By Brian Maecker, top producing Colorado Springs CO Realtor®: 

Join Us for This Timely & Important Hour of Howard Real Estate Educational Webinar:

Where Do I Cut? Where Do I Spend?
 
Tuesday, Nov. 25th 3:00 PM Eastern Just $29
 
Howard Brinton and STAR POWER Stars Kristan & Brad Cole will reveal –

• How simplicity will be your friend
• How to move your money from “Dumb” to “Smart”
• How your leadership skills become paramount
• How “Lead Generation” moves from “Marketing Based” to “Prospecting Based”
• How to Bulletproof your transactions

This is not a product preview or one-hour “infomercial” for anyone’s products or services. This is world-class interactive real estate coaching from the Best-of-the-Best active agents. This is you learning real-world tools from top agents who are successfully using these tools every day in their business: things you can use right away.
 
Look at what your fellow agents are saying about the Hour of Howard webinars:

• “AWESOME! Best $29 dollars I’ve ever spent!”
• “Your webinar was GREAT!”
• “What a bargain!”
• “Blessings to all who made it happen.”
• “Great idea in a tough market.”
• “Just keep ‘em comin’!!!  VERY informative and entertaining.”
• “Great job! Continue the good work!”
• “Loved the transparency of the Stars….always so refreshing and validating.”
• “Fabulous!!”
• “This was my first one, ever, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!” 

So REGISTER NOW for Hour of Howard Real Estate Educational Webinar

By Diane Honeycutt, top producing Concord NC Realtor®:

Is anyone else tired of the media hype?  For 3+ years, the National Media has constantly reported on the deteriorating real estate market in the country.  Interesting since in our area 2006 was our best year ever and 2007 our second best year and this held true for the company we work for as well.  Did you ever once hear them report that real estate is local in nature and your local market may be different?  Not me….

Thanks to the election, we heard less about the economy for the last 4-6 weeks but now that the election is over we are back to the economy. 

In some ways, it seems to me as though the media has been a huge contributor to the economic downturn by their constant hype leading to a lack of consumer confidence.  

Knowing that we as Realtors and business people can’t match the medias use of airwaves and ink by the barrel, we need to take a positive step in educating those around us.  Recently we sent out an email to hundreds of clients and business associates dispelling the rumor that the credit markets had dried up and no loans were available.  We had 5 lenders respond to us that they had money and were ready to lend.  Of course, the buyers need a job, down payment and good credit but isn’t that the way it should have been all along.

I encourage each of you to be on top of dispelling the National Media when their reports don’t mirror your community.  Educate your community and ask each person to help you get the word out.  Be proactive and positive in your communications!  No teaching degree required, just a desire to give accurate information!

Diane Honeycutt
Team Honeycutt/Allen Tate Realtors
Concord, NC
704-721-7130
http://www.teamhoneycutt.com/

Join us on November 20th at 2:00 PM EST to meet the busiest REALTORS® in the business. REALTORS® who are set to have their best year ever in what others view as the worst of times. These successful realtors, like STAR POWER Stars Bryan Bomba Top Hinsdale IL Realtor®  and Lee Bittinger Top Canton MI Realtor® , understand the incredible opportunity that is presented during a recession. The opportunity to gain market share with aggressive internet advertising and marketing as many of their competitors give up.

Hear from the likes of Nicki Conway of RE/MAX Alliance Group in Sarasota who, in 2008, will aggressively spend over $60,000 in Internet advertising but who is poised to earn over $600,000 in commissions.  Hear from Jennifer Castillo of Fayetteville, NC who in just the last three months has become the busiest REALTOR in town.

During this webinar, How to Gain Market Share and Boost Your Business During a Recession, Howard Tager, CEO of TigerLead Solutions, will guide you through: 

• The Do’s and Don’ts of Internet Marketing
• How to Convert Internet Visitors to High Quality Leads at Industry High Levels
• How to Get More Bang for Your Internet Marketing Buck
• The Benefits of Pay Per Click Advertising over Search Engine Optimization
• The Most Important Tools for Internet Lead Management and Lead Cultivation
• How to Manage and Grow a Highly Successful Team of “eLead” Buyer’s Agent
• The Three Most Important Things to Do to Convert a Lead to a Client
• How to Get a 5X  to 10X Return on Your Internet Marketing Spend

Join us on Thursday, Nov. 20th, from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EasternTime (1:00 PM Central, Noon Mountain, 11:00 AM Pacific) for this one-time-only FREE online webinar: Register for How to Gain Market Share and Boost Your Business During a Recession

Contributed By Mike Parker, top producing Northern KY / Cincinnati OH Realtor®:

mike parker top producing ky realtor and star

It is that time of year that we start thinking about what we are going to do for our business next year, start working on a business plan, start thinking about goal setting.

Here is a tip! Read a couple of books first before you start.

I would first read the book “The Dream Manager” by Matthew Kelly. The book is about a company and it is a true story, that is all I will say, but a very powerful book. The second book I would tell you to read is “The 4- Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferris. This book has changed the way I look at my business and already has made me more profitable. Before you start working on that Business Plan, do some research, “The 2008 Profile of Home Buyers and Home Sellers” is a great source of information. You can get it at www.Realtor.org and I believe the cost is $50.00.

Have a great day selling and Dream BIG!

Mike Parker – CRS

HUFF Realty

Northern Kentucky/ Greater Cincinnati Area

www.MikeParker.com

www.Nkyhomes.com

www.Nky-CincyHomes.com

Contributed By Alexis Bolin, top producing Pensacola FL Realtor®:

1. Know your scripts and dialogues

Seller Objections

• We want to start with a higher price because we can always come down
• We’re not that desperate to sell.
• We’re not going to give it away!
• The agent we spoke to earlier gave us a much higher listing price.
• The house down the street is listed for more than you’re suggesting and ours is nicer.
• The neighbor‘s house sold for more money last year and mine is nicer.
• But we need $______________ out of our home.
• We spent $____________ on improvements and feel that should increase the value.
• We are moving to a higher priced area and need the money to buy a home there.
• Your commission is higher than XYZ Realty so will you go lower?

Buyer Objections

• We are only working with the listing agents.
• We don’t want to sign a Buyer Broker Agreement and get tied up with one agent.
• We hear that this is a buyers market so we should be able to get a steal on a home.
• We want to see all the homes on the market before we make a decision.
• We want to wait to buy at the bottom of the market.
• We need to talk with (our parents, friends, etc) before we make a decision.

2. Price It Right! Know Your Numbers

My Star Power Star friend Brenda Rawls says it all when she tells her sellers “ Right now it is a Price War and a Beauty Contest and in order to sell, you have to win both.”

We get paid for what we know and how good we are at negotiating. Knowing your numbers will set you apart as an expert in the market place. At your listing presentation you must be specific with data that reflects what is happening in the current market. Educate your seller on what to expect in this market This will lead to the seller setting a price that gets them ahead of the current market and gives them the competitive edge to get their home sold for the highest price possible. 

So what numbers should I know you ask?
What is the absorption rate? Absorption rate is time the market place will take to absorb the current supply of homes based upon the average that are selling each month. For example in our area, we have a 17 month supply of homes for sale. What are the average days on the market? What is the listing price versus the selling price ratio in your market area? What’s the average selling price? What are the average days on the market? 

Don’t sugar coat things - tell them exactly like it is.   Be ready to WALK if the seller isn’t willing to do what is necessary to get their home sold. They’ll thank you later and you’ll keep your reputation intact.

3. Know your “A B Cs.”

Categorize your leads. “A” leads are ready to buy or sell now. “B” leads plan to buy or sell in the next month or two. And “C” leads might buy or sell in the next three to six months. It’s easy to salivate over the “A” leads, especially in a slower market. But stay in touch with the “B”s and “C”s - they’re your future business. And remember, the evidence is clear the agent who returns calls first and answer emails quickly will most likely get the sale or listing. Adopt a sense of urgency and make it your goal to respond within 15 minutes to any lead.

4. Get Back to Basics ~ Prospect – Prospect – Prospect

Now is the time to prospect daily. Get back in touch with your client list, your sphere of influence, do direct mail, hold open houses, knock on doors, hold client appreciation events, etc. Never pass up an opportunity to talk about real estate. Have your 60 second “elevator speech” down pat so you can tell people you meet what you do for a living and why. Become an expert and offer to speak about the real estate market to local Civic Clubs.

5. Strengthen your knowledge of technology.

Make sure you are up to date on the latest ways to use technology to increase your sales. For example, are you listed and posting your listings on You Tube, Craigs List, Truila, Zillow. Face Book, etc. If not my suggestion is that you learn how to do it. If you don’t feel you can then hire a high school kid to post the information for you and to get you up to speed on the latest “cool stuff”.

When was the last time you updated your Web site with ways that help you prospect electronically. Such as “drip” e-mail system that automatically sends helpful e-mails to prospective buyers and sellers regularly.  Are you using Text messaging to promote your listings?  You can put a code on each sign where the buyer can text to get information on your listing. The inquiries are sent directly to your cell phone so you can respond immediately with a text message to see if they need further information. This is a great listing tool.

Yes, the market is tough.  But the tough survive. So stay focused, concentrate on the basics, stay informed on the market, and you can weather the storm.

Alexis Bolin
ERA Legacy Realty
4300 Bayou Blvd Suite 37
Pensacola, FL 32503
Office: 850-478-5446 ext 22
Fax:850-478-1987
Cell: 850-777-0275
Email: alexisera@aol.com
http://www.alexissellshomes.com/

There’s so much conjecture on the subject of duplicate content these days we thought it made sense to discuss it a bit here. Particularly, with regards to Real Estate Education and Blogging.

Now search isn’t everything and a Real Estate Blog’s content can certainly be used as a valuable direct marketing [via subscription] tool; however, if you’re goal is search engine findability it’s important to understand how search engines like Google handle duplicate content. 

Google means to be the best conduit to answers it can be so that it has the most satisfied and loyal searchers. Serving up search results full of the same content would not support the user experience they’re shooting for. In the same respect, they’re aware that most duplicate content isn’t developed for nefarious reasons. They *do not want to police duplicate content* and they do not want to penalize for it. While there is reason to believe that excessive cases may lead to penalties or blacklisting, the typical scenario is the duplicate page [not the whole site] is held from the index. Also, many believe Google’s filters detect 50% or more duplication on a post. Any less and there’s probably not too much danger.

While the goal may not always be search engine indexing, we’re aware of at least one case where thousands of blogs have the same exact content in their posts and only one of those blogs gets indexed. The balance of those blog owners either have different goals, don’t care or they’re simply unaware. For the top producing Realtor® who does care and rather than some terrible penalty, the negative effects of duplicating content online are more about opportunity lost, including:

1) a wasted spider crawl,

2) the loss of keyword & key phrase indexing,

3) the loss of greater findability,

4) the loss of back links favorable to page rank,

In the end, it’s your time, effort and money that is at stake and these days search findability for the maximum number of key words and phrases is crucially important to business. In fact, if you’re not shooting to achieve it you’re not seeing the cost-effective advertising opportunity that is being served up for you versus traditional means. And don’t underestimate the value of a Google crawl, the depth of that crawl and the amount of content it takes into its’ index is where search findability happens.

PS: For what it’s worth I’ve written up the subject of duplicate content in three different places now. In each case, the context is the same but the actual content is slightly different… but it is never duplicated.

This post is presented by Chris Frerecks, Kinetic Knowledge/ Real Estate Blog Sites and is meant to provide useful real estate oriented education for the benefit of the Star Power audience. Kinetic Knowledge LLC and Real Estate Blogsites provide real estate professionals, including the STAR POWER organization, with leading blog solutions, blog writing content, blogging education and service. Chris is easily reached via email at chris@kineticknowledge.com.

Contributed By Greg Gorman, top producing Naples FL Realtor®:

In our soft market today, it’s unimaginable that any seller needing to sell a property would consider doing so alone. But, in watching TV, I still see the BuyOwner ads. I know their business is down, but how can they continue to pay for these ads? Common sense would say they are relying on sellers thinking FSBO is a great way to go. Trouble is, common sense is too common. FSBOs in today’s market are not even in the game!

You and I know avoiding the commission is the leading motivation for people who decide to sell their homes themselves; 46 percent of FSBOs cited commission cost as their primary reason for not using a real estate salesperson in The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

Here’s 6 ways to turn FSBOs into clients:

1. Show FSBOs the long list of all that’s involved in marketing a property, from photographing and advertising it to negotiating and closing a deal.
2. Illustrate with examples how real estate pros, through the MLS and their relationships with top producers, can expose FSBOs’ property to the widest pool of buyers in the most efficient time frame.
3. Promote yourself, experience, and designations. Be sure to highlight your expertise in moving properties in the FSBOs’ neighborhood.
4. Remind FSBOs that four of five owners eventually turned to a real estate professional to sell their home according to the NAR Profile. Focus on how few get the price they deserve and how much longer it takes to sell when you go solo.
5. Leave a list of selling tips. FSBOs will remember that you helped them with the daunting task of marketing their property. If they fail to sell on their own, they may come back to you or later refer you to a friend.
6. Be persistent. FSBOs will likely reject your first overtures. By the third or fourth time, you may find them at the peak of their frustration and ready to sign on with you.
7. Fear is a great motivator, so planting the fear their home isn’t going to sell with inventory of listed properties nearly double that of a normal market. So, ask them what’s the worst thing that can happen. NOTHING! 

Over 90% of For Sale By Owners end up hiring an agent. That agent SHOULD be YOU!

Contributed By Kathy Schmidt, top producing Edmonton AB Realtor®:

“Help!  I’m running late for an appointment and my client is locked out of her house and I forgot that I was supposed to take my dog to the vet and I now I can’t find my car keys!”  Sound familiar?  OK, that was a bit of an exaggerated example, but I think we can all recognize elements of ourselves in that panicked statement!  Life today has a lot of pressures, and life as a realtor can be especially hectic. Our days might begin with a beautiful plan and then the unexpected happens. Whether it’s a key that no longer opens the door at a listing, a purchaser with a surprise case of buyer’s remorse, or a seller who has a personal situation come up they need to discuss, these unscheduled “challenges” can really put a wrench in our day. And not all surprises are negative -  after all, we can’t “plan ahead” for an offer! We never know exactly when the right buyer will view a listing and decide this is the home for them. 

But wait a minute, isn’t this what we get paid to do? It’s our job to handle those key issues, and those stressed-out clients need and deserve our attention. And offers are the name of the game!  Well, you say, I guess that’s my lot in life…

If you’ve had the opportunity to attend any of the Star Power Universities you will have learned that there are lots of things you can do regain control of your day. Our team recently spent a morning discussing our scheduling challenges. When you think about it, we all know that we are going to have unexpected demands on our time occur each and every day. 

So here’s the big question: “If we know that unexpected things are going to occur every day, are they really unexpected…?”

So why not plan for the unplanned? Schedule the unscheduled? How can you do this? First of all by acknowledging that surprises are going to happen - it is the nature of life and especially life in real estate! Secondly, build some SLACK into your day! You may have a negative image of being “SLACK” - some may think it means being lazy or not working to your full potential. But in this case, the opposite is really true. It is being intentional about creating time to effectively handle the “unexpected” items that happen every day!  I came up with a little acronym that helps me remember why it’s important to put slack in my own schedule:

Strategically

Leaving

Allowances for

Crisis and

Kindness

I heard a story that relates to this topic. As I remember it, there was a study done where monks were told they needed to go from one town to another. The first group was told they had to be there in two hours and that it would take the full two hours to get there, and they absolutely could not be late. The second group was told that they had to be there by the evening and they had plenty of time to get there. A man was stationed by the side of the road as part of the experiment, and he pretended to be in distress. Not one monk in the hurried first group stopped!  Every monk in the second group stopped, because they had time to care for the person at the side of the road… It’s a good reminder that slack not only helps us deal with crises, but it allows us time to be kind.

Here are a few ways that our team came up with to build slack into our schedules:

• Set  your watch 10 minutes ahead!
• Add 15 minutes to the beginning and end of each scheduled appointment - if you normally allow an hour for a buyer consultation, allow an hour and a half total.
• Use those extra 15 minutes when you arrive early to return a phone call or make a warm prospecting call to past client.
• Set a “slack appointment” into your schedule daily - for example leave 4-5pm open every day, scheduling nothing in that spot, then when the unexpected call arrives you have a spot available, otherwise, take advantage of the time to catch up on your paperwork and prepare for tomorrow’s appointments.
• Say “no” when you know you really don’t have time - as realtors we are so service oriented that sometimes we say yes to a request even if it will mean that we rush through the appointments we already have scheduled with people we care about.Imagine what it would be like to step out of “rush” mode.      

PS: Our team now calls it  “slackage”.  “Hey, how is your slackage today?”