REALTORS® spend a lot of time working on their craft, but no one is perfect. It’s hard to be the master of every discipline and sometimes REALTORS® make real estate marketing mistakes that could be avoided with a little more time, planning and education. We’ve compiled a list of eight marketing mistakes REALTORS® should avoid along with suggestions on how to right the ship if you’re an offender.
1. Your Marketing Plan is Done. Now You’re Done.
Your marketing plan is just the first step towards your goals. It should be on a white board, not etched in stone. Your plan should be reviewed and revised often – it’s an organic plan that should alter as you learn more about how your strategy and tactics are getting results. Continue reading »
With increased competition for home sales, it’s more important than ever for sellers to consider cost-effective home improvements to help maximize their return on investment. There are two kinds of home improvements – giant kidney-shaped pools, state of the art home offices and the best privately owned topiary in the Midwest, or more practical improvements that are optimized to maximize your average cost and return on investment.
A number of factors that affect how much of your costs you’ll recoup – the value of homes in the neighborhood, the state of the housing market as a whole and the timing of your sale, but here are the top six home improvements for selling a house that REALTORS® can use to get results for their clients.
Remodel the Kitchen
One of the most prominent turnoffs from prospective home buyers is an unattractive kitchen. Today’s kitchen is where families spend most of their time together and size doesn’t matter as much as appearance. Continue reading »
Another REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo is in the books and this year’s six-day event in Washington, D.C., brought together thousands of REALTORS® from across the country to take part in educational and networking opportunities as well as giving REALTORS® a voice on Capitol Hill at the Rally to Protect the American Dream.
Midyear Live offered a steady stream of breaking news and buzz from Midyear, along with regular updates on the Midyear Facebook and Twitter page, but here’s a helpful overview of the highlight activities in Washington, D.C., to give REALTORS® a recap of this year’s outstanding event.
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REALTORS® have hundreds of choices to make when determining which mobile apps will help them be more productive and better connected. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® offers a number of great apps but technology is moving at lightning pace and there are cool new apps on the market every week. Here’s a list of 10 of the newest apps that REALTORS® can use to further their business.
1. MagicPlan
Version 1 was downloaded by more than one million people and version 2.0 works out some of the kinks of this amazing floor plan generator. MagicPlan creates floor plans by taking pictures of rooms, exporting them into PDF, JPG and DXF formats so you can posts images or even design interactive floor plans. It takes some getting used to but the technology is amazing and REALTORS® should find value in this amazing app. FREE Continue reading »
Today’s REALTORS® potentially work with four generations of real estate buyers: Millenials, Generation X, Baby Boomers and Matures, not to mention unique and diverse groups within these demographics, including minorities, international, Green and commercial buyers. All buyers and sellers are not created equal. Now, more than ever, it’s important for REALTORS® to educate themselves, continue their professional development and take advantage of NAR real estate designations and certifications.
Certified International Property Specialist / CIPS
The CIPS designation prepares REALTORS® to serve the growing international markets in their communities: total purchases by foreign or foreign-born buyers in 2011 totaled $82 billion. CIPStraining concentrates on culture, exchange rates, investment trends and legal issues. Studying global real estate in local markets and global real estate transaction tools serves as the foundation of the CIPS designation, with additional courses available catering to regional clients from Europe to Asia. Continue reading »
In recent years the rise in technology and the competitive housing market has forced REALTORS® to work harder and longer hours. Driving from showing to showing, answering emails and phone calls at all hours of the night—it all takes a toll, and the stress can mount. Fortunately, there are ways to manage your stress that will not only improve your quality of life, but might also improve your sales as you become more efficient at your job.
The signs of stress
Do you feel chronically anxious or depressed? Are you irritable around family, friends, and coworkers? Have you lost interest in hobbies or work? Are you socially withdrawn or experiencing physical tension? Are you drinking too much? If you answered yes to any of these, you might be under excessive stress at work.
The decision to purchase a home requires a buyer to weigh a lot of options. Leaving the seemingly comfortable confines of renting and becoming a homeowner is, after all, a big leap. As your clients grapple with the decision to stop renting and move on to purchasing a home, you can give them a nudge by being an education resource and doing your best to offer even-handed advice and information on the issue of buying a home vs. renting. You clearly have a stake in this decision but help educate your clients as to WHY now more than ever buying a home trumps renting.
Interest rates are low… for now
Remind clients that rates are at levels we haven’t seen since the 1970s, and are predicted to remain relatively unchanged for another year. If your clients wait too long buy their home, they might lose out on low interest rates that are predicted to come to an end with 2012. We are at the bottom end of the interest rate cycle right now and as it begins to edge higher in the next few years, landing a low interest loan will become much more difficult. Continue reading »
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo is just a week away (May 14-19) and we’re looking forward to an informative and entertaining gathering in Washington, D.C. Whether you’re able to join us in the nation’s capital or not, the events and activities surrounding Midyear should not be missed. With thousands of attendees, three hotels, six days of meetings and courses, and the much-anticipated Rally to Protect the American Dream, we’ve put together a guide on how to get the most out of Midyear 2012.
The Scout Motto
Be prepared. Target the meetings and courses you want to attend and don’t stretch yourself too thin – don’t forget – Midyear is spread over three separate hotels. Prepare lists of forums and gatherings you definitely like to attend as well as attendees who you know you’d like to meet. You can use the Event Planner to help create your own custom schedule or check the left sidebar for suggested schedules and a speaker directory. Continue reading »
Doesn’t it always feel like the first time every time you sell to a first-time homebuyer? In many respects your job is to shepherd them through the purchasing process and hold the door open to their new home. To take your first-time buyer from shopping to purchasing requires a lot of investment, a bit of armchair psychology, and a lot of research, and you absolutely must stay on your toes. To help REALTORS® make the sale, we put together 10 tips to help you close the deal with first-time buyers.
1. If they’re on the fence, push them off: The national average in cost of rent rose significantly from 2009 to 2011 and trends indicate that those rental prices will keep rising at least through 2013. The long-term cost of renting is much more expensive than the cost of buying home. Make sure your buyer is aware of cost-savings associated with buying and owning a home. Continue reading »
