denise lones: Converting Leads After the Open House
- 04/29/16 05:05 AM
Converting Leads After the Open House
An agent asked me recently, "Denise, how do I convert leads from an open house?"
Converting leads at an open house is easy because they already met you and I bet they developed some sort of rapport with you. Furthermore, they took the time to see a home so they probably are thinking about buying or selling.
Therefore, your conversion efforts should be centered on developing further rapport. And that comes from giving. I like to use my three favorite words for this: Would you like...
No pressure. No pushiness. No presumptions. Just … (36 comments)
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denise lones: Spring Cleaning and Your Open House Checklist
- 04/15/16 02:40 AM
Spring Cleaning and Your Open House Checklist
Depending on where you are in the country, you may or may not be experiencing a super-fast market this spring. A super-fast market is defined as a market where there are many more buyers than inventory and homes are selling in very low days on market numbers for above listing price.
I hear agents trying to talk themselves out of doing open houses in a market like this because there may be little time to prepare for the perfect open house. In some cases, having enough time to advertise because the home … (1 comments)
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denise lones: The Quarterly Business Assessment
- 04/08/16 02:28 AM
The Quarterly Business Assessment
When was the last time you took a look at the health of your business? As a real estate agent you are a business owner. You owe it to yourself to take a moment every few months to review your business barometer. Now that the first quarter of 2016 is complete, it's time to review how your business is changing – good or bad – and what you are going to do about it.
When I talk to agents about this, they intuitively understand the need for a business review. However, one of two things … (1 comments)
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denise lones: Single Family Tear-Downs
- 03/31/16 07:39 AM
Single Family Tear-Downs
Depending on where you are in the country it may or may not be unusual for you to work with a buyer who finds the ideal lot in the ideal neighborhood, but it just happens to have an old and outdated home on the property. Although the cost to build new when one has to demolish first is usually greater than building on a blank slate, the buyer proceeds and builds the home they have been dreaming of.
According to the National Association of Homebuilders, in 2015 almost 8% of all single family home starts were … (0 comments)
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denise lones: The Investor Tipping Point
- 03/24/16 09:38 AM
The Investor Tipping Point
Several weeks ago, I introduced the idea of The Tipping Point - that moment in time when it becomes more advantageous for a seller to sell than to stay in his or her home. In areas where markets have inventory shortages, making more homeowners aware that their tipping point may be near is critical for encouraging homeowners to make a move and you will drum up more inventory as a result.
There is a second Tipping Point opportunity that comes to a head in March and April each year, meaning we are in prime season … (0 comments)
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denise lones: Don’t Fall into These Legal Pitfalls!
- 03/18/16 02:25 AM
Don't Fall into These Legal Pitfalls!
It is not like real estate agents don't have enough to be aware of in their business but there are a few things that I have been seeing lately that are of concern. Lack of awareness around these issues can cause agents a lot of grief in their business.
Here are 10 mistakes agents need to avoid in order to stay out of legal and ethical trouble.
SHOWING PROPERTY "OUT OF AREA"
If you are showing property and listing property in an area that you don't normally work, make sure you know what you … (0 comments)
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denise lones: The Census Bureau Does More Than Just Track Population
- 03/04/16 08:36 AM
The Census Bureau Does More Than Just Track Population
The United States Census Bureau is one of my favorite resources for everything from population charts, area information, and even what is happening in real estate. Wait... did you know that the Census Bureau tracks what is hot in housing trends? They do indeed!
The Census Bureau conducts The Survey of Construction which looks at current national and regional statistics on housing starts, housing completions, and even the characteristics of single family housing and multifamily housing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development contributes to funding this survey. Housing data … (2 comments)
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denise lones: Up Your Game - With Video!
- 02/26/16 06:34 AM
Up Your Game - With Video!
I have been talking about the power of video in a real estate agent's business for years. However, it seems that the nervousness most real estate agents feel about being seen on video or the unknowns of the production side holds them back. Whatever has kept you from fully utilizing video in your business has to be addressed in order to tackle this powerful client care and lead generation tool.
Imagine you were a seller and had hired an agent to list your home. Would you be more impressed with an agent who … (3 comments)
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denise lones: Persistence is Powerful: Lessons I’ve Learned from Mati
- 02/19/16 02:05 AM
Persistence is Powerful: Lessons I've Learned from Mati
Her name is Matilyn (I call her Mati or Monkey) and she is one of my daughter's best friends. After years of her spending time in my home and at horse shows together she has become my friend too. In fact, my daughter jokes that when Mati comes to visit, she is really coming to visit me. Mati is one of the most persistent people I have EVER met in my whole entire life and to say she has edged her way into my life and my heart is an understatement.
… (1 comments)
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denise lones: A Picture is Worth Thousands of Dollars
- 02/05/16 07:47 AM
A Picture is Worth Thousands of Dollars
Do you have five minutes? I encourage you to take this time to do a quick tour of your MLS and review the quality of home photography that is passing as "adequate" to someone's definition (not mine!) this very second. While some agents do an amazing job enlisting the help of a professional photographer, many others make do with the cameras in their phones, and some of the photos are truly horrific.
My favorite gift I received this past Christmas was a 2016 daily calendar of bad real estate photos with hilarious … (2 comments)
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denise lones: The Tipping Point
- 01/29/16 01:23 AM
The Tipping Point
Every seller has that moment in time when something happens that pushes them to making a decision to sell. In fact, many sellers don't even know they want to sell until someone informs them of the benefits of selling.
For example, imagine a seller is at home and they retrieve their mail and find a letter from a real estate agent informing them that their neighbors home has sold. The seller is surprised to find out that his neighbor's home sold for $425,000 - he had no idea that homes in his neighborhood were even close … (0 comments)
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denise lones: New Construction in High Demand
- 01/08/16 01:34 AM
New Construction in High Demand
New construction is a major driver of real estate markets nationwide. Without it inventory levels remain lower than normal and house prices can't help but rise. In order to look forward to what is expected for the spring building market you have to first understand what it takes to build a home.
With the average new home requiring over 20 subcontractors to complete, it is no wonder homes are taking longer to build than normal. If there is also a shortage of one or two of these subcontractors it can delay completion of the … (0 comments)
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denise lones: Lessons from Rudolph: A Top Marketing & Branding Guru
- 12/18/15 01:10 AM
Lessons from Rudolph: A Top Marketing & Branding Guru
Today I'd like to introduce you to a marketing guru who is a master of his craft. I myself have learned a lot from him. I'd like to share with you some of the incredible insights I have learned from this branding genius. He is a master of attracting attention, developing a strong brand, and delivering consistent results. He is a leader, an innovator, and an example for us all.
Who is he? His name is Rudolph. Perhaps you've heard of him. In fact, I'm willing to bet you have. You … (0 comments)
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denise lones: 2016 Buyer Preferences
- 12/11/15 06:23 AM
2016 Buyer Preferences
With each passing year home feature trends shift and change based on buyer demands and lifestyle preferences. Remember when light oak kitchen cabinets were the "in" thing? Today in many areas white kitchen cabinets are the first choice of many buyers and remodelers for its broad appeal. I like to follow the feature trends in housing construction, renovations, and remodeling and am happy to share with you the top 10 trends for 2016:
Traditional on the Outside, Modern on the Inside
Modern decor and interior design is the becoming a very high demand remodel and new home … (1 comments)
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denise lones: Toss Out That Antiquated Business Plan
- 12/04/15 05:36 AM
Toss Out That Antiquated Business Plan
Agents near and far have been clamoring for a meaty business plan template for 2016. However, my recommendation for 2016 is to keep it short, sweet, and only focus on the action items that are going to bring you business.
"But Denise!" they say, "Where do I put my income goals? Where do I put my transaction goals? Where do I track my income?"
Let me be very clear. Having income and transaction goals is important - very important. So is tracking. But if every year you make a business plan and then … (3 comments)
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denise lones: Vision: If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It!
- 11/20/15 05:54 AM
Vision: If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It!
This year my daughter, Alannah, went off to college. Hard to believe how fast the years have passed!
Something really special and enlightening happened at the end of her senior school year right before she graduated from high school. I received a piece of mail at my home and it was addressed to my daughter. The strange thing was that it looked like her handwriting but I couldn't understand why she would mail herself a letter. Was it, in fact, her handwriting? Or did someone near her age with similar handwriting send … (3 comments)
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denise lones: Honoring Your Relationship Long After the Sale Is Over
- 11/13/15 01:29 AM
Honoring Your Relationship Long After the Sale Is Over
It is essential that real estate agents pay particular attention to where their business is coming from. If you are an agent who has been in the business five years or longer and you have taken care of your past clients, then you should have a good chunk of business from repeat clients and past client referrals.
However, many agents who are newly working with me haven't kept track of where their business is coming from and they don't know how much of their business is from past clients, repeat … (16 comments)
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denise lones: It's the Most Advantageous Time of the Year
- 11/06/15 02:33 AM
It’s the Most Advantageous Time of the Year
I can feel it in the air... The National Association of REALTORS conference is next week, followed shortly thereafter by Thanksgiving. It's the feeling of brokers looking forward to turning their attention away from their business and towards family and friends. While others may be smelling gingerbread and stuffing made from scratch, I smell opportunity.
No matter if you live in an area that already has snow or you live in an area flooded with snowbirds and the winter months are your busiest time of the year, there is a market … (7 comments)
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denise lones: What Makes A Strong Market?
- 10/30/15 04:45 AM
What Makes A Strong Market?
When it comes to HOT or STRONG real estate markets, a simple question often asked is "what makes a market strong?" The obvious answer being DEMAND, of course. While demand absolutely drives people to buy in certain areas there are reasons for that demand and you have to look beyond the current demand to be able to predict whether or not the market will maintain its strength.
There have been areas that have seen sudden meteoric rises in house prices but that rise has ultimately gone away when the initial reason for the housing … (0 comments)
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denise lones: A Foundation for Success, Your Business Vision
- 10/23/15 06:07 AM
A Foundation for Success, Your Business Vision
I have coached many agents over the years and the first question I ask them is, "What is your vision for your business?"
Without a clear vision for your business, you're unlikely to ever achieve your business goals. For example, agents tell me all the time that they want to make so much money so that they have financial confidence. However, what they are focused on is a financial goal. That's just one goal; it's not a business vision. A vision defines what you want your business to represent and how you … (1 comments)
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