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Slow Times! What Are Your Doing to Fill Your Time?

I am a firm believer that..."An Idle Mind is the Devil's workshop!" So what are you doing these days to stay productive in real estate? I know I am not alone in real estate with the phone not ringing as much as it used to! This is a great time to catch up on all those projects that I did not have time to persue when times were busy! It is really an opportunity time!

So I wanted to hear from other agents across the country and Canada what productive things other real estate agents were doing to fill their time. There is so much we can do other than sitting around fretting, and worrying! Here is what I am doing to stay in the solution:

Creating several new real estate blogs.
Finished up next years continuing education credits for my Georgia real estate Brokers License
Working on my 18 credits for license renewal for my Virginia real estate brokers license
Will revamp and retool most of my websites for improved SEO
Creating some new niche websites
Continuing to write some real estate articles
Cleaning up my data bases and contact lists
Research, research, and more research of market data.
Refining marketing strategies
Reviewing budget, and budgeting

How To Make Productive Use Of A Market Downturn by Jim Crawford

Jim Crawford

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Posted by Jim Crawford ~ Atlanta Real Estate-ABR E-PRO on 12/05/2007 09:08 AM

Comments (38)

real estate productivity, productivity, real estate, productive, time management, focus, business plan, profitability

Originally posted at: Atlanta Real Estate | Atlanta Housing News for Real Estate: Slow Times! What Are Your Doing to Fill Your Time?

38 Comments on Slow Times! What Are Your Doing to Fill Your Time?

DEC

2007

Hi Jim! I like all your ideas! I guess my number #1 today is to get some of my Christmas cards in the mail....then work on my newsletter that goes out every Wednesday night. Yes, I have been tweaking my websites and blogs. I spend lots of time researching and fine tuning all the gears of my business and SEO. Many agents from our office go on vacation. I plan to be light years ahead of them by the time they wake up this spring.

I'm doing the same. I'm trying to ensure my online presence will be a better one for me in years to come so I'm putting in the learning work now.

Still working on my internet presence so I'll be way ahead when the market picks up. Sending out my holiday cards and just taking a few clients out and maintaining the listings and calling clients and of course a little relaxation doesn't hurt either.

Lizette Fitzpatrick,Central Kentucky Realtor(R) I have a lot of free time here!

DONE! "...get some of my Christmas cards in the mail!"

Josette Skilling ~ Bethesda Maryland Real Estate Sales Same here...I have a few fires going! Well my Internet presence has just changed, but it will have to take a number before I can get to it!

Neal Bloom-Realtor ® Assoc.-Weston Florida Thanks Neal! By the way... I agree,...and of course a little relaxation doesn't hurt either."

I love the down time during the holidays because so many agents are busy preparing for the holidays, and I'm usually organized enough to keep working. December is often my best month. Sellers and buyers BOTH need help more than ever in this market - and I'm ready to give it to them! But I have no shortage of long range projects to improve my business.

Margaret Woda, Maryland REALTOR Margaret! I would not expect any less from you! You are a true professional and take this career seriously!

So far no downtime for our team in St Pete, for which we are grateful. Usually Thanksgiving to Christmas is a "dead" time in the market here, but not this year - we're writing offers and negotiating contracts, as well as supervising contracts to closings, and staying in touch with clients. We have all of your items on our TO DO list, but so far, no time to get to them.

Jim,

I'm going back to the basics! Wayne Gretzke once was asked, "What did you to be known as "The Great One". His reply was, "I always skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it is at"! With that in mind, there are loads of agents that are rushing out to be REO specialists and chase the foreclosure business. From what I've researched, they will have us cutting each others throats for the "opportunity" to do business. That is where the puck is now.

Business will pick up again, but with way more restrictive loans for buyers. So, I'm business planning right now to court past clients, with the goal of advising them on the new market realities. I have also allocated funds to improve my website's SEO. I've been reading 80% of consumers are starting their search online, so I must master the intricacies of online marketing. Just as importantly, I must improve on following up on the inquiries I will be getting online. I think that is where the puck is going so I'm skating my biz in that direction!

Sharon Simms St Pete Florida CRS CIPS CLHMS You are most blessed! Quite the opposite here in Atlanta.

I have started in real estate during a slow market so I am using this time to build my web presence and to write a lot

Rick Turner I love your attitude and vision! "...skate to where the puck is going to be!" I like that a lot!

Kim Carpenter - Lake Winnipesaukee Realtor New Hampshire You started during the right time! Don't foreget to go out and meet loads of people! A lot is not about blogging or web...it starts with personal marketing and networking.

Hey Jim- great post! I am new to real estate, so I haven't experienced anything other than the slow market we have been in. This has actually been my best month so far with several contracts pending, when I'm not working on those I am preparing for my next market campaign, visiting people, making calls, get mailings together, Christmas cards, blogging, etc. Thanks!

I always take time now to update and tweak everything also. I have much more patience with it now than I do in the height of the season.

Nice post. I wish I had down time, fortunately I am busier now than I was all year it feels like. I am looking forward in some down time to catch up on things.

We are working on our database and Christmas card list. And looking for new websites to find additional business. Real estate is not too bad here, however, I predict January will be our month to play catch up.

Hmmm, business planning, reading, all the holiday stuff, sending out expired letters, taking care of clients. Bascially, business as usual. :)

Melissa Wagner Way to go! Keep selling!

Gayle Balaban I know that is smart! Nothing is worse than being very busy and having to catch up on things that need doing!

Stella Barbour - Real Estate Agent - Serving Northern Virginia I read your profile and see why! Way yo go!

Kay Van Kampen Springfield Missouri Real Estate Well we all know our markets best! Ellen and I finished the Christmas Cards at the end of September, and just mailed them this week. The web seems to be the biggest issue. I never like to delegate that...

Kelly Sibilsky ~ Lake Zurich, IL RE/MAX Real Estate Agent Business as usual is a great thing! It is very slow here, so more free time!

Great post-

For me...

Blog, blog and blog some more.
Hash out my 08 marketing plan, refine my niche
Catch up with past clients and customers, make sure they know I am here for them
Tweak sites and blogs
Network with my local Realtors
Archiving industry interviews for future audio blogs
Always research
...and did I mention blog, always work on the long tail!

Good post Jim...my idle mind is a bad neighborhood that I can't stay in for too long...or creepy things happen.

DEC

2007

Chris Liverett Pagosa Springs Real Estate YOu need to take some time off! Please share with me some of your energy!

James Coogan--Ellijay, GA REALTOR® - Ellijay, Georgia Real Estate That is why I come here to get some new ideas! Active Rain is great!

I'm filling my time fielding phone calls from people who have filled their time by joining an MLM.

Free safety tip: If the number of customers isn't at least five times greater than the number of affiliates, you're caught in a pyramid scheme. How could an affiliate make money with less than five customers?

Frank Jewett Isn't is scary? So true!

Jim, you are way ahead of me! What a lot you are getting done! I am going to get on the stick too! lol

Brentwood Real Estate- Vanessa Stalets Like I said it is very slow in Atlanta, so finishing up all continuing education for next years license renewal both in Georgia and Virginia is #1 priority. All our year end mailings other than our Homestead Letter is completed. The homestead letters go out this week! Web refreshing and SEO is next on my list.

Jim~ you are a busy guy with great ideas, thanks for sharing! I'll be working on a new website, enhancing my database, researching Wordpress to figure out how to start an outside blog, and working on my closings for January.

December is always a time when I start to do my business planning for 2008. I am planning the following:

Revamping website
Researching new niche markets
Researching new systems
Starting to write blog articles
Cleaning my database or should I say, putting my database together.
Calling all my past clients
Taking some CE courses

I'm looking forward to a successful 2008!

Lisa Ryan~Selling Princeton,West Windsor and Montgomery Township New Jersey After I finish my CE credits, my first priority is to do my WordPress Blog! Keep us posted!

Ericka Nichols Smart! The way to look foreward to 2008 will be from what you are doing today!

DEC

2007

Along with finishing up a lot of things I've put to the back burners. . .I'm revamping my business plan. Blogging and working on my website SEO are also on the list.

Teri Deane Even if the market weren't so slow, this time of the year is ideal to catch up on shelved products!

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