Toby Boyce
By Toby Boyce
Realtor.net is all a buzz over how amazing QR codes are and how it will be a game changer in real estate.
Really? A game changer? That’s a stretch.
Is it part of the entire Technology 2.0 — smartphones, instant access and response, among the requirements — game changer? Of course. But it is a small piece, maybe the size of a … Well … QR code.
An agent told me, “I’m putting the QR code on my signs so people can find me.” Okay, let me get this straight, you’ve got a sign with (I assume) name, brokerage, phone number, and web address on it. But that new buyer is going to get that QR code. Sure, I’ll buy that.
Okay, so you put the QR code on your listings, great. I won’t call your 800 number or your text for more information hotline — but I’m going to get out my car, climb through the snow to take a picture of this alien-looking code on your sign. Sure, I’ll buy that.
Don’t get me wrong, QR codes could be a game changer in the logistics industry.
However, until we start shipping houses, QR codes will be just be a fun toy for those with more time than deals on their hands to enjoy.
Toby Boyce, MBA, is a real estate practitioner with Keller Williams Consultants Realty in Westerville, Ohio. Visit his Web site: www.delawareohrealestate.com.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
If you are reading this post and are still active in real estate, congratulations! You have survived a year of many challenges. You can pat yourself on the back remember how hard your worked. Feel a sense of accomplishment and embrace every challenge that was put in front of you.
We faced many challenges. We had good times and bad times. From all of it, I hoped you’ve learned something!
Now, let’s look ahead. Here are some things you should be doing in 2011:
Send out quarterly/yearly market updates to your clients. Market updates allow you to share accurate information based on factual data within your local area. I do this in an e-mail to my clients. Thank goodness for 10K Marketing’s “The Thing.” It’s one of my favorite tools to use to share local real estate information with clients.
If you read an article or hear a news story, share and comment on it. Post on Facebook, Twitter, or your blog. Use your expertise to expand or argue the story. It’s also a great way to combat negative media attention.
Share your own success stories. I came across a blog that had pictures of their clients in front of their new home they just closed on. I thought it was a pretty neat idea. Continue reading »
Brian Copeland
By Brian Copeland
I recently had a lively discussion with one of my Baby Boomer, dearest real estate friends on the phone. Of course, it was on the phone, that’s what Baby Boomers do. They want to meet and talk on the phone all the time. I had asked her if we could just e-mail, but she insisted on a phone call.
This phone call went into a long talk about what young, professional REALTORS® and our organization are in motion to do. I can always best sum this up in one word…availability.
Availability tears down walls of confusion. Availability creates strong bonds and ties across generational lines. Availability facilitates amazing, reciprocal relationships. In fact, in November alone, I had two association executives come to me and say virtually the same statement.
“Thank goodness for YPN. Had we not had our YPN committee, we would’ve never known that <insert name here> was even part of our organization. We put her in this association membership position and she was the shining star. We now have a new leader thanks to YPN!”
As Mickey Mouse-cheesy as it sounds, it’s true. Your availability as a young professional is truly making our real estate industry stronger, more diverse and salient to those who have us on their radar. Continue reading »
Crystal Webster
By Crystal Webster
Let me tell you a little story of what actually happened to me just the other day:
I met with a new client just out of college. We met through one of my networking groups and he seemed like a very nice guy. At the end of our meeting he suggested I come and “check out what he does.” I always like to learn more about what others do and help other KCYoungProfessionals.com members.
Fast forward a couple weeks. The day before our appointment I get a LinkedIn.com request from him. Cool, I accept.
The next day at our appointment, I’m taken into a room with him and his “mentor” and I’m grilled for an hour and a half. I don’t learn what he does and how he’s different from all the others– what I discovered was they’re trying to sell me something! At the end of our meeting he opens up his folder and scoots across the table a four page list of my LinkedIn.com contacts. “My assistant pulled this list of names of people she thinks I should know from your profile. I plan on contacting all of these people and just wanted to let you know.”
Um, I don’t think so. But I was so flabbergasted that I just stared at the list until they escorted me out of the office. Continue reading »
Kelly Reark
By Kelly Reark
Uncluttering: A great New Year’s resolution for all of us. Clutter comes in many forms. We advise our sellers to de-clutter their homes when preparing them for the real estate market. We shred old papers in an effort to clean out our offices of unnecessary transaction documents. We send clothes from our stuffed closets to local shelters. We gasp when watching Hoarders or Clean House on TV and plead with our friends to intervene, “If my house ever gets that messy…”
So what about our electronic clutter? Did you know that we humans have created more data in the past year than we have created in the past 5,000 years? Did you know that the number of text messages sent every day exceeds the total population of the planet, and that it has been estimated that only 61 percent of the global population even has a phone?
Just thinking about the 413 messages I have kept as part of my e-mail “necessities” makes me shudder. I have 36 folders that organize my email messages for just one of my e-mail addresses. And I have four e-mail addresses. I have 2 gigabytes of information stored on my computer, all in files for future reference. I have an external hard drive with 800 MB of space, and about half of that is occupied. I take a ton of photos, and some of those are pushing 24 MB each. Even with those, there is still a lot of data filing going on. What am I doing with all of this?! At the rate information is being created, I will NEVER read it all again. And if I do take the time to review it all again, I will be in a perpetual state of catch-up with all the new stuff coming in daily. Continue reading »
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HouseLogic is the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® comprehensive consumer website geared to helping home owners make smart decisions to enhance, maintain, and protect the value of their home.
Nobu Hata
By Nobu Hata
An article recently came across my Twitterstream from Wired.com which, punditry (and ‘Granted, I live in Manhattan…’ caveat) aside, is a pretty good read.
Go ahead, it’s a short one, I’ll wait for you right here. (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/11/st_essay_ownership/)
Where my and the writer’s opinion splits is that to me, a home DOES have sentimental value. A house is something everyone connects with emotionally. A house becomes a home, a member of the family. The rentorship attitude is a copout – if I was a writer in New York City, I’d want everything on the cheap, without commitment too. But I digress.
Was it a horrible essay? No. But what it does is epitomize the current state of consumer confidence in home ownership, as does the 90 or so comments, many rebutting the article itself, and that’s the key to remember.
Our generation agent is working in a time of unprecedented backlash from both our buyers and sellers, and the media. We live amidst a “throwaway” and non-committal culture. Simply stated: Home ownership isn’t for everyone. But what I like saying is that everyone knows someone who wants to buy or sell. Naysayer aside, I’ll take a few of those folks sticking up for homeownership rebutting him any day.
Our job will be to find those 90 people; our client base, those buyers and sellers who see value in home ownership, and give them the service they want and need. So what do you say? How will y’all be reaching these people in 2011?
Nobu Hata is a sales associate for Edina Realty in Minneapolis, and a founding member of the Minneapolis YPN group, the YoPros. Visit his Web site at www.nobuhata.com.
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