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Thursday, September 19, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Weekly Report: Home Ownership Matters; Reflecting on the 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage -
Not Just a Voice in the Wilderness - By NAR President Gary Thomas
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Spring-tastic Tips For Your Clients - GO RE/MAX!
Spring-tastic Tips For Your Clients
Ahh, spring, when a renter’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of home ownership!
Some green is already peeking through after this week’s snow which means your days are about to get longer, right? Now is the perfect time to capture the attention of clients who are looking to move before winter returns again. I’ve got just the thing – an infographic!
This infographic (click on it to go to the full version) talks about the benefits of gardening, specifically detailing statistics on what the benefits are to your real estate value and how it improves your appraisal value. Of course it goes beyond that to talk about health statistics (another seasonal concern as people are looking for ways to get moving again and work off their winter weight), benefits to the environment (you can still tap into the Earth Day zeitgeist), and of course how it will affect their bottom line.
About Tim Nichols
Tim Nichols is the eBusiness Trainer for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Thursday, April 25, 2013
RE/MAX North Central Region Webinars for May and June!
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO ALL THE GREAT TRAINING CLASSES LIVE HERE AT RE/MAX PREFERRED - www.BestAgentFirst.com/Training (Go to site from PC/MAC, not mobile)
May & June Webinars Announced!
I am pleased to announce that we have scheduled our May and June webinars (not currently available in the calendar, but you can register for them by clicking on the topics below).
Many of the webinars will be run by J. Ryan Ayers who you had a chance to meet during the January and March Tech Tours as I focus on getting out to the offices for live trainings. We know that these are the days when you get very busy, so the content has been developed for 30-40 minutes of content with the option to stick around and ask questions for the remainder of the hour, with the exception of 30 Minute Apps: Evernote which will be targeted at 20 minutes of content to see whether or not you find shorter webinars valuable.
The Q2 Tech Forum will focus on Listing Presentations. If you have a presentation or specific element that you have found to be useful in the listing presentation process, please feel free to e-mail me and I will add it to the content we will be discussing (complete with attribution to your peers).
You’ve asked for more Site Builder content and we’ve heard you loud and clear. J will be spending three Thursday mornings in a row covering aspects of Site Builder from Site Design, to Site Content, and of course Search. If you haven’t developed your agent site yet or you think it could use a facelift, you don’t want to miss these sessions.
If you haven’t attended one of our webinars before, I highly suggest that you plan to log in about 5-10 minutes before so that you can download any drivers you need because we try to respect everyone’s schedules by starting on time.
*All Start Times are 9:30 AM Central Time – 10:30 Eastern Time*
May Class Dates/Topics:
9th – Design Center
14th – LeadStreet: Listings Tab
16th – 30 Minute Apps: Evernote
29th – Design Center
30th – LeadStreet: Clients Tab
June Class Dates/Topics:
6th – Tech Forum: Listing Presentations
13th – Site Builder: Site Design
20th – Site Builder: Site Content
27th – Site Builder: My Searches
Photo: Theis Kofoed Hjorth via Compfight
About Tim Nichols
Tim Nichols is the eBusiness Trainer for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Monday, April 22, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
The Vacation Home Makes a Comeback | RISMedia
As the market continues to shift, one industry trend seems to be making continuous waves: vacation homes.
With low prices and mortgage rates still available in most parts of the country, affluent buyers—or those who have always dreamed of a cabin on a lake—are making their move and purchasing second homes in exotic locations to be used as vacation getaways.
According to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), sales of investment and vacation homes jumped in 2011, with the combined marketshare rising to the highest level since 2005.
NAR’s 2012 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey, covering existing- and new-home transactions in 2011, showed vacation-home sales rose 7 percent to 502,000.
It’s easy to understand why the vacation home market would be on the rebound; not only is the overall real estate atmosphere brightening, but U.S. travel expenditures are picking up, too. In 2011, we saw an 8.8 percent rise in travel expenditures, and according to the October 2012 Traveler Sentiment Index™, traveler sentiment neared pre-recession levels, within 0.7 points of the October 2007 pre-recession high of 91.1.
People are getting away again, and as the economy stabilizes, many are looking for a standing vacation spot. But what does this rebounding market look like, and what does it mean for you as a real estate professional? Let’s take a look at the numbers, according to the 2012 NAR survey:
• In 2011, 42 percent of vacation-home buyers paid in cash, and 39 percent purchased distressed properties.
• Vacation-home sales accounted for 11 percent of all transactions in 2011, up from 10 percent in 2010.
• The typical vacation-home buyer was 50 years old, with a median household income of $88,600.
• Purchased vacation homes were located a median of 305 miles from the buyer’s primary residence. Thirty-five percent of vacation homes were within 100 miles, and 37 percent were more than 500 miles.
• Typical buyers plan to own their recreational property for a median of 10 years.
“There are lots of investors buying rental properties and second homes right now,” says Goran Forss, a broker in Temecula, Calif., whose company has had a consistently strong base of investors over the past several years—approximately one-third of all buyers—and has copious amounts of vacation rentals. In Forss’ market, a myriad of investors keeps the inventory scant.
Aside from a location that will allow them to enjoy their new home to the fullest, Forss notes that buyers are interested in maximizing their return on investment.
NAR’s survey showed that 91 percent of vacation-home buyers planned to rent their new home out within the next 12 months for at least part of the season.
Of this 91 percent, 40 percent plan to rent the home between one and eight weeks of the year, possibly to make a little extra money during the time they won’t be using the property. Thirty-two percent plan to rent their properties between nine and 26 weeks per year, and 27 percent plan to rent their homes between 27 and 52 weeks per year.
“Those (vacation properties) have become more and more popular for the savvy investor and stay booked year round due to our moderate temperature and abundance of sunny days,” explains Forss.
U.S. vacation home seekers aren’t solely staying within the country, either. The trend seems to be percolating worldwide. Shannon P. Murree, a real estate professional in Barrie, Canada, says she has seen an increase in U.S buyers looking for additional properties in her market as confidence in the economy grows.
“People are looking at (vacation homes) for their own use, and renting them out weekly during the times they won’t be using them, as well,” says Murree, who notes that she has seen an increase in this trend as of late.
When working with buyers looking for a vacation home, it’s important to understand that lending is different for non-primary properties. Get to know this financial arena so that you can help your clients as efficiently as possible. Lenders are stricter with vacation home mortgages than those for traditional homes, so your buyers must have immaculate credit—often 720 or greater—and be up-to-date with their primary mortgage.
Additionally, many lenders have been giving out “jumbo” mortgages for vacation and investment properties. Unfortunately, new mortgage guidelines put out by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will go into effect in 2014 and may put an end to these popular loans.
If you’re interested in working with vacation buyers, you should start by getting to know the niche market. According to Forss, the best way to do this could be to consider investing yourself. “The most successful agents working with investors are investors themselves,” says Forss, who owns nine rentals along with his wife and business partner, Lisa. “It’s very easy then to connect with the investors, as we know all the insights and best practices of handling investment properties.”Join RISMedia on Twitter and Facebook to connect with us and share your thoughts on this and other topics.
Need blog or newsletter content or easy, stay-in-touch e-Marketing solutions? Check out REsource and Pop-a-Note!
Send us feedbackCategories: Business Outlook, Consumer News and Advice, Home Owner News, Real Estate News, Real Estate Trends, Today's Marketplace, Today's Top Story, Today's Top Story - ConsumerCopyright© 2013 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.
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Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
RE/MAX Preferred Welcomes New Agent - Shellie Dresser!
Welcome New RE/MAX Associates
RE/MAX North Central would like to welcome the following new RE/MAX associates to the region of Minnesota and Wisconsin:
Bonnie Armstrong – RE/MAX Results – Woodbury, MN
Shellie Dresser – RE/MAX Preferred – Madison/Madison West, WI
Richard Elliot – RE/MAX Advisors – Burnsville, MN
Donna Jensen – RE/MAX Results – Edina, MN
Rebeca Lergier – RE/MAX Results – Eden Prairie, MN
Christopher Long – RE/MAX Results – Maple Grove, MN
Ronald Long – RE/MAX Results – Maple Grove, MN
Deeyon Persaud – RE/MAX Results – Minneapolis/Uptown, MN
Bill Tate – RE/MAX Lyons Real Estate – Waupaca, WI
Welcome everyone!
If you’d like to connect with a RE/MAX real estate professional, visit: www.remax.com/officeagentsearch
Tags: New AssociatesShare this:
About Keri Henke
Keri Henke is the Public Relations & Communications Coordinator for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Great Article on the support of use of Electronic Signatures!
Before the year 1500, real estate transactions were sealed by “http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/livery+of+seisin">livery of seisin”—the ceremony surrounding conveyance of a property. Closing the deal required the physical transfer of a piece of ground, twig, key, or other symbol on the premises in the presence of witnesses.
Following that custom, paper became the modus operandi and the wet ink signature has been the standard for more than 500 years.
That is until now—the era of technology—when electronic signatures promise easier, speedier, safer transactions for REALTORS® and consumers.
Congress tried to help this along by passing the ESIGN Act of 2000. Its purpose was to support and promote electronic commerce through the use of electronic records and signatures by ensuring the validity and legality of contracts entered into electronically, while preserving consumer protection laws.
Since then, electronic signatures have become much more widely accepted by most financial and lending institutions. E-vendor DocuSign reports 65,000 new users per day (not just in real estate) and expects that number to be one per second by the end of the year. ZipLogix is reporting a 102 percent increase in 2012.
Yet, despite huge growth, many REALTORS® continue to experience problems submitting forms with electronic signatures to servicers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, particularly relating to short sales and Real Estate Owned, or REO, properties.
In markets where distressed properties are emerging as the dominant share of the market, completing a transaction under threat of possible default or foreclosure is not unusual. In these instances, the speed and flexibility provided by electronic documents is critical.
I recently took part in a summit, hosted by NAR in Washington, DC, to examine obstacles to increased acceptance of electronic signatures. The meeting brought representatives from government, banking, lending, real estate, and electronic signature providers together for an open discussion. It was a great opportunity to exchange ideas, and our goals moving forward are twofold. One is to enact government policies that will facilitate implementation of the ESIGN Act. The other is to continue the dialog among all sectors to promote examples of best practices and find additional strategies for eliminating obstacles to full acceptance of E-signatures.
In addition to hosting the summit, NAR has also requested the Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Ed DeMarco to clarify and align Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s policies on the broad acceptance of electronic signatures.
The ability to reduce records and documents to digital form and transfer them electronically, when coupled with the Internet, is transforming the commercial world in general, including the real estate world. Not only have electronic sources provided better data faster, but they are an indicator of the need to reduce all documents to digital form.
We believe that, if done correctly, E-signatures can do more than ease transactions. They also offer greater protection against fraud than traditional wet ink signatures.
We’ve come a long way from exchanging dirt and twigs. There is no doubt that electronic signatures are the wave of the future. Catch the wave!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
RE/MAX Preferred Welcomes New RE/MAX Associates - Bret Tschumper Joins our Team!
RE/MAX North Central Welcomes New RE/MAX Associates
Andrea Benedict – RE/MAX Advantage Plus – Minneapolis, MN
Joseph Bryan – RE/MAX Results – Apple Valley, MN
Gary Heldman – RE/MAX Results – Elk River, MN
Judith Moseley – RE/MAX Affiliates – Eau Claire, WI
Steven Myers – RE/MAX Reliance – Princeton, MN
Virginia Quandt – RE/MAX Community Realty – Lake Mills, WI
Melissa Straka – RE/MAX Today’s Realty – Hutchinson, MN
Bret Tschumper – RE/MAX Preferred – Cottage Grove, WI
Ryan Whisler -RE/MAX Results – St. Paul/Highland Park, MN
Welcome everyone!
If you’d like to contact a RE/MAX associate, visit www.remax.com/officeagentsearch/
Tags: New Associates
About Keri Henke
Keri Henke is the Public Relations & Communications Coordinator for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
New RE/MAX Marketing Platform Wins Achievement Award!
New RE/MAX Marketing Platform Wins Achievement Award
RE/MAX LLC, a global leader in real estate, has been recognized with the Marketing Achievement Award from the Real Estate Marketing Insider for the company’s “Design Center” platform. The award is given each quarter for improvement or innovation in the art of real estate marketing. This month, RE/MAX launched an updated version of “Design Center,” created by Imprev. The new RE/MAX marketing platform features a more intuitive user interface, and offers agents and offices more enhanced marketing capabilities.Agents Receive Professionally Designed Tools at No Cost
“Since Design Center first debuted in 2006, our agents have had access to state-of-the-art marketing tools,” said Abby Lee, RE/MAX Vice President, Brand Marketing and Advertising. “The new platform makes it even easier for them to grow their business through improved visibility with home buyers and sellers. It’s just one of the no cost tools that RE/MAX provides our network.”
The new Design Center allows agents to create and distribute professional marketing materials, both digitally and via snail mail. Agents can post their material on the internet to a number of websites and aggregators, remotely print paper materials, such as postcards, flyers and brochures, and also measure the impact of email or online campaigns. The redesigned platform also helps agents streamline their business and allows them to be more accessible to their clients.
One feature of the new platform is the opportunity to take advantage of premium marketing resources. For a small fee, agents can obtain websites for single properties; design video tours; and allow access to other professionally designed marketing materials.
The many tools made available through the RE/MAX network enable its agents to continue to perform at the top of the industry. In the U.S. in 2012, with the housing recovery underway, RE/MAX agents were involved with nearly 840,000 transaction sides, an increase of 12% over 2011. The company’s 2012 sales volume was $165 billion, up 18%, and, most importantly, individual productivity within the RE/MAX network rose 15% to an average of 16.3 transaction sides per agent.
Tags: awards, design center, remax marketing
About Keri Henke
Keri Henke is the Public Relations & Communications Coordinator for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
RE/MAX National Housing Report: Home Selling Season Starts Strong
RE/MAX National Housing Report: Home Selling Season Starts Strong
In February, both home sales and prices rose higher than a year ago. After a decisive housing turnaround in 2012, this year looks to improve on recovering market trends. With data representing 52 metropolitan areas, the February RE/MAX National Housing Report shows home sales 2.3% greater than February 2012 and a median price 7.0% higher. Still a concern is the number of available homes for sale, which continues to shrink, turning the market more favorable to sellers. Home inventory fell 29.2% from last year, resulting in a 4.8-month supply. In only the second month of the year, real estate agents are already seeing renewed consumer interest and are expecting increased traffic in the next few months. As home prices recover in 2013, more homeowners will achieve positive equity and the number of foreclosures should be reduced. The current recovery has not yet brought housing back to pre-crisis levels, but appears on its way to a more stable and sustainable environment.
The above is an excerpt from the monthly RE/MAX National Housing Report. Read the full two-page report.
Tags: monthly housing report, national housing reportShare this:
About Keri Henke
Keri Henke is the Public Relations & Communications Coordinator for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Realtor.com marketing campaign zeroes in on listings accuracy - Inman News - Paul Hagey
Realtor.com marketing campaign zeroes in on listings accuracy
'Find It First' ads suggest buyers could be at a disadvantage if they use third-party sites
By Paul Hagey, Monday, March 11, 2013.
Inman News®
Realtor.com operator Move Inc. is launching an aggressive marketing campaign today that portrays the timeliness, accuracy and completeness of listings on the portal as giving its users a competitive advantage over buyers searching for homes on less reliable third-party websites.
The "Find It First" marketing campaign makes the case that with inventories tight in many markets, accurate and timely listings data could make the difference between finding your dream home or losing out to another buyer.
"You're not the only one dreaming about your perfect home," warns one of the ads.
As the official website of the National Association of Realtors, realtor.com can claim to have the most up-to-date and accurate inventory of U.S. homes listed for sale. The site receives listings data from more than 800 multiple listing services that, in most cases, is updated every 15 minutes.
Because they gather data from a variety of sources, third-party websites like Zillow and Trulia can have gaps in their listings coverage, or show homes that have already been sold or withdrawn from the market as still being for sale. Zillow and Trulia don't have data on about a quarter of MLS listings, according to recent studies by brokerages ZipRealty and Redfin.
"We are highlighting our competitive advantage in the new campaign," said Andrew Strickman, vice president of brand and creative at Move.
One "Find it First" ad takes a swipe at the quality of listing data on third-party portals, boasting that "The only dead ends you'll find on our site are homes on cul-de-sacs."
One of the advertisements realtor.com is employing in its new marketing campaign.
In essence, the campaign is portraying realtor.com as the best place to find a home.
"We are different. We are better. Here's why," Strickman said,
Move, which has not played this hand so aggresively to consumers before, is planning a broader marketing push to bring the company out of the industry shadows and into the consumer light, Strickman said. Realtor.com, the firm's most consumer-centric property, is the first target.
Move vice president of brand and creative Andrew Strickman explains realtor.com's new marketing campaign.
Why is Move highlighting this advantage now?
Record low inventory is part of it, Strickman said. Data accuracy and timeliness means a lot more now, he said.
The move's also about vision, Strickman said.
Move management, after years of focusing on developing its technologies, saw the opporunity to make the play months ago. Last July the company brought in Barbara O'Connor as executive vice president of marketing to implement it.
The first phase of the realtor.com campaign, focused at homebuyers who are looking to purchase a home in the next six months, will be digital-only.
The digital-only phase will feature ads on 50 to 60 websites, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
The second phase will include live-action video, although TV spots are not currently part of that plan.
"We want to gain back some of the ground we've lost in the online real estate realm," Strickman said.
Last week, to help consumers "connect emotionally" to the site, Move launched a redesigned realtor.com website with a new logo and color scheme that also de-emphasizes the site's affiliation with NAR.
Contact Paul Hagey:
Letter to the EditorAll rights reserved. This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.Copyright 2013 Inman News
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Monday, March 18, 2013
Welcome our New Agent in Fort Atkinson - Missy Duvall!
Welcome New RE/MAX Associates
Keith Anderson – RE/MAX Results – Wayzata, MN
Michael Brunkow – RE/MAX Advantage Plus – Lakeville, MN
Jessica Coleman-Siverson – RE/MAX Synergy – Forest Lake, MN
Melissa Duvall – RE/MAX Preferred – Fort Atkinson, WI
Lisa Eggman – RE/MAX Property Pros – Eagle River, WI
Regina Engebritson – RE/MAX Results – Wayzata, MN
Cecilia Giron – RE/MAX Advantage Plus – Minneapolis, MN
Anne Palladino – RE/MAX Thousand Lakes – Grand Rapids, MN
Barb Sass Yoder – RE/MAX Property Pros – Eagle River, WI
James Smith – RE/MAX Results – Elk River, MN
Robbyn Struck – RE/MAX Elite – Kenosha, WI
Kevin Torgerson – RE/MAX Results – Anoka, MN
Debbie Van Caster – RE/MAX Property Pros – Eagle River, WI
Brandon Vasquez – RE/MAX Results – Anoka, MN
Eric Woodward – RE/MAX Realty 100 – Hales Corners, WI
P. Gregory Yoder – RE/MAX Property Pros – Eagle River, WI
Welcome everyone!
If you’d like to connect with a RE/MAX associate, please visit: www.remax.com/officeagentsearch
Tags: new agents, New Associates, RE/MAX agents
About Keri Henke
Keri Henke is the Public Relations & Communications Coordinator for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
One of the New RE/MAX TV Spots... Oh yeah, still #1 TV Share!
FUNNY STUFF!! WHAT MOVES YOU WISCONSIN!?
Monday, March 4, 2013
RE/MAX Design Center is Getting a Facelift!
Denver-based franchisor Re/Max is launching an updated version of its "Design Center" marketing platform, touting the revamped application as more intuitive and efficient than previous versions.
The updated platform, to be unveiled today in Las Vegas at the annual Re/Max R4 Convention, boasts an overhauled interface along with new features that the platform's developer, Imprev Inc., has not made available to other brokerages that use its design products, said Bill Yaman, Imprev's vice president of sales and business development.
The interface was built to "make ease of use paramount," Yaman said. In a demo session, the layout did appear to be cleaner than the application's previous version, and some design functions, like adding photos and text, were easier to use.
Introduced in 2006, today the Re/Max Design Center is one of a number of platforms designed to help agents create marketing materials and disseminate them to prospects.
The approximately 70,000 Re/Max agents in the U.S. and Canada can use the Re/Max Design Center for free, but they'll have to pony up another $299 for three new premium features that enable agents to generate single-property websites, video home tours and ready-made marketing campaigns.
The Design Center's new premium features, announced in January, are also available individually for $199 each.
The "Premier Agent" single-property website enables an agent to generate a stand-alone listing website that adjusts its layout for mobile and tablet users. The website hosts a virtual tour, which an agent may stock with as many as 50 photos and accompanying descriptions, along with a Google Maps street view interface and sections for neighborhood information.
The Premier Agent Video tool allows an agent to create home tours with text and music soundtracks. The agent may publish the videos on YouTube and other websites, or embed them in emails.
A Premier Agent automated marketing campaign enables an agent to create campaigns that disburse promotional materials over set timelines. Using a campaign, an agent may target certain groups that are stored in the platform's contact list. The function even has cookie-cutter promotional campaigns that send out pre-written copy on topics including disaster-preparedness, downsizing and rent vs. own.
As with previous versions, an agent may use Design Center to distribute their promotional materials across a range of websites and platforms (depending on their medium), print materials from an affiliated printer, and view analytics for email campaigns.
Screen shot of Re/Max Design Center.
Re/Max uses a separate program, called "LeadStreet," to help its agents manage leads. LeadStreet is partially integrated with Design Center, allowing an agent to populate marketing materials in Design Center with listing information from LeadStreet. Still, the applications are distinct.
Yaman said Imprev, whose products are used by over 150,000 agents, is in the process of "evaluating partnerships with CRMs" that could bring more substantial integration.
That could mean that subsequent versions of its real estate design applications may fully integrate with CRMs, portending a future where more real estate agents manage prospects and market to them all from within one platform.
Contact Teke Wiggin:
Letter to the EditorAll rights reserved. This content may not be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in part or in whole, without written permission of Inman News. Use of this content without permission is a violation of federal copyright law.Copyright 2013 Inman News
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Monday, February 25, 2013
TOM FERRY IS AWESOME!
Check out this link to listing to Tom Talk about Breaking through your glass ceiling in your Real Estate Sales! It's time to step it up!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Web 101: Fundamental Do’s and Don’ts of Real Estate Websites | RISMedia
With an estimated 90 percent of homebuyers conducting home searches online, you’d be smart to use the beginning of 2013 to beef up your Web presence. Take a minute to discover the six things you absolutely must include on your real estate website (and which three things to avoid). Is your site up to snuff?
6 Must-Haves
Contact Information: Your name, phone number, email or contact form, and links to your social media accounts should be visible on every page. Left or right margins are great for this.
“About” Page: This should let your prospects know what you’re about, as an agent or brokerage. Why did you get into the real estate business? Do you specialize in certain types of sales? Include anything that distinguishes you from other professionals in your area.
Listings: Visitors to your site primarily want to see listings. Make sure they are prominent and easily accessible from your home page. You may even consider integrating IDX into your home page.
Seller Information: Sellers want to know what you will do for them if they choose you as their agent. This is an excellent opportunity to include your list of seller services so prospective clients can see the value you will bring to the transaction.
Buyer Information: Same as above, except specific to buyers. Tell them how you will go above and beyond when finding them their dream house.
Photos: Make sure to include high quality photos of yourself and your listings. Studies have shown that listings with 16 or more photos perform better than listings with fewer images.
Bonus Points
Niche Information: This is the stuff that makes you memorable. Don’t miss an opportunity to establish yourself as an expert on a specific neighborhood or style of home.
Testimonials: If sites like Yelp and Amazon have taught us anything, it’s that people love to read testimonials and reviews. What do your past clients say about you? Extra credit if you can include photos of your customers in front of their new homes.
3 Things to Avoid
Auto-Play Anything: Don’t bombard your visitors with noise or visuals when they first come to your site. Let them choose when to engage with your media.
Long (or wide) Pages: You’ve heard it before, keep important content above the fold—the portion of the webpage visible without scrolling vertically or horizontally. People will scroll, but only if the material they can see at a glance is interesting and relevant.
Broken Links: Check your site every six months for expired links. Nothing is more frustrating to users than broken links. They are also detrimental to your search engine rankings.
Geneva Ives is the marketing writer for Point2, a leading provider of online marketing solutions for real estate professionals, including custom websites, syndication tools, prospecting utilities and more.
For more information, visit www.Point2.com.Join RISMedia on Twitter and Facebook to connect with us and share your thoughts on this and other topics.
Need blog or newsletter content or easy, stay-in-touch e-Marketing solutions? Check out REsource and Pop-a-Note!
Send us feedbackCategories: Best Practices, Business Development, Coaching, Marketing, Real Estate Technology, Real Estate Training, Real Estate Trends, Today's Top StoryCopyright© 2013 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.
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Friday, February 15, 2013
From Good To Accountable | Sam Silverstein
From Good To Accountable
Posted on February 14, 2013There are many good leaders, good teams and good organizations. They all achieve, accomplish goals and earn success. But just because they are good and just because they get results doesn’t mean they are accountable. Accountable Leaders™, Accountable Teams™ and Accountable Organizations™ all operate at a higher level and create something that would be impossible without their accountability. Here are a few of the elements that are a part of being accountable in these settings.
Proactive Accountability
Accountable Leaders understand what they are accountable for and engage on their accountability in a proactive fashion. They understand that taking responsibility for something gone wrong doesn’t really cut it today. The key is to know what you are accountable for and to get it right in the first place. Accountable Leaders look to serve first. They actively build relationships with the people they lead, their peers and the community they are a part of. The success and well-being of others is always on their mind and lives in their actions.
Innovation
We can continue to use existing systems, products and thinking and continue to generate profits as well as grow our organizations. If we are building accountable organizations then we must look to innovate. When we innovate we improve and simplify. We create an environment where our organizations are more efficient and our clients have a better experience engaging with us. Innovation leads us beyond, “we’ve always done it this way” and into a realm where we are constantly improving. People like being in environments where innovation is creating new opportunities. Innovation is exciting and leads to continued process and product improvement.
Influence
Influence is the ability to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of someone or something. In an accountable environment everyone realizes that true influence does not come from a title or position. Influence is earned. Influence is derived from serving others, investing in people, knowing what your non-negotiables are and others seeing you stick to them authentically. True influence attracts others to your causes. When other people want you to succeed it becomes infinitely more realistic that you will be positioned to take the impossible and make it possible.
Contributing to an accountable world, whether as an Accountable Leader or building an Accountable Team or Accountable Organization, means helping others understand the importance and value of accountability. It also means that the tough road many times is the right road and the best results are beyond imagination. People who are accountable and teach accountability understand that they control their outcomes, they can create a place where self-satisfaction thrives and they are operating in such a way that everything is better.
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Thursday, February 7, 2013
Hey RE/MAX Agents! Hilarious Video from North Central about Going To Awards!
If You're not attending Awards in Minneapolis you should reconsider! I think this is a funny video to point out the some serious reasons to be heading up! I'm glad we have big group going!! Hey Tim Nichols! Nice Voice, who's your sidekick, couldn't place it for sure?
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Why Real Estate Agents Need Social Media - By: Brian Gardner
This is a great Article for agents everywhere about to attack 2013 should read. If you haven't tackled the social media giant yet... It's not too late to get in the game and develop it as a true source of lead generation. See our Post below about Training the other day. It's complicated, but not impossible and it can be managed very easily with a little time and effort on the set up.
LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
When you work in real estate, it’s very important to have an online presence. If you’re a real estate agent and you aren’t harnessing the power of social media and blogging, you are hurting yourself and your business.
During these tough economic times, it’s important for real estate agents to make themselves known as a credible source in their field, and networking online can make all the difference.
1. Attracting Buyers and Sellers
As a real estate agent, you can use social networking sites to attract home buyers as well as people who want to sell their homes. While the majority of real estate agents will have honed their skills offline, building a social media presence can lead to more prospective clients finding you and either listing their home with your agency or purchasing a home you represent.
Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and others can help you build your brand while being available to your customers above and beyond the usual. By harnessing the power of social networking sites, you can attract fans and followers that may end up turning into clients.
Social networks can also serve as a venue for enhancing your property listings with high quality photos and comments as well as a real-time way to interact with potential customers who may have questions.
Let’s say a potential customer leaves a comment on your Facebook wall looking for a particular type of home. You can respond with links to listings that match what they’re searching for, making it easy for them to find what you have to offer.
This is just one example that proves why real estate agents need tools like Facebook to build an online presence. This can increase their potential for more customers while enhancing their business in a real way.
2. Building a Credible Reputation
When you work in real estate, it’s very important that you establish a credible reputation in the industry. When you are viewed as an authority in your field, people are going to be much more likely to turn to you when they need to sell their home or purchase a new one.
One of the best ways to prove yourself as an expert is by starting a blog. With a blog, you are able to share information and advice with prospective homebuyers who feel overwhelmed with the process.
Take care not to inundate your readers with listing after listing, however. While it’s perfectly fine to share your listings with fans, you need to find a balance between too much and just enough.
Not every listing will be relevant to every follower, so it’s better to use your blog as a way to share industry information that will position you as an expert in your field. This way, you are able to build your brand while sharing useful information.
3. Networking with Other Real Estate Professionals
If you use social networks that are specific to the real estate industry, you’ll be able to connect with other professionals in the market. By networking with other real estate agents, you’ll gain access to potential career-furthering opportunities as well as the ability to learn from other professionals who do what you do.
Other networking sites such as LinkedIn, while not real estate specific, provide ample opportunities for networking with other professionals in your industry.
These types of social networking sites allow real estate agents to connect with other agents in their field and provide a unique way to not only build your brand, but learn and grow with others in the field. If you’re serious about building an online presence, networking with other professionals is vitally important.
Get Yourself Online With AgentPress
As these reasons prove, it’s very clear that real estate agents need to establish an online presence. From connecting with professionals in your field and attracting potential buyers or sellers, becoming an active participant in social networking will help you build your brand to be as successful as possible.
If you’re looking to build a website, I highly recommend AgentPress. This powerful WordPress theme helps industry savvy real estate agents like you build better a better business with its intuitive design, powerful functionality, and smart listings.
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via briangardner.com
Working on Blogs and Social Media with some Great RE/MAX Agents!!
RE/MAX Agents Training Hard! Herman Kraus, Tessa Kenney, Joe Voell, Pam Boersma, Diane Holmes and John Beckerdite you are all troopers!! Good work today!
Wecome New RE/MAX Associates! I see Kevin Lodholz on there!
Welcome New RE/MAX Associates
Jack Appleman – RE/MAX Results – Edina, MN
Verl Carlstrom – RE/MAX Real Estate Group – Eau Claire, WI
Stacie Lee Clark – RE/MAX Realty 100 – Brookfield, WI
Mary Giammona – RE/MAX Real Estate Group – Eau Claire, WI
Barbara Haldeman – RE/MAX Homes & Hills – Black River Falls, WI
Daniel Koeppen – RE/MAX Realty 100 – Menomonee Falls, WI
Benjamin Komro – RE/MAX Real Estate Group – Eau Claire, WI
Kevin Lodholz – RE/MAX Preferred – Cottage Grove, WI
Kara Murray – RE/MAX Results – Minneapolis/Uptown, MN
John Panzigrau – RE/MAX Real Estate Group – Eau Claire, WI
Soren Rasmussen – RE/MAX Real Estate Group – Eau Claire, WI
Alex Segal – RE/MAX Lakeside – Milwaukee, WI
Brad Smith – RE/MAX Advantage Plus – Savage, MN
Welcome everyone! If you’d like to connect with a RE/MAX associate, visit: www.remax.com/officeagentsearch/
Tags: New Associates, remax associates
About Keri Henke
Keri Henke is the Public Relations & Communications Coordinator for RE/MAX North Central.
via soldsignblog.com
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