Stefanie Hahn
By Stefanie Hahn
Realtors Property Resource® was recently introduced to my market and I am pleasantly surprised by how much I love this tool. For those of you not familiar with RPR, it is a database of 116 million homes nationwide that (once your MLS allows), you can access to search, compare, create reports with data from a myriad of sources (something like 330 pieces of data are parsed) and establish yourself as a subject-area expert for housing in the market where you do business.
While this tool is not available to all REALTORS® yet, by learning all you can about RPR now you will have a great “leg up” on your colleagues. Sound good? Trust me, it is. I’ve spent a significant amount of time sharing this tool with my agents and I believe that it is truly worth your time.
One thing to note – this tool is for REALTORS®. The only thing your consumers will have access to are the reports that you decide to share.
Why should you love it too? Let me share the ways …
1. Accessibility/Assistance The folks are RPR have made this system user-friendly. Help is around every corner and live chat is available at the bottom of every page. Additionally, they want you to make the system better – use the “Log a Bug” feature to let RPR know you had an issue with something on the site OR to just to make a suggestion.
If you haven’t already, check out: http://blog.narrpr.com for general information and then select – agents, brokers, commercial, association, appraisers or MLS for more detail. The agent section gives you the basics – what it is and how to use it, agent resources and news and information. The information is presented in printable PDF’s or video. You can also sign up for training here if you are ready to learn more.
2. Changes/Updates I love any tool that changes and improves to better suit my needs. Continue reading »
Peter Lamandre
By Peter N. Lamandre
Well, it seems as though some more changes are coming to Facebook. Love it or hate it, timelines are hear to stay… and now timeline is coming to your business page.
Facebook recently announced that beginning March 30, 2012, your business page will be getting a facelift. The admins of business pages can preview the changes and play around with the new features. I’d strongly recommend you take a look at how your business page will appear after the change.
There are a few things you will want to do in preparation for the change.
- One of the first things you will want to do is add your cover photo, which is what people will first see when they visit your page. It would also be a good time to review your profile picture, which should be square and at least 180 pixels wide. The picture appears to be a bit larger then it does the old page, thus, you will want to make sure your profile picture is a bit higher quality so it does not look pixelated.
- You will also be able to control the order of things on your page, so make sure you play around with order of your apps as only the top 12 will be displayed.
- You will be able to highlight events in your timeline, such as making certain things wider and pin things to the top so everyone will see it first. A nice feature is the ability to delete posts and updates from your timeline should you want to omit it from your profile.
- You will be able to monitor your pages’ activity and interact with visitors all right from the admin panel. Continue reading »
Anand Patel
By Anand Patel
With 2011 coming to a close it seems everyone is talking, blogging, and tweeting about setting new goals for 2012.
Well, let’s not jump the gun! What about the goals you already set for yourself that you haven’t accomplished? Whatever you do, if they are worthy goals you truly wish to achieve, don’t abandon them just yet!
Before giving up and setting new goals, why not seriously look at what you have already set for yourself. Do you know what these goals of yours look like? I mean, deep down inside, can you visualize, feel, smell, and even taste these goals? If not, maybe your vision is getting bored, and it’s time to get your goals down on a VISION BOARD.
A vision board is just that — a board that helps you visualize your goals. I put my first vision board together this past August to help me really ingrain some of my short-term and long-term goals. If you’re a visual person like me, there is something very powerful and moving about having real pictures of what you hope to achieve laid out right in front of you to look at every day.
If this sounds like something you want to give a shot as we prepare for 2012, it’s very simple to get started:
- Get a poster board. I went to Staples and purchased a 20″ x 30″ sturdy board. Get whatever size you think will work best for you.
- Get away from any distractions. Find some quiet time, either late in the evening or early morning with a notepad and “brain dump” your current goals and all that you want to have, do, become over the next three, five, 10 or even 20 years. Think BIG and don’t hold yourself back. Don’t let your mind tell you that it’s too crazy if it’s something you REALLY want to achieve.
Here are some questions to ask yourself to help get the juices flowing:
- How much money do I want to make per year? $250,000? $800,000? $2 million? (Why Not! Think BIG!)
- What kind of clients do I want to work with? First-time home buyers? Investors? Retirees? Celebrities? Continue reading »
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I arrived home yesterday from the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Anaheim, Calif. I felt invigorated and yet somewhat overwhelmed. I had taken so much in while at the conference and my REALTOR® A.D.D. kicked right in. All the information I received while at the conference was amazing and I really didn’t know where to begin implementing the things I learned.
There were many sessions I attended where I learned valuable tools to use in my business. But I have to say, I learned the most from the fellow agents I met while at the conference. I never realized how much other agents would be willing to share with me.
On my plane ride in, I met Deanna Wiener, Broker/Owner of Cardinal Realty in Oakdale, MN. We spent a good amount of time while in flight discussing our business. It was terrific to hear about her business as she was a veteran agent and had so much insight on our real estate market. I was able to share some things with her as well. It was a great start to the weekend.
I met some really amazing people while at the conference. Fellow agents were so willing to share information with me. At times, I was really taken back by other REALTORS®’ generosity. Continue reading »
By Kelly Quigley, REALTOR® Magazine – Video By Erica Christoffer, REALTOR® Magazine
With a guest list of 500 career-driven REALTORS® and their friends, the networking scene was hot and the dance floor even hotter Friday night at the exclusive Young Professionals Network party.
“It’s incredible to see the energy of these folks,” said attendee Eric Berman, communications director for the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS®.
The National Association of REALTORS®’ dynamic YPN community has grown to more than 200 local and state networks across the country, with an estimated 15,000 REALTORS® participating. Three of those YPN groups were honored Friday night as Networks of the Year: California Association of REALTORS® YPN, Chicago Association of REALTORS® YPN; and the Athens, Ga., YPN.
“Keep it up, we’re doing great things,” Nobu Hata, 2012 chair of NAR’s YPN Subcommittee told the crowd.
The event, held at the at the Heat Ultra Lounge in Anaheim, was sponsored by Century 21 and Kodak. To learn more about YPN and access resources to help start a network in your area, visit REALTOR.org/YPN.
Watch as members explain how their involvement in YPN has helped boost their real estate careers:
Michelle Flaherty
By Michelle Flaherty
Now that we’re on to day two of the REALTORS® Conference & Expo, and my mind and body are beginning to adjust to west coast time, the pieces of information that I will bring back home with me are becoming much more clear.
First, it is becoming abundantly clear that I need an iPad. Every class I’ve attended so far has opened my eyes to at least one new tip, trick, or app to enrich my clients’ experience and make my job easier and more fun. Nobu Hata (2012 chair of the YPN Subcommittee) in the “follow me” class made a point to say it was THE single tool that agents need to have to improve their businesses. And when it came time to write this blog post, I’m embarrassed to say that I had to ask my MOM to borrow hers so I wouldn’t have to go get my laptop in the hotel room. Yes, I’m embarrassed to say that the Gen-Y is the technology dinosaur in this family real estate team.
Second, in a world full of social media and advertising noise, people in the community appreciate when you recognize or mention an ad they placed in the newspaper, an award they received, or an accomplishment that earned them a place in the news. Both the “marketing without money” and “selling luxury property” class instructors suggested clipping articles and reaching out to people personally when their names or businesses are in the news (assuming the story is positive). A great reminder that real estate is and will always be a business built around real relationships. Continue reading »
Jared James
By Jared James
Patterns are a powerful tool available to you. But just like ignorance of a law or principle does not make that law or principle any less powerful… neither is our ignorance of our patterns. Everything that we are currently and everything that we will become and achieve is directly tied to the daily patterns we have created, consciously or subconsciously, in our lives and in our businesses. Check out my latest vlog which will help you take a pattern inventory and set goals for your future!
Jared James is the CEO and founder of Jared James Enterprises (JJE) and travels around North America speaking to and coaching REALTORS®. Connect with Jared at www.jaredjamestoday.com, on facebook.com/jaredjamestoday, or follow him on Twitter @jaredjamestoday.
Brooke Wolford
By Brooke Wolford
I have had the opportunity over the past couple of months to take a real look at myself and my business. I dug deep and picked at myself. I knew I could do better. I can tell you that taking that close of a look at my past wasn’t pretty.
I can honestly admit I made a ton of mistakes. I let my business decline and I lost the will to make it better. I let the current market conditions get the best of me. I was scared to take the necessary risks in order to improve my business. It was all on me. I caused this but I was more than ready to what I needed to in order to make it better.
In business in general, people tend to look at their mistakes and think that it’s temporary. You get in a rut and sometimes it’s tough to get out. It’s often a lot harder than most would assume. It’s important to look closely at your failures and decide whether or not you have truly learned from them. From there you can take the proper steps to improve and create some new energy to move forward.
In my case, I learned my lesson. I am moving on and taking a fresh look at my future. I have set goals and know how I can achieve them. I have the inspiration I need and it’s not something I will let slip away. I can not go back in time and change what I have done before. All I can do is move forward and know that if I stay focused, I will have the redemption I am looking for.
Brooke Wolford is a real estate practitioner with Coldwell Banker Burnet in Woodbury, Minn. Follow her blog at adventuresinrookierealestate.com.
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