Provided By MyKW
Important KW Cares donations reminder
Your gift to KW Cares makes a significant difference in the lives of your fellow associates.
As we begin the countdown to 2011, be sure you take the time to send in your end-of-year donations Just this year, through your generous donations you’ve helped families make critical medical payments, bring family members to the United States after the earthquake in Haiti and helped others fight cancer.
For a list of some more of the stories of how KW Cares has helped associates during times of extreme hardship, visit KW Cares’ website at www.kwcares.org.
Make sure you postmark your 2010 Donations to KW Cares by December 31, 2010. Donations postmarked after 12/31/2010 will count as 2011 donations.
Thanks for supporting KW Cares! Visit KWCares.org.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
2011 Business Plan
Provided By MyKW
As the year comes to a close, it’s critical to build a map that puts you on the right path to achieving your goals. From lead generation, post-closing to managing the office, the systems you put into place today will dictate your success tomorrow.
In The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, Gary Keller created a comprehensive set of systems to improve and maintain key elements of your business. Integrating these models and systems into your business plan for 2011 will set you on a course toward success. Here are some highlights, pulled together from Keller Williams Realty’s best agents and resources to help you build the best business plan for 2011.
Kick your 2011 Business Plan into gear with the MREA Business Planning Spreadsheet.
The MREA Business Planning Spreadsheet is a fully functioning system that will allow you to plan your business based on the models and systems outlined in The Millionaire Real Estate Agent. You must use Microsoft Excel to take advantage of these spreadsheets.
As you implement your MREA Business Planning Spreadsheet, you will complete your own annual business plan that will put you on the path to becoming a Millionaire Real Estate Agent!
Explore the possibilities here.
What is a business plan?
Dave Norberg, top agent in the La Mesa/East County market center, says a business plan “should be a very short plan, two to three pages at the most. It’s something you can carry with you or easily review over lunch. The business plan is simple because if it’s too difficult then nobody can follow it.” At its basic level, he adds, the business plan “tells you where to go, what to do and when you’re supposed to do it.”
Having a business plan in place each year gives you the opportunity to set high goals, and breakthrough the ceiling of achievement toward a new level of success. It’s what the best of the best in any business create and it’s a not-so secret, secret to reaching all your financial goals.
The Four Fundamental Models
Every millionaire real estate agents interviewed for MREA followed four key models: Economic Model, Lead Generation Model, Budget Model and the Organization Model. They represent the four areas everyone must ultimately tackle if they want to practice real estate at a high level.
Take the Economic Model, for example. It states the three keys areas that you must focus on:
1. The numbers you must hit: Assuming that the average sales price for the Millionaire Real Estate Agent will be $250,000 and that she will earn an average of 3 percent commission on each sale, it can be concluded that if earning $1 million in net income is your goal, we can conclude that it will take 320 closed sales each year to reach $2.4 million in GCI. This divides into 160 listings and 160 sales*
2. Appointments: The economic model has a beginning and an end. The end is your net income that you receive, and what causes your net income starts with the beginning activity – appointments. The truth is, if you don’t have the appointments, nothing else happens; therefore, they become the critical point of focus for your economic model.
3. Conversion rates: Converting leads to appointments and converting appointments to listings are huge drivers of your economic success. Ultimately, appointments converted to seller and buyer listings converted to sales equals gross income!
*Conversion rates may vary depending on a number of factors, including current market conditions, the effectiveness of your presentation, the quality of the leads, and the consistency of your follow-up
What the shifted market means to your business plan
Gene Rivers, operating principal of three market centers in Florida and KWU Master Faculty Instructor says there are several critical activities that every agent must include in their business plan in order to achieve success in 2011:
1. You need to do more appointments
2. You need to write more listing and purchase contracts
3. You need to do better presentations
“Because more and more pieces of the home buying and selling process are falling apart, you need to increase your numbers for them to come out right on the end,” Rivers says. “You have to have sharper tools and better presentations to get the listing and the buyer. You have to know your market at a higher level and you have to get the homes priced right so buyers will buy.”
What’s the most important piece of the business plan?
According to Rivers, the most important thing to have in your business plan (and as Norberg reminds us, have by your side as a reminder of your goals) is to know the number of appointments you need to make in order to reach your yearly goals.
“Plot those numbers out every week,” says Rivers. He also emphasizes the power of listings.
“An agent’s success in 2011 is directly related to the listing inventory they have on January 1, 2011. If you want to hit your numbers, and you have your yearly net income in mind, then you should have 1/3 to ½ of your annual sales goals in listings on that day.”
So for example, say you want to sell 50 houses a year. Then you’ll need 16 to 25 listings on January 1. Why 16 to 25? “There’s a variation because conversion is not a given. Contracts fall through the cracks and homes are taken off the market – you have to take that into consideration from the start,” he says.
New to the business?
Agents new to the business have every opportunity to build a solid listing inventory before the end of the year in order to kick-start the best 2011. If you’re new or struggling, Rivers emphasizes “you have six weeks to start attacking it right now. Most of your competition is headed out for the Holidays. If I was a new agent, I’d do everything in my power to make 16 to 25 listings.” And after that?
“A lot of agents find themselves steeped in the business of getting those homes sold and forget to continue lead generating. The best lesson I can teach is to keep a pipeline of listings. So when you sell two homes in January, you take two additional listings. When you sell three in February, you take three additional listings.”
Rivers also offered a final piece of advice for agents new to the business: “Go on one or two appointments every week. The ones who do this will master the art of the presentation and land more buyers and more sellers.”
As the year comes to a close, it’s critical to build a map that puts you on the right path to achieving your goals. From lead generation, post-closing to managing the office, the systems you put into place today will dictate your success tomorrow.
In The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, Gary Keller created a comprehensive set of systems to improve and maintain key elements of your business. Integrating these models and systems into your business plan for 2011 will set you on a course toward success. Here are some highlights, pulled together from Keller Williams Realty’s best agents and resources to help you build the best business plan for 2011.
Kick your 2011 Business Plan into gear with the MREA Business Planning Spreadsheet.
The MREA Business Planning Spreadsheet is a fully functioning system that will allow you to plan your business based on the models and systems outlined in The Millionaire Real Estate Agent. You must use Microsoft Excel to take advantage of these spreadsheets.
As you implement your MREA Business Planning Spreadsheet, you will complete your own annual business plan that will put you on the path to becoming a Millionaire Real Estate Agent!
Explore the possibilities here.
What is a business plan?
Dave Norberg, top agent in the La Mesa/East County market center, says a business plan “should be a very short plan, two to three pages at the most. It’s something you can carry with you or easily review over lunch. The business plan is simple because if it’s too difficult then nobody can follow it.” At its basic level, he adds, the business plan “tells you where to go, what to do and when you’re supposed to do it.”
Having a business plan in place each year gives you the opportunity to set high goals, and breakthrough the ceiling of achievement toward a new level of success. It’s what the best of the best in any business create and it’s a not-so secret, secret to reaching all your financial goals.
The Four Fundamental Models
Every millionaire real estate agents interviewed for MREA followed four key models: Economic Model, Lead Generation Model, Budget Model and the Organization Model. They represent the four areas everyone must ultimately tackle if they want to practice real estate at a high level.
Take the Economic Model, for example. It states the three keys areas that you must focus on:
1. The numbers you must hit: Assuming that the average sales price for the Millionaire Real Estate Agent will be $250,000 and that she will earn an average of 3 percent commission on each sale, it can be concluded that if earning $1 million in net income is your goal, we can conclude that it will take 320 closed sales each year to reach $2.4 million in GCI. This divides into 160 listings and 160 sales*
2. Appointments: The economic model has a beginning and an end. The end is your net income that you receive, and what causes your net income starts with the beginning activity – appointments. The truth is, if you don’t have the appointments, nothing else happens; therefore, they become the critical point of focus for your economic model.
3. Conversion rates: Converting leads to appointments and converting appointments to listings are huge drivers of your economic success. Ultimately, appointments converted to seller and buyer listings converted to sales equals gross income!
*Conversion rates may vary depending on a number of factors, including current market conditions, the effectiveness of your presentation, the quality of the leads, and the consistency of your follow-up
What the shifted market means to your business plan
Gene Rivers, operating principal of three market centers in Florida and KWU Master Faculty Instructor says there are several critical activities that every agent must include in their business plan in order to achieve success in 2011:
1. You need to do more appointments
2. You need to write more listing and purchase contracts
3. You need to do better presentations
“Because more and more pieces of the home buying and selling process are falling apart, you need to increase your numbers for them to come out right on the end,” Rivers says. “You have to have sharper tools and better presentations to get the listing and the buyer. You have to know your market at a higher level and you have to get the homes priced right so buyers will buy.”
What’s the most important piece of the business plan?
According to Rivers, the most important thing to have in your business plan (and as Norberg reminds us, have by your side as a reminder of your goals) is to know the number of appointments you need to make in order to reach your yearly goals.
“Plot those numbers out every week,” says Rivers. He also emphasizes the power of listings.
“An agent’s success in 2011 is directly related to the listing inventory they have on January 1, 2011. If you want to hit your numbers, and you have your yearly net income in mind, then you should have 1/3 to ½ of your annual sales goals in listings on that day.”
So for example, say you want to sell 50 houses a year. Then you’ll need 16 to 25 listings on January 1. Why 16 to 25? “There’s a variation because conversion is not a given. Contracts fall through the cracks and homes are taken off the market – you have to take that into consideration from the start,” he says.
New to the business?
Agents new to the business have every opportunity to build a solid listing inventory before the end of the year in order to kick-start the best 2011. If you’re new or struggling, Rivers emphasizes “you have six weeks to start attacking it right now. Most of your competition is headed out for the Holidays. If I was a new agent, I’d do everything in my power to make 16 to 25 listings.” And after that?
“A lot of agents find themselves steeped in the business of getting those homes sold and forget to continue lead generating. The best lesson I can teach is to keep a pipeline of listings. So when you sell two homes in January, you take two additional listings. When you sell three in February, you take three additional listings.”
Rivers also offered a final piece of advice for agents new to the business: “Go on one or two appointments every week. The ones who do this will master the art of the presentation and land more buyers and more sellers.”
Thursday, December 23, 2010
What Motivates You?
Provided By KW Blog
The following animated video is about the best-selling book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink, a featured speaker at Family Reunion in Anaheim.
For great blog posts and more information about Pink, you can visit his Website. Click here for more information about Family Reunion.
The following animated video is about the best-selling book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink, a featured speaker at Family Reunion in Anaheim.
For great blog posts and more information about Pink, you can visit his Website. Click here for more information about Family Reunion.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Marketing to my Sphere
Provided By MyKW
Newsletter & Resources: This Month in Real Estate
Each month, This Month in Real Estate provides expert opinion and analysis on real estate trends across the nation. The aim of the consumer-oriented segments is to help agents combat the doom and gloom messages of the national print and television media with real information on real estate.
Distribution occurs on the 7th of the month.
This Month in Real Estate has made changes over the past six months based on your feedback! To continue providing you with what you need the most, please tell us what you think. Click on this link (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tmire) to participate in a short 6 question feedback survey.
TMIRE Newsletter Directions:
> Cltr + A to highlight the entire Newsletter. Or drag your cursor from the right-hand corner of the template all the way to the bottom.
> Cltr + C to copy the entire Newsletter
> Cltr + V into the e-mail your plan to send out
> Be sure to customize the template with your contact information!
Newsletter & Resources: This Month in Real Estate
Each month, This Month in Real Estate provides expert opinion and analysis on real estate trends across the nation. The aim of the consumer-oriented segments is to help agents combat the doom and gloom messages of the national print and television media with real information on real estate.
Distribution occurs on the 7th of the month.
This Month in Real Estate has made changes over the past six months based on your feedback! To continue providing you with what you need the most, please tell us what you think. Click on this link (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tmire) to participate in a short 6 question feedback survey.
TMIRE Newsletter Directions:
> Cltr + A to highlight the entire Newsletter. Or drag your cursor from the right-hand corner of the template all the way to the bottom.
> Cltr + C to copy the entire Newsletter
> Cltr + V into the e-mail your plan to send out
> Be sure to customize the template with your contact information!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Contents & Specials: Family Reunion
DECEMBER 15TH REGISTRATION SPECIAL!
We are just over a week away from the deadline. This is why you NEED to register NOW:
1. Exclusive Saturday Session Access
Get a chance to hear Daniel Pink, the author of four provocative, bestselling books on the changing world of work, speak exclusively to Family Reunion attendees. In his latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Pink shows us that the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today's world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world. Pink’s work revolutionizes the way that we look at performance and motivation.
2. No Waiting in Line to Register
You will receive your name badge in the mail - which means you avoid the Registration lines completely!
Just grab your materials and go !
3. VIP Discount Pass
Along with your nametag, you will receive a VIP Discount Pass in the mail that you can use to save on dining, shopping and entertainment in the Anaheim area! Click here for more information and a full list of participating establishments.
REGISTER TODAY!
We are just over a week away from the deadline. This is why you NEED to register NOW:
1. Exclusive Saturday Session Access
Get a chance to hear Daniel Pink, the author of four provocative, bestselling books on the changing world of work, speak exclusively to Family Reunion attendees. In his latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Pink shows us that the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today's world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world. Pink’s work revolutionizes the way that we look at performance and motivation.
2. No Waiting in Line to Register
You will receive your name badge in the mail - which means you avoid the Registration lines completely!
Just grab your materials and go !
3. VIP Discount Pass
Along with your nametag, you will receive a VIP Discount Pass in the mail that you can use to save on dining, shopping and entertainment in the Anaheim area! Click here for more information and a full list of participating establishments.
REGISTER TODAY!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Short Sale Mindsets - Short Sale Training
Provided By KW
Jay Papasan, VP of Publishing and co-author of a number real estate best-sellers, shares short sales.
Jay Papasan, VP of Publishing and co-author of a number real estate best-sellers, shares short sales.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Gary Keller's Top Strategies for Success
Provided By My KW
Each month, Gary Keller interviews a variety of Keller Williams agents who all have one thing in common: they are finding success using the models and systems that have led many agents to millionaire-dollar careers. Each interview tells a unique story about the agent and provides strategies and tips on how to implement their success tools into your business.
Download the audio to your iTunes account and listen to it on the go, or take a moment at your desktop to hear the interviews that Gary thinks you should be listening to now.
Click here to Check out this month’s videos from Gary.
Each month, Gary Keller interviews a variety of Keller Williams agents who all have one thing in common: they are finding success using the models and systems that have led many agents to millionaire-dollar careers. Each interview tells a unique story about the agent and provides strategies and tips on how to implement their success tools into your business.
Download the audio to your iTunes account and listen to it on the go, or take a moment at your desktop to hear the interviews that Gary thinks you should be listening to now.
Click here to Check out this month’s videos from Gary.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
2011 Business Planning Clinic
DATE:
December 6th, 10am-2pm
December 7th, 10am-2pm
LOCATION:
Toyota of Rockwall
1250 East I 30
Rockwall, Texas 75087
COST:
$30
Lunch Provided
Who will benefit from attending this course? Do you know many appointments you need next year to net the income you want? Come learn the business models to set up a successful business next year. Learn how to focus your efforts on the key activities that will make a difference in growing your business in 2011! All agents will benefit from comparing their numbers to top grossing agent benchmarks.
What's in it for you? Align your thinking with that of a Mega Agent. Create your goals and identify the milestones that will support them. Develop a detailed business plan to guide your lead generation, money management and organizational development. Apply focus to convert your goals to a reality!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
How to Get High-Quality Inbound Links
Provided By KW Blog
One of the fastest ways to improve your search engine rankings is to build high-quality inbound links—links from other websites to your website. In fact, successful search engine optimization (SEO) demands a focus on inbound link building, also called backlinking.
Here’s why: Although Google (and other search engines) evaluate scores of factors as they rank your site against the thousands of other agent sites on the Internet, inbound links are among the most powerful determinants of where your site will show up in the list of results.
And here’s another reason to focus on inbound links: Getting more relevant links to your website also increases the chances that real estate consumers looking for your type of services will find you as they naturally surf the web.
How Not to Build In-Bound Links
Before I give you the eight ways to get inbound links, let me warn you of a tactic from the early web days that could backfire today: link trading. Also known as reciprocal linking, trading links with relevant peers can be helpful to your efforts. But joining a link farm could be SEO suicide.
A link farm is a collection of websites that each link to every site in the group. Don’t be enticed by automated programs that promise to get you hundreds of links. The links are bound to be irrelevant and the search engines will punish you for trying to outwit their algorithm. In fact, Google may even ban you. Build inbound links the right way and you will gain credibility with the search engines.
The Right Way to Build In-Bound Links
Here are eight KW-sanctioned strategies you can begin using today.
1. Launch a Blog
You can use a free service like Blogger or Wordpress. Blog about your particular niche, i.e. luxury condos, foreclosures, vacation homes, or trends in your city or region. Linking from your blog to your website offers relevant inbound links.
2. Craft Strong Content
Content is still king online. If you produce interesting, relevant content, people will link to it. Let your service providers and partners know you are blogging or adding content to your site and invite them to share it with their customers in exchange for a link.
3. Consider Pay-Per-Click
Narrow in on your niche audience, choose a budget and launch a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. The text ads link to your site, giving you a potential boost in the rankings while also driving qualified leads.
4. Submit to Directories
There are many web directories you could list your site on, like Merchant Circle and DMOZ. There are free and paid web directories. You can find them by doing a simple search online.
5. Join Organizations
When you join organizations like the Better Business Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce and industry associations, you can often get the group to link back to your site.
6. Employ Article Marketing
Have you seen sites like ezinearticles.com? You can repurpose your blog content to submit to article marketing sites, position yourself as an expert, and get reputable in-bound links.
7. Get Social
When you join communities like Facebook and Twitter and post links to your site in status updates, you set the stage for high-quality links and relevant traffic to your website.
8. Write an E-book
With Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can include links back to your site in an e-book and post it on sites that host e-books, either as a free offering or for a small fee. This also positions you as an expert in your niche.
A final note: The text of the link makes a difference. Ask those who link to your site a to link on relevant terms like “Chicago real estate expert” rather than “click here.” The more descriptive the text is, the better Google likes the link.
One of the fastest ways to improve your search engine rankings is to build high-quality inbound links—links from other websites to your website. In fact, successful search engine optimization (SEO) demands a focus on inbound link building, also called backlinking.
Here’s why: Although Google (and other search engines) evaluate scores of factors as they rank your site against the thousands of other agent sites on the Internet, inbound links are among the most powerful determinants of where your site will show up in the list of results.
And here’s another reason to focus on inbound links: Getting more relevant links to your website also increases the chances that real estate consumers looking for your type of services will find you as they naturally surf the web.
How Not to Build In-Bound Links
Before I give you the eight ways to get inbound links, let me warn you of a tactic from the early web days that could backfire today: link trading. Also known as reciprocal linking, trading links with relevant peers can be helpful to your efforts. But joining a link farm could be SEO suicide.
A link farm is a collection of websites that each link to every site in the group. Don’t be enticed by automated programs that promise to get you hundreds of links. The links are bound to be irrelevant and the search engines will punish you for trying to outwit their algorithm. In fact, Google may even ban you. Build inbound links the right way and you will gain credibility with the search engines.
The Right Way to Build In-Bound Links
Here are eight KW-sanctioned strategies you can begin using today.
1. Launch a Blog
You can use a free service like Blogger or Wordpress. Blog about your particular niche, i.e. luxury condos, foreclosures, vacation homes, or trends in your city or region. Linking from your blog to your website offers relevant inbound links.
2. Craft Strong Content
Content is still king online. If you produce interesting, relevant content, people will link to it. Let your service providers and partners know you are blogging or adding content to your site and invite them to share it with their customers in exchange for a link.
3. Consider Pay-Per-Click
Narrow in on your niche audience, choose a budget and launch a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. The text ads link to your site, giving you a potential boost in the rankings while also driving qualified leads.
4. Submit to Directories
There are many web directories you could list your site on, like Merchant Circle and DMOZ. There are free and paid web directories. You can find them by doing a simple search online.
5. Join Organizations
When you join organizations like the Better Business Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce and industry associations, you can often get the group to link back to your site.
6. Employ Article Marketing
Have you seen sites like ezinearticles.com? You can repurpose your blog content to submit to article marketing sites, position yourself as an expert, and get reputable in-bound links.
7. Get Social
When you join communities like Facebook and Twitter and post links to your site in status updates, you set the stage for high-quality links and relevant traffic to your website.
8. Write an E-book
With Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can include links back to your site in an e-book and post it on sites that host e-books, either as a free offering or for a small fee. This also positions you as an expert in your niche.
A final note: The text of the link makes a difference. Ask those who link to your site a to link on relevant terms like “Chicago real estate expert” rather than “click here.” The more descriptive the text is, the better Google likes the link.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
KW Marketing
Provided By MyKW
Keller Williams makes it easy to market your listings online- when you want, where you want through KWLS!
Click here to get started!
Keller Williams makes it easy to market your listings online- when you want, where you want through KWLS!
Click here to get started!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
How Rising Interest Rates Will Impact Affordability
Provided By KW Blog
In a recent Forbes blog post, multimillionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson declared that today’s record-low interest rates made this the best time to buy homes in fifty years. “If you don’t own a home, buy one,” Paulson said. “If you own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes, buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.” Why should we care what Paulson thinks? Well, he was among the few to accurately predict the subprime collapse and, while no one has a crystal ball, a closer look at the numbers supports his call to action.
Historically low interest rates are the key…and they aren’t likely to hang around for long.
As we wrote in SHIFT, buyers who “choose to wait until prices come down more” are gambling that interest rates will hold steady or drop. The truth is even a 10 percent drop in home prices is nullified by a 1 percent increase in interest rates. The figure below illustrates how this works for a $250,000 home purchase and the relative likelihood of each scenario.
To figure out which was a smarter bet–counting on home prices to fall further or interest rates to rise–our research department took the last ten years of monthly home price and mortgage interest rate data and ran the numbers to see which was more likely: an increase in mortgage rates or a further drop in home prices. Here’s what we found:
A one percent increase in mortgage rates is ten times more likely to happen than a ten percent drop in home prices.
A one percent rate increase more than offsets a ten percent reduction in home prices.
When interest rates fall by one percent, the total interest paid is almost three times more than the interest savings from a ten percent drop in home prices.
The probability of both happening at the same time is ridiculously small, and homeowners would still pay 15 percent more in interest over the life of the loan.
Interest rates have dominated the news in recent months as we’ve shattered record low after record low. Potential home buyers need to understand the positive financial impact low interest rates have on the cost of home ownership and the thousands of dollars that can be saved over the life of a typical mortgage loan. For those who can afford to buy, trade up, or invest, our current market presents a lifetime opportunity.
In a recent Forbes blog post, multimillionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson declared that today’s record-low interest rates made this the best time to buy homes in fifty years. “If you don’t own a home, buy one,” Paulson said. “If you own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes, buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.” Why should we care what Paulson thinks? Well, he was among the few to accurately predict the subprime collapse and, while no one has a crystal ball, a closer look at the numbers supports his call to action.
Historically low interest rates are the key…and they aren’t likely to hang around for long.
As we wrote in SHIFT, buyers who “choose to wait until prices come down more” are gambling that interest rates will hold steady or drop. The truth is even a 10 percent drop in home prices is nullified by a 1 percent increase in interest rates. The figure below illustrates how this works for a $250,000 home purchase and the relative likelihood of each scenario.
To figure out which was a smarter bet–counting on home prices to fall further or interest rates to rise–our research department took the last ten years of monthly home price and mortgage interest rate data and ran the numbers to see which was more likely: an increase in mortgage rates or a further drop in home prices. Here’s what we found:
A one percent increase in mortgage rates is ten times more likely to happen than a ten percent drop in home prices.
A one percent rate increase more than offsets a ten percent reduction in home prices.
When interest rates fall by one percent, the total interest paid is almost three times more than the interest savings from a ten percent drop in home prices.
The probability of both happening at the same time is ridiculously small, and homeowners would still pay 15 percent more in interest over the life of the loan.
Interest rates have dominated the news in recent months as we’ve shattered record low after record low. Potential home buyers need to understand the positive financial impact low interest rates have on the cost of home ownership and the thousands of dollars that can be saved over the life of a typical mortgage loan. For those who can afford to buy, trade up, or invest, our current market presents a lifetime opportunity.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Team Leaders: Your Perfect Day Makes a Difference
Provided By KW Blog
Mega Leadership 2010 was the best yet! Each panel and presentation provided superb practical tools leaders could immediately employ in their businesses. I especially loved the power panel of Mary Tennant, President and COO, KWRI, Gene Frederick, Team Leader at Austin Northwest, and Melanie Kennemann, Team Leader at Reno North. This exceptional group ran through the impact and construction of a Team Leader’s perfect day.
Gene Frederick began by pointing out the Team Leader job description is essentially to make a difference in people’s lives. He said that when Team Leaders spend 80 percent of their day focused on their 20 percent, they’re consulting their great agents, interviewing new talent, training both to build bigger businesses, and investing in their own education. With this high-minded focus, he ends his work day energized and excited to take on the next day.
Melanie Kennemann said she focuses on mindset on Monday mornings to get herself and her Market Center ready for a week of results. She’ll send a short message to everybody like, “Do you have an indomitable spirit?” Their mindset in check, the remarkable agents in this Market Center then do what needs to be done with determination and zeal. Melanie also makes a point of starting every day the night before. Before she leaves the office, she writes down her 20 percent for the following day. When she gets in the next morning, she has a quick, focusing meeting with her staff, and then they’re off, taking the actions that lead to positive impact.
Mary Tennant said that when she was a Team Leader an extraordinary staff enabled her to grow the Southwest Market Center from 142 to 800 agents. Surrounded by A+ talent, Mary empowered her staff to deliver superior service to each associate in the Market Center, while she focused on taking the Market Center to new heights through training, coaching, recruiting, and community building. Though her Market Center was large, the associates in it felt connected through smaller groups, like investment and cooking clubs. Mary added that they also bonded through shared joy. She said practical jokes in this office were abundant! Whether the furniture was upside down, Mary’s relaxation fountain had bubbles in it, an office was filled with balloons, or an ALC member was presenting a ballet in full costume during a team meeting, associates in this Market Center were smiling while they were achieving.
If you’re planning your perfect day as a Team Leader, look to what matters most. First help those around you succeed at the highest levels—and then plan your retaliatory practical jokes!
Mega Leadership 2010 was the best yet! Each panel and presentation provided superb practical tools leaders could immediately employ in their businesses. I especially loved the power panel of Mary Tennant, President and COO, KWRI, Gene Frederick, Team Leader at Austin Northwest, and Melanie Kennemann, Team Leader at Reno North. This exceptional group ran through the impact and construction of a Team Leader’s perfect day.
Gene Frederick began by pointing out the Team Leader job description is essentially to make a difference in people’s lives. He said that when Team Leaders spend 80 percent of their day focused on their 20 percent, they’re consulting their great agents, interviewing new talent, training both to build bigger businesses, and investing in their own education. With this high-minded focus, he ends his work day energized and excited to take on the next day.
Melanie Kennemann said she focuses on mindset on Monday mornings to get herself and her Market Center ready for a week of results. She’ll send a short message to everybody like, “Do you have an indomitable spirit?” Their mindset in check, the remarkable agents in this Market Center then do what needs to be done with determination and zeal. Melanie also makes a point of starting every day the night before. Before she leaves the office, she writes down her 20 percent for the following day. When she gets in the next morning, she has a quick, focusing meeting with her staff, and then they’re off, taking the actions that lead to positive impact.
Mary Tennant said that when she was a Team Leader an extraordinary staff enabled her to grow the Southwest Market Center from 142 to 800 agents. Surrounded by A+ talent, Mary empowered her staff to deliver superior service to each associate in the Market Center, while she focused on taking the Market Center to new heights through training, coaching, recruiting, and community building. Though her Market Center was large, the associates in it felt connected through smaller groups, like investment and cooking clubs. Mary added that they also bonded through shared joy. She said practical jokes in this office were abundant! Whether the furniture was upside down, Mary’s relaxation fountain had bubbles in it, an office was filled with balloons, or an ALC member was presenting a ballet in full costume during a team meeting, associates in this Market Center were smiling while they were achieving.
If you’re planning your perfect day as a Team Leader, look to what matters most. First help those around you succeed at the highest levels—and then plan your retaliatory practical jokes!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Home is Where the Heart is
Provided By KW Blog
Published by Mo Anderson
This past spring my husband Richard and I moved into our newly built “dream” home. We bought our first home in 1966, and at the time, I thought no other homeowner experience could ever match the thrill of that very first one.
However, through the years I have learned that one’s home is indeed even more than their castle – it is the spirit of their heritage, the expression of their principles, the warmth of their hearts and their hope and vision for the future. It provides an avenue for sharing their hospitality. It becomes their shelter from outside storms and further, it often offers a safe haven for family and friends. When embraced, being a homeowner is a blessing beyond compare and an opportunity to make a difference in our neighborhoods, our communities and our world
Unfortunately, home ownership worldwide is not as attainable as it is for those of us living in the United States and Canada. As so often happens with such amazing opportunities, we often find ourselves taking this gift for granted. Now, more than at any other point in our history, home ownership is within reach and can become a reality.
In fact, the U.S. national average on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 4.36% in August…which is lower than it’s been in the past half century!
Taking advantage of the existing remarkable home ownership opportunity creates a positive, far-reaching ripple effect within our society and nation. On a personal level, the joy of owning and creating a home that reflects our character and provides a backdrop for sharing our hospitality helps build a sense of stability and a desire to enrich our lives through reaching out to those around us. Nationally, home ownership allows us to be part of the solution to our country’s current economical situation as we help re-build confidence within our own communities.
Often as I am drinking in all that I love about our home – how it warms us from the outside cold or cools us from the heat; provides peacefulness from outside hostilities; offers comfort and rest when we are weary; contributes to precious memories; and always welcomes our presence, I am reminded of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz when she decidedly declares, “There’s no place like home.” That is so true because most definitely, “Home is where the heart is!”
Published by Mo Anderson
This past spring my husband Richard and I moved into our newly built “dream” home. We bought our first home in 1966, and at the time, I thought no other homeowner experience could ever match the thrill of that very first one.
However, through the years I have learned that one’s home is indeed even more than their castle – it is the spirit of their heritage, the expression of their principles, the warmth of their hearts and their hope and vision for the future. It provides an avenue for sharing their hospitality. It becomes their shelter from outside storms and further, it often offers a safe haven for family and friends. When embraced, being a homeowner is a blessing beyond compare and an opportunity to make a difference in our neighborhoods, our communities and our world
Unfortunately, home ownership worldwide is not as attainable as it is for those of us living in the United States and Canada. As so often happens with such amazing opportunities, we often find ourselves taking this gift for granted. Now, more than at any other point in our history, home ownership is within reach and can become a reality.
In fact, the U.S. national average on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 4.36% in August…which is lower than it’s been in the past half century!
Taking advantage of the existing remarkable home ownership opportunity creates a positive, far-reaching ripple effect within our society and nation. On a personal level, the joy of owning and creating a home that reflects our character and provides a backdrop for sharing our hospitality helps build a sense of stability and a desire to enrich our lives through reaching out to those around us. Nationally, home ownership allows us to be part of the solution to our country’s current economical situation as we help re-build confidence within our own communities.
Often as I am drinking in all that I love about our home – how it warms us from the outside cold or cools us from the heat; provides peacefulness from outside hostilities; offers comfort and rest when we are weary; contributes to precious memories; and always welcomes our presence, I am reminded of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz when she decidedly declares, “There’s no place like home.” That is so true because most definitely, “Home is where the heart is!”
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Build Your Real Estate Business with Seminars
Provided By Keller Williams Blog
Published By Jay Papasan
One of my favorite interviews at our recent Mega Camp was Gary’s chat with Jim and Jeff Reitzel of Kitchener, Ontario. Among the Reitzels’ best business-building tools is holding investor and first-time home buyer seminars—a lead generation strategy that helped them do more than 120 transactions and over $67 million in business in 2009. And they are on pace to have a much better 2010.
So what are the keys to success?
1. Be Predictably Consistent – More than anything, the Reitzels attribute their success to predictability and consistency. For example, they hold their monthly investor seminar at the same place, at the same time on the third Tuesday of each month. After a while, interested buyers don’t need an invitation or directions. They just show up. It’s like the old Batman show: “Tune in tomorrow—same Bat time, same Bat channel!”
2. Persistence Pays Off – The Reitzels count on word of mouth to market their seminars. They invite every client. They invite fellow agents to bring guests. They invite just about anyone they meet. Over time, this simple message of “every third Tuesday” has sunk in, and the numbers have grown from the early days when Jeff might have gotten the opportunity to practice the ninety-minute presentation for Jim alone, to today when their investor seminars average 80 to 120 attendees!
The repetition of our marketing for these events combined with the word of mouth they can generate can be quite powerful. Jeff shared that one investor bought 22 townhomes on their second meeting. The investor had never actually made it to one of the seminars but, because Jeff was always holding them, he felt like Jeff must be the expert.
3. Big Audiences Are Great, Motivated Audiences Will Do – Even when only a handful show up, it can still be a success. Jim shared that this summer he taught a first-time home buyer seminar and only three people showed up. “I thought, ‘Oh great!’ but you know, one of those three became a buyer!” Similarly, you don’t have to start with a 100-seat training room. A coffee shop will do. When my wife Wendy started her business, she used Facebook to send monthly invites to talk wealth building through real estate over a morning coffee at “Millionaire Mocha$.” Some weeks, she has a crowded table; others, she has a hot cup of joe and works her database. Regardless of the attendance, in just a year the messaging has sunk in—everyone now knows she’s in real estate, and sometimes a friend of a friend will show up who Wendy didn’t personally invite.
4. Build on the Success of Others – Jeff began teaching investor seminars in 2003. He created his own material based on his investing experience. After seeing an hour long presentation on The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, he adopted The Millionaire Real Estate Investor Client Workshop and made it his own. When the Your First Home Seminar became available, he adopted it as well. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Adopting an existing presentation is much easier than creating your own from scratch. The same for marketing materials like the brand new 7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home.
Similarly, Jeff coached another agent to simply tell Jeff’s investing stories since he didn’t have any of his own. It worked. For the record, The Millionaire Real Estate Investor has more than investor profiles at the back of the book, and Your First Home tells a different tale of first time home buying between every chapter.
5. Follow-Up Matters – Don’t get people excited and just cut them loose. In 60 to 90 minutes, you likely won’t get far beyond the basics which means motivated buyers are likely to have questions. Get them on the phone and set a time for a personal consultation. When Gary taught seminars, he would stand by the exit with his calendar setting appointments as attendees left the room. That’s following up for the appointment!
The last time the National Association of Realtors posted their numbers, 38% of buyers were first-time home buyers and 19% were investors. By the way, that’s more than half the market. Astonishingly, going back to October 2008, these two groups average 59% of the market! Don’t miss out. Start using seminars to market yourself as the expert.
Published By Jay Papasan
One of my favorite interviews at our recent Mega Camp was Gary’s chat with Jim and Jeff Reitzel of Kitchener, Ontario. Among the Reitzels’ best business-building tools is holding investor and first-time home buyer seminars—a lead generation strategy that helped them do more than 120 transactions and over $67 million in business in 2009. And they are on pace to have a much better 2010.
So what are the keys to success?
1. Be Predictably Consistent – More than anything, the Reitzels attribute their success to predictability and consistency. For example, they hold their monthly investor seminar at the same place, at the same time on the third Tuesday of each month. After a while, interested buyers don’t need an invitation or directions. They just show up. It’s like the old Batman show: “Tune in tomorrow—same Bat time, same Bat channel!”
2. Persistence Pays Off – The Reitzels count on word of mouth to market their seminars. They invite every client. They invite fellow agents to bring guests. They invite just about anyone they meet. Over time, this simple message of “every third Tuesday” has sunk in, and the numbers have grown from the early days when Jeff might have gotten the opportunity to practice the ninety-minute presentation for Jim alone, to today when their investor seminars average 80 to 120 attendees!
The repetition of our marketing for these events combined with the word of mouth they can generate can be quite powerful. Jeff shared that one investor bought 22 townhomes on their second meeting. The investor had never actually made it to one of the seminars but, because Jeff was always holding them, he felt like Jeff must be the expert.
3. Big Audiences Are Great, Motivated Audiences Will Do – Even when only a handful show up, it can still be a success. Jim shared that this summer he taught a first-time home buyer seminar and only three people showed up. “I thought, ‘Oh great!’ but you know, one of those three became a buyer!” Similarly, you don’t have to start with a 100-seat training room. A coffee shop will do. When my wife Wendy started her business, she used Facebook to send monthly invites to talk wealth building through real estate over a morning coffee at “Millionaire Mocha$.” Some weeks, she has a crowded table; others, she has a hot cup of joe and works her database. Regardless of the attendance, in just a year the messaging has sunk in—everyone now knows she’s in real estate, and sometimes a friend of a friend will show up who Wendy didn’t personally invite.
4. Build on the Success of Others – Jeff began teaching investor seminars in 2003. He created his own material based on his investing experience. After seeing an hour long presentation on The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, he adopted The Millionaire Real Estate Investor Client Workshop and made it his own. When the Your First Home Seminar became available, he adopted it as well. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Adopting an existing presentation is much easier than creating your own from scratch. The same for marketing materials like the brand new 7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home.
Similarly, Jeff coached another agent to simply tell Jeff’s investing stories since he didn’t have any of his own. It worked. For the record, The Millionaire Real Estate Investor has more than investor profiles at the back of the book, and Your First Home tells a different tale of first time home buying between every chapter.
5. Follow-Up Matters – Don’t get people excited and just cut them loose. In 60 to 90 minutes, you likely won’t get far beyond the basics which means motivated buyers are likely to have questions. Get them on the phone and set a time for a personal consultation. When Gary taught seminars, he would stand by the exit with his calendar setting appointments as attendees left the room. That’s following up for the appointment!
The last time the National Association of Realtors posted their numbers, 38% of buyers were first-time home buyers and 19% were investors. By the way, that’s more than half the market. Astonishingly, going back to October 2008, these two groups average 59% of the market! Don’t miss out. Start using seminars to market yourself as the expert.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Awesome class coming up!
Do you want to learn from someone who closed over 129 transactions last year? Learn to master seller objections and leave with the listing agreement signed.
Watch this video for a special invitation.
Watch this video for a special invitation.
Real Estate in the Electronic Age
Provided By Keller Williams Blog
Ben excels in effectively managing expenses while increasing the effectiveness of marketing and lead generation budgets. He uses a virtual staff to perform tasks such as data entry into Craiglist and blog posting.
He looks forward to the day when all transactions are conducted entirely online and all signed contracts are stored electronically—no more paper—and can be accessed online, from any location. He has been looking at DotLoop as a possible solution, but faces the challenge of not every local MLS supporting electronic transactions yet.
Ben makes the most of what technology has to offer and avoids tools that don’t generate a sale or lead. A few of his favorite tools are listed below.
Zendesk is a trouble-ticket system which also stores answers to frequently-asked questions in a wiki. Ben’s team uses Zendesk to free up admin time.
Mojo can increase productivity by 300% by reducing downtime during lead generation time blocks. Its auto-dialer calls 3 numbers at a time, sending only the live calls and leaving a custom voice mail for the others.
Flowtown lets you import your contacts’ email addresses and find out how to contact them via all of their social media accounts. This is a great tool to help you incorporate social media into your 8 x 8 or 33 Touch campaigns.
Nearby Tweets finds Twitterers located near you. You can specify the search radius as well as include keywords in tweets.
Follow at twitter.com/benkinney to see what he’s doing with technology today!
Ben excels in effectively managing expenses while increasing the effectiveness of marketing and lead generation budgets. He uses a virtual staff to perform tasks such as data entry into Craiglist and blog posting.
He looks forward to the day when all transactions are conducted entirely online and all signed contracts are stored electronically—no more paper—and can be accessed online, from any location. He has been looking at DotLoop as a possible solution, but faces the challenge of not every local MLS supporting electronic transactions yet.
Ben makes the most of what technology has to offer and avoids tools that don’t generate a sale or lead. A few of his favorite tools are listed below.
Zendesk is a trouble-ticket system which also stores answers to frequently-asked questions in a wiki. Ben’s team uses Zendesk to free up admin time.
Mojo can increase productivity by 300% by reducing downtime during lead generation time blocks. Its auto-dialer calls 3 numbers at a time, sending only the live calls and leaving a custom voice mail for the others.
Flowtown lets you import your contacts’ email addresses and find out how to contact them via all of their social media accounts. This is a great tool to help you incorporate social media into your 8 x 8 or 33 Touch campaigns.
Nearby Tweets finds Twitterers located near you. You can specify the search radius as well as include keywords in tweets.
Follow at twitter.com/benkinney to see what he’s doing with technology today!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Local Real Estate Board Overrun by LG1Z1 Virus
Provided By KW Blog
By Jay Papasan
Austin-area REALTORS expressed shock and dismay when it was discovered that many of their coworkers were infected with the noxiously virulent and business-threatening strain of the LG1Z1 virus, commonly called the “lead generation zombie syndrome.” One local real estate board executive who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity reported, “This is a problem of pandemic proportions, not just in Austin, but throughout the industry – infected agents simply won’t ask for business.”
News of the zombie virus outbreak broke after the local Multiple Listings Service (MLS) hosted a series of meetings for agents and brokers to exchange old for new datakeys or “dkeys”, the electronic keypads that provide access to listed houses. One MLS employee—recently relocated from Colorado and in need of a real estate professional—facilitated exchange and met thousands of real estate agents without being asked if she needed an agent or even for a referral.
“This was the last day to exchange your equipment,” said KW agent Colin Platt. “I know for sure she had seen thousands of REALTORs over the previous few days.” Platt engaged her in conversation, established rapport and discovered she was new to town and thinking of buying. Platt asked for her contact information and got her commitment to meet about buying a home. “I really believe now that if you don’t ask, you don’t get,” he summed up.
Local board members called in specialists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta who issued an urgent call for KWU training and MAPS coaching. Said one CDC official, “The great tragedy of the LG1Z1 virus is that, although it is the leading killer of real estate businesses, it’s completely preventable with regular training.”
How do I know if I have LG1Z1?
You may have the lead generation zombie syndrome if you have some or all of these symptoms:
1) Infrequent or irregular closings
2) Sphere of influence deficiency notable by a lack of referrals
3) Commission atrophy and client loss
4) Long periods of boredom, restlessness or inactivity
5) Irritable spouse syndrome
6) Increased Ramen intake
With other epidemics, quarantine is often an effective strategy, however with the LG1Z1 virus, experts are advising exactly the opposite. Congregating with like-minded agents in training and coaching forums seems to be the best medicine. In test subjects, regular exposure to scripts training and coaching effectively bolstered immunity to the virus. Alexis MacIntyre, director of KWU training and faculty development, explains, “The answer to an unasked question is always no. When agents arm themselves with proven scripts and dialogues, they have more confidence to ask for business and the ability to overcome common objections. We encourage everyone to get inoculated today so we can eradicate this virus!”
By Jay Papasan
Austin-area REALTORS expressed shock and dismay when it was discovered that many of their coworkers were infected with the noxiously virulent and business-threatening strain of the LG1Z1 virus, commonly called the “lead generation zombie syndrome.” One local real estate board executive who spoke with us on the condition of anonymity reported, “This is a problem of pandemic proportions, not just in Austin, but throughout the industry – infected agents simply won’t ask for business.”
News of the zombie virus outbreak broke after the local Multiple Listings Service (MLS) hosted a series of meetings for agents and brokers to exchange old for new datakeys or “dkeys”, the electronic keypads that provide access to listed houses. One MLS employee—recently relocated from Colorado and in need of a real estate professional—facilitated exchange and met thousands of real estate agents without being asked if she needed an agent or even for a referral.
“This was the last day to exchange your equipment,” said KW agent Colin Platt. “I know for sure she had seen thousands of REALTORs over the previous few days.” Platt engaged her in conversation, established rapport and discovered she was new to town and thinking of buying. Platt asked for her contact information and got her commitment to meet about buying a home. “I really believe now that if you don’t ask, you don’t get,” he summed up.
Local board members called in specialists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta who issued an urgent call for KWU training and MAPS coaching. Said one CDC official, “The great tragedy of the LG1Z1 virus is that, although it is the leading killer of real estate businesses, it’s completely preventable with regular training.”
How do I know if I have LG1Z1?
You may have the lead generation zombie syndrome if you have some or all of these symptoms:
1) Infrequent or irregular closings
2) Sphere of influence deficiency notable by a lack of referrals
3) Commission atrophy and client loss
4) Long periods of boredom, restlessness or inactivity
5) Irritable spouse syndrome
6) Increased Ramen intake
With other epidemics, quarantine is often an effective strategy, however with the LG1Z1 virus, experts are advising exactly the opposite. Congregating with like-minded agents in training and coaching forums seems to be the best medicine. In test subjects, regular exposure to scripts training and coaching effectively bolstered immunity to the virus. Alexis MacIntyre, director of KWU training and faculty development, explains, “The answer to an unasked question is always no. When agents arm themselves with proven scripts and dialogues, they have more confidence to ask for business and the ability to overcome common objections. We encourage everyone to get inoculated today so we can eradicate this virus!”
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A Peek into the World of Short Sales and REOs
Provided By KW Blog
Want a quick peek under the tent at the large and very different world of short sales and REOs (bank owned foreclosures)?
Four top distressed property agents chatted with Gary this morning, sharing some views into a world that a relative few agents know well, and one that a growing number are learning.
Foreclosures have been growing across America in the past several years and nothing has changed about that reality. What’s new is that more agents in places like Pennsylvania and Minnesota are learning what the most distressed markets like California, Arizona, and Florida have known for some time. Distressed property is here to stay, for years to come.
The panel was short sale specialists Brian Gubernick from Phoenix, AZ, Jeff Payne from Panama City, FL, as well as REO masters Kristian Peter of San Diego, CA, and Andrew Monaghan, from the Phoenix-area. Between them, these agents listed and sold more than 1500 short sale or bank owned properties in 2009, and their businesses are all growing!
Their focus was on key business realities that define what they do. Here’s a short list of key messages they shared, and the huge crowd listening in:
Short sale lead generation is much like traditional lead gen. Gubernick and Payne use the same techniques to prospect that work in traditional markets. They make themselves very visible in all their target markets as “the short sale expert.” Said Gubernick, “The difference is we ask just one very direct question in our lead gen, “Are you behind in your mortgage payments? Are you underwater? If so, we can help you.”
Seller qualification is very important in short sales. “These homeowners are in serious financial pain, or headed that way fast,” said Gubernick. “For the best chance of selling short, homeowners need to be motivated to cooperate with their agent all the way–fully disclosing their financial status and providing all the documents including tax records that banks want to see. Gubernick does a brief qualifying phone interview (less than 30 minutes) and then emails the necessary documents from him–and also a list of what the homeowner must provide. “If I don’t get a completed document set back in about 48 hours, chances are that party is not going to work with me successfully,” Gubernick emphasized.
The all important negotiation of offers with the lender is the part many agents dread. The best alternative? Refer a short sale lead to an expert in your area, and stay focused on your own lead generation. “When an offer is received, that’s when the hard work really starts,” said Payne. Both agents confirmed the key to success is negotiating the offer to an acceptance from the bank or asset manager is “not taking no for an answer” and “being willing to escalate quickly and forcefully to higher-ups in the bank when unreasonable no answers are given.”
Homeowners are more likely to be forthcoming about their distress these days. “There’s been so much written and broadcast about short selling now that people seem less afraid to move forward,” Gubernick said. “And there are people who are planning to sell short even before they’ve missed a payment.” Payne reported more than 20% of his closed sales there days are for homeowners who were not behind in payments when they made their decision to sell.
REO agent Monaghan and Peter emphasized they live in a process-driven foreclosed property world. Their institutional clients, also banks and asset managers, insist on fast turnaround and precision from the moment a listing is assigned to an agent–that includes property inspection, rekeying and security, accurate pricing, property cleanup, and efficient cash for keys exchanges to move out occupants (tenants or former homeowners).
The institutions who hold foreclosures are expecting more from agents than ever before. “Were scored by either manual or automated systems on almost everything we do,” said Monaghan. There’s a lot at risk. A well-regarded REO agent receives listing in batches–anywhere from several to ten or more at a time. “My inventory has gone from as high as 700 listings to less than 150 in the last year or so,” said Peter. You have to be very cost conscious and have a great staffing game plan to manage it.”
REO agents make big financial commitment to have their business with lenders. “Ninety percent of expenses are reimbursable,” said Monaghan, “but I estimate my out of picket on a typical listing runs almost $4,000.” Top REO agents have full time accountants working for them.
Lead generation for REO is not unlike ordinary lead generation. The difference is who the clients are. “These are institutions. People change jobs, and it’s a world of policy and process,” Andrew said. “I spend almost all my time networking with my institutional contacts. I used to have as much as 80% of my business with one client. Now, that’s changed a lot.” Both Peter and Monaghan said they regularly work with more than 20 banks or asset managers at a time–and each one has their own systems and requirements.
Want a quick peek under the tent at the large and very different world of short sales and REOs (bank owned foreclosures)?
Four top distressed property agents chatted with Gary this morning, sharing some views into a world that a relative few agents know well, and one that a growing number are learning.
Foreclosures have been growing across America in the past several years and nothing has changed about that reality. What’s new is that more agents in places like Pennsylvania and Minnesota are learning what the most distressed markets like California, Arizona, and Florida have known for some time. Distressed property is here to stay, for years to come.
The panel was short sale specialists Brian Gubernick from Phoenix, AZ, Jeff Payne from Panama City, FL, as well as REO masters Kristian Peter of San Diego, CA, and Andrew Monaghan, from the Phoenix-area. Between them, these agents listed and sold more than 1500 short sale or bank owned properties in 2009, and their businesses are all growing!
Their focus was on key business realities that define what they do. Here’s a short list of key messages they shared, and the huge crowd listening in:
Short sale lead generation is much like traditional lead gen. Gubernick and Payne use the same techniques to prospect that work in traditional markets. They make themselves very visible in all their target markets as “the short sale expert.” Said Gubernick, “The difference is we ask just one very direct question in our lead gen, “Are you behind in your mortgage payments? Are you underwater? If so, we can help you.”
Seller qualification is very important in short sales. “These homeowners are in serious financial pain, or headed that way fast,” said Gubernick. “For the best chance of selling short, homeowners need to be motivated to cooperate with their agent all the way–fully disclosing their financial status and providing all the documents including tax records that banks want to see. Gubernick does a brief qualifying phone interview (less than 30 minutes) and then emails the necessary documents from him–and also a list of what the homeowner must provide. “If I don’t get a completed document set back in about 48 hours, chances are that party is not going to work with me successfully,” Gubernick emphasized.
The all important negotiation of offers with the lender is the part many agents dread. The best alternative? Refer a short sale lead to an expert in your area, and stay focused on your own lead generation. “When an offer is received, that’s when the hard work really starts,” said Payne. Both agents confirmed the key to success is negotiating the offer to an acceptance from the bank or asset manager is “not taking no for an answer” and “being willing to escalate quickly and forcefully to higher-ups in the bank when unreasonable no answers are given.”
Homeowners are more likely to be forthcoming about their distress these days. “There’s been so much written and broadcast about short selling now that people seem less afraid to move forward,” Gubernick said. “And there are people who are planning to sell short even before they’ve missed a payment.” Payne reported more than 20% of his closed sales there days are for homeowners who were not behind in payments when they made their decision to sell.
REO agent Monaghan and Peter emphasized they live in a process-driven foreclosed property world. Their institutional clients, also banks and asset managers, insist on fast turnaround and precision from the moment a listing is assigned to an agent–that includes property inspection, rekeying and security, accurate pricing, property cleanup, and efficient cash for keys exchanges to move out occupants (tenants or former homeowners).
The institutions who hold foreclosures are expecting more from agents than ever before. “Were scored by either manual or automated systems on almost everything we do,” said Monaghan. There’s a lot at risk. A well-regarded REO agent receives listing in batches–anywhere from several to ten or more at a time. “My inventory has gone from as high as 700 listings to less than 150 in the last year or so,” said Peter. You have to be very cost conscious and have a great staffing game plan to manage it.”
REO agents make big financial commitment to have their business with lenders. “Ninety percent of expenses are reimbursable,” said Monaghan, “but I estimate my out of picket on a typical listing runs almost $4,000.” Top REO agents have full time accountants working for them.
Lead generation for REO is not unlike ordinary lead generation. The difference is who the clients are. “These are institutions. People change jobs, and it’s a world of policy and process,” Andrew said. “I spend almost all my time networking with my institutional contacts. I used to have as much as 80% of my business with one client. Now, that’s changed a lot.” Both Peter and Monaghan said they regularly work with more than 20 banks or asset managers at a time–and each one has their own systems and requirements.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Now is a GREAT Time to Buy
Source MyKW
The first-time homebuyer tax credit received much acclaim early this year as it helped to stimulate the sales of homes during an otherwise stale market. We even witnessed several extensions and expansions on the tax credit because of its success in increasing homeownership in the United States.
As predicted sales were on the rise and the economy appeared to be trending toward stabilization. Then July statistics hit and existing home sales dropped sharply, while home prices continued to gain.
So, what’s happened since then? The media has focused on the doom and gloom of a few housing statistics that only represent a portion of the picture. As expert real estate agents in your local market, you know that for the right individual, owning a home can be one of the best investments they can make in their lifetime. Because you know better than anyone in your local market, it’s up to you to help stave off skittishness and inject some much-needed urgency into clients – helping them to understand that now is an unparalleled opportunity to buy a home.
Here are two ways to get the word out about the benefits of buying now – send them to your sphere over the weekend!
Free eBook!
7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home! A Smart Buyer’s Guide to Seizing the Market
From the Wall Street Journal: 10 Reasons To Buy a Home: Enough with the doom and gloom about homeownership. Brett Arends explains why owning a home is a good thing.
The first-time homebuyer tax credit received much acclaim early this year as it helped to stimulate the sales of homes during an otherwise stale market. We even witnessed several extensions and expansions on the tax credit because of its success in increasing homeownership in the United States.
As predicted sales were on the rise and the economy appeared to be trending toward stabilization. Then July statistics hit and existing home sales dropped sharply, while home prices continued to gain.
So, what’s happened since then? The media has focused on the doom and gloom of a few housing statistics that only represent a portion of the picture. As expert real estate agents in your local market, you know that for the right individual, owning a home can be one of the best investments they can make in their lifetime. Because you know better than anyone in your local market, it’s up to you to help stave off skittishness and inject some much-needed urgency into clients – helping them to understand that now is an unparalleled opportunity to buy a home.
Here are two ways to get the word out about the benefits of buying now – send them to your sphere over the weekend!
Free eBook!
7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home! A Smart Buyer’s Guide to Seizing the Market
From the Wall Street Journal: 10 Reasons To Buy a Home: Enough with the doom and gloom about homeownership. Brett Arends explains why owning a home is a good thing.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Family Reunion 5 Month Payment Plan
Provided By Keller Williams Realty
5 payments of less than $100 a month!
Click here to download the Payment Plan form. Deadline for signing up is September 30, 2010.
5 payments of less than $100 a month!
Click here to download the Payment Plan form. Deadline for signing up is September 30, 2010.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Success Through Others – Make the Most of Buyers Agents and Showing Assistants
Provided By Keller Williams Blog
Sharing the stage with Gary Keller and Tony DiCello, mega agents Claudia Maefsky from Spokane, Washington and Kristan Cole from Wasilla, Alaska, describe how they’re energizing their teams with buyers agents and showing assistants. Just as lead generation has proven models and systems, leverage through people—specifically buyers agents and showing assistants—has models and systems that yield big results and these two panelists reveal how.
Claudia leads her team of buyers agents and showing assistants with one detailed model that clearly defines each person’s role. Her script acronym is LPMAMA—Location, Price, Motivation, Agent, Mortgage and Appointment—which she insists her staff practice daily. She explains that the buyers agent and showing assistant are a winning team when there is a behavioral style match of a high I.
She admits, “It’s a huge cost to make a bad hire. Hire someone new to real estate as your showing assistant. It’s better than fighting old habits.” Her goal is to only bring on additional showing assistants instead of more buyers agents.
Kristan works with a lead buyers agent, buyers agent, showing assistant and virtual assistant to the buyers agents. Her intent is to help her staff achieve their goals, whatever they are. She says “I can show buyers agents how to either get more time or make more money with showing assistants.”
Kristan attributes her success with two investments in training: she’s taken RSTLM (Recruit/Select, Action Training, Lead/Motivate) four times to help her hire the exact right person for each job, and taken BOLD with her entire team! Her entire staff had a mindset shift and is no longer afraid to make calls and generate leads.
Beyond a doubt, Claudia and Kristan are achieving success through others!
Sharing the stage with Gary Keller and Tony DiCello, mega agents Claudia Maefsky from Spokane, Washington and Kristan Cole from Wasilla, Alaska, describe how they’re energizing their teams with buyers agents and showing assistants. Just as lead generation has proven models and systems, leverage through people—specifically buyers agents and showing assistants—has models and systems that yield big results and these two panelists reveal how.
Claudia leads her team of buyers agents and showing assistants with one detailed model that clearly defines each person’s role. Her script acronym is LPMAMA—Location, Price, Motivation, Agent, Mortgage and Appointment—which she insists her staff practice daily. She explains that the buyers agent and showing assistant are a winning team when there is a behavioral style match of a high I.
She admits, “It’s a huge cost to make a bad hire. Hire someone new to real estate as your showing assistant. It’s better than fighting old habits.” Her goal is to only bring on additional showing assistants instead of more buyers agents.
Kristan works with a lead buyers agent, buyers agent, showing assistant and virtual assistant to the buyers agents. Her intent is to help her staff achieve their goals, whatever they are. She says “I can show buyers agents how to either get more time or make more money with showing assistants.”
Kristan attributes her success with two investments in training: she’s taken RSTLM (Recruit/Select, Action Training, Lead/Motivate) four times to help her hire the exact right person for each job, and taken BOLD with her entire team! Her entire staff had a mindset shift and is no longer afraid to make calls and generate leads.
Beyond a doubt, Claudia and Kristan are achieving success through others!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Market Navigator
Source MyKW
In only seven weeks, the KW Market Navigator: Vision and Opportunities 2010 has sold nearly 9,000 copies! With more than 75,000 associates, who do you know who could benefit from:
> Gary Keller’s perspective on the North American real estate market
> An in-depth report on first-time homebuyers and what’s driving the market now that the $8,000 tax credit has expired
> Recent research on what’s selling and why
> An update on the distressed properties market
Click here for a new sneak peek! Order more copies to share with colleagues and cultivate your profit share tree.
If you don't own the KW Navigator yet, tap into the resource that your colleagues are putting to work their businesses! Pull from the pages of the KW Market Navigator to power marketing consultations and negotiations with clients while solidifying your standing as your local market economist of choice.
The inaugural edition has a cover price of $49. Due to its strategic significance and thanks to the help of our friends at OfficeMax, we are making it available to Keller Williams associates for $5 per copy.
Order NOW at http://kwu.kw.com/kwu/marketnavigator
In only seven weeks, the KW Market Navigator: Vision and Opportunities 2010 has sold nearly 9,000 copies! With more than 75,000 associates, who do you know who could benefit from:
> Gary Keller’s perspective on the North American real estate market
> An in-depth report on first-time homebuyers and what’s driving the market now that the $8,000 tax credit has expired
> Recent research on what’s selling and why
> An update on the distressed properties market
Click here for a new sneak peek! Order more copies to share with colleagues and cultivate your profit share tree.
If you don't own the KW Navigator yet, tap into the resource that your colleagues are putting to work their businesses! Pull from the pages of the KW Market Navigator to power marketing consultations and negotiations with clients while solidifying your standing as your local market economist of choice.
The inaugural edition has a cover price of $49. Due to its strategic significance and thanks to the help of our friends at OfficeMax, we are making it available to Keller Williams associates for $5 per copy.
Order NOW at http://kwu.kw.com/kwu/marketnavigator
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
What is Social Media Priority #1 for Real Estate Professionals?
Published By Jay Papasan
Source KW Blog
Since Ben Kinney and I wrote SOCI@L last fall, we’ve had the opportunity to teach the material dozens of times. What’s clear is the enormous opportunity social media platforms provide to cut marketing costs and attract new business. It’s also just a bit overwhelming to think about adding Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and a blog to our brimming daily task lists!
So we debated the question: If an agent were only to do one thing on social media, what would it be?
For most agents, their sphere is vital for referrals and repeat business. So one argument would be to work Facebook aggressively to build deeper relationships with our most important advocates. On the other hand, prospecting Twitter for buyers and sellers or just using it to interact with huge audiences are strategies that scale extremely well. Another school of thought argues that blogging is a proven method for increasing your visibility on search engines and helping buyers and sellers find your business. The challenge with all of these is they require regular effort and attention to be effective.
That’s why I argue that if you’re only going to do one thing on social media, let it be LinkedIn.
Besides growing and enriching your network, nothing says “I’m a modern professional” like a well-done LinkedIn profile. Chances are many of your prospective clients search for you online before they meet with you. What they find informs their decision to work with you (or not.) LinkedIn ranks very well on search engines so it will be one of the first four or five results in any search when clients do their due diligence. By investing a few hours of your time, you can make yourself more visible online and help ensure a great first impression.
Here’s what to do:
1) Join LinkedIn.
2) Complete your professional profile. Include a current photo, your professional highlights and make sure you identify yourself as an agent with Keller Williams.
3) Customize your personal URL. From the Edit Profile page, select “Edit” on your Public Profile Link. That how you get an easy to remember LinkedIn address like www.LinkedIn.com/in/JayPapasan which you can add to your business cards, websites and email signatures.
4) Invite your sphere! Select the Contacts tab and click “Add Connections” and follow the instructions to upload your email address book. With a couple of clicks you can invite your entire network to connect.
5) Give 10 recommendations. Pick some of your top, well-positioned advocates and sing their praises to prospective employers. And remember, you can offer character references for people you know and respect that don’t happen to be past or current coworkers.
6) Get 10 recommendations (so ask for 20!) Recommendations and testimonials remain some of the most powerful marketing tools in our arsenal, so go get some. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations from people who are not past real estate clients. A testimonial is a powerful endorsement by itself; having real estate related one is a plus. (Tip: Ask for recommendations from individuals you would also feel comfortable recommending. You’re not expected to reciprocate, but it sure feels nice.)
“Out of all the current social media tools, LinkedIn has the best system for encouraging and accumulating testimonials.” says, top agent Michael Maher of Kansas City who averages more than 500 referrals a year. “I have received two new home community referrals as well as many individual referrals from LinkedIn. Plus, the referrals are more affluent.”
That’s it! The best part for busy professionals is that once you’ve invested a couple of hours to set it up, LinkedIn requires little to none of your time and you’ll still enjoy the benefits. If you want to go deeper, power up your referrals by joining some LinkedIn Groups like the Keller Williams National Agent Referral Network and the National Assoc of REALTORS.
Source KW Blog
Since Ben Kinney and I wrote SOCI@L last fall, we’ve had the opportunity to teach the material dozens of times. What’s clear is the enormous opportunity social media platforms provide to cut marketing costs and attract new business. It’s also just a bit overwhelming to think about adding Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and a blog to our brimming daily task lists!
So we debated the question: If an agent were only to do one thing on social media, what would it be?
For most agents, their sphere is vital for referrals and repeat business. So one argument would be to work Facebook aggressively to build deeper relationships with our most important advocates. On the other hand, prospecting Twitter for buyers and sellers or just using it to interact with huge audiences are strategies that scale extremely well. Another school of thought argues that blogging is a proven method for increasing your visibility on search engines and helping buyers and sellers find your business. The challenge with all of these is they require regular effort and attention to be effective.
That’s why I argue that if you’re only going to do one thing on social media, let it be LinkedIn.
Besides growing and enriching your network, nothing says “I’m a modern professional” like a well-done LinkedIn profile. Chances are many of your prospective clients search for you online before they meet with you. What they find informs their decision to work with you (or not.) LinkedIn ranks very well on search engines so it will be one of the first four or five results in any search when clients do their due diligence. By investing a few hours of your time, you can make yourself more visible online and help ensure a great first impression.
Here’s what to do:
1) Join LinkedIn.
2) Complete your professional profile. Include a current photo, your professional highlights and make sure you identify yourself as an agent with Keller Williams.
3) Customize your personal URL. From the Edit Profile page, select “Edit” on your Public Profile Link. That how you get an easy to remember LinkedIn address like www.LinkedIn.com/in/JayPapasan which you can add to your business cards, websites and email signatures.
4) Invite your sphere! Select the Contacts tab and click “Add Connections” and follow the instructions to upload your email address book. With a couple of clicks you can invite your entire network to connect.
5) Give 10 recommendations. Pick some of your top, well-positioned advocates and sing their praises to prospective employers. And remember, you can offer character references for people you know and respect that don’t happen to be past or current coworkers.
6) Get 10 recommendations (so ask for 20!) Recommendations and testimonials remain some of the most powerful marketing tools in our arsenal, so go get some. Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations from people who are not past real estate clients. A testimonial is a powerful endorsement by itself; having real estate related one is a plus. (Tip: Ask for recommendations from individuals you would also feel comfortable recommending. You’re not expected to reciprocate, but it sure feels nice.)
“Out of all the current social media tools, LinkedIn has the best system for encouraging and accumulating testimonials.” says, top agent Michael Maher of Kansas City who averages more than 500 referrals a year. “I have received two new home community referrals as well as many individual referrals from LinkedIn. Plus, the referrals are more affluent.”
That’s it! The best part for busy professionals is that once you’ve invested a couple of hours to set it up, LinkedIn requires little to none of your time and you’ll still enjoy the benefits. If you want to go deeper, power up your referrals by joining some LinkedIn Groups like the Keller Williams National Agent Referral Network and the National Assoc of REALTORS.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
KW Commercial Roadshow coming to NTXNMM Region
KW Leadership:
Bring your KW Commercial Agents, Commercial Recruits, and anyone interested in learning more about the KW Commercial Division to learn how to………
IMPROVE YOUR GROSS COMMISSION INCOME!
· Business Development Mastermind
- Review cold calling skills
- Share networking skills
· Trends in Commercial Real Estate
- Learn how to position your business in the changing commercial real estate market
-Master commercial markets of the moment!
KW Commercial Roadshow Mastermind with KWRI’s Buddy Norman
September 22, 2010
SMU @ Legacy, Bldg 4 Room 100,
5236 Tennyson Parkway, Plano, TX 75024
9:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Cost: $25.00 with Light Lunch Included
Open to KW OP’s, TL’s, KW Commercial Agents, and KW Commercial Recruits
Register with your Market Center Administrator by September 17, 2010
Recruiting appointments available with Buddy – email dwatchous@kw.com to get on the schedule either Sept 21st (evening) or Sept. 22nd (afternoon) time frames…
Thank you,
Donna Watchous
Keller Williams Regional Ops Mgr.
18383 Preston Rd., Ste 205
Dallas, TX 75252
Phone: 214-393-7016 ext.27
Fax: 214-239-8130
Bring your KW Commercial Agents, Commercial Recruits, and anyone interested in learning more about the KW Commercial Division to learn how to………
IMPROVE YOUR GROSS COMMISSION INCOME!
· Business Development Mastermind
- Review cold calling skills
- Share networking skills
· Trends in Commercial Real Estate
- Learn how to position your business in the changing commercial real estate market
-Master commercial markets of the moment!
KW Commercial Roadshow Mastermind with KWRI’s Buddy Norman
September 22, 2010
SMU @ Legacy, Bldg 4 Room 100,
5236 Tennyson Parkway, Plano, TX 75024
9:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Cost: $25.00 with Light Lunch Included
Open to KW OP’s, TL’s, KW Commercial Agents, and KW Commercial Recruits
Register with your Market Center Administrator by September 17, 2010
Recruiting appointments available with Buddy – email dwatchous@kw.com to get on the schedule either Sept 21st (evening) or Sept. 22nd (afternoon) time frames…
Thank you,
Donna Watchous
Keller Williams Regional Ops Mgr.
18383 Preston Rd., Ste 205
Dallas, TX 75252
Phone: 214-393-7016 ext.27
Fax: 214-239-8130
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Does Your Social Media Mislead?
Provided By KW Blog
Published By Julie Lane
Are your social media marketing efforts infringing on a corporate trademark? If your marketing efforts are confusing customers—if they are misled to believe that you are affiliated with a known brand because of your URL, Twitter or Facebook name—then you could be liable. At the heart of the matter is an effort to fool customers.
Start by looking at your URL. If you have chosen a URL for your Web site or your blog that is similar to a large corporation, you could be infringing on a trademark—and you could lose your domain name.
Surprisingly, even some large corporations haven’t yet claimed their name in the social media world, including Facebook fan page names and Twitter handles. But that doesn’t mean you can cybersquat on it to win followers or traffic to your sites.
You may build a fast following, but you’ll lose it overnight if the corporation files a Uniform Domain Name Dispute with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or files a trademark complaint with the social networking site in question.
You can check on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s online database to determine if a name is trademarked. You can also do a Google search for similar domain names and check to see if there are companies with the name you want to use. Where there are trademarks, it’s wise to choose another domain name.
You can also get into trouble using a corporate trademark in your Meta Tags. The Meta Tag is a code embedded in your Web page that helps search engines identify the content. This issue is finding its way into courts because it drives consumers to your Web site when they are really looking for your competitor’s Web site.
Finally, an emerging area of trademark infringement online is in the area of keyword advertising. You can infringe on a brand’s intellectual property rights if you bid on trademark protected words in your Google ad campaigns. The safest way to avoid a trademark suit in this area is to avoid using a competing real estate company’s name in your keyword campaign, either by bidding on the term or by using it in the ad copy.
Published By Julie Lane
Are your social media marketing efforts infringing on a corporate trademark? If your marketing efforts are confusing customers—if they are misled to believe that you are affiliated with a known brand because of your URL, Twitter or Facebook name—then you could be liable. At the heart of the matter is an effort to fool customers.
Start by looking at your URL. If you have chosen a URL for your Web site or your blog that is similar to a large corporation, you could be infringing on a trademark—and you could lose your domain name.
Surprisingly, even some large corporations haven’t yet claimed their name in the social media world, including Facebook fan page names and Twitter handles. But that doesn’t mean you can cybersquat on it to win followers or traffic to your sites.
You may build a fast following, but you’ll lose it overnight if the corporation files a Uniform Domain Name Dispute with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or files a trademark complaint with the social networking site in question.
You can check on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s online database to determine if a name is trademarked. You can also do a Google search for similar domain names and check to see if there are companies with the name you want to use. Where there are trademarks, it’s wise to choose another domain name.
You can also get into trouble using a corporate trademark in your Meta Tags. The Meta Tag is a code embedded in your Web page that helps search engines identify the content. This issue is finding its way into courts because it drives consumers to your Web site when they are really looking for your competitor’s Web site.
Finally, an emerging area of trademark infringement online is in the area of keyword advertising. You can infringe on a brand’s intellectual property rights if you bid on trademark protected words in your Google ad campaigns. The safest way to avoid a trademark suit in this area is to avoid using a competing real estate company’s name in your keyword campaign, either by bidding on the term or by using it in the ad copy.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Why Some Houses Sit While Other Houses Sell
Provided By KW Blog
Published By Jay Papasan
Even in the hardest hit markets, there are still properties priced well enough and in good enough condition to interest buyers. Those houses attract offers and sell. Houses that aren’t priced and staged competitively sit. It’s not complicated. It’s really that simple.
For your house to stand out from the crowd, you’ll have to listen to what buyers are telling you and make sure your house is priced well enough and in good enough condition to stand out from the competition. Here’s a quick video explaining how it works. Good luck!
Published By Jay Papasan
Even in the hardest hit markets, there are still properties priced well enough and in good enough condition to interest buyers. Those houses attract offers and sell. Houses that aren’t priced and staged competitively sit. It’s not complicated. It’s really that simple.
For your house to stand out from the crowd, you’ll have to listen to what buyers are telling you and make sure your house is priced well enough and in good enough condition to stand out from the competition. Here’s a quick video explaining how it works. Good luck!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Are You Holding Yourself Back?
Published by Alexis MacIntyre
Provided By KW Blog
Profit share offers unlimited income potential. But it requires unlimited thinking. When I first joined Keller Williams, I had one strong limiting belief around growing my profit share tree. I was afraid to come off like I was “selling” the company. As I’ve grown within KW, I’ve internalized a deep appreciation for our family and I’ve recognized that growing my profit share tree has absolutely nothing to do with selling KW. It’s about attracting talent.
Yes, growth is important to Keller Williams. We’re proud of this! If growing our company wasn’t important to us, what kind of business stakeholders would be? By the way, profit is important to us as well. But we are, first and foremost, a talent company. We are about attracting talent to provide extraordinary service to buyers and sellers. We are also about growing talent – and, most importantly, committed and gifted leaders. A company filled with talent attracts talent. Lots of talent equals lots of customers and lots of homes bought and sold. Lots of homes bought and sold equals lots of profit. And in a company that shares almost half of its owners’ profit? Well, that means more profit share dollars given to those associates who help grow the company!
If you want to grow a profit share tree and enjoy passive income, just spend more time getting to know the people who are talent around you. There is a quote that sticks with me, by novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn, “Talent is always conscious of its own abundance, and does not object to sharing.” This philosophy is our soul. We share our models, our systems, our time and our owner profits. Our associates who earn profit share internalize this at a deep level. They build relationships with talented people who they’d like to be in business with and invite them to experience KW.
So remove your limiting beliefs. When you know that Keller Williams is an amazing place to be, it’s easy to grow your tree. Simple, really. People are honored to be recognized as someone who others want to be in business with. Admittedly, it can sometimes take time, but the long-term rewards can be astonishing. If you find talent and that talent feels like Keller Williams is the right fit for them, it’s a mutual win.
By the way, I’m continuing every day to work on my limiting beliefs around profit share. One of the first steps I took was to complete the exercise on page 19 of the Wealth Building Workshop: Profit Share guide–I’ve written down all the things that I love and appreciate about KW so that when I speak to someone about an opportunity with our company, I can focus on what’s most important to my heart.
What’s your limiting belief around profit share and what are you doing to remove it?
Provided By KW Blog
Profit share offers unlimited income potential. But it requires unlimited thinking. When I first joined Keller Williams, I had one strong limiting belief around growing my profit share tree. I was afraid to come off like I was “selling” the company. As I’ve grown within KW, I’ve internalized a deep appreciation for our family and I’ve recognized that growing my profit share tree has absolutely nothing to do with selling KW. It’s about attracting talent.
Yes, growth is important to Keller Williams. We’re proud of this! If growing our company wasn’t important to us, what kind of business stakeholders would be? By the way, profit is important to us as well. But we are, first and foremost, a talent company. We are about attracting talent to provide extraordinary service to buyers and sellers. We are also about growing talent – and, most importantly, committed and gifted leaders. A company filled with talent attracts talent. Lots of talent equals lots of customers and lots of homes bought and sold. Lots of homes bought and sold equals lots of profit. And in a company that shares almost half of its owners’ profit? Well, that means more profit share dollars given to those associates who help grow the company!
If you want to grow a profit share tree and enjoy passive income, just spend more time getting to know the people who are talent around you. There is a quote that sticks with me, by novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn, “Talent is always conscious of its own abundance, and does not object to sharing.” This philosophy is our soul. We share our models, our systems, our time and our owner profits. Our associates who earn profit share internalize this at a deep level. They build relationships with talented people who they’d like to be in business with and invite them to experience KW.
So remove your limiting beliefs. When you know that Keller Williams is an amazing place to be, it’s easy to grow your tree. Simple, really. People are honored to be recognized as someone who others want to be in business with. Admittedly, it can sometimes take time, but the long-term rewards can be astonishing. If you find talent and that talent feels like Keller Williams is the right fit for them, it’s a mutual win.
By the way, I’m continuing every day to work on my limiting beliefs around profit share. One of the first steps I took was to complete the exercise on page 19 of the Wealth Building Workshop: Profit Share guide–I’ve written down all the things that I love and appreciate about KW so that when I speak to someone about an opportunity with our company, I can focus on what’s most important to my heart.
What’s your limiting belief around profit share and what are you doing to remove it?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
The Big Picture and YOU
Published By Gary Keller
Provided By KW Blog
I learned long ago that being steeped in the business of real estate does not necessarily translate into grasping the big picture. So I made a commitment to digging beneath the surface and understanding the critical interactions that drive the real estate market. As I did so, I realized how hungry my clients were for solid information.
I’ve never lost my fascination for the facts behind the headlines, and today, I believe that Keller Williams Realty’s sharp focus on research is central to what sets us apart as a company.
Nearly every client enters into a conversation about buying or selling a home with a lot of preconceived notions and anecdotal information. It’s our job to be knowledgeable of the actual facts and to step up as the local economist of choice. That’s what our clients are looking to us for, and it’s the basis for the trust they place in us.
But having walked several miles in your shoes, we recognize that in-depth research probably doesn’t fall in your “20 percent.” In fact, most agents aren’t trained to conduct the kind of analysis that the KW Research team is known for. So this year, we’ve compiled the results of our most recent research studies into the KW Market Navigator: Vision and Opportunities.
It’s filled with facts, stats and perspectives (see the example below or click here for a sneak peek) that you can draw from on a daily basis. And believe it or not, it’s fun to read.
Of course any observations on my part concerning the importance of research and market statistics would not be complete without my overriding perspective on the topic: The market determines the number of people who will be successful, not which ones. You get to decide if you’ll be one.
(KW agents can click here to order the KW Market Navigator)
Provided By KW Blog
I learned long ago that being steeped in the business of real estate does not necessarily translate into grasping the big picture. So I made a commitment to digging beneath the surface and understanding the critical interactions that drive the real estate market. As I did so, I realized how hungry my clients were for solid information.
I’ve never lost my fascination for the facts behind the headlines, and today, I believe that Keller Williams Realty’s sharp focus on research is central to what sets us apart as a company.
Nearly every client enters into a conversation about buying or selling a home with a lot of preconceived notions and anecdotal information. It’s our job to be knowledgeable of the actual facts and to step up as the local economist of choice. That’s what our clients are looking to us for, and it’s the basis for the trust they place in us.
But having walked several miles in your shoes, we recognize that in-depth research probably doesn’t fall in your “20 percent.” In fact, most agents aren’t trained to conduct the kind of analysis that the KW Research team is known for. So this year, we’ve compiled the results of our most recent research studies into the KW Market Navigator: Vision and Opportunities.
It’s filled with facts, stats and perspectives (see the example below or click here for a sneak peek) that you can draw from on a daily basis. And believe it or not, it’s fun to read.
(KW agents can click here to order the KW Market Navigator)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Distressed Properties: Seek the Education
KWUs new self-study guides will help you tackle Tactic 11 of SHIFT: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times: "Listing REOs," "Working with Buyers," "Listing Short Sales." Each is packed with vital information and exercises to help you succeed in markets of the moment.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
KW Market Navigator Sneak Peek!
Provided By My KW
Knowledge is power. And becoming an expert on the numbers that drive real estate locally and nationally is key to succeeding at a high level in your real estate career. In his new book, The KW Market Navigator: Vision and Opportunities, Gary shares a wealth of market statistics, with a particular emphasis on the numbers that drive real estate.
Click here to download a sneak peak.
Also in the book:
> Gary Keller’s perspective on the North American real estate market
> An in-depth report on first-time homebuyers and what’s driving the market now that the $8,000 tax credit has expired
> Recent research on what’s selling and why
> An update on the distressed properties market
Tap into this new resource to power your marketing consultations and negotiations with clients while solidifying your standing as your local market economist of choice.
The inaugural edition has a cover price of $49. Due to its strategic significance and thanks to the help of our friends at OfficeMax, we are making it available to Keller Williams associates for $5 per copy.
Order NOW at http://kwu.kw.com/kwu/marketnavigator
Keep extra copies on hand to share with colleagues within your sphere of influence and cultivate your profit share tree!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Being Patient with SEO Pays Off
Provided By KW Blog
Unlike pay-per-click (PPC) advertising that may literally drive traffic to your site overnight, search engine optimization (SEO) strategies take time to pay off. That’s important to understand so you don’t become frustrated or discouraged and abandon your SEO efforts while you are on the brink of success.
In the last article in my SEO series, we’ll explore four important time-related SEO factors: the age of your domain, the age of your site, the age of your content the age of inbound links. Understanding these issues will help you stay patient while you wait for the reward.
How Old is Your Domain Name?
Domain registration age is important to your SEO efforts. That’s because spammers tend to have new websites with new domain names. When an ISP shuts one site down, they just launch another. Google can’t tell the difference between your brand new website and a spammer’s brand new website, so search engines proceed with caution with new domain names.
Search engines are looking for stability and credibility. As your domain name ages, it gains credibility online. Likewise, the longer you’ve reserved your domain name, the more trust you build with search engines. Spammers aren’t likely to pay for a domain name 10 years out. Just like in the real world, age associates with authority. A 35 year old has more authority than a 10 year old.
How Long Has Your Site Been Live?
Domain registration age and how long your site has been live are two altogether different animals. You may have purchased your domain name a year ago, but your website may be brand new. Google typically doesn’t give you a page rank—a value or importance assigned to your web page—for up to four months after your site launches. This is known as the “sandbox effect” and it’s one way of proving to Google that you aren’t a spam site.
How Long Has Your Content Been Posted?
Every page on the web has a date of inception. The search engines calculate the age of your page and factor that into your ranking. Google gives more weight to pages that have been posted to your site for months or years than it does pages that are brand new. That’s not to say that new content isn’t valuable. It may even be more relevant or timely. You need a blend of both if you want to keep the search engine spiders crawling your more frequently.
The point is this: When you change or add new keywords to your content—or you add new pages to your site—the results of your SEO copy may not take effect overnight, especially if you are using highly competitive keywords. That shouldn’t stop you from adding new content or continually optimizing your existing content. Just realize it takes time for the search engines to move you up in the rankings based on those changes.
How Long Have You Had Inbound Links?
When it comes to inbound links, it’s all about relevance and reputation points. Reputation points are given based on the popularity, quality and relevance of the sites linking to you. Sites with long-standing domain names have a better reputation than sites with new domain names, for example, and links that have been pointing to your site for long periods of time gain more reputation points than newer links.
Liken your SEO efforts to launching an exercise program. You won’t see results the first day. In fact, you may not see results the first week or even the first month. But it’s just a matter of time before you see the inches that were lining your waist begin to appear as muscles on your arms and legs. The same is true of SEO. It takes time, but if you use the proven strategies it works.
Unlike pay-per-click (PPC) advertising that may literally drive traffic to your site overnight, search engine optimization (SEO) strategies take time to pay off. That’s important to understand so you don’t become frustrated or discouraged and abandon your SEO efforts while you are on the brink of success.
In the last article in my SEO series, we’ll explore four important time-related SEO factors: the age of your domain, the age of your site, the age of your content the age of inbound links. Understanding these issues will help you stay patient while you wait for the reward.
How Old is Your Domain Name?
Domain registration age is important to your SEO efforts. That’s because spammers tend to have new websites with new domain names. When an ISP shuts one site down, they just launch another. Google can’t tell the difference between your brand new website and a spammer’s brand new website, so search engines proceed with caution with new domain names.
Search engines are looking for stability and credibility. As your domain name ages, it gains credibility online. Likewise, the longer you’ve reserved your domain name, the more trust you build with search engines. Spammers aren’t likely to pay for a domain name 10 years out. Just like in the real world, age associates with authority. A 35 year old has more authority than a 10 year old.
How Long Has Your Site Been Live?
Domain registration age and how long your site has been live are two altogether different animals. You may have purchased your domain name a year ago, but your website may be brand new. Google typically doesn’t give you a page rank—a value or importance assigned to your web page—for up to four months after your site launches. This is known as the “sandbox effect” and it’s one way of proving to Google that you aren’t a spam site.
How Long Has Your Content Been Posted?
Every page on the web has a date of inception. The search engines calculate the age of your page and factor that into your ranking. Google gives more weight to pages that have been posted to your site for months or years than it does pages that are brand new. That’s not to say that new content isn’t valuable. It may even be more relevant or timely. You need a blend of both if you want to keep the search engine spiders crawling your more frequently.
The point is this: When you change or add new keywords to your content—or you add new pages to your site—the results of your SEO copy may not take effect overnight, especially if you are using highly competitive keywords. That shouldn’t stop you from adding new content or continually optimizing your existing content. Just realize it takes time for the search engines to move you up in the rankings based on those changes.
How Long Have You Had Inbound Links?
When it comes to inbound links, it’s all about relevance and reputation points. Reputation points are given based on the popularity, quality and relevance of the sites linking to you. Sites with long-standing domain names have a better reputation than sites with new domain names, for example, and links that have been pointing to your site for long periods of time gain more reputation points than newer links.
Liken your SEO efforts to launching an exercise program. You won’t see results the first day. In fact, you may not see results the first week or even the first month. But it’s just a matter of time before you see the inches that were lining your waist begin to appear as muscles on your arms and legs. The same is true of SEO. It takes time, but if you use the proven strategies it works.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Amazing Influence
Provided By MyKW
Does "culture" really make a difference at Keller Williams? You better believe it does! Organizing the goals of a business around solid, positive, core values and then proceeding to cultivate them on a daily basis inspires and motivates the members of the organization. However you define fulfillment, it is created by our daily surroundings - the culture we experience as we participate in the workplace environment of our choice.
Much has been said about the KW culture. The truth is, those of us that have the same values and focus on culture in business are perfect business partners. We are so thankful to have found a business that thinks like we do - where our beliefs are fostered in a positive and powerful way!
Does "culture" really make a difference at Keller Williams? You better believe it does! Organizing the goals of a business around solid, positive, core values and then proceeding to cultivate them on a daily basis inspires and motivates the members of the organization. However you define fulfillment, it is created by our daily surroundings - the culture we experience as we participate in the workplace environment of our choice.
Much has been said about the KW culture. The truth is, those of us that have the same values and focus on culture in business are perfect business partners. We are so thankful to have found a business that thinks like we do - where our beliefs are fostered in a positive and powerful way!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Attitude and Expectations
Written By Dirk Zeller
Provided By Becca Rivera with Old Republic
There are two key words that lead to success in life. These words control the successful outcome of your business, marriage, and many other areas of life. Although you may have incredible talent and skill in life, you will fail if you do not master these two words - and vice versa. Even if you have only limited talent and skill, you will win if you live by them. These two words determine your future. They are attitude and expectation.
If you have a positive, forward-looking attitude, you will accomplish great things. How is your attitude? Does it need an improvement? Are you positive and upbeat? If you have the attitude that every challenge or obstacle leads to new opportunity, success is all but guaranteed. Thomas Edison was said to have worked on creating the electric light bulb because darkness interfered with his ability to conduct further experiments. He wanted to be able to work long into the night. Edison could have moaned about the darkness - though that would not have done any good. He used his attitude and solved the problem of darkness. There are thousands of examples in life of how some people took lemons and, with a great attitude, made lemonade.
Start building your attitude today. Convince yourself that you are the best Real Estate Agent anyone could hire. You have to be convinced of this yourself before anyone else will be convinced. The attitude you bring when faced with objections will help you handle them and get the contract signed. The attitude that you take when you have a problem transaction will make the difference between a closing and a deal falling by the wayside.
One technique that can improve your attitude is using affirmations. Affirmations drive positive mental pictures into your subconscious mind. Create affirmations like:
I am a great Salesperson.
I am skilled at handling objections and getting the contract signed.
People do business with me because I am positive, knowledgeable, and professional.
I earn ________ (you fill the blank) each year.
I am a great spouse.
Use these affirmations each day (or create your own) to improve your mental attitude.
The second power word is expectation. If you don't expect to win, you will not win. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.” If you go on a listing appointment and expect to take it at your price and commission, you will. If you go expecting a fight on commission and price, you will receive that instead. Set the positive expectation of success before an appointment and before every call you make. Expectation is the gateway to confidence. The first step to having unshakeable confidence is to believe that you are the Real Estate Agent for the job. If your expectation is strong enough, people will come around to your way of thinking. You just need to have a stronger will and mental focus than your clients, prospects, and other Agents. A perfect example is Henry Ford.
Many years ago, Ford went to his engineers and told them to build a V-8 engine. They said it could not be done. Ford plainly told them to go do it and report back in 90 days. When the 90 days were up, they reported back to Ford. They had spent the whole 90 days figuring out why building a V-8 engine was impossible. In the meeting with Ford, they spent their time trying to convince him it could not be done; a V-8 engine was impossible and could never be created. Ford's attitude and expectation of a V-8 engine was stronger than the engineers' attitude and expectation that it could not be done. We all know who won in the end.
Your expectation will create your reality. You have to expect before you can receive. You need to expect the people and situations that will enable you to create the future you desire. Expectation does not mean you don't have to work. You will work harder than before to develop the outcome you desire. The expectation takes away the fear of failure. Don't be paralyzed by the fear of failure. Failure is a natural part of success. You cannot have success without failure. It's truly a masterful design. The exhilaration of success would be lost without the frustration of failure. Most people forget their failures over time and only remember their victories. Take Babe Ruth as an example; he hit the most home runs of his time. He also had the most strikeouts. No one remembers that...only the home runs...the successes.
Set your attitude to “positive.” Look for the opportunities in every situation. Expect to win...every time.
Vince Lombardi had a famous saying:
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in awhile, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”
Lombardi had the right attitude and the right expectation. He believed they would win...every time.
Provided By Becca Rivera with Old Republic
There are two key words that lead to success in life. These words control the successful outcome of your business, marriage, and many other areas of life. Although you may have incredible talent and skill in life, you will fail if you do not master these two words - and vice versa. Even if you have only limited talent and skill, you will win if you live by them. These two words determine your future. They are attitude and expectation.
If you have a positive, forward-looking attitude, you will accomplish great things. How is your attitude? Does it need an improvement? Are you positive and upbeat? If you have the attitude that every challenge or obstacle leads to new opportunity, success is all but guaranteed. Thomas Edison was said to have worked on creating the electric light bulb because darkness interfered with his ability to conduct further experiments. He wanted to be able to work long into the night. Edison could have moaned about the darkness - though that would not have done any good. He used his attitude and solved the problem of darkness. There are thousands of examples in life of how some people took lemons and, with a great attitude, made lemonade.
Start building your attitude today. Convince yourself that you are the best Real Estate Agent anyone could hire. You have to be convinced of this yourself before anyone else will be convinced. The attitude you bring when faced with objections will help you handle them and get the contract signed. The attitude that you take when you have a problem transaction will make the difference between a closing and a deal falling by the wayside.
One technique that can improve your attitude is using affirmations. Affirmations drive positive mental pictures into your subconscious mind. Create affirmations like:
I am a great Salesperson.
I am skilled at handling objections and getting the contract signed.
People do business with me because I am positive, knowledgeable, and professional.
I earn ________ (you fill the blank) each year.
I am a great spouse.
Use these affirmations each day (or create your own) to improve your mental attitude.
The second power word is expectation. If you don't expect to win, you will not win. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or that you can't, you are usually right.” If you go on a listing appointment and expect to take it at your price and commission, you will. If you go expecting a fight on commission and price, you will receive that instead. Set the positive expectation of success before an appointment and before every call you make. Expectation is the gateway to confidence. The first step to having unshakeable confidence is to believe that you are the Real Estate Agent for the job. If your expectation is strong enough, people will come around to your way of thinking. You just need to have a stronger will and mental focus than your clients, prospects, and other Agents. A perfect example is Henry Ford.
Many years ago, Ford went to his engineers and told them to build a V-8 engine. They said it could not be done. Ford plainly told them to go do it and report back in 90 days. When the 90 days were up, they reported back to Ford. They had spent the whole 90 days figuring out why building a V-8 engine was impossible. In the meeting with Ford, they spent their time trying to convince him it could not be done; a V-8 engine was impossible and could never be created. Ford's attitude and expectation of a V-8 engine was stronger than the engineers' attitude and expectation that it could not be done. We all know who won in the end.
Your expectation will create your reality. You have to expect before you can receive. You need to expect the people and situations that will enable you to create the future you desire. Expectation does not mean you don't have to work. You will work harder than before to develop the outcome you desire. The expectation takes away the fear of failure. Don't be paralyzed by the fear of failure. Failure is a natural part of success. You cannot have success without failure. It's truly a masterful design. The exhilaration of success would be lost without the frustration of failure. Most people forget their failures over time and only remember their victories. Take Babe Ruth as an example; he hit the most home runs of his time. He also had the most strikeouts. No one remembers that...only the home runs...the successes.
Set your attitude to “positive.” Look for the opportunities in every situation. Expect to win...every time.
Vince Lombardi had a famous saying:
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in awhile, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”
Lombardi had the right attitude and the right expectation. He believed they would win...every time.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Are You Committed to Your Dreams?
Published by Alexis MacIntyre, Director of KWU
Provided By KW Blog
Are you committed to your dreams? I thought I was. Then I had a mindshift.
My husband and I had our first child, Violet, in December last year and I came back from maternity leave in March. Shortly after my return, I attended Leadership and Motivation with Master Faculty Trainer John Davis. In that class, you write down your dreams, without limitations, in order to translate them into goals. I started writing…”Be completely debt free…Travel to Italy…”
Then, things started to get intense. I began thinking about Violet and all the dreams I had for her. I had aspirations before about starting a family and our life together. But now she was here. She was a real person in my life – for whom I now have more emotion than four silly little letters in the word “love” could ever describe. And the dreams I starting writing for her and for her life were powerful. I had trouble holding back tears as I wrote—I was so deeply, emotionally invested.
I wrote down many dreams for Violet. I dream for her to grow up to be an intelligent, self-confident woman, who stands up for what she believes in, and always does the right thing—even when no one is looking. But I also recognized that some of our life worth living dreams would need to be funded. I want to create memories with her on family vacations, to send her to any college she wants to go to and to role model the importance of donating to causes we believe in.
I started thinking more strategically. I had to admit to myself that despite all the training our University provides on growing your profit share tree, there was a lot more I could personally do to really focus on growing my tree. I no longer needed to do it just for me and my husband anymore, I owed it to Violet. I’ve now recommitted myself this summer to growing my tree and becoming more purposeful about attracting talent to our wonderful company.
Through this summer’s profit share initiative, we’d like to help you grow your own tree. I’ll be sharing some of the whys and hows on this blog in the coming months. One of the best starting places is to recognize your own dreams. Dig deep and think without limits. Write them down. Share them. And find someone to hold you accountable. By the way, two of the best ways to do that are by attending (or starting) a Wealth-Building Workshop in your market center and signing up for the Fast Track Profit Share Coaching Program with MAPS and coach Brian Combs.
Are you 100% committed to your dreams and are you taking necessary action to build your own profit share tree? If not, what would it take to get you there? We’d love to hear about your journey.
Provided By KW Blog
Are you committed to your dreams? I thought I was. Then I had a mindshift.
My husband and I had our first child, Violet, in December last year and I came back from maternity leave in March. Shortly after my return, I attended Leadership and Motivation with Master Faculty Trainer John Davis. In that class, you write down your dreams, without limitations, in order to translate them into goals. I started writing…”Be completely debt free…Travel to Italy…”
Then, things started to get intense. I began thinking about Violet and all the dreams I had for her. I had aspirations before about starting a family and our life together. But now she was here. She was a real person in my life – for whom I now have more emotion than four silly little letters in the word “love” could ever describe. And the dreams I starting writing for her and for her life were powerful. I had trouble holding back tears as I wrote—I was so deeply, emotionally invested.
I wrote down many dreams for Violet. I dream for her to grow up to be an intelligent, self-confident woman, who stands up for what she believes in, and always does the right thing—even when no one is looking. But I also recognized that some of our life worth living dreams would need to be funded. I want to create memories with her on family vacations, to send her to any college she wants to go to and to role model the importance of donating to causes we believe in.
I started thinking more strategically. I had to admit to myself that despite all the training our University provides on growing your profit share tree, there was a lot more I could personally do to really focus on growing my tree. I no longer needed to do it just for me and my husband anymore, I owed it to Violet. I’ve now recommitted myself this summer to growing my tree and becoming more purposeful about attracting talent to our wonderful company.
Through this summer’s profit share initiative, we’d like to help you grow your own tree. I’ll be sharing some of the whys and hows on this blog in the coming months. One of the best starting places is to recognize your own dreams. Dig deep and think without limits. Write them down. Share them. And find someone to hold you accountable. By the way, two of the best ways to do that are by attending (or starting) a Wealth-Building Workshop in your market center and signing up for the Fast Track Profit Share Coaching Program with MAPS and coach Brian Combs.
Are you 100% committed to your dreams and are you taking necessary action to build your own profit share tree? If not, what would it take to get you there? We’d love to hear about your journey.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
iPad Best Apps for Agents
Provided By Keller Williams Realty
In 2006 Patrick joined Keller Williams Realty as the CEO and Team Leader of the Sacramento Metro office, taking it from number three in market share to number one in a declining market.
Prior to working in real estate, Patrick worked extensively with early-stage and mid-stage corporate ventures, facilitating their growth from garage-based start-ups to enterprise-class service providers. His first venture raised over $4 million in investment capital and was eventually sold to Nokia. Patrick’s entrepreneurial skills and enthusiasm have been key factors in his real estate success.
Here, Patrick gives THISWEEK@kw his in thoughts on the new iPad and how agents can use the new tablet to transform their everyday business practices.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As many of my close friends and colleagues know by now, I am a HUGE fan of the iPad!
When I first heard of the iPad, I was sure that it would be a monumental disappointment. As I began reading the blogs though … I got sucked in (like sitting on the sofa as my wife is watching The Bachelorette). After much deliberation I decided that the iPad would be a tremendous investment, if only for the “Buzz Factor.” With the amount of press that this device has received in recent months, how could it not be a conversation piece? I wouldn’t really have to do much on it; the mere fact of owning one would cause people to start a conversation with me! So, I bought one, and …
I was right!
No matter where I am people are asking “Is that the iPad?”, “I have never seen one up close!”, “Do you like it?”
Buzz Factor accomplished.
I knew this would be a great device to create a buzz, but how would it hold up to actual real world application for real estate? While some things (honestly) are still to come, I have compiled a quick list of must have apps to make your iPad really work for your real estate business. So here are the Top 10 Apps that I would recommend for the iPad:
1. Keynote – This is Apple’s version of PowerPoint. I love Keynote and this is the perfect app to “wow” your clients with a slick Buyer Consultation or Listing Presentation.
2. DocsToGo – This great app allows you to access and edit your documents that are stored on your iPad or on “The Cloud.” So whether you use Google Docs, SugarSync, DropBox or a different program, this app will access them all. Not only can you view them, but you can also email them on the spot!
3. SugarSync – This is one of my favorite apps!! This program will sync your document folders between multiple computers, your smart phone and your iPad. Simply amazing!
4. Evernote – Ever have those ideas while you are out and about and before you can get a chance to write it down, you have forgotten it? In comes Evernote! This app will allow you to type or record a voice note. If you use a smartphone with a camera, you can also create notes from photos. Again, this app syncs your notes online so they are accessible everywhere (phone, computer, iPad).
5. Hootsuite – While this app is still in iPhone-only flavor (iPhone apps do work on the iPad, they just don’t look as pretty), it allows you to manage multiple Facebook profiles, pages and Twitter accounts. My favorite feature is the ability to schedule posts and tweets for later! This makes it simple to strategically compose and schedule a series of posts in advance, saving you precious time when you’re on-the-go.
6. Analytics HD – This app syncs to your Google Analytics account and let’s you track your site’s traffic while on-the-go. See if a new blog post or tweet is driving traffic to your real estate site. After all, without the data how do you improve your results? Google Analytics is FREE too! Imagine showing your clients the traffic on their listing page real time from your iPad!
7. Beejive IM for iPad – This is the best Instant Message/Chat client around! You can log in to pretty much any chat client available with this one application. It also has push notifications, so if someone wants to IM you while you are on the go … They can … and you won’t miss it!
8. iAnnotate PDF - This app allows you to actually sign a PDF file, and it doesn’t just drop the signature “on top” of the pdf, it actually adds it into the pdf! Amazing! Now you can sign documents on the iPad! And for those of you that can’t handle signing with your finger… check this out: Pogo Sketch
9. NewsRack RSS – As the world becomes more easily accessible, it becomes increasingly more difficult to sift through everything to find the news and stories that I want to see. Thanks to RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) we can now only listen to what we care about! I use NewsRack RSS because it syncs to my Google Reader account, so no matter where I read my feeds, it will be up to date on all my devices!
10. LogMeIn Ignition – Ok, this is the pricey one! And I debated long and hard before I bought it. Wouldn’t you know that the day I did it came in handy. This app allows you to access any computer remotely. So if you are out and about and there is that one thing you need off of your office computer, this app can be a life saver.
So there you have it, my must-have apps for real estate. As the iPad matures I can say with complete confidence that I will be coming out with another list with even better apps. For now, this list should keep your clients impressed and your business on the cutting edge of today’s hottest technology.
Enjoy!
In 2006 Patrick joined Keller Williams Realty as the CEO and Team Leader of the Sacramento Metro office, taking it from number three in market share to number one in a declining market.
Prior to working in real estate, Patrick worked extensively with early-stage and mid-stage corporate ventures, facilitating their growth from garage-based start-ups to enterprise-class service providers. His first venture raised over $4 million in investment capital and was eventually sold to Nokia. Patrick’s entrepreneurial skills and enthusiasm have been key factors in his real estate success.
Here, Patrick gives THISWEEK@kw his in thoughts on the new iPad and how agents can use the new tablet to transform their everyday business practices.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As many of my close friends and colleagues know by now, I am a HUGE fan of the iPad!
When I first heard of the iPad, I was sure that it would be a monumental disappointment. As I began reading the blogs though … I got sucked in (like sitting on the sofa as my wife is watching The Bachelorette). After much deliberation I decided that the iPad would be a tremendous investment, if only for the “Buzz Factor.” With the amount of press that this device has received in recent months, how could it not be a conversation piece? I wouldn’t really have to do much on it; the mere fact of owning one would cause people to start a conversation with me! So, I bought one, and …
I was right!
No matter where I am people are asking “Is that the iPad?”, “I have never seen one up close!”, “Do you like it?”
Buzz Factor accomplished.
I knew this would be a great device to create a buzz, but how would it hold up to actual real world application for real estate? While some things (honestly) are still to come, I have compiled a quick list of must have apps to make your iPad really work for your real estate business. So here are the Top 10 Apps that I would recommend for the iPad:
1. Keynote – This is Apple’s version of PowerPoint. I love Keynote and this is the perfect app to “wow” your clients with a slick Buyer Consultation or Listing Presentation.
2. DocsToGo – This great app allows you to access and edit your documents that are stored on your iPad or on “The Cloud.” So whether you use Google Docs, SugarSync, DropBox or a different program, this app will access them all. Not only can you view them, but you can also email them on the spot!
3. SugarSync – This is one of my favorite apps!! This program will sync your document folders between multiple computers, your smart phone and your iPad. Simply amazing!
4. Evernote – Ever have those ideas while you are out and about and before you can get a chance to write it down, you have forgotten it? In comes Evernote! This app will allow you to type or record a voice note. If you use a smartphone with a camera, you can also create notes from photos. Again, this app syncs your notes online so they are accessible everywhere (phone, computer, iPad).
5. Hootsuite – While this app is still in iPhone-only flavor (iPhone apps do work on the iPad, they just don’t look as pretty), it allows you to manage multiple Facebook profiles, pages and Twitter accounts. My favorite feature is the ability to schedule posts and tweets for later! This makes it simple to strategically compose and schedule a series of posts in advance, saving you precious time when you’re on-the-go.
6. Analytics HD – This app syncs to your Google Analytics account and let’s you track your site’s traffic while on-the-go. See if a new blog post or tweet is driving traffic to your real estate site. After all, without the data how do you improve your results? Google Analytics is FREE too! Imagine showing your clients the traffic on their listing page real time from your iPad!
7. Beejive IM for iPad – This is the best Instant Message/Chat client around! You can log in to pretty much any chat client available with this one application. It also has push notifications, so if someone wants to IM you while you are on the go … They can … and you won’t miss it!
8. iAnnotate PDF - This app allows you to actually sign a PDF file, and it doesn’t just drop the signature “on top” of the pdf, it actually adds it into the pdf! Amazing! Now you can sign documents on the iPad! And for those of you that can’t handle signing with your finger… check this out: Pogo Sketch
9. NewsRack RSS – As the world becomes more easily accessible, it becomes increasingly more difficult to sift through everything to find the news and stories that I want to see. Thanks to RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication) we can now only listen to what we care about! I use NewsRack RSS because it syncs to my Google Reader account, so no matter where I read my feeds, it will be up to date on all my devices!
10. LogMeIn Ignition – Ok, this is the pricey one! And I debated long and hard before I bought it. Wouldn’t you know that the day I did it came in handy. This app allows you to access any computer remotely. So if you are out and about and there is that one thing you need off of your office computer, this app can be a life saver.
So there you have it, my must-have apps for real estate. As the iPad matures I can say with complete confidence that I will be coming out with another list with even better apps. For now, this list should keep your clients impressed and your business on the cutting edge of today’s hottest technology.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Perfect Time is Now!
Provided By Keller Williams Realty
Are you waiting for the perfect time to get purposeful about profit share? Why not get started today?
Kick-starting your profit-share journey doesn't have to be complicated.
Just ask. A question as simple as "Would you like a copy of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent?" is enough to initiate a conversation. It's easy to introduce a great agent to everything that Keller Williams Realty has to offer them!
Check out this video and be sure attend the Grow Your Profit Share Tree class in your market center and visit Dianna Kokoszka for Power Hour as she shares profit share tree-building tips throughout July!
Are you waiting for the perfect time to get purposeful about profit share? Why not get started today?
Kick-starting your profit-share journey doesn't have to be complicated.
Just ask. A question as simple as "Would you like a copy of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent?" is enough to initiate a conversation. It's easy to introduce a great agent to everything that Keller Williams Realty has to offer them!
Check out this video and be sure attend the Grow Your Profit Share Tree class in your market center and visit Dianna Kokoszka for Power Hour as she shares profit share tree-building tips throughout July!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Are you ready to unleash your power?
?????Question?????
Do you need to be energized?
Are you stuck in rut?
Are you doing good in your career but you want to do even more?
Do you want to impliment systems in your business but you don't know how?
Have you ever wanted to be in the presence of greatness?
If you answered yes to any of those, Mega Camp is the answer. Some of the best of the best in the business are there and I learn so much from them. At no point in my career have I said, "No, I don't want to know how you sold 136 homes last year." I always want to learn at every stage from those that have been there before me. This is what Mega Camp is all about.
Mega Camp 2010: Unleash Your Power – KW MAPS Coaching
Gary Keller brings you “The BEST”
At Mega Agent Camp While the agenda is still being finalized, we’re thrilled to share some just-released information about Mega Camp 2010! Gary’s goal is to create a highly instructive and visual program featuring the best in the business sharing (and SHOWING) you the systems they are using to generate massive success.Check out a sneak peak of just a few of the interviews and panels on the Mega Agent Camp lineup* thus far!
■The BEST Internet site
■The BEST Craigslist Approach
■The BEST Social Media Approach
■The BEST Farming
■The BEST Open Houses
■The BEST FSBO/Expireds Approach
■The BEST Referral Approach
■The BEST Seminar Approach
■The BEST Pre-list Package
■The BEST Leverage
■The BEST Organization Approach
■The BEST Approach for Working with Buyers
■The BEST Short Sales Approach
■The BEST Wealth Building Through Profit Share
Are you in the Pursuit of Happiness?
Chris Gardner speaks at Mega Leadership Camp
Will Smith’s inspiring performance in the 2006 movie The Pursuit of Happiness tells the story of Chris Gardner, a single father struggling to provide for his five-year-old son. Drawing upon every resource he can muster, he lands an unpaid internship at a prestigious stock brokerage firm. In the meantime, he finds himself evicted from his apartment and sleeping with his son in shelters or on the streets – leveraging the trust his son has placed in him as motivation to land a lucrative job, eventually launching his own investment firm.
Now among North America’s most moving speakers, Chris Gardner will address Mega Leadership attendees on Tuesday, Sept. 14!
Mega Camp is not just for KW associates. Every year, we have thousands that attend from other companies. Call me today to find out how you can be a part of this AWESOME event!
It's time to take control of your career and UNLEASH YOUR POWER!
Amber Boyd
972-772-7000
amberboyd@kw.com
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Seven Steps to Success
Written By Dirk Zeller
Provided By Realty Times
Success is an elusive concept to many people. It has as many different definitions as there are people on earth. To truly achieve success, one has to create their own vision of exactly what it is they want and desire. Too often, we buy into someone else's success plan. We look at someone who has the outward appearance of success, but the truth is, we never know the real facts. We see the money, power, big house, and fancy car without looking at the path they travel. We do not look at the other areas of their life to really determine their true level of success. The vision of the perceived monetary success clouds our evaluation process. Their monetary success may be built on sinking sand rather than bedrock. The sinking sand could be a great lack in any of these areas of their life: mental, physical, spiritual, and family.
In the Bible, in Matthew 7:26, it clearly states: "But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat up against that house, and it fell with a great crash." The truth is, the wind, rain, and rising rivers in life will come. You cannot prevent their coming. You can only be prepared for their coming. A successful person understands this clearly. They work diligently to create a successful life in all areas. You will not be able to avoid life's tragedies. You will lose a loved one, friend, child, or parent. You will have financial struggles. You will experience health problems of some kind. It is not how you avoid them; it is how you prepare for them and deal with the curve balls of life.
Is success achieved by trading your family for money? Is success achieved by trading your health for dollars? True and lasting success is accomplished by creating balance in all areas of life and adding wealth to all these accounts on a daily basis. You must add wealth to each and every area of life daily. Do not transfer success to some far off goal in the future when you get to a particular place in your life or acquire something. The truth is, when you get to that particular place, or acquire that item, success will have moved on. Success is living today with all the zeal, gusto, and zest that you can pack into a 24-hour period of life. Success is clearly not a destination, but a daily journey we undertake every day. Success is found through focusing on the value of each day we are blessed with and soaking up all that life has to offer today.
"If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,000, that carried over no balance from day to day, allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day what would you do? Draw out every cent, of course! Well, you do have such a bank; its name is 'time.' Every morning it credits you with 86,000 seconds … every night it rules off as lost whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purposes. It carries over no balance … it allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account for you. If you fail to use the day's deposit, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow. You must live in the present - on today's deposit."
Using up your whole day will lead you to success in life. Wringing every moment of passion, happiness, sadness, success, failure, and love out of your every day will create a beautiful tapestry of life. Do not waste today for anyone, or anything. The truth is, we do not really know if we will be here tomorrow. If you had only six months to live, how would you live today? The truth is you or I may only have that long to live and we just do not know it yet.
Let me share with you the seven steps to success.
Step one: You must first decide what you want. The truth is, we can have anything we desire in life. Earl Nightingale said that if man only knew that he could have anything he wanted, he would set more goals. The truth is, if we set more goals, we would achieve more things in life. If your vision is clear, you are assured that you will get there. The problem is, we do not have a clear vision or set enough goals. We do not take the time to create the vision.
Step two: Your goals must be written. Success begins when you grab the pen and paper and think and work to craft your ideal life. Successful people think on paper before they act. You must take the time to write your success plan on paper and your goals down on paper. Only 3% of our population does so. Guess what those 3% have, live in, drive, wear, and eat? It is not by accident what they achieve. It is by design.
If you cannot write your vision with clarity on paper, you certainly will not be clear mentally to achieve it. By writing your vision clearly you will pull your mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional powers in alignment to achieve your vision and goals. Your mind, your body, and your subconscious mind will all work like a tug-o-war team, pulling on the rope of life. With those three powerful forces pulling in concert, it does not matter how many or how strong the opponent is on the other end of the rope. They will most assuredly be pulled across the centerline for your victory.
Step three: Create a time frame for your goal or vision. Set a target for when you will accomplish it. You have to get your mind in motion to achieve it by a certain time. Without a timeline, you have no goal you only have a wish. Wishes will only cause frustration. You cannot control or exert force on a wish to transform it into reality. If you do not achieve the goal or vision in the time frame, just set another one to shoot for. There are no unrealistic goals; there are only unrealistic time frames.
Step four: Achieving your vision, or goal, will take a series of activities. Create a list of the series of activities you must do for you to achieve your vision or your goal. As your motivation increases, the better you can clearly write out this series of activities. People will often not take the time to create the list. This can dramatically reduce the speed at which you achieve your vision or goal. Planning a vision or goal completely through, to create small bite size pieces, makes it easier to digest. If you cooked a 20-pound turkey dinner with potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, rolls, and gravy, you could not eat it whole or at one time. You could eat it over time by breaking it up into bite size pieces. Now if you invited a "team of friends" to help you, you could polish off the whole turkey dinner in one sitting by each of you taking bite size pieces. Successful people evaluate the situation and elicit help and create a plan to lighten the load on all. They then have everyone dive in and begin accomplishing things in bite size pieces.
Step five: Re-check the series of activities to ensure they are in the proper order. Organize this into a comprehensive step-by-step plan to achieve the vision or the goal. You need to start with the most important and move to the least important. Do not delay; begin the most important item today. Do not move on to another item until you complete the most important item first. There is an order to all activities and tasks. Spend the time planning to create it.
Step six: Do not allow procrastination to set in. You can always make an excuse to put it off until later. Do not fall to that temptation. The key is to start the momentum today. A primary law of physics is; a body in motion will tend to stay in motion. Do not delay getting your body in motion.
Step seven: Keep the body in motion daily. Do not neglect to do something daily that moves you closer to your vision or your goal. Constantly ask yourself, is this activity I am doing now moving me closer to, or further away from, my goal?
Once you are moving forward, your vision or goal can stay in motion with a smaller amount of effort. The greatest exertion of force comes in the beginning when you are trying to get the vision or goal moving. Do not stop and start. Keep constant pressure applied to your direction.
If you apply these seven steps to your real estate business you can accomplish any amount of sales you choose to do. The truth in life is you are the one who does the choosing. The market, competition, and interest rates do not affect your choice or outcome. You are the one that does the choosing, so choose wisely.
Provided By Realty Times
Success is an elusive concept to many people. It has as many different definitions as there are people on earth. To truly achieve success, one has to create their own vision of exactly what it is they want and desire. Too often, we buy into someone else's success plan. We look at someone who has the outward appearance of success, but the truth is, we never know the real facts. We see the money, power, big house, and fancy car without looking at the path they travel. We do not look at the other areas of their life to really determine their true level of success. The vision of the perceived monetary success clouds our evaluation process. Their monetary success may be built on sinking sand rather than bedrock. The sinking sand could be a great lack in any of these areas of their life: mental, physical, spiritual, and family.
In the Bible, in Matthew 7:26, it clearly states: "But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat up against that house, and it fell with a great crash." The truth is, the wind, rain, and rising rivers in life will come. You cannot prevent their coming. You can only be prepared for their coming. A successful person understands this clearly. They work diligently to create a successful life in all areas. You will not be able to avoid life's tragedies. You will lose a loved one, friend, child, or parent. You will have financial struggles. You will experience health problems of some kind. It is not how you avoid them; it is how you prepare for them and deal with the curve balls of life.
Is success achieved by trading your family for money? Is success achieved by trading your health for dollars? True and lasting success is accomplished by creating balance in all areas of life and adding wealth to all these accounts on a daily basis. You must add wealth to each and every area of life daily. Do not transfer success to some far off goal in the future when you get to a particular place in your life or acquire something. The truth is, when you get to that particular place, or acquire that item, success will have moved on. Success is living today with all the zeal, gusto, and zest that you can pack into a 24-hour period of life. Success is clearly not a destination, but a daily journey we undertake every day. Success is found through focusing on the value of each day we are blessed with and soaking up all that life has to offer today.
"If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,000, that carried over no balance from day to day, allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening cancelled whatever part of the amount you failed to use during the day what would you do? Draw out every cent, of course! Well, you do have such a bank; its name is 'time.' Every morning it credits you with 86,000 seconds … every night it rules off as lost whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purposes. It carries over no balance … it allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account for you. If you fail to use the day's deposit, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow. You must live in the present - on today's deposit."
Using up your whole day will lead you to success in life. Wringing every moment of passion, happiness, sadness, success, failure, and love out of your every day will create a beautiful tapestry of life. Do not waste today for anyone, or anything. The truth is, we do not really know if we will be here tomorrow. If you had only six months to live, how would you live today? The truth is you or I may only have that long to live and we just do not know it yet.
Let me share with you the seven steps to success.
Step one: You must first decide what you want. The truth is, we can have anything we desire in life. Earl Nightingale said that if man only knew that he could have anything he wanted, he would set more goals. The truth is, if we set more goals, we would achieve more things in life. If your vision is clear, you are assured that you will get there. The problem is, we do not have a clear vision or set enough goals. We do not take the time to create the vision.
Step two: Your goals must be written. Success begins when you grab the pen and paper and think and work to craft your ideal life. Successful people think on paper before they act. You must take the time to write your success plan on paper and your goals down on paper. Only 3% of our population does so. Guess what those 3% have, live in, drive, wear, and eat? It is not by accident what they achieve. It is by design.
If you cannot write your vision with clarity on paper, you certainly will not be clear mentally to achieve it. By writing your vision clearly you will pull your mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional powers in alignment to achieve your vision and goals. Your mind, your body, and your subconscious mind will all work like a tug-o-war team, pulling on the rope of life. With those three powerful forces pulling in concert, it does not matter how many or how strong the opponent is on the other end of the rope. They will most assuredly be pulled across the centerline for your victory.
Step three: Create a time frame for your goal or vision. Set a target for when you will accomplish it. You have to get your mind in motion to achieve it by a certain time. Without a timeline, you have no goal you only have a wish. Wishes will only cause frustration. You cannot control or exert force on a wish to transform it into reality. If you do not achieve the goal or vision in the time frame, just set another one to shoot for. There are no unrealistic goals; there are only unrealistic time frames.
Step four: Achieving your vision, or goal, will take a series of activities. Create a list of the series of activities you must do for you to achieve your vision or your goal. As your motivation increases, the better you can clearly write out this series of activities. People will often not take the time to create the list. This can dramatically reduce the speed at which you achieve your vision or goal. Planning a vision or goal completely through, to create small bite size pieces, makes it easier to digest. If you cooked a 20-pound turkey dinner with potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, rolls, and gravy, you could not eat it whole or at one time. You could eat it over time by breaking it up into bite size pieces. Now if you invited a "team of friends" to help you, you could polish off the whole turkey dinner in one sitting by each of you taking bite size pieces. Successful people evaluate the situation and elicit help and create a plan to lighten the load on all. They then have everyone dive in and begin accomplishing things in bite size pieces.
Step five: Re-check the series of activities to ensure they are in the proper order. Organize this into a comprehensive step-by-step plan to achieve the vision or the goal. You need to start with the most important and move to the least important. Do not delay; begin the most important item today. Do not move on to another item until you complete the most important item first. There is an order to all activities and tasks. Spend the time planning to create it.
Step six: Do not allow procrastination to set in. You can always make an excuse to put it off until later. Do not fall to that temptation. The key is to start the momentum today. A primary law of physics is; a body in motion will tend to stay in motion. Do not delay getting your body in motion.
Step seven: Keep the body in motion daily. Do not neglect to do something daily that moves you closer to your vision or your goal. Constantly ask yourself, is this activity I am doing now moving me closer to, or further away from, my goal?
Once you are moving forward, your vision or goal can stay in motion with a smaller amount of effort. The greatest exertion of force comes in the beginning when you are trying to get the vision or goal moving. Do not stop and start. Keep constant pressure applied to your direction.
If you apply these seven steps to your real estate business you can accomplish any amount of sales you choose to do. The truth in life is you are the one who does the choosing. The market, competition, and interest rates do not affect your choice or outcome. You are the one that does the choosing, so choose wisely.
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