Property Management
Time is money, right? Using these tools
Many of the real estate agents who come to me for a website makeover complain that their existing site does not generate any leads. When I ask what they’re doing to attract visitors and to make their web site sticky they give me a blank look.
How does the name of your web site fit in with your overall marketing plan? This is important, and I"ve noticed that agents often don"t consider this. Your web site is a marketing investment. It"s not just your business card on the web. It is supposed to make you money. Why wouldn"t you incorporate your successful marketing strategy into your web site name?
One of the minor irritants with e-mail is the inability to confirm that your intended receiver has in fact received and opened your message. One possible solution has been to request a return receipt, but that often irritated the recipient!
Like everything the Internet touches, the real estate industry continues to evolve in new exciting directions. I’ve spoken before about the extensive impact that the Internet has had on real estate, and it continues to do so, enhancing the customer experience every step of the way.
Homestore"s eRealtor platform is supposed to change the real estate world, yet the business model for it is more closely guarded than a NORAD missile launch code. Is Homestore hiding a problem, or is it planning the biggest stock-et launch yet?
Your web site is finally online. Congratulations! And your webmaster confirms that your site was submitted to the search engines. Excellent. The next day you check a few search engines, and you can"t find your site. A week later, and you are still nowhere. "Something must be wrong!" you exclaim.
Being in touch with people by e-mail is so easy. Once you start using it you will be amazed at the results. People love reading e-mail. When you do it right, they don’t even know that you are marketing to them. There are some simple rules that work extremely well for fabulous results.
When 26-year real estate veteran Tom Conway first started to use the Internet, he was impressed by how efficiently the new medium produced leads via e-mail. But, it wasn"t until he attended a National Association of Realtors convention last year, that he realized that e-mail, as a prospecting and nurturing tool, could be raised to an art form.
Dear Mr. Internet:I"ve had a Web site for several years now but I"m frustrated in trying to make it stand out from allthe thousands of other real estate sites out there --what do you suggest I do?
Real estate professionals are taking advantage of the power of CyberSpace. Members of the Real Estate CyberSpace Society share their tips and tricks for using these tools to leverage their effectiveness and profitability. I"m a quarterback receiving those tips and it is one of my joys to pass these Cyber tips and tricks along with pointers to special Internet places of special interest to real estate owners, investors and related professionals.
Realtors® are always asking me, “How can I get the search engines to rank my Web site higher.”
Realtors are one of the single largest mobile sales forces in the U.S. Many have pioneered the use of wireless technologies including the cellular phone, the hand-held PalmPilot, the laptop computer, and other wireless modem devices. But Realtors are in a race to keep up with and to serve consumers, says Jonathan Greenblatt, director of product management for Homestore.
Prices in San Jose, CA, met the market throughout 2008 and it"s resulting in buyers elbowing each other off the sidelines in droves. Closed sales nearly doubled in January 2009 compared to a year ago and the surrounding Santa Clara County area was up 51 percent, according to the Santa Clara Association of Realtors.
If you are a listing agent, you market heavily through your listings. In fact, you may be almost invisible on the Web if it weren"t for your listings. Therefore you want your listings to show up on as many high traffic Web sites as possible. How can you get more exposure?
Editor"s note: This series is designed to help real estate professionals evaluate the large listings services as potential marketing partners. The information is provided by senior level executives with each company.
I"m going to provide tips for getting the most out
Signs of a cyclical turnaround for housing are on the upswing. Sales are up sharply in many of the hardest-hit markets, and prices are firming in many others.
When Colorado Springs Realtors have buyers who are ready to get pre-qualified before looking at homes, many call mortgage broker Cheryl Dingwell of Citadel Mortgage.com. She offers an advantage that she says no other broker in her area does - 5-minute pre-approvals, thanks to Freddie Mac"s newest pre-approval tool, Loan Prospector on the Internet.
In the world of Internet marketing, the word "hits" seems to mean a lot, but as far as the bottom line goes, it means nothing at all. In fact, focusing on hits can skew your marketing efforts so far in the wrong direction that you will wonder why you ever bothered to market on the Internet at all.
Most Internet experts agree that the domain name is the ultimate calling card. It should be easy to remember, and it should complement your marketing efforts. Yet, many agents have a hard time shopping for domain names because the rules are changing rapidly. They"d better hurry, though. According to some reports, domains are being registered at a rate of 20,000 per day. That"s more names than new Internet users, which are entering the Internet at the rate of 18,000 per day.
It was 7:00 in the evening. Like many REALTORS® who use direct mail, Sharon Marsh, a Plano, Texas agent, was doing her mailers after supper when she found she had run out of that most common and most maddening of business necessities - postage stamps.
The 15-year FRM this week averaged 4.81 percent with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 4.92 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 5.25 percent.
The National Association of REALTORS® is the first major trade organization to authorize an Internet professional certification for its members, according to ePRO course architect Michael Russer. The new certification will be a featured highlight at the NAR"s convention in Orlando next week.
Realtor Dusty Meads has turned her obsession with the Internet into a full-time job, but not for selling
It"s been a rare event lately to get good news for real estate investors out of Fannie Mae, but we"ve got some for you this week.
Whether you are a broker, a lender, an agent or other real estate service provider, you"ll be interested in the newest Internet business management suite, 1parkplace.com, which will launch at the NAR convention and trade show in Orlando.
When you do a lot of business on the Internet, it is easy for your email to
My hard drive finally crashed. Why do I say "finally"? Because, as I’ve been
This represented a 30 per cent increase over the 2,635 transactions recorded during the same time frame in 2007. A good part of this increase likely came from rental listings in newly completed condominium apartment buildings containing investor-owned units.
If you can"t beat "em, it"s time to join "em. The Internet is fast moving into
Giffels-Webster Engineers (GWE), a civil engineering firm with a 50-year industry reputation for its vision for today’s market and beyond, revealed its annual list of Top Five Real Estate and Development Trends. According to GWE, the hottest market-growth areas are:
Approximately 1,500 real estate professionals use PhotoShare
The next time you load software, maybe you"ll profit from my experience of
[Note: To follow is an excerpt of a radio show interview conducted by Peter L. Mosca, host of Income Property Investment Talk dot com, with Jason A. Kotar, President of Kotar Associates, an education and consulting firm focusing on the real estate and home building industries, and the co-author of “Homes Buyers and Mortgages: A Guide to Purchasing Real Estate in Today’s Market.” To listen to the show archive or download an MP3, go to www.IncomePropertyInvestmentTalk.com/120909.]
Editor"s Note: This is the follow-up to "The Web is No
When big guns such as Coldwell
Everyone wants to place well in the search engines. The top search search
Once upon a time, before voice mail, cell phones, beepers and email, a
For busy Realtors who enjoy primary communication with their customers and
Achieving real estate success on the Internet takes more than just having a
If you have employees or REALTOR® associates that use your computers,
The number one complaint against agents by buyers who seek to do business
What ever happened to the real promise of the robotic age? Where are the
With all the hoopla of "being on the Internet" and "having your own web site", how do you ensure you are
What is the Year 2000 bug (or, Y2K as we call it in Geek Land) and how does it affect the real estate industry? Is the sky really falling, or is Chicken Little simply pumping up the hype? Should you delay your flight home or take all of your money out of the bank? Will everything come to a stop - or worse - on January 1, 2000?
The Internet has not only opened an avenue for buyers to shop for homes, it has also broadened the creative marketing strategies of agents who want to market homes in new exciting ways.
Recall the old adage, you only get one chance to make that first impression. Now it"s your e-mail that, more often than not, meets the client first, before you meet in person.
If you cut the heads off your subjects, and we mean with a camera, not a guillotine, you will be thrilled with the new "idiot proof" imaging technologies that even you can"t mess up. User-friendly digital imaging technology has created an opportunity for Realtors to host the virtual "open house" for online prospective buyers.
For agents who want to go tech but don"t know whether to start with a notebook or desktop, trainer/agent Stephen Canale suggests a way to have the best of both worlds. Power up with a notebook for on-the-go computing and presentations, and when at home, dock your hardware at a port station to take advantage of a bigger screen, as well as printing and scanning capabilities.
Some words are trademarked and as such they cannot be used in other non-owners" marketing materials without some form of permission or recognition. Even though you are a Realtor, if you want to use the word "Realtor" in your domain name, beware! The National Association of Realtors owns the rights to this word and has rules about how it may be used in members" marketing.
As a new agent you have a big challenge to appear as if you have been in the business a long time. Many of your prospects are going to be seeing you for the first time either at open houses
Thousand Oaks, California real estate agent Steven Buchsbaum is a self-described "Jersey" boy, who has crisscrossed the country in pursuit of wealth. A financial planner and stock broker with an MBA (double majored in finance and banking) from the University of San Francisco, Buchsbaum is tired of the volatility of the DOW and the NASDAQ and is looking at making a living in what he calls an overlooked asset class - real estate.
Forbes is known as a financially-oriented magazine for an elite readership, people who are educated, cultivated and wealthy. Their readers choose Forbes for well-researched articles that ring with authority. With its new online publication, Forbes.com, Forbes would love to cash in on dotcom traffic, including the 7.6 million people who visited real estate sites in 2000, according to Media Metrix. But, while it may lead in financial circles, Forbes could have a lot more to learn about online real estate.
Realtors® often tell me they get few leads from their web-related marketing. I say to them, “Show me your online marketing plan. We’ll see what you can do better.”
It"s not a high-glamour, high profile niche in real estate investing, but it could be one of the safer, cash-flow producers in tough economic times: We"re talking about self-storage facilities for small-scale investors.
I love buyers! Many individuals who have been in real estate for years and years tell me that sellers are much less hassle than buyers, but I disagree with that on two fronts:
Everyone has a preferred method of marketing to the for-sale-by-owner. One of our most successful methods has always been to offer the owners free information. The security tips listed below are particularly effective, as they plant a seed in the owner’s mind about the advisability of allowing strangers into the house.
Being a successful producer in any aspect of life is more than having high production. Production or money or wealth is only one measuring stick. There are many other measures in life: family life; relationships; spouse; children; physical health; spiritual well being; mental state. One who is fulfilled in these ways and is also a financial success has great abundance. I know a lot of people who trade it all for money. Is that really the measure of success? I am far more impressed with people who craft a fabulous lifestyle and are also financially successful. These people share three common traits.
Lee Iacocca once said, "If you want to be the best, you have to separate yourself from all the talk about quality. And put it in writing." What Mr. Iacocca was referring to was offering a guarantee.
One of the most frustrating things for you as an agent is to deal with a client who does not respect your time - one who is late for appointments or cancels at the last minute. Here are a few steps to insure you minimize these people in your life.
For many salespeople, prospecting is the most difficult activity they do. They
One of the most important time savers when qualifying a prospective buyer is
The Greatest Salesman in the World. Og Mandino wrote that classic
As condo sales continue to hit bottom on resales in metro area after metro area, New Jersey water front is still all the rage across from the Big Apple. A piece in the Hudson Reporter states that "the resurrection of Journal Square, the possible rise of an 80-story office tower near the Hoboken train station, two new luxury hotels near the Hudson County waterfront, and the long-awaited opening of the retail and entertainment complex Xanadu in the Meadowlands will be the main topics of development discussion in 2009."
Every week, tens of thousands of real estate sales teams gather at an
Earning a high, six-figure income is easier when you employ the following strategies that I have identified from working with top producers. They are not made up, theoretical strategies that may work in the real, rough and tumble world of real estate marketing. They are proven strategies that do work, and work in a big, big way. Need proof? Take a close look at any top producer and check off those that apply!
The Internet is here to stay.
Tax filing season is just weeks away, but real estate investors, commercial property owners and developers still have tax-saving options they may not have considered.
For those of you who have heard of real estate sales legend Ralph Roberts, you will be excited to read an excerpt from his best-selling book "Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman." If you haven"t heard of Ralph Roberts, here is an introduction to sales mastery you won"t soon forget. Time Magazine calls him the number one salesperson in America, and he is the leader in the real estate industry. Find out how he got there and how to order a copy of his book and other publications by visiting his web site, Ralph"s World.
Real estate agents are often so stuck in a particular mindset that they can"t change their thought processes. Unfortunately, that"s the very thing agents need to do if they hope to increase their incomes and break that elusive six-figure barrier. The following 13 strategies will help lead agents down the six-figure path. -- Editor
Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey in which Mortgage Rates fell for the ninth straight week. Frank Nothaft, its vice president and chief economist said, "Inflation in the economy in the first three months of the year was contained and upward price pressure in the near-term seems unlikely."
Realty Times and Best Image Marketing have reached a distribution agreement through which Best Image will become a preferred distributor of Realty Times" lead generation, content and contact products for real estate professionals.
With all the discussion regarding who has the most listings and the biggest site -- and with all the layoffs and downsizing among high-tech firms -- it follows that someone would look at Realty Times and ask: Is not Realty Times an online business? How are you folks doing?
Homestore CEO Mike Long has a short-term nasty job with a long-term bright outlook. Sort of like inheriting a money pit of a house, Long was overwhelmed by the mess left behind by former management, but he also has the vision to see what a gem of a company he can build with his remodeling skills.
The Athens Board of REALTORS® has merged its MLS into the
Clareity Consulting, the premier MLS consulting firm, has completed its
The recent Second Annual National Real Estate On-line Convention and Exposition showed a 150 percent increase in attendance attracting 32,463 real estate professionals from 38 Countries during the 5-day event in April. The completely virtual event is produced annually by the Real Estate Cyberspace Society, a professional organization with over 4,000 members and 100 Chapters worldwide.
Question: We have a number of vacant homes in our homeowner association. Does the HOA have a responsibility to secure and protect them?
“The tremendous strength of Lili and its projected landfall in New Orleans the first day of our conference drove this decision,” said K Smith, President of REIPA. “With coastal wide power outages expected and the restrictions on travel, we felt it inappropriate to hold the conference as scheduled. We believe this new time frame will provide for a more conducive learning and networking environment and greater peace of mind for ourselves and our families. We look forward to seeing everyone in April.”
Sales are down nationwide -- including in the new home sector, which has experienced a 2.9 percent decline.
Fidelity National Information Solutions, Inc., the nation"s most comprehensive source for real estate-related data, solutions and services, today announced a tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Micro General Corporation (Nasdaq: MGEN - news) whereby each share of MGEN common stock will be exchanged for shares of FNIS common stock.
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, Inc. and Arvida Realty Services, the two leading residential brokerage companies with offices throughout the state of Florida, announced today that they are uniting to become one company under the Coldwell Banker banner. In a related transaction, Naples-based Coldwell Banker McFadden & Sprowls is also joining forces to become part of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate’s extensive statewide real estate network.
Cendant Mobility announced today that it has been named to the 2002 Training Top 100 by Training magazine for its investment in the development of its workforce and its focus on the continued growth and productivity of its employees.
Anybody who"s accumulated a significant amount of real estate, stocks or other assets over the years could be affected by a stalemate playing out on Capitol Hill.
Fidelity National Information Solutions (Nasdaq: FNIS) has
Homestore.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOMS - news) announced today that it will
The growing use of the Internet by potential homesellers and buyers is causing
HomeBuilder.com(TM), and the Builder Homesite Consortium, two of the
designed to align the company more tightly with its core real estate, builder
Interealty Corp., a leading provider of
The first and still the only
The RELO® network has launched a new initiative that allows RELO®
Homes.com has signed a seven-year agreement with CENTURY 21 Judge Fite
One of the most popular trends in home design is the creation of custom closet spaces. Over the past few decades, closets have grown in new-home construction, but whether you have a newer home with a walk-in closet or an older home with a reach-in closet, everyone can use a little help getting organized.
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS has established the REALTORS Housing Relief Fund to help pay the mortgage and rental costs of the
The Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers (CRB) is proud to announce
The Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers (CRB) announces the following
The Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers (CRB) elected the 2002
Homestore.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOMS),
REALTOR Magazine,
Organizations and individuals interested
The open house is the original reality show.
Prudential Real
Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc,
tour service provider will post listings enhanced with virtual tours on
For the second time, Sanctuary, a private golf course in the foothills south
Prudential California Realty (PCR)
E-LOAN, Inc.
Conducting a criminal search when screening
Bridgspan is hiring while other dot-coms are firing.
Landlord.com, an online rental property owner and manager content and
Jan Baker, the managing broker of the Prudential Georgia Realty
MonsterDaata, Inc. (OTCBB:MDDC), an
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
ERA Franchise Systems, Inc. today announced
as president, COO, and a member of the board of directors of Homes.com. He is
The Americana Group, a powerhouse in the Las Vegas residential market, is
"The extraordinary success achieved by Jim Fite, Jan Fite Miller and
Fred C. Sands, founder and CEO of Fred Sands Realtors, one of the nation"s top five largest real estate companies has announced the firm"s expansion into the Hacienda Heights area with Fred Sands Unique Properties and into Northern California"s Sonoma County area with Fred Sands Hurd Real Estate in Santa Rosa.
Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation (Coldwell Banker®) raised more than $30,000 for Habitat for Humanity International at the kick-off of the company"s "Building Dreams" auction program. The auction was held during the recent Coldwell Banker Chairman"s Circle event at Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Alberta, Canada. The Chairman"s Circle event is an exclusive retreat for the top 92 Coldwell Banker brokers out of more than 1,600 Coldwell Banker companies throughout North America.
Windermere Real Estate, the largest brokerage firm in the Northwest, is now showcasing luxury real estate online.
The National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (NAEBA) has just met in their fourth "midyear" meeting, in Washington DC.
Question: If the governing documents state that maintenance of the common area is the responsibility of the homeowner association, can the Board enact a policy that allows homeowners to plant flowers around their unit and mandate that homeowners maintain that area?
Something weird is happening. It"s hard to explain, yet you know that appearances can fool you. That"s right. The Annual Percentage Rate for ARM Hybrids are actually lower than its corresponding Note Rate. And you thought you were the only one to notice!
Top federal housing officials are promising a “consumer-friendly” overhaul by this summer of the current rules on disclosures of mortgage-related fees and closing costs. In an interview, HUD Secretary Mel R. Martinez said the reforms will touch virtually every new loan transaction in the U.S., and will bring “far greater clarity and transparency than ever before” to home purchases and mortgage refinancings.
An everyday, paperless, all-electronic mortgage remains little more than a mortgage originator"s dream, but using information technology to spread the word about mortgages and to originate loans is going gangbusters.
Predatory loans are a problem which bothers everyone -- at
You hate it, don"t you? You found, without a doubt, the absolute lowest interest rate on the planet. Not just that, but the loan company had no fees whatsoever. You could hardly lose, right? Except for the fact that now the loan papers you"re looking at appear nothing like what you agreed to. Your interest rate is higher than what you locked, and your closing fees are about $3,000 higher than your Good Faith Estimate. What do you do? You have to close on your house, right? Don"t loan companies have to follow certain laws?
I received an interesting e-mail in response to last week"s column about how to avoid paying private mortgage insurance. The writer suggested that I was a bit one sided in my thoughts. Let me re-visit the issue.
Credit bureaus say it’s one of the most useful trends to hit the mortgage market in years. Yet most home loan applicants--and some mortgage brokers and realty agents--still don’t know about it.
When you shop for a mortgage loan -- which is something every potential homebuyer should do -- you will be given a lot of information. One item which you must understand is the concept of "points".
Mortgage rates have risen considerably in the last couple of months. Back in November, interest rates for 30-year conventional financing was as low as 6.25 percent with no points. Today, expect to pay about 6.75 percent.
Technology has pretty much caught up with everything. Almost all around us seems to be automated in some way, working faster and smoother than before. America"s productivity gains are no secret and it"s due in large measure to increases in computing power.
Question: I recently settled on a home and obtained a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) at 6.375 percent. In looking over my papers, I realized that at the time of application my loan officer gave me a Truth-In-Lending (TIL) statement that showed my annual percentage rate (APR) to be 7.548 percent. Then, at the settlement table, I signed another TIL that indicated an APR of 5.687 percent. My note says that my interest rate is fixed for five years at 6.375 percent. So I have three very different rates to look at. Can the mortgage people get it together and tell me what"s going on?
Question: Our current mortgage carries an interest rate of 8.25 percent, and several friends have strongly suggested that we refinance. Exactly what does that mean? Are there costs associated with this process, and what kind of mortgages are available? This is our first home and we will probably stay here for a long time.
The National Association of Realtors is reporting that existing-home sales declined on the heels of a strong gain in September as uncertainty and economic concerns increased in October.