Maura Neill
By Maura Neill
Sure – the economy’s tanked, your market stinks, and money’s tight. I get it. But pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get on down South, ya’ll, for two of the best events you’ll attend all year.
If you’re like me, you’re carefully planning where and when to spend not only your money but also your time. These two events will transform your business – and they’re more than worth the money you’ll spend to get there. And these ain’t your momma’s real estate conferences – from events held in bars, karaoke nights, and live Twitter feeds teaching you almost as much as the speakers themselves, you’ll come away with more information than you bargained for — and that’s a good thing!
March 25-26 – RETechSouth – Atlanta, Ga.
The RETechSouth Conference and Expo is in its third year and is the largest real estate technology conference in the Southeast. Join the thousands who have traveled to Atlanta “to learn the latest technology tips, engage in discussions about how to enhance their business, talk with vendors about how to improve their products, network with the smartest people in the industry, and of course party together!”
Firsthand, I can tell you – it’s amazing. As technology continues to change our industry, the top minds in the real estate and technology worlds come together for what has to be the coolest real estate event of the year. It’s the brainchild of Brad Nix (@bnix), broker of Atlanta’s Maxsell Real Estate, who can teach you more over drinks than you could learn at a “regular” real estate conference. Continue reading »
Nobu Hata
By Nobu Hata
Let’s face it, when it comes to sharing our expertise on forums such as the YPN Lounge, Twitter, even Facebook, we sure spend a lot of time preaching to the choir. Social Media how-to’s, blogging tips, Twitter in your marketing plan…
The fact is, the majority of us have already figured out how to implement new media tools into our real estate model. We recognize that in this overly-transparent, borderline-creepy, uber-connected world we live in, being JUST THAT is paramount in our business. Because of this, we’re arguably more in tune with a fickle consumer demographic and relate better to the first-time buyer who’s now making up the majority of transactions nationwide. We know that doing so requires us to take aim on a constantly moving, consistently changing target.
The time has come to take the insight we have gleaned and the practices we have developed and open it up to the “old guard,” for lack of a better term. You know who I’m talking about. All of us have a group of agents in their office whose eyes glaze over at the mere mention of Facebook. Who think blogging is a monumental time-suck. Who remember when “MLS came in the form of a binder full of paper!” Who all think we’ve got it pretty easy. We know this isn’t the case.
Truth of the matter is, these barriers are totally self-induced because of technological intimidation and/or perception that these “time-sucks” have no value. Sitting in multiple classes at NAR09 and watching these folks stream out by the boatload really made this hit home for me. It’s less about age, and more about mindset… and the beauty of mindset is that it can be changed.
Whether it’s at the local office, brokerage, association or national-level, every little bit of instruction helps! Volunteer your time developing and teaching CE classes. Recruit converts to local REBarCamps. Share what you’ve learned at RealtorCon, InmanConnect, et al at Sales Meetings. Turn your Twitter feed into an all access journal and show them how to use it. Reaffirm that what we’re doing is no different than what they’ve been doing for generations, it’s just that the mechanisms have changed. And most importantly, be open to their opinions and feedback! Yes us YPN-Gen REALTORS have a lot to share, but we just might learn something along the way.
We sometimes forget that it’s these very agents who have persevered through multiple economic downturns, have seen the industry change at a lightning pace recently, and who are actively shaping our industry. It’s our obligation to give them insight into our practices, to learn something from each other, and together shape the industry we will be inheriting.
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.
Brian Copeland
By Brian Copeland, 2009 NAR Conference Blogger
After a too big portion of pancakes at The Broken Yolk, AcStevia and I made it across the street to register for NAR’s first BarCamp. YPN’s Rob Reuter was on hand early on to say hello. I’ll keep you updated later today on the top things shared in the morning session, then later in the afternoon session.
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