real estate: Does Lead Generation Cost You Time, Money, or Both?
- 10/25/19 11:04 AM
Does Lead Generation Cost You Time, Money, or Both?
Many of you know the story of my importing 10,000 teddy bears after I went on a trip to Seoul Korea with a flight attendant friend of mine. This was many years ago prior to me starting my real estate career and what I learned from this experience changed me for the better forever.
I imported the bears from Korea because I got an amazing deal on them. However, they arrived without proper tagging, I was unable to sell them to retailers, and essentially was stuck with a stock of … (7 comments)
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real estate: Recessions & Real Estate, What's the Big Worry About?
- 10/18/19 11:28 AM
Recessions and Real Estate, What's the Big Worry all About?
Have you ever wondered how previous recessions have affected real estate prices? This is a common question I get asked by agents and consumers anytime the word recession is brought up. The term, “recession” can scare anyone who has been through one and were caused financial strain as a result. Therefore, the word recession often brings up fear rather than the true and accurate picture of what happens during a recession. The reality of what happens to real estate prices during a recession is a great example of … (1 comments)
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real estate: Don't Let Barriers Drain Your Pool of Buyers
- 10/15/19 03:42 PM
Don't Let Barriers Drain Your Pool of Buyers
There are many barriers to selling a home in today's competitive selling environment. The challenge for many agents is how to discuss those barriers without offending the client. Perhaps the home you are evaluating has a very strong cat urine odor or the seller has just told you that they expect you to be at every single showing. There are plenty of other barriers I am sure you have come across in your time as an agent.
Barriers can ultimately harm the final sales price of the property which will negatively … (7 comments)
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real estate: Stop Sugar-Coating It!
- 09/13/19 11:31 AM
Stop Sugar-Coating It!
There is nothing as refreshing and at times terrifying as the truth. However, the truth is what your buyers and sellers need to make the decisions they need to make. At times those decisions are easy, other times they are very difficult. Different personality types need different things from you to help them with their decision making, but everyone ultimately does better when they are given the truth.
Too many times I have seen agents list properties so high above the market that the seller will eventually be disappointed because there is no hope an overpriced … (3 comments)
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real estate: The Foundation of All Success: ACTION, ACTION, ACTION!
- 09/06/19 09:37 AM
The Foundation of All Success: ACTION, ACTION, ACTION!
I have coached many agents over the years and most of them want to know what the "secret sauce" is for success in real estate. Without any hesitate I quickly reply, "ACTION, ACTION, ACTION!!!"
You can have the best vision for your business and the loftiest goals but without taking CONSISTENT ACTION in your business you rarely get to the successful place you want to be.
Many agents know they want to make money, but they don't concentrate enough on taking consistent repeatable action to reach their goals. The desire … (1 comments)
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real estate: Sudden or Gradual Decline in Your Business? Look for the Clues!
- 08/30/19 11:06 AM
Sudden or Gradual Decline in Your Business? Look for the Clues!
I have never met a successful real estate agent that didn't have specific actions that led them to that success. They may not always be able to pinpoint the exact drivers of success, but success leaves clues, and it then becomes easy to identify those action items. Successful agents repeat specific actions and often don't even think about what they are doing. It is like the mouse in the maze - they found their cheese and go back to that cheese time and time again on autopilot.
Just … (1 comments)
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real estate: Re-Tooling Your Listing Presentation
- 08/29/19 04:26 PM
Re-Tooling Your Listing Presentation
There isn't a day that goes by that I don't read about a new real estate company jumping into the industry with a fancy new idea created to entice sellers into working with their company. Promises of quick sales and high prices with creative marketing programs abound. As an agent in today's diverse offering market you need to stay relevant.
Staying relevant means being up on the latest shifts in the real estate market and the industry. You need to know what other agents and companies are offering at the listing presentation so you can … (3 comments)
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real estate: Amplify Your Buyer Toolbox
- 08/16/19 10:01 AM
Amplify Your Buyer Toolbox
Buyers are a critical part of every real estate agent's business and agents need to amplify up their buyer toolbox and provide buyers with tools to make good decisions.
Here are a few of my favorite buyer tools:
The Tour Kit
No buyers tour kit is complete without a collection of handy materials for the buyers. The tour kit must include a clipboard, pens, and pencils (some people love their pencils) and highlighters. Buyers love using highlighters to emphasize information. Also include a tape measure in case they want to measure something and always have … (3 comments)
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real estate: Edit, Edit, Edit: Key to a More Productive Business and Enjoyable Life
- 08/09/19 11:47 AM
Edit, Edit, Edit: The Key to a More-Productive Business and Enjoyable Life
There are only so many hours in a day, days in a week, and weeks in a month. Time is the one thing that we can't buy more of. We are the only ones who are in complete control of our time. It can't be stored up for a rainy day. Everybody has to live within the budget of time that they are given. Unlike being able to go out there and earn more money, you just can't go out and earn more time. When it's gone, … (11 comments)
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real estate: Worst-Case Scenario: Your Vendor Referral Botched the Job!
- 08/02/19 02:02 PM
Worst-Case Scenario: Your Vendor Referral Botched the Job!
It's a beautiful day in your real estate world when you receive a call from your Seller who is absolutely freaking out about an incident that happened at their home. You can tell the Seller is very upset, so you listen intently as the Seller explains that the landscaper you referred cut through their in-ground sprinkler system. There was water everywhere, the whole system is down, and the landscaper said he is not responsible because the sprinkler line was put too high to the ground. She is furious and wants you … (1 comments)
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real estate: Personalities and Pending to Close: Your Golden Opportunity!
- 07/22/19 04:12 PM
Personalities and Pending to Close: Your Golden Opportunity!
A highly-overlooked referral opportunity in an agent's business is the "pending to closing" process. And the more you can tune into a client's personality during this time, the more effective you can be with that client. In fact, when done correctly this process can yield an incredible referral business.
When a buyer or seller is in the "active" part of their home-buying or selling journey they are usually consumed with the many appointments they need to look at homes, review offers, keep the house clean, and get their lending in order. … (1 comments)
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real estate: Systems Can Make You BIG MONEY in Real Estate
- 07/15/19 03:38 PM
Systems Can Make You BIG MONEY in Real Estate
I have always been a "systems" girl. I need things in their right place. I don't like things out of order and I like to be able to control my environment. I am not a neat freak, but I am an organizational one. I like things to have a "home" and I like things to be part of a system or process when possible.
I remember when I was a little girl, I used to organize my dolls based on their height. I would arrange them first by height and … (15 comments)
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real estate: Branding Procrastination = Costly Missed Opportunities
- 07/08/19 10:23 AM
Branding Procrastination = Costly Missed Opportunities
When I first started working with new home builders who were developing large residential communities, I was in awe of the amount of effort that went into the branding and naming of the community. I remember sitting in meetings and focus groups for what seemed like weeks to come up with the branding concept and the name for the development. We would come up with a short list of names we liked then we would hire people in focus groups to tell us what kind of homes they thought they would find in … (9 comments)
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real estate: The Marketing Triangle
- 06/28/19 02:25 PM
The Marketing Triangle
Every real estate professional at some point in their career must face the cold hard facts about ineffective marketing. Marketing is an essential part of running any successful business and real estate is no exception. Without good marketing you will never be able to predict what your business will look like year to year.
Can you imagine Coke a Cola, Nike, or Johnson & Johnson with no marketing? I certainly can't, and I have seen their marketing change and evolve over the years. That is exactly what real estate agents need to do-they need to utilize … (15 comments)
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real estate: Current Trends in Real Estate Investing
- 06/14/19 10:52 AM
Trends Impacting Real Estate Investing
What You Need to Know
Smart investors are always on the hunt for the next big thing. I have been studying real estate investing trends for years, and I have identified trends that greatly affect investors. Here are a few of them:
"Secondary" City Growth
Many years ago, I began predicting great areas to invest in based on criteria I personally follow. These criteria have never let me down. One of the criteria I always look for is the incline and decline of "Primary" or "Secondary" cities.
In order to understand real estate markets, you … (3 comments)
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real estate: Direct Mail vs. Email
- 06/07/19 09:32 AM
Direct Mail vs. Email
There isn't a week that goes by that an agent tells me that they have decided to keep in touch with their past clients and sphere database primarily by an email newsletter. That email may be created by their company or it may be custom-created in MailChimp or Constant Contact, but the more important issue is that they have decided NOT to mail.
The reasons they give for making this change are predictable:
It's cheap or free. It's easy. (Especially if their company puts it together or it is done automatically.) It may be "hands … (21 comments)
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real estate: Is Your Comfort Zone Killing Your Business?
- 05/31/19 09:12 AM
Is Your Comfort Zone Killing Your Business?
Think back to the last time a buyer asked you to show a home on your day off. Did you agree to do it? If so, you may be operating in your Comfort Zone!
Have you made a commitment to yourself to start doing video, but have made excuses for yourself? Lack-of-time, need-a-haircut, bad-lighting type of excuses? If so, you may be operating in your Comfort Zone!
Do you have an overpriced listing on the market right now? If so, you may be operating in your Comfort Zone!
There is a meme … (14 comments)
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real estate: Does Your Business Need a Visual Disruption?
- 05/29/19 09:23 AM
Does Your Business Need a Visual Disruption?
We have a new employee at The Lones Group this week (welcome, Izabella!) and with it came the usual reconfiguring of desks and equipment. The plan is in place and by the end of the week, furniture will be moved, vacuuming of baseboards and spaces behind desks will happen, people will move around and starting next week, there will be a renewed energy in the design office.
We even have a fair amount of old electronics that are being disposed of as well as some random 3.5" floppy disks (yes really!).
Ahhh!
… (3 comments)
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real estate: Is Your Prospect a Time Waster?
- 05/17/19 09:50 AM
Is Your Prospect a Time Waster?
How do you tell the difference between good and bad prospects? One will waste your time, dragging you from house to house-getting all kinds of information from you-only to end up dumping you right before writing an offer.
You also have clients who seem like time wasters, but they're just very analytical and thorough in their search. These are people who have concerns that cannot be addressed quickly - and that's fine.
Don't be tempted to put everybody in the same category. Just because you've showed somebody 20 houses and they haven't bought … (17 comments)
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real estate: 11 Secrets to Geo Farming Success
- 05/10/19 10:12 AM
11 Secrets to Geo Farming Success
Many real estate agents utilize geographical farming to build a strong predictable lead generation system. It is easy to send postcards to your farm and call it good but is that getting you the results you want? If not, then it is time to make some tweaks to build a strong PERSONAL PRESENCE.
When I started geographical farming, when I first started selling real estate, I began with sending postcards which was a great start but I sent out the same thing month after month. My message was okay, but it didn't get … (11 comments)
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