog Description section and you should see results in the next 24 hours. If anyone had any issues please report them here so we can try and solve them together! Yeah!

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

A good Real Estate Agent will show you the house of your dreams; A great Real Estate Agent will make sure you move in.

Just Keep Listing...Just Keep Listing...Just Keep Listing - Dori, Finding Nemo
Well she would have said that if she were a Realtor®.

Google Analytics & Active Rain Analytics

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:49:28 -0600

I may be obsessive but where are my statistics? I tried installing analytics into my AR BLOG and it just doesn't work, if anyone has gotten it to successfully work please let me know. I am obsessed with my analytics and I use them to determine where my time and money is best spent. I spent the last day pouring over all of my analytics which I do once a month and learned all kinds of things, like what pages I totally wasted my money last month and pages that I thought should never get hits skyrockted. Since my analytics is also tied into my click throughs and adsense it shows me where I am doing a good jog and where I am remiss. I don't think I need to tell you all of this you already know.

So if I can not use Google Analytics on AR then is AR providing similiar analytics that I can use? Anyone know of anything? Anyone want to start a petition to get AR to fix the google analytics problem, tell us how to fix it, or provide their own? Who's with me, someone grab some torches I'll get the pitch forks. No Earl that is a shovel...

How are you hosting your images you place in your BLOG? Do you host them on your own web server or does AR have an area where you can upload images?

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Going Green? What about living off the grid?

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:33:31 -0600

Everyone these days are talking about Going Green, which I am completely supportive of, there are even classes in my market center about Green Living and Green Building. I subscribe to Green Living Magazine. I went to a Rain Barrel workshop and support local CSAs and on and on and on. So we are all doing our part. It is like Earth Day from the 90's on crack.

What about just totally going off the grid? I checked today and there are 15 million results when you do a search on Google for, off the grid. Some of those sites are way out there for me, but some are not so. It no longer brings up the images of desparate uni-bombers looking for attention, it brings up images of peace loving hippies aging and tired of living the life of insanity we have all come to know and love. So what do you think do you think you could live off the grid? According to one of the sites perused this morning 250k new people a year move off the grid and most of those people provide the utility companies with green clean renewable forms of energy through wind turbines and water sheds. That trend according to a different website is increasing at a dramatic rate. I would put those sites here, and I do feel I am being remiss for not doing so, but honestly I have read so many today that I cannot find the site where I read the statistics. My apologies to those sites and all the hard work they put into them.

The reason I bring all of this up is that I had a client walk in my office today and tell me they want to purchase farm land, 30 acres, outside of the city county restrictions and want to build there own renewable resource home and live completely off the grid. In TN there is still plenty of land like that. I was so fascinated by them I started reading. Who knows maybe next year I will be Blogging with my laptop running off my own windmill.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Sheer Panic in the Office

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:12:10 -0600

I have witnessed sheer panic the last two days in the market center where my office is located. The network went down and there is hair all over the floor. The "tech guy" in the office just left, I don't know if he will ever come back. The technician from the hosting provider just peeled out of the driveway he muttered something about having to fix the problem from his office, I think he was just scared. 76 frothing Realtors where about to take his head off. Still no network. Me I am saved because I have an AirCard. :)

Do you have a backup plan?

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Sharing Office Space

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:01:37 -0600

For the first time in four years I am sharing an office space. I recently moved my license to a Keller Williams office closer to home, so also had to move my office. Which is not the first time nor have I had an office with KW for four years. I moved to a smaller branch and I like it alot over here. I am not sure about sharing the office though. It might be a good thing for me though, maybe then I will stop talking to myself. :)

What about you do you share an office? If so how is that working out for you? When and where do you do lead generation? If not, would you rather share an office with someone? What if they were the top producer in your office?

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Your Website?

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:30:35 -0600

O.K. Everyone's website has the big three: CMA, MLS, Contact Information. Ok so the Big Two and a call to action and some way for them to contact you. Since everybody has that and most people have neighborhood information, schools, local contact numbers, and pretty much everything you have in your out-of-town buyers packet. What are you doing to stand out from everyone else?

For my part, in my family we have decided to home school our children for two reasons. We control what we teach and it doesn't cost us an arm and a leg. I would rather send my children to boot camp than public schools, and private schools aren't much better they just cost more. So what I am doing, and what occurred to me last night as an Aha! moment is I am adding home schooling information to my website as a resource. It seems that the groups we belong to need to know the state laws on home schooling, what groups are available, etc... So I have that as part of a future niche since I am trying to source all of my materials at the moment.

I am looking for more ideas to stand out on my website. We have cross marketing, we have created a brand image, we are getting a lot of hits, but very few lead conversions. It is almost like I need teaser text or to give away a door prize to the millionth visitor. Any thoughts?

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Any Mensan Realtors Out There

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:19:45 -0600

I just wanted to put a call out to any Mensan Realtors who may be about. Speak up be heard. I would love to chat. I am the Local Member Coordinator for the Middle Tennessee Chapter, and would like to hear from other Mensan Realtors who may be about and how their careers and lives have been impacted by being a Mensan, or is it just another networking group or a forum for intellectual stimulus. What SIGs are you apart of? Have you ever been to an AG? RG? Hell FG?

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

The Worst Businessman in the World

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:58:39 -0600

I just had to post about this, I think I must be either the worst or the top 100,000 businessman in the world. I have had two client interviews today for my technology company. One of them was a fellow Realtor and another was just a guy wanting to be a millionaire doing something he loved. So I have a couple of documents and a price sheet that I give to people who are prospective clients and I have lost more clients because of that document than anything else and they love me for it.

My Realtor friend that wanted a website and then 9 more websites came to me today and said Chris I need this done now. So out come my documents, and I knew she was coming so I went and did some research and found her an alternative company to use. So I go through my presentation and we discuss everything and at the end of I say, well Friend of Mine, what do you think, and I get the blank stare. Then I say that is what I thought which is why I found someone else who is better going to fit your needs at 1/16 of my costs. Yeah I have a friend for life, and I am out $3500, plus referral business, plus maintenance and hosting, which all in all equates to about $10,000 a year.

My client this morning, I had to practice tough love, and I basically told him that it would be better to keep his hobby as a hobby than try to run it as an internet business. I would have made a lot more money, but he would have been bankrupt in a year and I would not have been happy about it.

So why do I sabotage myself, I guess you could call altruism, but it is mostly because it will never be a Win-Win situation. I will make a little money they will spend time spinning their wheels and every month that they have to write me a check they resent me a little more, and really if you can't create a Win-Win situation for everyone neither of you are going to prosper. Which ties nicely into the customer service side of being a Realtor. Always create a Win-Win even if it costs you the instant gratification of a paycheck, it will be alot better for you in the long run.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

RE Training & Scripts Call To Action

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:03:45 -0600

Do you use your scripts? Do you have any? What about all of the training your company provides do you use that> For my part I want to use the scripts but have not spent enough time role-playing or practicing them for them to naturally flow from my brain and not sound Scripted, which is by far the worst thing you can sound like. I spoke with my mentor the other day and he told me to practice my scripts and then he told me to pick one of two things from the MREA book to focus on this year. If you do not have the MREA book and you want to know what it is e-mail me and I will be glad to tell you all about it, since I have read 3 times already and am working on a 4th time. I am also working on a review of the book on my personal BLOG but it is not ready yet, its way toooooo long.

The other activity I get exposed to is training and I have done a lot of training, I have trained so much I took a time blocking class so I can manage my training. It is all good stuff though and I love it so much that I have offered to teach the classes myself, since you retain 95% of what you teach. Do you find training to be a hindrance or a benefit? This week I would say I took a little too much training. I feel like I must be going on vacation on Monday because I have been working like a fiend all day today. I am not going on vacation on Monday, but I did have to categorize my to-do lists into sub-categories so I could accomplish something this week. :)

Some of the classes and training power sessions I have been involved with lately have been a little repetitive, and I have heard the same things repeated over and over again in the same way. It is almost like when you were in grade school and you learned math, then the next year you spent half the year learning only the stuff you covered the year before and so forth. So I have heard about my sphere of influence a dozen times this week, and 8x8, touch 12, touch 33 ad nauseum.

Having said that, that is what I love about the business of Real Estate. What other business can you start where the franchise fees are so small? They give you model to follow, plenty of support people to help you learn and prosper, train the 'ell out of you, and then help you through the day-to-day details. My tech company I have spent the last 15 years with and just now have a business model that is expanding mostly based on the business practices I am learning while developing my real estate business.

I know you missed me, so I will try to post more often, especially since my training classes are winding down. I will put up a post about it soon but feel free to check out our new market site. Call Bellevue Home If you are in the Nashville, TN market it will make a lot more sense to you, but hey it is a global presence you never know who is wanting to relocate. ;)

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Sellers Need Caffeine

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:15:47 -0600

I don't know about you but after that venti six-shot white chocolate mocha made with soy, you know the $8 cup, of coffee I get in the morning while I am lead generating in my local coffee house just has me pinging off the walls. I feel like I have more energy than the sun and am burning twice as hot ready to go!!!

So off I go..I go to my appointments and then I go preview houses in my target market. Lots of houses, I am really trying to get to know my inventory. I also show a lot of houses in the same area. Then as I look at house after house, and I see that as is monnicker like a badge at the end of every other listing I realize the sub-prime practices are only part of the problem. Sellers have gotten lazy. It was so easy to sell a house in the past few years that they still feel they can put a house on the market with crushed beer cans in the closet and stained furniture in the middle of the floor. I saw one where they left the dog in all day and the dog was definitely in all day. The house wreaked and I actually had a client, who like myself is allergic to dogs, and there was no mention of a dog in the listing or when I called the showing service. We left without previewing the house at the client's request, quickly.

Some of these are extreme examples of course, I have only run into one dog. Others are simple things like the client is still living there and they don't feel the need to straighten up before they leave so the house can be shown. Others are more blatant with the laissez-faire attitude of I have a house and it will sell for what I want it to sell for regardless of the as is statement. There is a house just down the street from where I live and it is painted neo-goth, lots of blacks and reds everywhere. One room as, cheaply, nailed up tin on the door with a black room and red trim, and black lights in the ceiling fan, with its custom paint job. The house is listed at premium price for the neighborhood and it has been on the market a little over six months. I know the guy that owns the house from the neighborhood, a decent guy, and he asked me why I thought his house wasn't selling and I told him, I am not his agent so I could be politely blunt , and his only response was well maybe I should drop the house by $2500 and offer a paiting allowance. I gave him a courtesy nod and knew he would never get it.

The random house or two will always be extreme examples, but I haven't walked into a nicely staged home under $300k in so long I have to wonder if it isn't more the sellers that are causing the issues than the mortgage industry. It is just time to step up the game a little, which is why I am including home staging tips, design consultants (with a good rate), and the top ten things I can do to help my home sell quickly list in all of my listing packets and presentations.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Social "Networking" Online and Off

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 08:52:58 -0600

Social Networking it is what you do every day, it is what you do offline and online. Social Networking is not a new thing but it is a new buzz word around the net. So what should we think about it? I am mentally preparing to teach a class on networking via the internet and what sites you should be active on and what sites you should just have a profile page on, kind of a placeholder that just feeds your other sites.

How is Social Networking on the web any different than in person? Other than the obvious face-to-face communication not much. You still join groups and organizations, you talk to people you tell them a little bit about yourself and what you do and then you hold meaningful conversations with them at either random or planned intervals. Online you join groups or organizations, you put up a profile page, you introduce yourself, you post BLOG entries and comments, you post on message boards, you meet at certain times for online webinars. Barring the face-to-face networking online can be just as effective as networking offline. It requires the same demands but less driving and gas money.

Another advantage for the more seasoned agents is that it shows you are with the times, you are hip to the scene, you can e-mail, you know what a blog is you have a MySpace page and you have watched videos on YouTube. I was reading an article last night that discussed in great detail how Generation Y would rather do business through e-mail and websites than get in their car and drive down the street, they would rather order groceries from Amazon and have them delivered to their house rather than pop into the local mega-mart. I have been working with a client recently that has been actively looking for a house for 9 months and they have never left the house, I spent time showing them three houses last week and had a contract by the end of the day, and that is not to my credit but the credit of my social networking sites which is how they found me, my website which is where they did their home searches, and my e-mail since I only spoke with them on the phone once before meeting them in person. It most definitely is a fascinating time we live in, I can't wait to see what the next fews years will hold.

Since this began with thoughts about the upcoming tech/social networking class I am planning I will finish it that way by listing all of the Social Networking sites I use to get my connection points out there. Please if you have any others that I don't have listed and found that they work for you add comments so everyone can use the information,

Active Rain
Plaxo
FaceBook
MySpace
LinkedIn
Blogger
Google

I know you may be thinking; Why Google? Google allows me to create widgets and rss feeds that people can use on their iGoogle page or their Yahoo! page etc. This allows me to deliver my content, profile, thoughts of the day, featured listings, etc in a manner that is updated all the time and always available to them without having to always be at their personal computer. Plus I use just about every other tool Google offers to track metrics on all of my social networking sites, except Active Rain since it doesn't work some reason.

I really would like any input you can provide that will make my Social Networking component of my web tech class the best it can be, so please don't hesitate to comment because all information it good information. Thanks!!!

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

8am - 10pm A Showing Marathon

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 17:29:07 -0600

I had the most wonderful adventure yesterday. I had the opportunity to show 37 houses to a lone couple and I had a blast doing it. It always makes my job better when I have a fun couple to show listings to. Fortunately for us most of the homes were within the same new construction subdivisions. I did make them stop and let me buy them lunch though. When I got home and logged my mileage we had driven a total of 276 miles that day, of course 90 of those miles were getting to and from the actual location and another 30 was to the office to meet them. So I guess it was only a 156 miles of actual showing.

I returned home last night tired a little cranky and ready to soak my feet and I thought to myself I really love my job, that I have been on sunny beach vacations and had worse days than I did today. Is there anything better, job wise, in the whole universe than being a Real Estate Agent? I get to meet hillarious exciting people on the journey to one of the biggest decisions in their life time, help them through the stress of the process with laughter and assure them no matter what happens in the future I will be right there to help them sell this house and buy another. :) The couple I was out with yesterday has already referred a listing and a buyer to me, and my have another listing.

Of course, there are always clients that get under our skin and make our lives miserable, but it is never really that miserable how could it be with the job that we do. Have a great and prosperous new year, buy, list, and sell real estate till your hearts content and laugh every day. :)

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Home Buyer's Book

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:39:37 -0600

What do you use for a Home Buyer's Book? Feel like sharing? My wife and I have been reworking our book this past week and have found that we actually have several "Packets" we use. We have one for out-of-state/way out-of-town buyers, one for buyers with children, one for buyers without children, one for different areas of town because the contact numbers are different for emergency services, utilities etc... We even have buyers books for people with pets. We have even more sellers books.

Most of the information in our different catalogs is the same just a few sheets were different and instead of jostling papers around or constantly copy/pasting different sheets in we just saved them all as separate books. So we have about 15 or so different documents in duplicate for PDF for emailing and printing and Word for quick changes and printing and placing in their "books". The problem with all of those documents, and this is the problem we ran into this week, is that some of the basic information changes that is shared among all the books and you have to go through and change everything. So if you have multiple books how do you handle your maintenance?

Being an application developer first and a Realtor® second in my career paths my first solution is to put all of my documents in a database tie it to a document management system and allow in page editing of each document. Of course the documents I am talking about are each sheet in a book. That way when I have a new client I just click a few checkboxes on my main document management screen, give myself the option to edit and preview and the option to save permanently or for just this print run, and then print it all out. Of course wanting to be green I would rather email it but that is not always possible or preffered. Of course I would give myself the option, but then I would want to save the information in my database so that if the client called me I would know what I chose for that client, well then my brain spins out-of-control and I go bankrupt because I am so busy building that application I don't have time to sell houses. Still it is a good idea...and it has been slow lately...hmm. What do you think?

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

The "Pride" of Home Ownership

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:43:34 -0600

There is a great sense of pride in home ownership and getting the keys to your first home, or second, or third. That is not the kind of "Pride" that I want to talk about today. I have a client that has asked for my help in selling their home before Jan 9th. Why so soon you ask, because their house is going to be sold on the court house steps on the ninth. They are friends of the family so I decided to help them out in anyway I can. They have lived in the house for 25 years and they are somewhat attached to it. When I asked them why they didn't call me sooner to help them out they just said they didn't want to spoil my xmas with bad news from them. Which basically says to me they were too proud to ask for help until it was too late.

Great news! I found an investor that is willing to take a look at your house. This is where I got my legs cut out from under me. These people that I am trying to help out don't really want to sell their house, and don't really want to move. They have decided to talk to the bank themselves and see if they can work things out. I tell them at this point you most likely will not be able to work things out with the bank. They tell me "Oh, but I called them and they said that our request is under review, and they are still waiting on an answer and I might try calling back tomorrow."

They are selling the house as I mentioned on the court house steps on Jan 9th. The people being foreclosed on got good news from the bank today and the bank told them once they foreclosed on the house they had 30 days to vacate the premises, and then they told me "see that way they can get our request reviewed by the ninth and we don't have to start moving out yet." At this point I virtually slapped my forehead and was dumbfounded.

Any advice or help you can offer me with this situation would be greatly appreciated, I really want to help these people and I don't want to see their credit ruined because of this. They ended up in this spot because she had to have major surgery and he took time off from work to help take care of her. The most confusing part to me is that for months they have been telling me they want to sell the house, which they could have just been placating me, but they really need to sell the house as the foundation needs serious repair and there are structural problems. Too my credit at least I was able to find a buyer for the home, and I found someone willing to talk to the bank on their behalf, which they turned them down as well. I am stuck! At this point they are going to get foreclosed on and their Pride is going to be their fall. Help!

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

How do you Realtor.com ?

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:03:44 -0600

Realtor.com is by far the greatest of all real estate search engines, IMHO. When I first started looking for houses way back before I had a real estate license Realtor.com was the first place I landed, it is what led me to my first house and my second, however I never saw either house on Realtor.com it just put me into the neighborhoods where my Realtor® helped me find the pefect houses.

How do you use Realtor.com to support your business rather than compete with it? In one sense Realtor.com is my competition in that I offer home searches and neighborhood information on my sites, and I use my sites as lead generation tools. And of course I want people to come to my sites to sign up for searches so I have a point of contact and offer them my services when the time is right for them to buy. Realtor.com however doesn't require a sign up sheet.

On the other side of that coin Realtor.com saves me a lot of time and money. It allows consumers, alot of consumers, to search for houses and the more they search the less time I will spend with them finding that perfect house. As an example our first house that we found on Realtor.com we did not like however the house across the street was perfect and it was probably that Realtor's easiest conversion. Since we only looked at two different houses with her. If we hadn't spent all of that time researching on Realtor.com our search would defintely had lasted longer.

So what do you think; is Realtor.com your Goliath or your friend? How do you use Realtor.com to support your business? Do you send your clients there or to your website? Also if anyone has any tips for using Realtor.com please post them so we can all share.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

How often do you check your Google Analytics?

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:08:53 -0600

How often do you check your Google Analytics? I am obsessed with my statistics and check mine every day, and I can hardly wait for the next 24 hour period to rotate. I love seeing all the countries that pop up and the increasing totals per state. I also cannot get enough of my search keywords. It is almost a party here when a new country pops up or a state hits a benchmark I have set for it.

Anyone figured out how to put analytics on your AR blog? I still have not figured that one out. I have analytics on both of my blogger blogs and of course on each one of my sites, but for the life of me I cannot get it to post here. Any suggestions? I would love to track metrics on my AR blog.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

New Year's Day

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 17:31:10 -0600

They say the activity you perform on New Year's Day will set the pace for your entire year. I guess that is sort of based on what you do first thing in the morning sets your pace for the entire day. So what are you doing New Year's day?

I know my wife and I are planning a New Years morning benefit run, and hopefully spending the day together while the kids are staying with my parents. What about you any great plans? Anyone curing a headache, tip: drink vodka? Anyone making any money? I am sending out e-invoices to my web clients wouldn't mind doing more of that next year.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

How long do you wait?

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:37:52 -0600

How long do you wait? The holidays are pretty much over and in TN most everyone celebrates xmas. The question is how long do you wait after the 25th to start calling your prospects? I have a client that contacted me two weeks ago and I have emailed them and spoke with them on the phone last week, now I want to call them back and say hey since your out for the holidays and you may have some extra time on your hands do you want to go look at a few houses. They want to get moved in by the first of Feb.

What do you think? How long do you wait until you start calling again?

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

The Cost of Doing Business

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:45:13 -0600

We have a lot of fees that are associated with our industry, joining GNAR, TAR, NAR, TREC, continuing education, E&O Insurance, Business Cards, yard signs, websites, marketing, clothes, gas, and the list goes on. One cost we don't have to have is the broker fees charged by some of the big kids on the block. I found a company just the other day that will provide me nothing but only take a 10% commission for holding my license.

I, being a big fan of Keller Williams, didn't think twice about joining that organization because I like all of the resources, training and support I get from KW. I do pay for it in my commission split though, but at least I can CAP out for the year. The point in this post is I was reading the TN Real Estate News Journal, our newsletter from TREC, and reading the Disciplanary Actions section. The rest of it was pretty boring stuff, changes to E&O coverage, a big article with everyone patting themselves on the back etc...

The Disciplanary Actions section lists Real Estate Agents, their license ID, and the companies they work for. As I perused I notices a trend all of the people being fined were small companies ABC Realty LLC, or Rogersville Properties, the names are changed to protect the innocent. Some were individuals so I did a little leg work on about twenty of them and all of them were associated with smaller companies. The fines were not large ones with things like advertising violations and escrow account violations etc.

Then I thought to myself about all of the processes I grumble about with KW, all of the paperwork the checklists, the requirements of running all of my ads and marketing by the office before publication, and I think to myself, thanks. I realize with everything else my broker offers me, he also protects me from myself. So of all of the mandatory and optional fees I pay during the year, my broker split is one I am happy to pay.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Twas the week before xmas

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 12:02:06 -0600

Twas the week before xmas when all through the land
Not a person was stirring not even a computer mouse;

The marketing was hung on the doors with care,
In hopes that the home owner soon would be there;

The mortgage brokers were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of interest-rates all danced in their heads;

And mamma in her Realtor pin and I in mine,
Are calling home owners two at a time,

While out on the road there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my seat and almost did a header,
Frantically searching for my cell phone and hoping my brakes don't fail,
I flipped open the hand set and said Oh xxxx,
As I careened into the emergency lane avoiding the hit
While flasing headlights from the oncoming semi wished me happy holidays.

Be careful out there and when your heading over the river and through the woods make sure your cell phones are plugged into their car chargers and not under the brake pedal.

This has been a public safety reminder from your friends at Call Nashville Home, your local area Nashville Realtors.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

To Card or Not to Card

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:49:20 -0600

Do you send out Christmas Cards, Holiday Cards, No Cards, or just regular marketing materials for the month of December. I have been tossing this one about for the last week or so and have come to the conclusion that I just need to send my regular marketing materials with a little hand-written note at the end that says Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year. I personally don't like some of the cards that come in the mail and find them quite offensive and have removed the people who sent me the card from my preferred vendor's list because of it. Now I would never remove a client because when it comes to clients I have pretty thick skin, but I don't have to work with vendors that flaunt their beliefs in my general direction.

Do you take the thick skin approach to cards received during the holidays or do you stand up for what you believe in? I know its hard to be politically correct especially during the holidays but as REALTORS® we work with a lot of different people with a lot of different belief structures.

So what do you do, Card or Not Card?

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Frontdoor.com HGTV Real Estate

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:40:56 -0600

I just came across this site in one of my news feeds today http://www.frontdoor.com/. HGTV, the people who brought you house flipping 101, is now letting you search Real Estate listings. I haven't figured out how to add any of my listings to the site yet, and I think your brokerage has to have an account with them to do so. They do offer a lot of articles for the consumer, and up to date information on tax savings for first-time home buyers. So they are definitely worth the look. If anyone can figure out how to add your listings please post it here so we will all know.

I am not sure how I "feel" about another player in the market offering home searches etc, but how could more exposure to my listings be a bad thing. Do you think they can compete with http://www.realtor.com or are they more of just another advertisement stream for their TV network?

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Holiday Greetings From our Famliy to Yours

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 09:52:16 -0600

I just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a joyous new year. May the best year of your past be the worst year of your future. -Irish Toast slightly modified ;)

Please enjoy our Holiday 2007 e-Card

-You will notice I am not in it but you can see my beautiful wife and children, what can I say I am camera shy...

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Arnold for President 2012

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:50:19 -0600

I know this is a little off real estate topics but I couldn't help but post about it.

It was predicted in Sci-Fi it has been written about and now there is a petition, Arnold For President. It would take a slight amendment to the constitution, we have amended it alot more than what would be required for Arnold to be President.

It is my opinion that even though he is a republican who votes like a democrat he would be a great president. He has been involved in politics since the 80s, he is well liked and recognized the world over, and yes we have had former actors as Presidents before, and Reagan has been called the greatest President of the modern era. There are thousands of news articles written about him, from his petition to sue the auto industry for emissions, to his landmark healthcare reform, to his green efforts by commiting to 20 hydrogen stations along California's major highways, to his comments in Bali over the Kyoto Treaty.

He is also a candidate who would never lie in office, yes he smoked pot and yes he did inhale, his life is so publicized what could he lie about. Seriously if you were a terrorist would you attack a country were the Terminator was the President? The best thing about having Arnold for president is that for eight years late night talk show hosts can make absurd movies references, like I did above, and let him create a better country by leaving his politics alone. Nothing kills a political movement quicker than bad press and bad jokes on late night talk shows.

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com

Husband and Wife Teams

Chris Mitchell - CallNashvilleHome.com (Keller Williams) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:06:37 -0600

My wife and I are working as a real estate team, and we are still trying to master all the ins and outs of working together. We are both type A personalities (we haven't taken the DISC yet), and are accustomed to being in charge in our work roles. Is there anyone out there with a similiar situation?

Our first task was to split up the business tasks, the websites, and the strategies for lead generation. Her target clients are FSBOs and mine are Expireds. We have of course run into some issues and I have pretty much taken over the business aspects and she has taken over the website content although I am still responsible for the tech part of it all. Any advice for a married team in building a real estate business?

So far so good for us we are bulldozing our obstacles, but I am sure there are many pitfalls ahead. Another question is splitting up lead generation tasks a good idea? Is it good to focus on one area or will us focusing on two different targets drain our collective marketing budget? Any advice would be helpful...

-cem

Chris Mitchell
http://www.CallNashvilleHome.com