Sam DeBord
By Sam DeBord
One of the biggest hurdles for new REALTORS® is overcoming a lack of experience when meeting with a potential client. Motivation, marketing skills, and preparation go a long way, but they can fall flat when faced with a simple seller question:
“So, how long have you been selling real estate?”
Many REALTORS® who are fairly new to the industry are already outstanding salespeople. However, it’s still reasonable to expect a home buyer or seller to question the experience of their potential representation. The difficulty for the newer REALTOR® is that there is no way to speed up the length of time he or she has been working in the industry.
There is, however, an easy way to increase the depth of that experience. Exhibiting experience is not just about the number of years a REALTOR® has been selling homes. It’s much more about the knowledge gained during that time.
Consider two responses to our previously-mentioned home seller question:
Response 1 : “I’ve been selling homes in this neighborhood for 18 months, and have sold six homes so far this year.”
Response 2: “I’ve been serving this community as the government affairs liaison for the local REALTOR board, as well as selling homes here since 2011. I’ve helped a half-dozen clients sell so far this year, while also working on a task force that’s helping to ensure fair foreclosure practices and to secure property rights for our local homeowners.”
Which response do you think will win the seller over?
Working with a local board is the fastest way to achieve a wider range of experience, and contribute to your community at the same time. It shows potential clients that you’re trusted by the public as well as your industry associates.
The local boards are always searching for newer, younger, fresher ideas from their member base. Don’t be intimidated by the names or the experience levels of the committees. You’ll be surprised how much appreciation new members receive when they commit to more influential roles within their local organizations.
Give your local board a call, and add a title or two to your e-mail signature. Government affairs, social media, property rights, information systems, communications, education−there are a plethora of opportunities. Fast-track the depth of your experience, and you’ll quickly grow your credibility within the industry, as well as your confidence when communicating to potential clients.
Sam DeBord is a State Director for Washington REALTORS®, and managing broker with Coldwell Banker Danforth. Connect with his team at SeattleHome.com.
Anand Patel
By Anand Patel
Having just returned from Great American Realtor Days (GARD) in my state’s capital of Tallahassee, Fla., I am energized for my first trip to Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C. this May. GARD is an annual event for REALTORS® from across the state of Florida to meet and discuss key real estate issues with our senators and representatives. It is an opportunity for our elected officials to hear the collective voices of REALTORS® as they come together in solidarity. With Midyear, I’ll be getting a second chance to do just that, only this time, on a national level, so I can only imagine how much more intense an experience it will be!
This year is also my first time serving on an NAR-level committee, and I am really looking forward to meeting some of my fellow committee members. Serving at the national level offers the opportunity to network and share ideas with some of the brightest and best in our business from across the country. This alone makes trips like this worth it.
Outside of committee meetings, Midyear offers ample networking opportunities and time to build upon existing relationships I’ve created at past conferences. With the YPN Reception and Capitol Hill visits, I think this is going to be an incredibly unique experience. I’ve also decided to turn this into a family trip, so my family and I will be spending some time in the city of Washington, visiting museums and the world famous Smithsonian’s National Zoo. There’s nothing wrong with mixing business with pleasure!
Who else is attending Midyear for the first time? Or are you still debating whether or not to go? I personally guarantee that if you make it a point to meet new people, come with an open mind, and observe and learn from those around you, it will be well worth the trip.
If you have attended Midyear in the past, please comment below and share your experiences so that those attending for the first time can know what they have to look forward to!
See you in DC!
Jennifer A. Klein
Derek Sandoval
By Jennifer Klein and Derek Sandoval
Pocket listings, or home listings that aren’t posted on the MLS, have become a hot topic lately. Placer County Association of REALTORS® YPN members Jennifer Klein and Derek Sandoval discuss the ramifications of pocket sales as well as buyers’ frustrations with this method of selling a home.
Jennifer Klein is a REALTOR® in Northern California who is experienced in short sales, investments, and property management. Connect with Jen at RosevilleAndRocklin.com, JenKlein.com, and @JenKleinSac.
Derek Sandoval has worked for Keller Williams Realty in Roseville, Calif., since 2009, and specializes in residential, REO, and short sales. Find Derek at www.dereksellshomes.com and dereksellshomes.featuredblog.com.
Wade Corbett
A very wise man named Obi Wan once said: “I feel a great disturbance in the Force.” OK sure, it’s a Star Wars quote, and I’m talking about the housing market and not a metaphysical power, but the overall message still applies! If you pay close attention, you’ll notice the market has begun to shift. Depending on your area, you may be seeing a little change, or you may be seeing a lot of change already. The latest numbers reflect this positive upturn and show that real estate is drastically improving.
If you’ve been in this industry for the last six or seven years, you know that selling real estate takes a certain amount of hustle. When the market is less than stellar, you’ve got to work harder in order to keep business alive. Maybe you’ve had to hold your transactions together with duct tape to prevent them from falling apart. Or maybe you’ve been working 60 hours to do what 40 hours used to accomplish. Either way, kudos to you! But with the market springing back to life, does this mean an end to the “hustle era”?
Two weeks ago, I had the immense pleasure of addressing a class full of aspiring new REALTORS®. If I had given my speech in 2009, this class would have had 25-30 students in attendance. In 2013, the class consisted of 50-70 eager students, all scheduled to take their licensing exam the following week. As I addressed the students, I began to notice that a large majority of these future REALTORS® were very young! Why are these young people hoping to join the real estate sales force? I believe they know about the shift! They know the real estate marketing is going to gather steam, and they want to get in before things really start to pick up.
As the stock market, jobs, and overall economy continue to improve, the real estate market will inevitably follow suit. But is your business model prepared to handle the improving market demands? Do you have your systems in place to take on a larger work load while still trying to hold those difficult transactions together? You may want to consider tweaking the way you run your business to accommodate for the changes that are to come. Foresight is essential to success.
My prediction for the next few years: I firmly believe that new construction will rise at a fast pace over the next several years. How many young people have put off getting married, having children, and buying homes because of the lackluster economy? As the economy improves, more and more of this generation should be purchasing homes and starting families. Currently, there is not enough housing available for Generation Y. As this generation begins to plant their roots, numbers show that new construction must increase to supply their future demand for homes.
Now that I’ve put in my two cents, what do you think? How will the positive changes in the housing market affect the real estate industry?
Wade Corbett is a REALTOR® with RE/MAX Southland Realty in Garner, North Carolina. Connect with him at WadeCorbett.com or facebook.com/WadeCorbettInc.
Scott Newman
By Scott Newman
Every real estate professional has experienced it: those slow times, the off-months, the hot streaks that suddenly go cold… call them what you will but when things turn sluggish at the office, it can not only be a confidence and momentum-killer but also a disaster for your business plan. So how do you avoid the roller coaster of income fluctuations typical of our industry? For me, that question can be answered with one word: networking.
But merely handing out business cards or posting flyers to community bulletin boards won’t put money in the bank. To really make networking your solution to spotty earnings, I propose thinking outside the box. With a little creativity, you can truly use the practice to generate a more consistent flow of business.
Party Time
As REALTORS®, we all love to schmooze. It’s basically written into the job description. It’s also one of the best ways to meet new people and generate leads. Who’s to say you’ve got to wait for the next Facebook invite to come through before you have an opportunity to stretch your schmoozing skills? Imagine for a moment that you were the one organizing the party instead of just being an attendee. In fact, why wait for an event when you can plan one of your own at the very time your business needs a little boost?
Along with some referral partners, I’ve been hosting a quarterly networking event for the past year that’s gotten rave reviews. Setting up the event is relatively painless; I partner with a local bar or restaurant and bring in sponsors to cover the bulk of the costs. Then, I invite a wonderful mix of local prospects, business connections, and past clients. Everyone has a few drinks and a bite to eat and it’s a great way to stay top-of-mind when it comes time for people to recommend your services. In fact, I have closed several deals with people I’ve met at my networking events already! Continue reading »
Melissa Krchnak
By Melissa Krchnak
I’ve had a few friends over the last couple weeks who have pledged to stay off social media for a day or longer. While I applaud their restraint, I’m not sure I understand the motivation behind this extreme social media diet. For me, Facebook and Twitter simply fill in the gaps of a day rather than being a thief of my valuable time.
In all fairness, I will admit that I’m completely in love with Instagram and that it’s my go-to whenever I’m in need of a quick social media fix. But despite my penchant for grainy filters and pictures of my friends’ latest meals, I’m not at the point of needing a social media intervention because it hasn’t cut into my productivity at work. This isn’t the case for my friends though; I often see them struggling to get anything done because they’re too busy perusing posts or else creating status updates of their own. For these addicts, breaking up with social media—however temporary the split—is a necessity and the practice becomes a zero-sum game: Either stay off all social media sites completely, or else get nothing accomplished during the workday.
Are you your biggest hindrance? If so, it might be time for you to take a breather. I’m not saying you should abandon social media altogether; it’s still an important way to target potential clients in your market and increase awareness of your personal brand. What I’m advocating for instead is to give yourself the required space away from the “like” button to re-think your social media strategy. Instead of seeing social media as a hindrance, focus on getting more purposeful with the content you share so that you can view it as a benefit. Especially if social media is one of the major ways you connect with clients, make sure all information coming from your accounts is useful and interesting. By making social media more of a mindful business practice and less of a productivity inhibitor, you won’t be wasting time on the sites because really, you’ll be working.
So I ask: Is it time for you to have a social media intervention and change your ways?
Jennifer A. Klein
Derek Sandoval
By Jennifer Klein and Derek Sandoval
FHA mortgage insurance premiums rose on April 1, 2013. Placer County Association of REALTORS® YPN members Jennifer Klein and Derek Sandoval discuss exactly what has changed as well as what these changes mean for real estate professionals and those applying for a loan.
Jennifer Klein is a REALTOR® in Northern California who is experienced in short sales, investments, and property management. Connect with Jen at RosevilleAndRocklin.com, JenKlein.com, and @JenKleinSac.
Derek Sandoval has worked for Keller Williams Realty in Roseville, Calif., since 2009, and specializes in residential, REO, and short sales. Find Derek at www.dereksellshomes.com and dereksellshomes.featuredblog.com.
Scott Newman
By Scott Newman
So here’s where you currently stand: Everyone and their mother has been telling you to blog. They say, “it’s so important to connect with the potential clients in your market.” Or more generally, “put yourself out there!” Even asking, “Why aren’t you blogging already? You’re the best writer I know!” (This last one from your mom).
But what’s a newbie blogging REALTOR® to do? Where do you start? What do you say? What don’t you say?
For these questions and more, I hope this blog post and the tips it contains will provide answers. Because while a blog is arguably one of the more daunting personal marketing tools out there, it’s also one of the most effective. Starting and maintaining a blog is an important endeavor for any real estate professional looking for more ways to reach potential clients and—drum roll please—generate business.
Be Yourself
Being yourself is the best advice you’ll probably ever get about almost any problem you’re having in life—how’s that for a tip?—but it also holds true with blogs. People want genuine experience, and if you can’t give that to them, they won’t give you their precious time and they’ll go off searching for another blog written by someone who has the realness factor they seek. Oh yeah, and then, when they’re hooked on some other agent’s blog, they’ll wind up buying a home from that agent and not you. Trust me, it can happen. Continue reading »
Paul Everett
By Paul Everett
The first indication from many home owners that they are seriously considering selling their home is often through a free listing on Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, StreetEasy, or other regional and national For Sale By Owner sites.
With the expansion of FSBO advice companies as well as online listing tools—particularly Zillow and Trulia—an increasing number of home owners are feeling empowered to take a spin at selling their homes on their own, in order to cut out the potential fees associated with agent sales. As we all know, FSBOs most often learn after a few weeks that selling a home is hard work, and best left to professionals! Placing yourself and your real estate services in front of the home owner during this moment of realization is the key to securing listings from online FSBOs.
When the home owner starts feeling the frustration of selling on his or her own, this is the seed of your opportunity. Unfortunately, you won’t be the only one who knows the time is ripe. Rest assured that many like-minded and hardworking agents in your area will all be thinking the same thing at the exact same time. Therefore, timing and approach will mean everything if you want to be the one who gets the listing. Here are five tips for putting yourself ahead of the pack: Continue reading »
Dave Robison
By Dave Robison
Sometimes selling is complicated. Sometimes, a home can sit for weeks, months, even years before there’s so much as a bite. But with the right knowledge and dialogue, selling a home can be as easy as telling a buyer’s agent one simple thing. In 2011, I wrote a post about the power of one sentence to attract a client. Now, I’m going to let you in on another secret. Here’s how to sell a difficult home with just one line.
A few years ago, a seller in my local area called me and said, “Dave, I’ve had my home listed with my best friend for over a year. This is hard for me to do, but I need you to sell this house. Can you do it? Tell me the truth!”
To answer the question, I sold that home in one week to the first buyer who looked at it. Do you think it was luck? Not a chance.
Here’s how the conversation went with the agent who showed the home:
Agent: Dave, my buyer just saw your listing and it’s the first one he looked at. We have a lot of other homes scheduled to view and I wanted to ask, if you get anyone else interested in this property will you give me a call?
(Translation: We are going to shop around with your competition, are you cool with that?)
So to this I say, heck no I’m not cool with that! Why are agents telling buyers’ agents that they will call if they get offers? The Code of Ethics Article 1-15 specifically states: “REALTORS®, in response to inquiries from buyers or cooperating brokers shall, with the sellers’ approval, disclose the existence of offers on the property.” How many agents do you know who are technically breaking this rule by disclosing the existence of offers without sellers’ permission? Did the agent call the seller and ask for permission to disclose that they don’t have offers on the table? There’s a good chance they didn’t.
So what did I say to the agent? Continue reading »
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