Real Estate Magic

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by llaves

Working With Real Estate Investors….could This be the Perfect Niche Market for You?

Some Realtors are looking into and considering a niche market in working with real estate investors.

As a real estate investor, I can tell you 2 things. Working with investors can be rewarding and lucrative OR it can be frustrating, difficult, time consuming and involve unwanted surprises.

The difference between whether this niche can be rewarding and lucrative or not worth your time and effort is education and training….of the investor.

1. Investors are in it for the money…of course. But I am sure anyone here who has worked with a real estate investor knows that they can be scattered, unethical, demanding, you name it. The reason is because they do not how to make good use of their time, how to search for the right properties, estimate costs to repair and fail to perform due diligence on the properties in question. They are not true entrepreneurs or business professionals and have no respect for your time, expertise and knowledge.

2. There are many first time investors out there who think this is easy business. You find a property or have a Realtor find you a property, you fix it up or not, you put it back on the market and it gets sold for a profit and away you go…To say that this is unrealistic and naive is an understatement.

3. As a Real Estate Coach and Trainer I and can honestly tell you the caliber of trained real estate investor professionals is head and shoulders above those who are untrained and quite frankly have no clue. Now, let me be clear,  when I talk training, I am not talking get a couple of CD’s and books on how to get rich quick. I am talking about those who are serious about this profession, invest in their future and themselves and get the proper education and training to do the job right.

As Realtors you had to go through extensive training, take courses, pass state exams, plus you take continuing education courses because it is required to maintain your license and the bottom line is it is required in order for you to succeed in this business. Realtors who walk around aimlessly and think I get listings, I sell them and I pick up my commission check and that is all there is to it (you know the ones I am talking about) well they are just like untrained investors; they have not a clue…would you agree?

So what is in this niche market for you? Plenty!

If you decide to work with an EDUCATED and TRAINED investor, here is what you get.

1. The investor appreciates that his or her time IS money, so they understand that working with a knowledgeable Realtor in the areas where they wish to invest is invaluable to them. You save them this precious time.

2. An Educated Real Estate Investor will bring you REPEAT business, in some cases considerable repeat business in a 12 month period. That perk alone is worth considering this niche. You get to know your investor, what they need and want and you do not have to reinvent the wheel in selling yourself to them as you do when you meet a buyer or seller for the first time.

3. An Educated Real Estate Investor also understands that you can be of considerable help in “bird dogging” new opportunities for them.

4. An Educated Real Estate Investor has been pre-approved for his investments and you don’t have to try and get him pre-approved every time or shop lenders, which you may have to do with each new buyer you work with.

3. An Educated Investor realizes that they should not only buy from their Realtor but they should list their properties with a Realtor in order to get the highest return on their investment. It has already been proven that for sale by owner properties actually sell for and net less than homes sold through knowledgeable Realtors. Again, time is a big issue here and the trained investor knows that their time is best utilized in finding other properties and managing the rehab of those that they have found.

4. The educated Real Estate Investor understands the value of long term relationships built upon trust, confidence and respect.

So if you are thinking of a new niche in your market, think about working with an educated and trained investor and reap the rewards.

I wish you all the best and may all of your real estate dealings be exactly what you want them to be. When you are in control of your destiny and business, success is almost a certainty.

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by taminator

Real Estate Web 2.0 Marketing

Real estate web 2.0 marketing is one of the best forms of advertisement to hit the real estate world. This way has allowed agents to break free from the everyday boring routine that comes with the business, they are able to sell property in a haste.

Everyone knows that the recession has hurt a lot of mainstream businesses. One that suffered an immense amount of hurt was the real estate business. People simply are not interested in buying homes in fear that they are going to become unemployed at one point or another. So instead of buying a new home they are content with staying in their current home that they reside in.

The real estate web 2.0 marketing works in a way that connects agents to millions of people at one time. They are utilizing social media sites such as Twitter, MySpace, Facebook and YouTube to draw people to their plethora of homes that they have to offer.

The internet has become the cornerstone of our society. There are many people who utilize the internet on a daily basis. Along with the masses of people who simply adore the social media sites where they can meet new people and connect with old friends. Therefore many agents are opting to make their own page on this site as well as list advertisements all around the sites for no cost at all.

It seems as though the internet is what will help get people out of this current recession. It allows people who may have been torn from their jobs the opportunity to work at home or seek employment else where. It is doing a great deal of advertisement for many businesses especially the real estate business all around the world.

This new form of real estate web 2.0 marketing has pushed the older and slower forms to the side. With the rate of over a million people a day signing up to be apart of social media sites the playing field for the real estate market has finally begun to grow. The market is longer confided to one particular area. They can showcase homes that they offer all around the world.

Social media sites are often times being referred to as a positive shift in the right direction. With the load of people that join these sites on a daily basis, its no wonder why the real estate injury has turned to this particular source of advertisement. The industry has been able to stay a float simply because of their utilization of this new form of intriguing technology.

Want to get new buyers and sellers fast? Discover the secrets most real estate professionals will never know about getting 10-15 new clients / month with real estate web 2.0 marketing For more information, visit http://RealEstateCrusher.com now!

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by taminator

The Pros And Cons Of Using An Auto Poster Tool To Market On Craigslist

Since its inception in 1995, Craigslist.org has been the go-to site for personal bloggers, entrepreneurs, website owners, retailers and almost every other individual who has something to promote. Let’s say that you have a business and a newly-launched website. Naturally, you want people to buy your products and visit your website. This is where Craigslist comes in handy. Instead of your having to use the traditional forms of advertising – which are expensive and not as targeted as Craigslist ads – you can use an auto poster tool instead to make your job easier. With an auto poster tool, you don’t need to manually go through the process of creating e-mail accounts and keying in the word verification code – the tool that you will be using will do the job for you. We’ll learn more about this in the following sections.

The Problem

Before delving deeper into the how you can make use of an auto poster tool as a solution, let’s pinpoint the problem first. When Craigslist.org was first introduced, it became a haven where Internet marketers flock to. All they needed to do was post ads on the increasingly popular site with hardly any effort on their part. When the people behind the successful classifieds website recognized the fact that Craigslist was soon becoming a free way for Internet marketers to sell their wares online and increase their website traffic, they made the process of posting ads a bit harder.

If you don’t own use an auto poster tool, you would have to manually go through the individual steps of posting ads in Craigslist. After creating the ad and choosing the location where you want your post to be viewable, you need to enter an e-mail address, continue to the code page, accept the terms of use, check the e-mail so that you can confirm the ad, edit and finally publish the ad.

The Solution

As you can see, the process of manually creating ads in Craigslist is quite tedious. Fortunately, you can always rely on modern tools like an auto poster to make the job of posting ads a lot easier for you. Have no idea about which brand you should use? Then you should definitely check out all the features that CLAD Genius has to offer.

For years now, CLAD Genius has become the ultimate auto poster tool used by almost anybody who has something to promote online. Whether you’re a business owner, sales agent, marketer, contractor, affiliate marketer or realtor, you can make use of CLAD Genius to automate the process of posting ads online. It also has nifty features like the e-mail creator, dynamic posting and auto tracking.

All in all, an auto poster tool like CLAD Genius is a great way for you to reach out to the millions of online users if there is an ad, product or website that you wish to promote. You can select as broad or as specified a location as you want so that the ads will reach its target audience. More importantly, posting ads in classified sites like Craigslist is absolutely free – so what more can you ask for from an advertising solution?

by taminator

Web 2.0 Real Estate Marketing – Read This First

Web 2.0 real estate marketing is taking the real estate world by storm. Agents are putting aside their old tired ways of advertising and turning to the plethora of social media sites to help them on their quest to find clients instead.

The recession put a big damper on a lot of the industries around the world. The real estate industry suffered immensely from the downfall. Many people were not interested in buying homes because they feared for the worst. People figured they would rather stay in their current homes instead of taking their chances and purchasing something new.

This new Web 2.0 real estate marketing is allowing more people the opportunity to take a peak at the real estate that is being offered around the world. Agents will post their ads on sites such as Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Digg and a plethora of other social media sites in a means to get in touch with people who may be interested in buying a home.

Point blank the internet has taken over so many people’s lives. It has created a more convenient way to do just about anything that you have to. There are millions of people who are involved in the social media sites. Therefore putting different forms of advertisement on these sites as well as creating your own page will draw people to your site without any ailments.

The internet is on a quest to slowly help rebuild the economy. The internet is actually doing a great job at what it is set out to do. It is allowing people who may have lost their employment the chance to get themselves back to work through their home or by other means. It is also helping people to be able to sponsor and advertise their business so they can inadvertently make enough money to support their family.

Web 2.0 real estate marketing has allowed the industry the chance to rebuild all their scars that they suffered from the recession. These social media sites are big all around the world, so instead of staying enclosed to one particular area, agents have the chance to get everyone’s attention.

Social media sites are being called a new line to shift towards for all businesses that are trying to get more people to buy things or give services to. There are millions of people joining these sites on a daily basis, the clientele is there and waiting. The only thing you have to do is bring out the merchandise and people would be more then obliged to buy.

Want to get new buyers and sellers fast? Discover the secrets most real estate professionals will never know about getting 10-15 new clients / month with web 2.0 real estate marketing. For more information, visit http://RealEstateCrusher.com now!

by kightp

Representation and the Home Buying Process in This Market

Representation

Most people just do not appreciate the job of a realtor. Yes, while minimal training goes into being a realtor, it is none the less training that society at large has come to appreciate. An old law exists that underpins a primary purpose for realtors- statute of frauds. It is the adoption by nearly every state regarding this old law from England that governs real estate transactions and that it- if it is not in writing it does not exist. There are many paragraphs contained in a standard Real Estate Purchase Contract that each state has adopted peculiar to how common misdeeds and oversights have posed problems in that past. Certain situations that require addressing these things or additional items to a contract to be written up separately on an addendum underscore the importance for some training and expertise, so that people do not get exploited.

Now, many a transaction has taken place without realtors, that have gone just fine, which transactions are commonly called “for sale by owner”. But it is those that don’t go fine that sometimes lethal consequences can happen for the unrepresented and all instances do not involve the statute of frauds.

Usually, the largest body of investment of money within a person’s lifetime takes place during a real estate transaction. They can and do go wrong. Just ask all the people who bought way to high without the help of a realtor who could have warned them about the home being above market value, who are now in foreclosure and they will tell you, yes, most certainly, I should have had a realtor. Conversely, many more “for sale by owners” do not know that they have just “given their home away” for less than what is was worth. By the way, many know or have not cared and are less greedy than the rest of us, praise be to them. On a personal note as a realtor, it strikes me as how amazingly common it is, as I even myself was raised with a ‘garage-sale’ like mentality, that we expect not just a good deal when we are buying, but also when we are selling, and somehow call ourselves ethical and “All-American”. What about the the poor guy on the other side who didn’t get the good deal… how considerate have we been to them? Yet, we appear to have clear consciences all the way to singing ‘Dixie’.

The current problems we are having involving the sub-prime market and with bad lending practices came about because the institution built their projections on untried models. They are now re-mapping how they do that. Real estate bases its practice off of comparables, and on-the-ground information about supply and demand, not off models.

It is precisely because of such circumstances, both preserving an otherwise exploited public, to market value transactions and the statute of frauds, that the value of a realtor’s profession is honorary and civic in nature and not just about capitalistic salesmanship. It is like having insurance, we don’t like the co-op expense, but it protects those who need it. Only in this case, all benefit in some way.

Buyer Representation

In most areas the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is ran by your Local County Board of Realtors that gives listing access to participating brokerages and most brokerages, if not all, participate. You’ll need to check your local area to see if this is the case. Rules governing listings in the MLS, typically specify in the listing, or have as there norm, a percentage of commission that will be split in some fashion between a buyers agent and a sellers agent. Therefore, if the existing rules that govern, have gone through considerable trouble to get the seller to “put up” enough commissions in the asking price to cover both the sellers agent AND the buyers agent, you may want to use the system because it has made your representation free.

Now given the current system, that while the seller pays both ends when selling and as a buyer they pay nothing, there is another way to look at how cost is transferred across the table. If the seller uses a realtor to sell and then uses a realtor to buy it could have been arranged that given an equal sell of home to an equal purchase price, with a total of 6% being incurred, that a 3% charge is levied for selling and 3% for buying. Only in our current system, you pay it all when selling.

This can tend to underscore the importance as a buyer, to be sure to defer to your own realtor, if you see other realtor signs or other opportunities for things you need information on. This is in the case you plan on using the free representation of a buyers agent provided you on participating realtor sold homes. That’s right free, because the Seller has already agreed to “foot” the bill for your side of representation, already represented in the asking price.

Many people will sometimes call the sign in the yard, and as the buyer may end up choosing to have the Sellers realtor represent them, in states where it is legal. Do people understand fully that, that Sellers Agent will get both commission sides, those held out for representing his seller and now those for representing you, the buyer? So, you may want to be careful when “choosing” to “go the sign in the yard” route. If you are calling for information, you may want to introduce first that you have an agent, but that you have some questions. Don’t expect the Sellers agent to direct you toward any other representation, but what he or she will gain by wooing you with the enticements you now possibly feel for a showing of that property, which if in showing it to you, you may now tend to a felt sense of obligation toward that agent. Still, only at the very end of that trail in having the Sellers agent help you, if in making an offer, will you find in bold letters, the disclosure of such Limited Agency situation, which you now find yourself in… that ‘you do not have to go that route, but are now consenting to it’ (yes, but fine, after you’ve inadvertently made that agent do all the work and he/she is holding a pen for you to sign it).

If the Seller represents both sides, this is commonly referred to as Limited Agency. Limited Agency is when the agent that represents the Seller is also going to be representing the Buyer. Limited Agency has the following possible disadvantages:

The listing or LIMITED realtor may not be inclined to:

Go after information that can be used to leverage your position as a buyer and there are all kinds of questions a buyers realtor can ask the listing realtor if they are astute to the art of negotiations that appreciates that knowledge is power.

Share with you any reasons why not to buy “this” property.

Negotiate the best price and terms for you, because that would hurt the interests of his Seller.

Include contingencies in the contract that protect YOU rather than the seller, including standard clauses.

Keep confidential any information that could hurt your bargaining position. This is where your bottom-line on price or something else that is confidential, un-be-knownst to you, may have been shared with the Seller.

Remain neutral, when taking sides is an option.  For example; a parent would never confess to admitting to having a favorite child, even if his/her siblings know who the favorite is.

Where Limited Agency is legal there is a possible advantage:

It is possible that you may have less trouble melding terms you know the Seller will accept when his/her agent is also present to help you with yours; typically when you thing you can make your case stronger than the other agent. Although it may not always happen ideally, the Limited Agent can try to depict an objective picture of value, when it comes to helping you negotiate an asking price. However, fiduciary (or ethical) duties keep the ‘Limited’ Agent from giving away the Sellers motivations, bottom line, etc. In other words, the agent is bound by fiduciary duty to become less involved in sharing or ‘going after’ otherwise tedious (research driven) or privy information. Thus, the Limited Agent acts as neutral as possible.

Remember that in most cases, having an agent, can really help you, both in your search process and in being represented well. Now may be the time, to become knowledgeable and comfortable with the choice of an agent and thereby in finding your dream home to be purchased.

The above information can depend on the area so check with local professionals deemed by local (sometimes national) governments to be the appropriate professionals for consulting and doing real estate transactions, including disclosure for appropriate professionals in all areas of expertise and confirming or denying any information held in this article.

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by Christopher Robin Baker / tophertron / C4

Out-selling the Sellers: How to Gain That Illusive “leg-up” in Real Estate

As some of you may know, The road to my personal success was not at all the “fast-track” it would appear to be at first glance. Yes, I am very young in comparison to most of my entrepreneurial counterparts, and yes, I have reached a certain plateau of success and stability that not very many investors get to by this stage in the game. But that does NOT at all mean the pathway was smooth and favorable the entire way. On the contrary, I found myself in many situations where it was my quick adaptability and overall grit that saved my skin. And in that spirit, I want to share with you some of the greatest lessons I learned within the dog-eat-dog realm of Real Estate. So that hopefully, you won’t have to make quite as many “down-to-the-wire” close calls as I’ve had to. Throughout my years of investing and working in the Real Estate industry, I’ve observed that there are generally three major types of realtor:

First, there are the Producers, or those to whom success seems to come naturally. They ATTRACT it, or perhaps it attracts them. Either way, this is where you and everyone else wants to be. Producers seem to have some secret edge, propelling them that tiny bit over the competition and making all the difference in the end. We’ll talk more about this in a few moments.

Next, there are the Performers, or those who get by nicely, and seem to have some measured success, but can’t seem to ever really get ahead. They sell an average number of houses, and their overall performance is pretty much level with what’s expected of them. The Performer looks on at the Producer, desperately wanting membership in that upper echelon of sales and success, but never knowing quite how to get there.

Finally, there are the Survivors, or those who scrape by on the bare minimum level of sales performance. Survivors do exactly what’s necessary to keep them in business, and no more. They live on the edge of utter failure and are constantly being kicked about by the fierce competition around them. Survivors do not generally last long in the Real Estate industry.

Now that we’ve identified the three major types of realtor, Go ahead and ask yourself, “which one am I?” If you answered anything besides “Producer,” you may be in some trouble. If you consider current housing market conditions alone as the driving force behind the Real Estate industry’s competitive nature, it stands to reason that only the upper echelon of PRODUCERS will be left standing when the smoke clears. So, let’s take a closer look at some of the chief characteristics which make a PRODUCER stand out:

1. They are SELF MOTIVATED — Producers do not wait to be told by their broker or sales team manager that they need to spend more time training, or scouting neighborhoods. They get up, and they DO IT.

2. They are LEARNERS — Constant learning is a way of life for the Producer, because the Producer knows better than most that the game is ALWAYS CHANGING.

3. They are DEDICATED — Producers do not let the first hiccup or bump in the road sway them from their success. They pick themselves up and soldier on to the reward that awaits them.

…I hope this information helps you achieve your goals, no matter what stage of the Real Estate game you may currently be in.

Yours in Success, Chad C. Childress

http://www.reauonline.com

by taminator

Getting Started With Web 2.0 Real Estate Marketing

Web 2.0 real estate marketing is one of the easier and cheaper forms of advertising to get into to start marketing your business more effectively. In the current economic situation, the areas where most companies can save an enormous amount of money provides and they do things the right way, is their advertising.

Traditionally, advertising has always been one of the most expensive overheads of any company but with the advent of the internet, you can even get plenty of free advertising which is still very effective. Web 2. 0 real estate marketing relies on the social media on the Internet for advertising and for the most part, it is completely free to use.

However, it is a little difficult to get into and deploy in the correct way. If you succeed, web 2. 0 real estate marketing can bring results that you never thought possible. By social networking, this means various sites such as YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and StumbleUpon but there are many, many more.

Social networking has grown enormously in recent years, and indeed it is one of the most common reasons why people even use the Internet at all. It is far more than just a way to keep in touch with friends and colleagues but it is also becoming one of the most powerful advertising tools available today.

To get yourself started in internet advertising, it is a good idea to have a blog or some kind of website which is regularly updated. Blogging has the huge advantage of being extremely easy, at least relative to starting any other kind of websites. It does not have a particularly steep learning curve and anyone can do this without having to spend huge amounts of money to hire a professional web designer.

Once you start a blog, the articles that you post on it can have buttons affixed to them. These buttons and will allow the viewers of your articles to share articles that they enjoy a with their friends by posting them on to the social networking sites.

It is very simple and all they have to do is click the button if they like the article so if you have quite a lot of visitors then you will get a lot of advertising this way, bringing more back links to your website and causing a traffic to increase exponentially.

You don’t have to spend any money to get started other than the registration of your domain names and the hosting. The costs of this are negligible and a typical website with its own domain name is unlikely to cost more than about .00 per month.

Get 10-15 new clients / month with web 2.0 real estate marketing. For more information, visit http://RealEstateCrusher.com now!

by taminator

Austin Real Estate, Mortgage, Networking & Internet Experts to Present Business Boot Camp Tuesday, June 15th 12-3 P.M

Since the beginning of the year some of Austin’s top productivity experts have been presenting a series of workshops geared towards helping business people and entrepreneurs increase their productivity. Their Business Boot Camps have become quite popular and cover a myriad of topics from database strategies & internet marketing programs to networking and goal setting. The Boot Camps are held the third Tuesday of each month at various locations. These power packed presentations cover cutting edge productivity technologies that really work in the “new economy”. The presentations are held in “Modules” so that you can attend one or all of them as schedules permit:

Module One – 12:00 to 12:45 – “The 12 Steps to Goal Setting and Achieving” – Presented by Top Austin Real Estate Marketer, Kenn Renner of BuyAustin.Com

Module Two – 12:45 to 1:30 – “Strategies for Building Your Inner Circle” – Presented by database expert Kenton Brown, V.P. Sente Mortgage

Module Three – 1:30 to 2:15 – “Key Website and Internet Marketing Strategies” – Presented by internet expert, Joshua Geary of Best Online Results.

Module Four – 2:15 to 3:00 – “Your Elevator Speech – The 30 Second Sizzle” – Presented by networking expert – Scott Carley of Growth Dynamics

Austin’s top productivity professionals will present this free business boot camp on Tuesday June 15th from 12 – 3 P.M. at the Sente Learning Center, 901 S Mo Pac,Bldg. IV, Suite 125, Austin, TX. (behind Texas Land & Cattle)

The seminar is open to everyone so invite a friend!

To Register visit www.businessbootcampaustin.com

Business, Boot, Camp, Austin, TX, Real, Estate, Expert, Kenn, Renner, Networking, Realtor, Knowledge, Learning, Education, Information

www.RealEstateIndustryWhistleblower.com Crystal L. Cox – Broker – Ten Lakes Realty, Get the National Association of Realtors OUT of Real Estate. They are NOT of a Higher Standard. NAR is hurting the Real Estate Consumer Everyday and they DO NOT offer you, the Real Estate Victim and Protection in your Real Estate transaction. I want you to know the Truth about the Real Estate Industry. Not the Fluff, the how to, and what you should do to make OTHER people rich from your Equity, your life and YOUR money.. but what you need to know to navigate their Games… My “agenda” is not hate, not negativity.. my Agenda, my Goal is the TRUTH… you NEED to know.. Realtors in the Field, in your life, most are trying to be good and honest, but they CANNOT truly protect you. They do not know enough, they are not taught how to really protect you. Realtors Protect Realtors. NAR does NOT hold Realtors accountable for lies they tell. Real Estate Laws are hard enough to ACTUALLY enforce, so enforcing Ethics or Standards of Practice.. NO Way, Good Luck on that One. How to Get a Real Estate License – Forget it… Selling without a Realtor, Internet Marketing for the FSBO.. know more.

More Realtor Internet Marketing Articles

by laudu

Choosing Your Real Estate Agent

To start your San Fernando Valley real estate home buying process, you will want to choose a good San Fernando Valley Realtor to assist you with locating the right property that meets your criteria, needs and price range.  Finding the right agent will save you time and money and ensure that your home buying experience is smooth and enjoyable.

How to Find a Good Agent?

Referrals. One of the best ways to find a good San Fernando Valley Realtor is to get a referral from a friend, family member, business associate, attorney or CPA. Real estate professionals stay in business by obtaining referrals from past clients and through repeat business. You can expect to receive excellent customer service from a real estate agent that has been referred to you from one of their past clients. 

Driving the Area or Open Houses. If you are interested in Sherman Oaks real estate or the surrounding areas of Encino or Van Nuys, you may want to drive around those neighborhoods and look for signs of Realtors who predominately work those areas. Visiting open houses allows you to speak to the Realtor face to face and form an impression of how they do business. The way the agent treats and greets potential buyers is a good indication of the type of service you can expect from that person.

The agent should be knowledgeable about the homes for sale in the area and about the current market trends. An experienced and well informed agent will bring information to their open houses about other listings as well as other properties in the area in case a buyer like you walks in and is looking for a slightly different property. Realtors not only conduct open houses to market and sell their listings, but also to meet potential new buyers and sellers.     

Internet. According to the National Association of Realtors, 87% of buyers start their home buying process on the Internet.  For instance, if you Google San Fernando Valley real estate or Sherman Oaks real estate, several Realtor websites will come up on the page. By browsing through a number of websites, you can get a sense of whether or not you would like to do business with that person. The easiest way to find out is to contact them, and see how long it takes them to respond, or if they even respond.  The agent should respond to you within 24 hrs. either by email or telephone. The real estate business is a customer service oriented business so if the person does not have the courtesy to acknowledge you, then move on to someone that does.

Newspapers or Real Estate Magazines. The local Saturday or Sunday real estate section of the Los Angeles Times San Fernando Valley section is full of information about San Fernando Valley homes for sale. The major real estate brokerage firms and individual agents who work for those firms advertise their listings and services on a continuous basis. They also advertise in such publications as the Homes & Land Magazine and other real estate publications and magazines. You should be able to find a San Fernando Valley Realtor by using these resources as well.

Characteristics and Qualities of a Good Real Estate Agent

Provides excellent customer service Knowledgeable and experienced about the market place and current trends Trustworthy and honest Good listener Skillful Negotiator Technology savvy Answers Your Questions Member of the National Association of Realtors which adheres to a higher standard of professionalism and ethics

Any San Fernando Valley agent can show you property, but not every real estate agent is willing to go the extra mile to provide you with excellent customer service by putting your interests first. 

Your agent should know and understand the San Fernando Valley real estate market so that they are only showing your homes that meet your specific criteria and needs. A good San Fernando Valley Realtor will preview homes to weed out the ones that are not right for you so they do not waste time showing you the wrong property. 

Top producing agents use the latest technology and will provide you with the tools to help you find your dream home. 

Your San Fernando Valley Realtor should explain the home buying process to you and answer your questions.

Since you are relying on your agent’s expertise, knowledge and skill to help you with the contract negotiations, assist you with obtaining financing and being there every step of the way from escrow to closing and after closing, it is important for you to work with the right agent that provides you with the best service and highest standard of professionalism and ethics.

More Realtor Training Articles

by llaves

Real Estate Marketing Ideas From Top Producing Agents

What’s the first thought that pops in your head when somebody talks to you about a referral letter marketing method for Realtors? I’ll bet you you think I’m talking about getting letters of recommendation and testimonials from your past clients, right?

That’s a effective marketing idea for Realtors too. Although, I’m talking about getting yourself an overflow of clients sent to you by professionals like attorneys, contractors, CPA’s and landscapers. And all it’ll require is just a personal letter written by you, the world’s most fantastic Realtor.

Here’s the referral letter marketing theory for Realtors or agents in a nutshell: generate a list of professionals that are likely to have clients that could potentially be your clients too. Then, sending it by regular mail, compose a personal letter to your list of respected professionals.

Be sure you get unique and use an envelope that stands out from every other white, standard envelope in the mail. If doable, telephone each professional that receives your letter, as a follow up project.

There are a ton of “top producing” Realtors who apply this single method to create the majority of their closings. There’s nothing unethical with following the leader.

The 1st step in this process is making a list of these respected professionals that you desire to build relationships with…

- CPA’s

- Lenders (understandable, correct?)

- Financial Advisors

- Real Estate Attorneys

- General Contractors

- Real Estate Appraisers

- Escrow Officers

- Electricians

- Plumbers

- Residential Landscapers

- Tree Trimming Professionals

- Handyman Contractors

- Get the picture?…

Of course, there are countless more professionals to add to the list but that’ll get you going for now.

So how do you get this full list of specific professionals to market to? Fantastic question, glad you asked. Depending on how many marketing dollars you have, there are a duo of options for you.

Looking through the yellow pages, on-line, is a economical option. You must already have a geographical area you stick to so you’ll want to stay within that region, for the most part. The time consuming component about this option is the manual labor.

You have to go through each person listed and find their name, phone number and mailing address. It may take you a while but if you have more time than marketing dollars, this is the way to go.

The other option for you is to just pay money for a list of these professionals that you wish to market to. In the same way you’re probably on one or more Realtor or agent lists being sold out there, just about every profession has their own list for sale too.

Don’t worry, these types of lists are not unethical or anything. Some people don’t know but these types of lists are compiled and available for sale if professionals, like us real estate agents, join an association or give their info to a publication that they subscribe to.

You have more than decent choices when it comes to picking a list company to purchase your list from. The list company you choose should be able to provide you with every profession you’ll require, rather than going to one company for a CPA list, another company for an attorney list, and so on. I assure you, it’ll cost you a few dollars for this list but it’s going to salvage you hours of valued time!

However you prefer to obtain your list of professionals, once you have it, it’s time to begin writing your “personalized” letter. I don’t have space here to instruct you about copywriting, regrettably. That’s a subject all by itself.

Just understand for now that you don’t want your referral letter to be a “sales letter”.

When one of these professionals gets this referral marketing letter, they need to feel like they’re the only one who got it, even though you could copy most of it and mail it to other professionals.

It’s all about writing the letter as if you were talking to the person face-to-face. Don’t apply the same flavorless language that your bank does when they send you a boring letter in the mail. Speak to them like a real human being and catch their curiosity.

As a side remark, personalizing your marketing goes for all your Realtor marketing ideas, like postcards, emails, articles, ads, etc.

What the heart of this letter needs to tell them is that you desire to refer business back and forth, not simply take and take and take from them. The ultimate result you’re looking for is to be their favorite Realtor for all their clients who require real estate services. Don’t tick off these professionals by “selling” them, but alternatively, show them however they’re going to profit, o.k.?

If you happen to know a personal tid bit about their company or a customer they’ve worked with, toss it in your letter. Perhaps you personally know of a client who’s used that professional, toss that in the letter too. Unless you begin talking about their momma, there’s no way you can get excessively personal.

Penning this marketing letter yourself would be my huge, chief suggestion. But, if you utterly detest writing this kind of marketing letter, your other alternative is to locate a good freelance writer to do it.

Just type in “independent writers” on Google and you’ll see many individuals to pick from. With a number of companies, they even permit you to sort through their writers from across the globe. It’s nifty since you can sometimes check their reviews, pricing and even send them a question to “interview them”. In several cases, posting a project you want written and letting freelance writers apply, is allowed. It’s excellent.

Ok, so now that you have your marketing list and referral letter written, it’s time to send it out. Only whatever you do, please do not send your letter in a regular white envelope like we see everyday of our lives… please!

Get another unusual mailing package or envelope with a little color or size to it. Your intention is to stick out like a sore thumb, in a good way, from all the mail your list will be receiving. I’d also advise you to write the mailing and return addresses by hand so that you increase the “personal” look of your letter.

When you gather your mail, which pieces do you open right away and which ones do you toss without a second look? The precedence goes to letters where the sender hand-wrote the address, everytime!

A bonus you’ll want to include, in the package, is some sort of marketing piece in addition to your referral letter. This may be a video you create using Animoto that showcases who you are and why they must pay attention.

A friend of mine used poker chips as his marketing thing when he sent out a mailing for his life insurance business. His slogan on the poker chips was “Don’t Gamble on Your Life”.

Sheer brilliance! That’s the sort of creative juice you need to have flowing if you want to be the top dog Realtor or agent in your area.

With this referral letter, make certain you specify for these professionals to not only call your phone, if they want, but also to check out your blog or website. Give them the choice but make certain you give them both. You can never tell who hates talking on the phone and who hates looking at websites.

The final step we’ll address is absolutely critical. Repetition is king when it comes to marketing. If you look at marketing statistics in general, it’s been shown that consumers and prospects need to hear or view the same marketing message more than 6-7 times before they feel comfy enough to respond.

So the obvious “take-away” is that you must continue to market to these professionals on your list, more than once. Following up with these professionals with another letter or a telephone call every 4 weeks or so would be my suggestion. If you were able to get or buy their email address, feel free to start emailing them as well.

As it is with dating, you need to be careful to not smother and bother them or else you can bet on never getting referrals from them, ever. It’s a fine line but you need to tell them why you should be their “go-to” Realtor without coming across in a rude or annoying style.

As a side note, if you have the marketing funds but don’t have the time, think about hiring a teen or college kid to stuff these mailers. Your college kid or teenager can stuff all the envelopes and address them but I’d still suggest for you to pen the referral letter yourself.

This sort of hired-hand will be about as inexpensive as you can get and you’ll salvage so much time that you won’t know what to do with yourself.

In the end, I feel this is one of the most outstanding marketing tips for Realtors to ensure a long, successful career without a million-dollar marketing budget. If you construct these relationships correctly, they can bring you so many leads that you won’t need to actively promote or market your real estate business in any other way.

Trust me, the cash will come as long as you focus on helping them as much as you need them to help you!

Shiloh Street University is an online marketing school for Realtors, dedicated to “Creating Wealthy Agents through World-Class Marketing” by providing step-by-step video on top real estate marketing products and real estate agent marketing advice.

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