denise lones: Is AI Getting Your Story Right?
- 05/29/26 10:44 AM
Artificial intelligence is changing how people choose real estate agents. When someone types a question like "Is [agent name] any good?" or "Who should help me sell my home in [city]?", AI doesn't just skim the internet. It pieces together a picture of you from the places where your information is strongest.
The good news? You have direct control over several of the sources AI relies on most.
Updating these profiles doesn't require technical skill - just a few minutes of attention. But the pay-off is real: clearer visibility, more accurate summaries, and a better chance of being recommended when someone … (6 comments)
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denise lones: The Community Page Advantage
- 05/13/26 05:19 PM
If you've been in real estate for a while, you've watched the shift happen. Years ago, buyers and sellers relied on agents to explain neighborhoods, schools, and market conditions. Today, consumers arrive with more information than ever - and they expect you to match or exceed what they've already found.
They're not just browsing listings. They're studying communities.
What many agents don't realize is that buyers often spend ten minutes or more exploring a well built Community Page before they even glance at your bio.
A strong Community Page doesn't just help you appear in search results. It positions you as … (9 comments)
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denise lones: AI Is Reading Your Reviews Before People Do
- 04/17/26 03:32 PM
In recent months, a subtle change has taken place: AI is reading your online reviews before anyone else, and it's having a big impact on how you appear in AI generated search results. And it's not just looking at your star rating. It's looking at the stories your clients tell, the details they include, and the way you respond.
If online reviews have taken a back seat in your business strategy, they just became more important than ever before. Today I want to cover some review basics and then dig into how reviews are influencing AI search results—and how you can … (8 comments)
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denise lones: What Clients See Before They Call
- 04/08/26 11:23 AM
What Clients See Before They Call There's a moment in every client relationship that most agents never witness. It happens quietly, long before the first call, text, or DM. Someone hears your name - maybe from a friend, maybe from a sign, maybe from an open house - and before they do anything else, they look you up.
And they don't start with your website.
They start with your social media.
Recent industry research shows that 76% of consumers found their real estate agent through social media before reaching out. [Worldmetrics, 2026] That means your social media profiles aren't just part of … (13 comments)
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denise lones: If You Don’t Know Who Your 2026 Buyer Is, You’re Already Behind
- 03/06/26 12:26 PM
If You Don’t Know Who Your 2026 Buyer Is, You’re Already Behind The median age of a first time homebuyer has reached 40 years old, according to NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. That single data point represents one of the most significant demographic shifts we've seen in decades. It tells us that the traditional picture of a young adult stepping into homeownership early in their career is no longer the reality - and if you're still building your business around that assumption, you're already out of alignment with the market you'll be serving in 2026.
Younger adults aren't … (6 comments)
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denise lones: Your Online Presence Matters
- 02/13/26 11:15 AM
Your Online Presence Matters Today I want to talk about something that most agents neglect. I understand why most agents neglect it; we have so many things to do already as real estate professionals. The last thing we often think about is how people find us, where they go looking to find us, and how we can up our business by doing something in addition to what we are already doing.
The bottom line is, buyers and sellers are online and if you can't be found or if your presence isn't up-to-date, that is going to cause lost opportunities.
When I … (3 comments)
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denise lones: A Time for Rest
- 12/19/25 10:51 AM
A Time for Rest Happy holidays! I am getting into the holiday spirit here in Canada at my sister's home. My sister, I swear, is Santa's little elf. Everything here is decorated and I have never seen more Christmas anywhere. Every window that she has is decorated.
My message to you this week is this: It doesn't matter what you do over the holidays, but it should be something that makes you happy. In real estate we work hard and we all need a break and some time off.
Over the holidays, what we do at The Lones Group is we … (5 comments)
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denise lones: Is Your Brand Ready for MS Publisher’s End?
- 11/07/25 09:57 AM
Is Your Brand Ready for MS Publisher’s End? Microsoft has announced that in October 2026, support for its Publisher software will come to an end and it will no longer be included in Office 365 or Office suites. If you use Publisher to manage your business collateral and, like many, have switched to Office 365 subscriptions, you will be left high-and-dry without a way to easily update listing flyers, presentation materials, or open house tools (to name just a few). You’ll lose the ability to open or edit Publisher files, unless you have prepared beforehand.
Thinking ahead and converting your materials … (4 comments)
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denise lones: Lessons Learned from Giants
- 10/24/25 10:51 AM
Lessons Learned from Giants I have been very fortunate in my life to have been able to benefit from the wisdom of others' greatness. When I first started selling real estate, I was young and naïve. I didn't know much about the housing market or even marketing. I had to rely on watching other agent's success to try and find clues that I could learn from.
Early on in my career, my first mentor was my trainer, Garth, who taught me early on that good old-fashioned hard work would be my key to thriving and surviving in the real estate industry. … (13 comments)
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denise lones: The 55+ Power Buyer
- 08/29/25 11:34 AM
The 55+ Power Buyer The 55+ power buyer demographic is reshaping parts of the market. This is a demographic that is wealthy; they have just experienced the largest passing of wealth in the history of our country. They are a demographic that knows what they want and they are extremely discerning.
They aren't just downsizing - they are right-sizing. They are trading in larger yards and larger homes for better location, more manageable yards, and better design. They have had years of experience with home ownership and home maintenance. Their decisions are also shaped by the things that they love to … (2 comments)
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denise lones: Stop Assuming Silence from Your Leads Means "No"
- 08/26/25 09:05 AM
Stop Assuming Silence from Your Leads Means "No" How many times have you nurtured a lead only to be met with silence? Or tried to stay in contact with a past client only to be ignored for months?
Now think about this - how many times have you been surprised when a lead DID reach back out and indicate they were ready RIGHT NOW after months of silence and feeling like your communication was going into a black hole? OR how many times have you learned that someone you had discounted as a lead actually DID move forward, but with someone … (12 comments)
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denise lones: 10 Things You Need to Know About Middle Housing
- 08/08/25 09:00 AM
10 Things You Need to Know About Middle Housing Middle Housing is going to radically change real estate as we know it. Here in Washington State and in more and more places across our nation, many residential sales are no longer just traditional residential sales. We will be seeing more Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), more sales that are influenced by the potential for an ADU, and more kinds of middle housing like duplexes, four-plexes, townhomes, cottages, and more. We are going to see the influence of middle housing change the way that we value, market, and assess a property's buyer pool … (2 comments)
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denise lones: August Is the Time to Connect!
- 08/01/25 10:43 AM
August Is the Time to Connect! We are coming into August and today I want to discuss selling and time-of-year. A lot of times, agents think that August is not a great time to be out there working with clients, but I could not disagree more!
If you go back in time and look at the last ten years of September sales in many markets, they are really comparable housing markets to those April-May months of sales. The reason is simple: people are away during the summer and then in September they come back, the kids are back in school, … (1 comments)
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denise lones: 5 Pitfalls to Watch for When Researching Niche Markets
- 07/17/25 08:05 PM
5 Pitfalls to Watch for When Researching Niche Markets If you haven't taken a dive into your MLS stats and tried out its powerful market data tools, you're really missing out on an incredible opportunity to identify niche markets for growing your business, trends that will help your buyers and sellers, and so much more. Plus, it just gets better from there as you become more familiar with your market.
However, when it comes to new market segments like middle housing, you'll find that while MLSs have incredible tools you need, but reality is going to create challenges that you should … (10 comments)
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denise lones: 5 Reform Issues Faced by Housing
- 07/11/25 09:00 AM
5 Reform Issues Faced by Housing I am back from Spokane where I attended our state legislative meeting for Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) and I am here to give you an update on what we have been focusing on and what you can expect over the next year.
Everything I'm going to talk about today affects housing and today we are talking about the top five issues that we are going to be facing in the next few years. This is so important because we are all at such a disadvantage when it comes to housing inventory. Don't let … (3 comments)
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denise lones: Get Plugged-In to Your Local Housing Movement
- 06/06/25 09:55 AM
Get Plugged-In to Your Local Housing Movement If you are not plugged-in to your local, regional, or national housing information centers, you need to be! In other words, where do you get your information to give to your clients about what is happening in real estate, nationally and regionally?
For example, here in Washington State, we recently passed legislation that increased access for building more middle housing. This is creating a big shift in our housing markets. It matters because our market here has become overpriced - our kids can't afford to buy homes because home prices are so ridiculous - … (5 comments)
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denise lones: Have You Boarded the Middle Housing Train?
- 05/14/25 10:30 AM
Have You Boarded the Middle Housing Train? I know it sounds like I have been harping on middle housing, and you know, I am! Here's why. Today I am in California and what am I doing? I am researching middle housing everywhere in California just like I have in Nevada, in Oregon, and Washington State.
If you are not up-to-date on middle housing, you need to start building your knowledge of what is going on. If not, you are going to be left behind.
You can no longer go to a home and do a traditional comprehensive market analysis. You need … (0 comments)
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denise lones: Stressed About Tariffs? Time to Fix Your Focus
- 04/11/25 10:11 AM
Stressed About Tariffs? Time to Fix Your Focus I cannot let this week go by without addressing what everybody is seeing in the news and that is tariffs. Although tariffs on Canadian lumber have not increased further at this time, the reality is that the impact of expansive, across-the-board tariffs is starting to be felt both in our economy and on the housing market.
Now tariffs aren't anything new, but the aggressive push for tariffs and the widespread application of them has greatly increased global awareness of them into overdrive and freaked-out some of our financial institutions like the stock market. … (9 comments)
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denise lones: Sure, the Empire State Building Can Fit on That Property
- 04/10/25 02:29 PM
Sellers Who Think They Can Build the Empire State Building on their Property Sellers usually have an inflated idea of the potential of their property, especially when it comes to price. Couple that with zoning changes brought on by comprehensive plan updates and middle housing initiatives introduced by Washington State House Bill 1110 and what we have are thousands of homeowners who have no idea what their property is worth now, what it may be worth when these changes are implemented locally, but they are sure that the new highest and best use of their property means they can retire and … (1 comments)
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denise lones: The Many Sides of Middle Housing Innovation
- 03/13/25 04:34 PM
The Many Sides of Middle Housing Innovation When it comes to middle housing, I am excited about everything that is happening here in Washington State and around the country! I just came back from the International Builder Show in Las Vegas and my goodness, middle housing on everybody’s top list of things to talk and learn about! Any type of exhibit that had anything to do with alternative housing, smaller housing, and affordable housing included some middle housing education. These areas were busy-busy on the showroom floor.
So, we know that middle housing is here to stay and this this week … (0 comments)
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Artificial intelligence is changing how people choose real estate agents. When someone types a question like "Is [agent name] any good?" or "Who should help me sell my home in [city]?", AI doesn't just skim the internet. It pieces together a picture of you from the places where your information is strongest.
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