Toby Boyce
By Toby Boyce
I stood quietly waiting for the smiling-innocent faces to calm down as they stared back at me. They were so fresh and ready to change the world.
Was I teaching another class of new REALTORS® in one of my CE classes? I wish; the faces were third-graders at a local middle school. I was their “guest teacher” for the day.
Yep, that’s right, for the second time since becoming a full-time agent in 2006, I’ve had to pick-up a second job to stay afloat. I know I just lost a collection of you — as I’m now one of those part-time agents. Really? I am? Tell that to my wife and she’ll laugh at you.
Too often this question becomes too black-and-white. Is real estate my only source of income? No. So I’m not a full-time professional? That’s crazy talk. How many of us have accountants, lawyers, doctors, etc. who are doing property management to add a little extra income? So does that make them less of a doctor?
The bottom line is that it isn’t whether an agent is full- or part-time on the clock, but how they are in action.
I have two short-sales in contract and buyers are represented by a full-time and part-time agent. Which one responds to e-mails, calls, and knows the contract verbiage better? Yep, you guessed it — the part-time one.
So next time you go to bash a “part-time” agent — remember it could very easily be you.
Toby Boyce, MBA, is a real estate practitioner with Keller Williams Consultants Realty in Westerville, Ohio. Visit his Web site: www.delawareohrealestate.com.
Stefanie Hahn
By Stefanie Hahn
In a recent post here at the YPN Lounge, Jessica Hickok encouraged us to avoid becoming the “Real Turd” who can’t separate his or her work life from anything else. She offered some great tips for managing our daily lives so that we don’t stand out as “that guy” or “that girl” with the annoying Bluetooth thingy and the loud phone screaming all the time.
What I came away wondering, however, was whether there wasn’t another angle to be considered here…the online component of being a REALTOR® in a world where the consumer isn’t willing to wait anymore to be served. According to the most recent survey conducted by the California Association of REALTORS®, 96 percent of Internet home buyers expected contact from an agent within 4 hours of their initial request, while 31 percent of them expected an IMMEDIATE response if they were going to have a relationship going forward.
So how can we offer immediate response AND be the ideal spouse/friend/restaurant patron? Here are some tips I think will help, along with a few things I am pretty sure will just get in your way.
1) Give more information, not less: I know our industry thrived for generations on making sure we were the “keepers of the keys” but now it is time to make sure those consumers who come to us are not just coming because they can’t find our info online.
2) Maximize the power of text messaging: You have a form where people can ask you a question, why not ask them for their cell phone number? Then when you get the info transmitted to you, even if it is in the middle of dinner, you can reply with the classic 140 character retort. My opinion here, but if you text the person back and tell them you are sharing an important family event but that you will either 1) forward their request or 2) get back to them as soon as you are finished they will stay with you…so long as you live up to your word. Continue reading »
Brian Copeland
By Brian Copeland
If you are a young professional and have entered the real estate profession any time from 2004-2007, I want to be the first to congratulate you.
When you can no longer consider yourself a whippersnapper and Lady GAGA music is now playing on the Golden Oldies station, you can then say one thing proudly as a REALTOR®, “I’ve seen the best market in our time. I’ve seen the worst market in our time.”
You’ve officially navigated both and come out on the other side stronger. Remember, our defining moments arise out of adversity. I thank goodness every day for that teacher who said I’d never make it past my first year of college. I’m grateful for that boss who knocked me off my employment platform in my first job. Soon, you will be thanking the passing economy for making you one of the strongest real estate advisers of your day.
While millennial generation agents will still be able to say the same statement, our generation will be able to say our training grounds were in these two markets. Who wouldn’t want an airline pilot who was trained during the worst storms of the century simply because that was the time he got his pilot’s license?
I hope you will begin today, preparing yourself for tomorrow’s market. It’s going to be amazing, and the consumers will know more than ever that a smart, savvy REALTOR® who has navigated these treacherous waters needs to be on their side.
Use the next few months to finish a designation like GRI or CRS. Use 2011 as a time to get more involved in your local association than you ever have been before. Use the coming weeks to school yourself on the legislative issues that continue to affect your and your clients’ future. You’ll want to do it now, because the business you’re going to see in 2012 and beyond requires you to be at the top of your game. I’ll see all my YPNers AT THE TOP!
Brian Copeland is a real estate practitioner in Nashville, Tenn. You can follow Brian on Twitter: @NashvilleBrian
Consumers who’ve been through foreclosure may think their days of owning a home are over. Not true. Share the “5 Steps to Owning a Home Again After Foreclosure” from the November “Foreclosure Resource Guide” now available at the REALTOR® Content Resource. Here’s just some of the information:
1. Rebuild your nest egg. Establish a safety net. Since you’re coming out of foreclosure, having six months of living expenses in a liquid account is a minimum to show stability and that you’re able to pay your bills if you lose your job.
2. Raise your credit score. After foreclosure, your credit score, according to myFICO, probably dropped by about 150 points. Raise it with perseverance. Pay bills on time, and keep your credit card balances below maximum levels. The foreclosure will stay on your credit report up to seven years, but it will become less of a red mark as years go by.
With new enhancements to the REALTOR® Content Resource, you can now share this and other articles with consumers via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail directly from the REALTOR® Content Resource.You can also search more easily for content by themes (formerly “Collections”) or keywords.
While you’re at the REALTOR® Content Resource, log in to enter the REALTOR® Build-Your-Business Sweepstakes, featuring monthly drawings for an iPad and weekly drawings for a $150 Visa gift card.
The REALTOR® Content Resource, brought to you by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, is an exclusive member benefit that entitles you to download free home ownership content from HouseLogic to your marketing materials.
HouseLogic is the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® comprehensive consumer Web site geared to helping home owners make smart decisions to enhance, maintain, and protect the value of their home.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I was recently in a task force meeting for the Minneapolis YoPros. It really got me thinking about the true value of YPN and what I feel it’s all about.
To me, YPN is about bridging the generation gap. Not to stereotype my generation, (which I am not quite sure where I fall…X, Y, Z…who’s keeping track?) but typically the younger generations are more knowledgeable about technology and communications. A lot of us feel like we have ADD and we are constantly moving to the next best thing.
With that said, there is a lot that can be learned from older generations. I thought about an agent in my office. She has been around for 30 years. She knows the ins and outs of the business. She has seen the good times and the bad and she survived.
She recently got her first Facebook account. It was cute. She seemed a little iffy at first. I would constantly see her replying to someone in her status update. It would make me chuckle a bit. But believe it or not, she is workin it! She is now posting blogs, articles and other valuable content to her page. I have been really impressed by her. Continue reading »
Dave Robinson
By Dave Robison
What’s the worst buyer you have ever worked with? I hear it from many agents. “Ohhh, this buyer can’t make up their mind. I’ve shown them a million homes; we have done several offers and they just can’t find that perfect home. I’m tired.” Matter of fact, just Monday, I had a buyer’s agent call on one of my listings and the agent said, “Dave, this guy is an engineer and I’ve shown him a million homes.”
There could be multiple reasons why this is happening. However, I am here to tell you as an agent, it is your fault. Why is it your fault? Because the agent misunderstands the buyer and doesn’t know how to help them.
We helped “one of those types” whose name is Adam. He likes to research data, ask a million detailed questions, etc. I assisted Adam in learning about his talents. Adam also read an article that explained the dangers of his talent. As a result, Adam only saw eight homes before he bought a home. That is it! How did we take “one of those hated buyers” and help them buy a home after seeing only eight houses?
1. We helped Adam understand his talent by taking an assessment. You can order one online at www.kahunarainmaking.com (It’s $50 for a buyer assessment.)
2. We showed Adam that his talent was to prevent risk and his natural tendency would be to look at everything he can so that he would make the perfect pick…however, we showed him that if he did that, he would end up feeling like he “settled.” As someone who likes to research, we gave him an article so he knew what we were saying had credibility. The article is here: http://www.kahunarainmaking.com/TheTyrannyofChoice.pdf
3. We had him research online and narrow down his selections to about 10 homes. Continue reading »
Toby Boyce
By Toby Boyce
Football season is on us and in Ohio that means a lot of cheering on Friday and Saturday and praying for our NFL teams on Sunday. Football is a passion and as I’ve matured and grown older and – hopefully – wiser, I see the wisdom in those screams and rants from my childhood coaches.
“Football is the game of life,” I remember Mike Billow screaming as we worked over-and-over to perfect a task. And the older I get, the more I realize that his statement was right on the mark – and it can even double when taken into application with a real estate career.
I thought I’d share a few of Coach Billow’s favorite “sayings.” I know many of them weren’t original to him, however, on those hot-August days in Danville, Ohio, he made them his.
- Look Down, You Go Down. How often do we see it in this market? The “naysayers” start talking about how the sky is falling and it isn’t going to last. Well, they are exactly right. For as soon as they put their head down to avoid the falling sky, their business fell. Doesn’t matter how beaten, weathered, or challenged you feel – keep those eyes up and looking at the prize.
- Did you get better today? You never stay the same. We practice our craft, hopefully every single day, to improve those listing presentations, get more buyers, convert more short sales, etc. The reason is simple. If you don’t practice it and make a conscience effort to get better, you will by default be getting worse – because you never will stay the same. Life – and real estate – is about eternalizing responses (i.e. scripts) so that they become a spontaneous response. If you aren’t role playing and practicing, is that possible? Continue reading »
Kelly Reark
By Kelly Reark
What ways do you network with your fellow real estate agents? Do you walk away from a happy hour or business card exchange really knowing much about them or their business? Likely not. Do you ever wonder why?
Having a pocket full of business cards is one thing, but getting to know other real estate agents is another, and very beneficial. You want to broaden your referral network with more than just a name on a business card.
Recently, I made it my mission to take networking a step further. I had collected business cards from a real estate retreat that I had attended. I began with an agent I thought I could refer business to that is in a market about two hours from me. She brought in another agent, who brought in another agent… and on and on. The best part is that we all have specialty areas in which we work. We have spent a full day in many of our markets, learning about the areas from one another. The plan is to keep learning and growing. It is amazing how much we are able to teach each other. Frequently, our preconceived notions of an area were corrected.
I now know that I have a completely fabulous, intelligent, trustworthy, bright agent network to refer my customers to in a variety of market areas. I know that they will be taken care of, and so will I. I know that if they have sticker shock in one location, they can be referred out to another with similar lifestyle qualities. Or if their preferred lifestyle is not available in my market, I know which agent to send them looking with. Plus, I can call on them to tap into resources or fresh ideas for marketing, technology, and peer training. My network of international agents grows stronger by inclusion of each of their networks. Continue reading »
Don’t miss your chance to win an iPad or $150 Visa gift card in the REALTOR® Build-Your-Business Sweepstakes. Just log into the REALTOR® Content Resource daily with your NRDS ID and submit the entry form to be eligible for the monthly drawings for an iPad and weekly drawings for a $150 Visa gift card.
While you’re there, view the just-released video that walks you through the enhancements that let you to share free home ownership articles with consumers via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail directly from the REALTOR® Content Resource.
The REALTOR® Content Resource, brought to you by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, is an exclusive member benefit that entitles you to download free home ownership content from HouseLogic to your marketing materials. Besides simple sharing of articles with your social network, the enhancements allow you to search more easily for content by themes (formerly “Collections”) or keywords.
HouseLogic is the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® comprehensive consumer Web site geared to helping home owners make smart decisions to enhance, maintain, and protect the value of their home.
Jessica Hickok
By Jessica Hickok
Our profession is one of the most mispronounced professions of all time. Those of us who know that we are REAL-TORS just roll our eyes when someone calls us a Reel-A-Tore.
I remember a story that my broker’s wife told me once when I first got into the business. Her husband (obviously a REALTOR®) took a business call while attending a birthday party. Although he was polite and went outside to handle the call, he was gone for quite some time leaving the wife alone at the party. While he was gone, another party-goer asked the wife where the broker had disappeared to. She casually mentioned that her husband was a REALTOR® and that he had an important contract he was working on, therefore stepping away from the party. The party-goer nodded his head and changed the subject. However, after 10 minutes of conversation, he turned to the broker’s wife and said to her “Your husband should be here enjoying the party not working. You are right, he is a real turd.” Although she understood her husband’s job, she couldn’t help but agree that he was being a real turd for leaving her at the party alone for so long.
I started this post off by writing about how hard it can be to spend quality time with your family, friends and loved ones when being a REALTOR® is often being on-call 24/7. So here are some things to ponder in order to avoid the “real turd” label: Continue reading »
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