real estate agents: Do You Have What It Takes?
- 03/11/16 07:08 PM
Are you ready to be a real estate agent? You passed the test, the exam, HOORAY! Your contact list database is ready. You got your marketing materials and business cards designed. You even saved up capital funds to pay your startup costs.
However, do you have the personality it takes? That’s right, very few people actually have the perfect personality to stick to a self-disciplined daily schedule, ride out the emotional fatigue from a barrage of rejection, and weather the ups and downs of an uncertain sales cycle. The last thing you want is to have to hang up your license instead … (3 comments)
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real estate agents: Question: When is Probate Necessary?
- 01/10/15 10:57 PM
A frequent question that real estate agents and heirs ask me: "Is probate really necessary?" The reason they ask the probate attorney this question is because they have heard that a probate is very expensive and time consuming. How expensive and time consuming is it? If a house gross value is $500,000, then the total cost of probate will be approximately $29,000 and it takes about one year to complete the probate court process. No heirs really want to go through a probate. This article will give a brief summary elucidating when a probate is necessary in California. Probate is a … (2 comments)
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real estate agents: Who Cares? Seriously...
- 11/24/14 05:11 AM
That's the question. Who really cares about us as professionals, about our clients, and our industry? And why should we care?
I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of fighting against greed. There are too many huge corporations that don't care about our buyers and sellers, vendors that are only out to drain us without adding value, agents that could care less about each other, and investors who care only about the bottom line of profits in their pockets. It's time for a massive change.
Let's bring some heart back to our career. Because when it comes down … (4 comments)
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real estate agents: Does Yelp Really Help?
- 06/01/14 10:45 PM
Article as published in The San Diego Realtor® magazine, pages 29 & 31.
My Experience as told by Jennifer St. Clair with contributions from Regina P. Brown, members of the SDAR Business Development & Technology Committee
“Find a San Diego Realtor®,” I asked Siri recently. My iPhone quickly came up with a list of agents… and it was based on their yelp reviews! I was amazed.
How do I get to the top of this list? I too want my brand at the top of the search results, with my happy clients raving about me. To create a … (5 comments)
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real estate agents: Faucet Accessories
- 05/08/14 11:55 PM
Here are more ways to add interesting and exotic features to the sink. Some of our favorites include:
Touch-on – the on/off switch is built into the spout, so you can simply touch it and the faucet turns on LED neon tap - a unique way to bring a colorful burst into the kitchen, a red, blue, or green neon light comes on when water is flowing, making the water glow colorfully Beverage faucet – specific faucet on the side of the sink that is connected to a purified drinking water source Pot filler - authentic Italian kitchens are often equipped … (2 comments)
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real estate agents: Home Selling Tips
- 11/01/13 11:08 AM
Sellers can find it difficult to differentiate their home and eliminate some of the competition. So what can you do to increase your chances of making a faster sale?
Some very minor cosmetic repairs can make your home more appealing to potential buyers. The small expense involved will be well worth your investment since your home will often sell faster and for a better price.
Paint the interior walls a bright, neutral color such as white or ivory. Paint the front door. Hang a wreath on it and put down a new welcome mat. Plant flowers everywhere and keep lawns and … (0 comments)
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real estate agents: Senior Citizens can be your Best Clients!
- 01/24/13 11:43 AM
Selling senior community homes is a great market because so many baby boomers are retiring or thinking about downsizing. Should you learn this niche of selling homes to senior citizens? It’s great if you enjoy helping older folks and have a lot of patience. Seniors are also a great source of referrals.
Senior citizens are people who believe in established business relationships and loyalty and dedication. They will definitely send you some referrals if you do a great job of serving them. Working with seniors will help you to establish a book of business, both with these folks and with their … (5 comments)
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real estate agents: POWER CHARGE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN!
- 07/17/12 12:00 AM
Do you have a business plan? Is it up to date? And more importantly, is it effective?
If your business plan is limp and lifeless, we'll jump start your business plan and bring it to life by super-charging each section. Brainstorm with us as we discuss the need for a business plan, its uses, and how we can leverage our business plan to receive funding for our real estate business.
Energize your plan and make it come alive for potential business investors. We'll discuss what sections to put into the plan and what NOT to put in it. Appendices? References? Bios? … (8 comments)
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real estate agents: We're sizzling HOT on fire!
- 07/16/12 11:31 PM
Having trouble getting motivated each morning? Ready to run your business like a business? Feeling isolated working from home? Join us Monday to Friday each morning for a mini-training and get energized, motivated, and ready to make sales. We’re sizzling HOT on fire and ready to explode with massive sales!
Daily Kickstart SIZZLE training topics for the week:
MON July 16th - Blogs & Social Media (Money Making Monday)
TUE July 17th - Open House Registry (Techie Tuesday)
WED July 18th – Office Organization (Winning Wednesday)
THR July 19th – Attorney (Vendor) (Thriving Thursday)
FRI July 20th – Marketing Collateral Package … (2 comments)
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real estate agents: How Do We Prevent Mistakes From Happening?
- 07/04/12 10:04 PM
First of all, we learn from them...
Learning from our mistakes means that we’re taking honest look at ourselves. And that’s probably the hardest part of our problem solving process... taking a look at our self and saying:
What did I contribute to this problem?
How did I create this problem? Are there any things I could have done to prevent this problem? And then learning how to refine our processes in the future which is saying to ourselves:
How can I set myself up for success next time instead of failure? How can I set expectations for all parties so … (7 comments)
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real estate agents: How BIG Are Your Problems?
- 07/04/12 09:44 PM
Problem Solving Strategies
In our business, we have a lot of problems because of the nature of the real estate business, especially more so with today’s market. Almost every type of escrow or every type of transaction has a problem that needs to be solved. There’s problem dealing with agents. There’s problem dealing with buyers, sellers and the banks.
But before you get discouraged, just remember the saying... "You get paid by the size of the problems you solve!"
When you're having a difficult challenge or an issue with one of your escrows, keep in mind that the bigger the problem … (43 comments)
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real estate agents: 10 Steps from Listing to Payday
- 07/04/12 01:55 AM
Why Should We Focus on Listings?
As a real estate agent we have a choice to focus either on listings or on buyers. I suggest focusing on listings because sellers control the market and if you’re a listing agent, you have more control over your career. When you have a listing, you’re automatically going to get buyers simply because you are already advertising and marketing your listing.
Once you get a few listings, you’ll hold open houses and get built-in publicity for your business. You’ll attract buyers organically... and then guess what? When you have qualified buyers, you’re going to attract … (4 comments)
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real estate agents: Why do so many Real Estate Agents Fail?
- 07/01/12 11:06 AM
I am always surprised at how few real estate agents attend their weekly MLS marketing meetings. I guesstimate that only about 2% of the MLS members show up to the sales meetings each week. Why? Some real estate agents have “real” jobs and can’t attend the weekday meetings. Some don’t understand the value. Others are too lazy, or apathetic. Those figures are a very disappointing commentary on the professionalism of our industry.
I’ve heard that 5% of licensed real estate agents are closing 95% of the real estate transactions in our market place. Egad! I didn’t realize that the stats were … (31 comments)
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real estate agents: Real Estate Salespeople are NOT…
- 07/01/12 10:26 AM
Ever gotten roped into doing another job that you didn’t anticipate in your listing agreement? Have you been taken advantage of by a client who wants you to perform free services? Do you observe agents going “over and above” their salesperson responsibilities?
It’s easy to do just that, when there are so many licensed agents and they are all hungry for work. Some are willing to perform activities outside of their employment agreement simply in hopes of getting paid work. And we really love to help homeowners save their houses from foreclosure, don’t we! But we need to remember, that first … (4 comments)
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real estate agents: 90-Day Mentor Program
- 06/23/12 11:05 PM
Learn by Doing…
On our previous blogs, we talked about the benefits of having a mentor. California Coast & Country Homes, Inc. offers a 90-Day Mentor Program.
About the Program:
This program is designed for the part-time apprentice (1 assignment per week for 13 weeks) If apprentice is full-time, all assignments can be completed in only 3 weeks May include compensation splits to Mentor for assisting Apprentice for first few transactions If so, sign a formal written agreement with your broker’s approval In our program, you (the apprentice) will “shadow” your mentor. The mentor trains you. You’re going to assist your … (4 comments)
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real estate agents: How to Find a Mentor
- 06/23/12 10:13 PM
Who is a good mentor?
A mentor is a person who’s willing to make a commitment to coach a less experienced apprentice at no charge or cost. There’s a commitment required on the mentor’s part because they do have to go the process.
Following are the characteristics of a good mentor:
They have to be willing and available. A mentor is somebody who is ready to get back to others and wants to help contribute to another person’s growth. Somebody who wants to help fellow colleagues or real estate agents to be more professional, do a better job, earn more money, … (5 comments)
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real estate agents: Benefits of the Apprentice Mentor Program
- 06/23/12 09:22 PM
It’s important to affiliate ourselves with top producers. If you hang-out with the top producers, you’re going to be a top producer. If you hang-out with people who aren’t very active in the business, that’s probably where you’re going to be. So it’s all about affiliating with people who are where you want to be, and where you want to go.
We recommend participating in a formal Apprentice Mentor Program. For the apprentice, ask yourself “What would you like to learn?”, “What can you contribute?” You can just ask yourself those questions. For mentors – “What can you teach to others? … (2 comments)
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real estate agents: Which Payment Plan do you Prefer?
- 06/18/12 10:56 AM
It's Your Choice!
If you were going to save thousands of dollars, would you prefer to pay monthly or annually? Right now, you’re probably paying monthly AND annual fees to your broker, AND a big slice out of each commission.
Our system eliminates that costly overhead. We help you streamline your business for maximum productivity.
Make MORE + Spend LESS = Keep MORE. That’s our philosophy!
California Coast & Country Homes was designed with YOU in mind. We know. We’ve been in the business a long time. And we’ve seen too many agents struggling, even after earning large commissions.
… (2 comments)
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real estate agents: A Great Escrow Start Means a Successful Closing
- 06/14/12 11:16 AM
Want to make sure that your escrow gets off to a solid start, progresses seamlessly, and closes on time? Start by selecting an excellent escrow officer. The next step is to provide your escrow officer with all the information she needs right away. Be sure to inform your clients that they need to cooperate by getting all their paperwork in pronto! And lastly, follow up regularly during the process.
Just like every real estate transaction, the success of your closing depends on the great relationships you’ve cultivated. And your escrow officer is definitely someone you need to be able trust, so … (4 comments)
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real estate agents: Free C.A.R. Forms tutorial for ZipForms
- 06/11/12 11:42 AM
C.A.R. Forms Tutor® helps you complete the Zipforms easily and quickly. You can find answers to forms in three ways: alphabetically, by forms category, or by form code. A webinar, demo video, and Tips & Tricks are available. REALTOR® members can access the C.A.R. Forms Tutor® free member benefit by visiting the http://www.car.org/tools/zipForm6/ft Not sure which forms you may need? C.A.R. Forms Advisor® can advise members which forms they’ll need for a specific transaction. Forms Advisor® can be accessed directly from your zipForm® account or by visiting http://www.car.org/tools/zipForm6/forms_support/FormsAdvisor to identify the exact forms you’ll need for a transaction.
… (2 comments)
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Are you ready to be a real estate agent? You passed the test, the exam, HOORAY! Your contact list database is ready. You got your marketing materials and business cards designed. You even saved up capital funds to pay your startup costs.
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