Just because social media doesn’t cost anything, it doesn’t mean it’s free. Making time to use social media channels and sorting through all the content available online can tax even the most experienced social media marketer. A recent study by eMarketer revealed that 73% of marketers say that finding time to create content is one of their biggest challenges. Despite your best efforts, you won’t be able to use each and every social media platform without a team of assistants, nor read everything that’s written about marketing, real estate and social media.
That itch in your brain — the one that makes you constantly log-on to Facebook or reach for your phone at all hours — that could be social media guilt. Social media guilt is the feeling that you should be producing more, reading more and doing it all more often on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Just look at the graph on the right. That’s the social media landscape right now. Expecting REALTORS® to master even a handful of these social media channels isn’t fair.
Here are a few Tips for Managing Social Media Guilt and dealing with that little itch that can keep you up at night. Continue reading »
REALTORS® are by nature multi-taskers — we have to master a million different disciplines, run from meetings to showings, take phone calls, answer emails, check Twitter and then live our regular lives. All this multi-tasking, not to mention personal distractions, can decrease productivity and cause workplace stress.
Do you find yourself working longer hours, or working at home on the weekend because your work days aren’t as productive as they could be? Are interruptions like phone calls, co-workers and meetings, and social media slowing you down? Do you wish there were more hours in the day and more days in the week.
We’re here to help. Here are 5 Tips to Manage Distractions in your workday, and help you become a more productive REALTOR® in a multi-tasking universe. Continue reading »
Membership does have its privileges. The National Association of REALTORS® Benefits Program was established to give REALTORS® value-added offers and savings on products and services, in addition to the brand recognition and trust that comes with the REALTOR® name. These benefits — for business and personal life — cover everything from new computer purchases and printing costs at FedEx to ongoing education and a vast library or real estate books and periodicals.
Make the most of your membership dues with this REALTOR® Guide to Your NAR Benefits in Action. Now get saving! Continue reading »
Some REALTORS® look at the short sales market and see the Wild, Wild West. But there’s no denying that short sales, foreclosures, distressed homes and flipped houses make up a good percentage of the real estate landscape in 2012.
In an effort to stabilize housing prices and unload some of the foreclosures flooding the marketplace, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) extended a waiver of its anti-flipping regulations through 2012, suspending regulations that prohibit agencies from insuring mortgages to purchase homes that are bought and resold in less than 90 days. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) also announced a new directive that directs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to align their guidelines for servicing delinquent mortgages they own or guarantee. These regulations, as well as current economic conditions, have led to a steady quantity of distressed and foreclosed homes. Continue reading »
Stop what you’re doing and Google yourself. We’ll give you a pass just this once. What do you see? Does your website come up? Blog? Twitter? LinkedIn? Any news articles? Are the links positive or is anything negative showing up? Or, is nothing showing up at all? Do you have a common name and are search results for you being overshadowed by other Rachel Smiths?
Now try typing in your city and “realty” or “real estate” or “realtor”. What comes up? Is your company showing on the first page? Is your name anywhere in the search listings? What companies or individuals are being displayed? These results are referred to as Google’s PageRank, which measures a web page’s importance relative to the term being searched for. Continue reading »
The Second Home Market has changed a lot since the Douglas Fir Plywood Association published Second Homes for Leisure Living in 1960. Today, millions of Baby Boomers in the United States (40.7 million between the ages of 50-59) have spending power and are preparing to retire, and many are predicted to enter the vacation home and second home markets over the next few years to look for vacation properties or make sound investments. A number of second-home buyers are targeting discounted and distressed properties that will serve as vacation homes and potentially full-time residences later in life. Baby Boomers are snapping up property near their children who may be grown and starting their own lives away from home. A segment of second-home buyers are also turning to real estate as a far better investment than banks and the stock market. Continue reading »
Real estate is a difficult field to master, requiring a great deal of education, the ability to multitask and tips and tricks that take a career to learn and apply. For new REALTORS® it can all be incredibly overwhelming. Fear not. Here’s a list of 10 Tips for New REALTORS® that can help everyone from the agent at their first day on the job to the 10-year veteran looking to help the new kids on the block find their way.
1. Find the Right Real Estate Company
Your first real estate company is usually the most formative in a REALTOR®’s career. Look for a broker who runs an organized, client-focused office with high ethical standards and processes in place for training. Does the company advocate technology? Do they have a strong presence in the local media? Do they market the company and the team well? Continue reading »
