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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real estate: Are You Closer to a Sale or a Price Reduction?
- 05/03/19 09:12 AM
Are You Closer to a Sale or a Price Reduction?
One of the most discussed topics between real estate brokers and their peers is pricing. Pricing a home to sell is both an art and a science.
Why do so many homes sit on the market gaining days on market dust and creating nothing more than frustrated sellers and real estate brokers? The answer is quite simple: The property is not priced where it needs to be to get sold.
Perhaps it was priced right initially, but the market changed. Maybe the buyer pool shrank and you got caught … (13 comments)
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real estate: Where It All Began: My Love of Investing in Real Estate
- 04/30/19 02:33 PM
Where It All Began: My Love of Investing in Real Estate
From the time I was a child, I was always interested in what my parents were doing in their business. My father was a chef and owned restaurants and my mom was his loyal partner in crime. I remember washing dishes with them on the weekends when I was as young as five and six years old. I worked all day to earn that special pastry or exquisite special menu item.
From this early age, I learned a lot about business and even more about money. My father … (1 comments)
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real estate: The Power of a Strong Brand
- 04/19/19 09:40 AM
The Power of a Strong Brand
I must admit that I am a bit of a brand snob. I have my favorites and I'm fairly loyal to those favorites.
Note that I did not say that I am completely loyal because there have been times when a good deal or a lower price enticed me to try another brand. A great example of this is that I have been using Tide laundry soap ever since I moved out on my own. It was a brand that my mother used and therefore the one that I used too. There have … (7 comments)
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real estate: Polly Wanna CARROT?
- 04/12/19 02:01 PM
Polly Wanna CARROT?
For years, I have listened to agents complain about the unresponsiveness of their potential clients or online leads. When I question them about what they think is going on, they usually respond with, "they never return my emails or calls."
The truth of the matter is that people are busy and may not have time to respond every time you reach out. If you expect a response, you must provide them with a compelling reason to WANT to respond to you. The key is to figure out what you could send (something visual) or something you … (15 comments)
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real estate: Time and Money
- 03/29/19 12:19 PM
Time and Money
Forgive me, I am feeling a little spicy today so this article is a little more blunt and to the point than usual! I have talked with a lot of stressed out agents this week who are doing too much themselves and not taking advantage of opportunities to leverage their time. If that sounds like you, this article is dedicated to you and your business!
AGENT: "Denise, can you help me make more money?"
MY RESPONSE: "Yes! But the first step is to help you make more time. You need that time to provide amazing service and … (10 comments)
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real estate: Market Conditions - Not New Carpets - Determine Market Value!
- 03/22/19 10:05 AM
Market Conditions - Not New Carpets - Determine Market Value!
Real estate professionals get asked on a regular basis by sellers about what improvements sellers should make to their homes to get them in tip-top shape and ready for the market. While things like cleaning the house, improving curb appeal and getting rid of clutter are obvious answers, that is not what this article is about today. Today, we need to address the liability that you may be opening yourself up to by making claims about improvements that will increase the sale price - when in fact they may … (4 comments)
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real estate: The #1 Client Communication Mistake
- 03/15/19 10:30 AM
The Number One Client Communication Mistake
Do you ever wonder how some people seem to have such a way with words and have absolutely no problem talking to anyone? Others, however, stumble and find it hard to engage potential clients in a conversation that is anything more than superficial.
When I think about my own real estate journey over the years and evaluate which agents really connected with me, I can pinpoint a very common theme. Some of them just bombarded me with sales tactics and questions that felt scripted, while others really listened to me and engaged me … (10 comments)
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real estate: Questions About Developing Property – Are You Ready to Answer?
- 03/08/19 10:49 AM
Questions About Developing Property – Are You Ready to Answer?
Do you have clients sitting on undeveloped properties? Or maybe you have clients looking for undeveloped properties? If you do, then they will eventually ask you when and if they should subdivide or develop that property. When they do, it is critical that you slow down and NOT answer that question too quickly. There is a lot of information and fact gathering that must occur before you answer that question.
Here are my top 11 things that every homeowner who is considering developing must know.
LOCATION
Land itself, even without … (0 comments)
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real estate: Wildly Successful Wild Ideas
- 03/01/19 10:09 AM
Wildly Successful Wild Ideas
I was recently asked this question about gifting. Agents often have a great idea, but then when they tell a few people, that initial great idea can get muddied in the spirit of others helping. If you know an idea is a good one, unless you are concerned that it crosses a line, trust your instinct. Then get a second opinion from your managing broker.
Q: "Denise, I love dogs. I mean I REALLY love dogs. I already donate a portion of my commission to our local humane society and am part of several local … (3 comments)
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real estate: The First 5 Minutes
- 02/22/19 03:30 PM
The First 5 Minutes
Successful Presentations Follow The Communication Triangle
Real estate professionals are constantly meeting new people and making strong first impressions. Sometimes these impressions are good and sometimes those impressions are not so good. Whether you are meeting a new potential buyer or seller or even meeting with a client to talk strategy, you must communicate your ability to help these clients within the first few minutes you meet them. You need to lead the conversation with a balance of content, connections, and questions.
Let's drill down those three components:
Content
Always prepare for meetings. That means … (10 comments)
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real estate: Navigating the Paper Jungle
- 02/20/19 09:38 AM
Navigating the Paper Jungle
As a real estate professional, you have to deal with not only your personal and financial files, but also your business files. Keeping your business files in order could make the difference between having things in order or a chaotic mess that could even lead to legal ramifications. For both your personal paperwork and your business paperwork, you must come up with a simple system to keep all of your documents in order. Many real estate agents struggle with this. With the increase of electronic files, it is even more important than ever before to … (3 comments)
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real estate: "Hello? HELLO?!" Are Your Phone Skills In Line?
- 01/25/19 10:53 AM
"Hello? HELLO?!" Are Your Phone Skills In Line?
I am on the phone every day of my life, most of us are. We send messages and receive messages and often we don't think about the power of a well-thought-out message or a well-spoken reply to a message.
I have been greatly disappointed by the quality of the phone messages I hear and the messages I receive. It is time to improve the way we communicate on the phone. I want you to make a great impression on the phone and I have some tips for helping you do that.
… (9 comments)
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real estate: Communication Leadership: Do You Have What It Takes?
- 01/18/19 12:46 PM
Communication Leadership: Do You Have What It Takes?
Real estate professionals communicate most moments of their working day. They are problem solvers, negotiators, cheerleaders and counselors. They make a living communicating and listening. The more refined your communication becomes and the more intuitive your communication style is the easier it will be for you to connect with your clients and help them make important decisions.
Communication leadership is the art of being able to help your clients make difficult decisions when emotion has gripped them with fear. Learning to tell a client NO, when they want to hear YES, … (8 comments)
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real estate: Mindset Matters! It All Begins With a Positive Thought
- 01/11/19 01:11 PM
Mindset Matters! It All Begins With a Positive Thought
If you sell real estate and you work with a broad range of clients, it is inevitable that someone at some point will either dump you or choose not to work with you. Or perhaps they will suck the life out of you only to have you find out later that after all your hard work, they just wrote an offer with someone else. When this happens and you get knocked down, you are the only one who can whip yourself back into shape and reset your mindset. The reality … (18 comments)
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real estate: My Top 5 Investor Tips for Serious Real Estate Investors
- 01/04/19 01:47 PM
My Top 5 Investor Tips for Serious Real Estate Investors
I have been investing in real estate for a few decades and have learned a thing or two along the way. Here are my top 5 investing tips:
#1 Weather Matters
When you are buying real estate. Depending on where you buy, what is going on with the weather makes a difference in what is going on with seller's motivation. In an area like the Pacific Northwest for example the winter months are often a great time to find great investments because many buyers step out of the market favoring … (3 comments)
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real estate: Exciting December for Buyers & Sellers!
- 12/07/18 05:13 PM
Exciting December for Buyers & Sellers!
I have always believed that real estate is an industry that provides opportunities for both buyers and sellers at different times of the year and in different seasons. This year, December is an exciting time for both buyers and sellers in many regions including the Pacific Northwest because of recent shifts in inventory. Rarely do the stars align when the real estate market favors both buyers and sellers at the same time but this year it does!
December has always traditionally been a time when sellers take their homes off the market for … (2 comments)
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