Owner: Matthew Zgonc - Active Rain URL:http://activerain.com/blogs/m_zgonc Join Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 01:13:35 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: agent, real estate, buyer's agent, seller's agent, seller, buyer, ERA, marketing, market, realty, realtor, referrals, home, homes, settings, blogs, blogging, advertisements, direct marketing, accredited buyer representatives, professional, Oakda Site statistics:Click here
Ways to get your face out there at little or no cost 2007-10-28 00:49:50 One of the big things that people have a hard time doing when they are new is to get their face out into their area, especially on a tight budget. I have a list of 5 things that could be beneficial to new agents.1. Become involved in the community through activities such as attending city council meetings, donating your time, etc. (can also include religious affiliations). 2. Drop business cards everywhere. When you eat at a local establishment many times they have bulletin boards that you can post (with permission of course). Get to know the people that work there and at many establishments they will allow you to put a business card holder in there.3. Hold a community event or barbeque. During Easter time sponsor an Easter Egg Hunt in your neighborhood or one close by, for example. You might be able to get the local paper to do a press release for free. 4. Use some direct marketing, such as door hangers and post cards that can be sent to your spheres of influen Read more:little
The Reason I got into Real Estate 2007-10-26 13:41:56 Real Estate
! Those two little words. People envision being wealthy in this venture. To be able to create a lifestyle that they never possibly could dream of. That is why many people get into this occupation. I had bought a house in a very nice area of Stanislaus County, but I went through 7 Top Producing Realtors before I found one that I trusted enough to buy from. Why seven? For the most part because of the arrogance that they demonstrated. The customer service from most of them were almost Zero, and I don't need to be told that I am walking into a kitchen. I felt be-littled!, and many of them took the attitude, well I am going to sell three houses this week, and if you are not signing right this second you were not worth my time. I also got upset over the fact that they were always rescheduling or were late, without giving notice. This motivated me to go and get my Real Estate
License, that summer. Signed up for a class in July and to Read more:Reason
Real Estate Follow Up Calls 2007-11-01 00:15:30 When I first became an agent, I learned how to develop my sphere of influence through networking, sending post cards and pop by's. I had an agent training me in the Buffini System. Just some things that I learned on my own. 1. Call clients at times that are convenient for them. If they work at night, don't call them while they are sleeping. 2. Don't just show up. Call ahead of time and arrange a meeting so that it is convenient for the client.3. Be real. Don't be a fake and don't sound like you are reading from a script. Many people just read the script. Clients know when a person are using one. Remember telemarketers.4. Keep in contact at least monthly. Most people liked the agent they bought a house from, but very few can remember their agent's name. These people are a great basis for referrals in the future. Especially if they had an excellent experience with you as their realtor. 5.&nbs Read more:Estate
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Good help 2007-10-31 00:27:39 I have read many complaints from Realtors regarding part-time agents and assistants. Yes, in every field there are some people that are lazy and should not be in a given field. But, when you do find a good assistant to help you with your everyday things, it is important to make sure that they feel appreciated. I am really fortunately in that my wife acts as my assistant. She has been an essential entity especially with linking my website to other sites and finding marketing tools to help me. Without her, I would have never found Active Rain. For that I am extremely thankful. I have made some good associations on this site and learned many marketing tools like the point2agent site that my wife discovered for me. She optimizes the website and looks for ways to improve it on a daily basis. She also discovered that my ERA company will send monthly newsletters to my clients for free. Again, I am lucky that my spouse can help me in areas to imp
First Impressions 2007-10-30 00:10:51 Everyday we make first impressions about people we meet. Whether it be right or wrong, everyone does it. This is especially true when we meet clients for the first time. Before you even open your mouth, the client will have determined, generally, whether or not they are going to list with you. Your presentation will show if you are organized or if you are a waste of time to them. So advice to the new professionals out there, be organized, well-dressed, smell good, and use a breath mint before you meet the client. Then blow them away with your presentation. Remember, you don't want to lose a listing because you didn't use a breath mint or forgot to floss. It is essential to be a consummate professional, otherwise there are many other agents that are more than willing to take your place. Read more:First
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The valuable resources of point 2 agent 2007-10-29 23:58:23 I am a fairly new agent to Active Rain. My wife recently stumbled upon the point
2agent website resource. Not only is the standard version free, but the look is that of a website that can be generated for thousands of dollars. I like the fact that you can change the format of the page very easily and the templates are extremely easy to use. They are very user-friendly and you can create the page in very little time. There are different functions on the site that show listings, buyers hints, sellers hints, and the weather for the area. Being the fact it is very easy to use makes it very efficient with the short amount of time us agents, especially us part time agents have in the work day to spend marketing ourselves. Please check out my site at http://matthewzgonc.point2agent.com
First Time Home Buyers 2007-10-29 00:08:34 When a person starts to buy their first home there is a lot of excitement, fear and tons and tons of stress. The statistics show that buying or selling a home is one of the leading causes of divorce in our country. I discovered that there are areas that first time home buyers need explained to them, to help decrease the amount of stress throughout the process.One of these areas that need to be explained is the differences between a pre-approval letter and good faith estimates. I can count numerous times when clients come to me after I tell them to get pre-approval and they bring back a letter in which they are pre-qualified and show me a good faith estimate, many times without their credit being ran. I explain to them that their good faith estimate is just that (an estimate) and that there is no guarantee they will get that rate or approval, and that they need to have their credit run so that I can effetively target the price range that they actually do qualify for. I also Read more:First
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Providing Good Service 2007-11-05 16:29:35 In addition to selling homes, it is essential to make sure that you clients are fitted with the resources that they need. I know any time that I have moved I have had to find electric companies, cable, water, etc. It is a major inconvenience having to go through the phone book trying to find this stuff. A solution I try to do is to give a sheet to my clients that contains this stuff. In addition to utility service, I include blinds, carpet, paint, gardening, landscaping, pest control, and close restaurants. I will include this list in another post if people are interested. People are under enough stress moving in the first place, by providing this type of customer service, it will not only help your clients but shows that you go beyond the dotted line. Read more:Service
The Procrastinator 2007-11-05 16:23:56 Many of the pitfalls that many real estate agents encounter is the lack of time throughout the day. Therefore it is important to manage our time wisely so we can be as efficient as possible. Despite doing this, and maybe many of you can relate, there are certain things that we do not want to do as realtors and put off as much as possible. Many of these items could be lead calling, using our sphere of influence, or doing pop-bys. For each of us there are things that we want to put off until the last second. The successful people in real estate, or any career, may feel that they do not want to do it, but make the point of doing it anyway. What would the United States be today, if Abraham Lincoln had given up after losing his first election? He kept plugging away and kept losing and losing until he won one: The President of the United States. He probably felt like oh, I want to put this off, because it is depressing, but he kept persevering,
Consumers are there 2007-11-01 23:53:04 I am an agent in the number one foreclosure area in the nation. People are being evicted and leaving their homes in droves. The numbers have it that 1 in 100 homes are in the process of being foreclosed upon. The picture I paint is not pretty. Many realtors have left the business in the last year and many are in danger of being in foreclosure themselves. But alas, all is not lost, because in this scenario, one thing give hope to all those agents that are suffering their worst year possibly ever: There are customers out there. Yes the market is saturated with houses. Yes the banks are taking over 45 days to respond on short sales. But now is the time, especially with the Federal Reserve dropping the Fed Funds rate by a quarter point to look for buyers. With banks wanting to dump their losses prior to the end of the year, now is an ideal time for investors to get into the market place and for real estate agents to seek these investors
Realtor's Beware 2007-11-01 23:40:08 Everyone is extremely focused upon the Internet and advertising. Beware
of people that make promises that they can take you to page one of Google or other search engines almost overnight. For those of you out there that are able to optimize your web pages yourselves I applaud you. It is an extremely difficult process to find out what key words will help the spiders come and increase your traffic. For those of you that do not know how to optimize your web sites just a few hints of wisdom.1. Don't ever hire anyone that guarantees that they will have you on page one instantly or within a few weeks. Any SEO person worth their money will tell you it takes a while for the spiders to help increase traffic.2. Read the testimonials and check out their customer service feedback through the Better Business Bureau if you have any doubts.3. Always request proofs of your site as it is in the process of either being developed or organized, so that you can Read more:Realtor
Get your short sale done quicker. 2007-11-09 15:44:03 In many markets across the United States, the term short sale is getting to be very well-known among agents, loan officers and banks. It can be the kiss of death with a sale, since it takes longer to do, usually. I am including some helpful hints for consumers and agents to help speed up the process. By the way, the reason many homes are going to auction is because consumers wait until the last moment to do the items below. 1. If your listing is going to be a short sale. Have the homeowner immediately send the permission and hardship letter to the bank so that the title company and agents can communicate with the bank directly.2. Request the short sale packet from the lender immediately. 3. Try to get preliminary approval for a certain price on the home ahead of time. I realize that some lenders will not do that unless an offer is on the place, but it is always good to try.4. Find out the policies on commission of the bank you are deal
Active vs Stagnant Advertising 2007-11-07 15:57:27 Billions of dollars are spent each year on advertising. It almost seems that everywhere we go that someone or something is trying to sell a product. There are many different forms of advertising which I will spare thhat discussion on this blog, but what matters is whether your advertising is active or stagnant. Many people in the area I am at continuously are pumping down thousands of dollars a month on stagnant advertising, but how do you know the differece.Active
advertising in terms of real estate would be things that you do to advertise that generate leads or sales. Stagnant advertising would be things you do to advertise that get poor response. Sometimes it does take a little bit especially with new advertising to get a following. After a few months, then it is stagnant advertising.Here are a few tips to keep your advertising active.1. Track the response of the ad by the $ spent and the amount of leads and sales generated.2. Stay focused o Read more:Advertising
If you wait it will get better 2007-11-06 16:10:34 Many realtors as shown in a few featured blogs are leaving the market, because of how poor the conditions are right now for realtors. This housing correction has been long overdue in many markets and we should see the bottom of it in many areas by probably the end of next year. What do you do until the real estate market becomes the frenzy it was 2 years ago? Stick to the following basics:Market wisely to maximize exposure at minimal cost.Perfectly practice scripts: Practice makes habit. Perfect practrice makes perfect.Understand your market. Know your facts. Where is stuff selling? Why is it selling?Utilize your Sphere of Influence. Wait! This is what you were doing two years ago. The difference is the phone isn't ringing off the hook every ten seconds with a new client. If you wait it out the market is going to turn around. Right now bargain hunters and investors are entering the market (Usually the light at the end of the tunnel). It will Read more:better
Be professional! Be on time! 2007-11-06 15:54:39 Outside of a person being unprofessional
the one problem I have with many real estate agents is being on time. In my office and at marketing meetings it is often joked about that there is regular time and then there is realtor time. In my area, the first few meetings I had, I scheduled for 6pm. I got to the clients houses at 5:55 and knocked on the door at 6:00pm. The people looked at me and said, "we weren't expecting you for another 15 minutes at least." I later found that the majority of realtors that they had worked with were always late, or constantly rescheduling appointments. I make it a policy to be there at the specified time or call way in advance and notify them I am running late (which is rarely). I have a list of 4 tips to ensure that you get to an appointment on time.1. Don't squeeze appointments together. Give yourself enough time to effectively do one appointment and then the other.2.
Be Active 2007-11-14 17:05:56 Many people in the good times of real estate were able to get away from the basics and let the sellers come to them. Those days are over. If you want the buyers, then you will have to go out and get them. But what to do? This will vary depending on the area, the market and clients. However the following is a suggested list of things to do:1. Introduce yourself to anyone you meet, and give them a card.2. Drop business cards at different locations. 3. A monthly mailer to your farms. 4. Walk your farms and meet the people in the area.5. Hold an event in your neighborhood, such as a garage sale or easter egg hunt. The more you get your name out there, the better the response will be. Read more:Active
Professionalism 2007-11-13 16:34:34 I understand that real estate is a very competitive business and I want nothing more than to make the sale as the next agent. However, I am seeing this competition being taken to extremes by some brokerages and agents. For example a few months ago a colleague of mine was doing an open house near another company's open house. He got lots of clients at first then everyone stopped showing up. He checked the signs and all his signs were knocked over. He got clients for about half an hour and then all of a sudden nothing. He checked his sign again and found that his signs were knocked over again and one was put over a fence. Another example of this is I filled my flier box up with signs and 24 hours later, I check and every flier is gone from every box on the street but one company's. It is hard enough to sell a house when banks are tightening standards to get a loan, but to be unethical and do those things are downright unprofess
How to keep Customers 2007-11-13 16:20:40 The following is a list of things how to keep customers. This is a combination of things I have learned from different "systems" and experience.1. Keep in contact. Whether it be a pop by or a call once a month. Keep the communication open. They are more apt to use you again if you do.2. Be professional. Look and act the part. I know of agents who got into temper tantrums with spouses during a listing appointment. The people loved the house, but wanted another agent to close the transaction.3. Be Trustworthy: If you don't know something, say I don't know but find out. No one likes a know it all. They will respect you more if you are honest.4. Be available: Customers are only as loyal as your availability. If you can't make a meeting, chances are they will find someone who will be able to show them the house when they want.5. Do something dif
The delay with REO's 2007-11-19 15:27:58 I ran into an unusual situation about a month ago, with an REO property. In my area there have been a lot of scams, with people ripping off mortgage companies and couples buying homes. After spending about an hour of research, I found that it was indeed a legitimate property and the realtor was confirmed to be the listing agent. Which relieved my clients. However, they are frustrated as to the delay with the investor getting back to them on the property. I know companies are swamped, but if you are the selling agent, do the other agent a favor and don't claim to be able to get the response within a week or two (unless that is the track record for that company), if the investor is swamped with short sale offers. My experience with REO's is that it takes them a minimum a month to get a response to a short sale offer or REO offer. What has your experiences been with REO's?
Tis the Season to Sell Houses 2007-11-16 15:49:36 Now that the holiday season is upon us, it is a time of year when many markets dry up until January, February, or March. Well in many of our market, that has already happened to us. So why not sell houses during this time of year. Is it that we are assuming that buyers want to wait until after the holiday season to buy houses, or is it that there is no one out there for that. Most of our production is directly related to effort. The more energy you put into actively utilizing resources and leads, the more clients you have and the better chance to sell homes. Granted many people do slip into panic mode during the holidays and don't want to buy. But there are the clients out there that realize that rates are at a low level and houses are at a bargain. So stay motivated and go out there and tis the season to sell houses. Read more:Season
What is the best camera out there for Real Estate? 2007-11-15 15:49:46 When I first started real estate, little did I know that I needed to take photography classes to capture the essence of a room. I soon found that the camera you have makes the difference between a room looking small and a room looking majestic. The camera is perhaps the most important tool that a realtor needs to present listings, next to their computer. I pass this question out there to all the different realtors in the business, what camera do you use? Why would you recommend it or not? Read more:Estate
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Your Website,a Major Lifeline! 2007-11-21 13:01:28 In my area, I am astonished as to how many agents do not have a separate website that promotes their name. I do realize that some agents may be new and may not have the advertising dollars to spend money on creating a web site or do not have the expertise to maintain one. I also realize that some agents may be forbidden by their companies to have a website that is not associated with the company. But a good, clean website is extremely important to making a positive impression on your clients. It needs to be easy to use as well as be sufficient to support all the needs of potential clients. If you make it a one stop service area, then they will not have the need or desire to go to a different website. Keeping them at your site is important to securing a good qualified lead. By keeping them there, it makes it easy for them to find the house that they are looking for, prior to them even contacting you. Remember, your website can bring customers in, or drive customers away Read more:Major
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Customers, What are you Looking for? 2007-11-20 15:23:22 Every one tries to target customers or consumers. But many people don't ask the customers what annoys you? What do you like? What misconceptions do you have about real estate? In order to best target your audience you need to know what they are looking for, right now and be one step above them. Some of the best marketing campaigns failed miserably. Why? Because they did not emphasize the product that was being sold, or consumers failed to see the benefit of the product out there. Is that how customers see you?
Drowning? Customers are your life-line 2007-11-20 15:15:30 Many realtors are having a hard time in areas that have been severly affected by the mortgage companies tightening loan requirements and the sub-prime defaults and foreclosures. But many are thriving in this time where bargains are the name of the game. What separates out these realtors? Why are they thriving when others are drowning? It is very simple, actually. The following things are what the thriving realtors are doing over the ones that are drowning or barely keeping their heads above water.1. Work smarter not harder. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity, as Einstein once said. The same can be said about real estate. Doing the same routine in this market and hoping for the phone to ring is not going to be effective.2. Distance yourself from you competitors: Do you do something different than others? Do you specialize in something? Find something that makes you u
Know if you use Deeds of Trusts or Mortgages 2007-11-30 15:36:17 I live in a state that is very unique. Half of the state has deeds of trusts, the others have mortgages. There are only a handful of states that use mortgages and the majority use the deed of trust. The major difference lies after a person defaults. With a mortgage, the laws are different and the owner can buy back the home after the auction for the default has occurred. While in a deed of trust the sale is the final piece to the house selling, which is why most states use it. I know that most people don't have to worry about the difference, but in states where both are used, which there are a few, it is important to know whether it is a mortgage or a deed of trust that a person is getting when they purchase a home.
Know your neighborhoods 2007-11-30 15:20:39 In my town, each neighborhood tells a unique and different story. Some neighborhoods show the age and growth, while others have unique traits. Regardless of what the neighborhood has to offer, it is essential to know the different neighborhoods around your city. When a person states that they want a school in a certain district, you can know which neighborhoods to give them listings for without too much research. It will make you look prepared and very organized, which you in fact are. My town also has different types of houses such as Victorian, Contemporary, etc. By knowing the types of houses in each neighborhood as well, you can find something quickly that fits the needs of your clients. Knowing your neighborhoods will make a world of difference.
Beware of first impressions! 2007-11-29 15:50:44 In real estate we come upon people from all sorts of walks of life, from the blue collar to the white collar worker. It is extremely important for your reputation that we treat all of them with the respect that they deserve and the service you would give to Bill Gates. This did not happen to me, but it did happen to a colleague of mine. A family was looking for an agent for purchasing a new house. The people drove a beat-up car and were dressed in ragged clothing. He asked if they had a pre-qual letter and found that they were approved up to $100,000 for a loan in this market. He realized that if he sold something to them he would only get $1700 net, and really didn't put too much effort into finding them a house. Dissatisfied with his service they went to another agent. Same scenario, but the other agent treated them with respect and dignity and they bought a house from him. What the first agent didn't know was that the buyer was a multi-millionaire who was looking Read more:Beware
Four Ways to Spot a Scam 2007-11-28 16:19:56 With the trouble in the mortgage and real estate industry it is essential to your clients to be able to spot scams. Although some may be difficult to spot, others can follow one of these patterns.1. They ask the seller to help mortgage the property, usually 10-20 percent. Although notes are common in many states, this is a different situation. In some cases, carry the loan altogether.2. They refuse to give you their real estate license number, if asked. 3. They offer to buy up the equity in your home and allow you to stay in it as long as you like rent free. Note: They then evict you for non-payment of the rent after three months.4. They offer a deal that is too good to be true. Not every instance of these are scams, but it is good to be cautious and protect our sellers and buyers from scams that are similar to these, by knowing what is going on in your area. #3 is a very common scam in my area, and the practice continues. If you have a sick feeling about someth
What makes a good agent? 2007-11-28 15:35:48 As I have read on Active Rain, I am realizing that real estate agents have a bad reputation. If reputation is all you have, then we need to show people that we are not snobs but people who care about our community. Which brings me to my topic what makes
a good agent? The following is a list of traits that I believe an excellent agent has. Feel free to add more to this list or disagree with it entirely. 1. Ethical: Is honest and forthright and does not lie. 2. Passionate: Enjoys real estate and isn't dreading the next deal.3. Discloses: Makes sure buyer and/or seller understands the faults of a property.4. Service-Oriented: Puts the needs of the consumer first, not their pocketbook.5. Able to Negotiate: Can handle any type of negotiations. Experience does not necessarily mean good. There are some good agents out there that just started the business.
When is the best time to buy? 2007-11-27 15:52:30 When is the best time to buy? That is the question that is plaguing many many people as the Holiday season is upon us. Do we wait until January? Do we wait until the market plunges another 5-10,000 lower on home prices? Do we buy now? It is no wonder that consumers are inundated with these decisions when buying a home, especially when in a lot of markets there are bargains to be found left and right. The right answer to these questions depends upon the individual. for some it is best to wait, others the time is right now, and for some it could be in a year. My advice to buyers is do what you feel is best, but remember the market could make a quick correction. Right now there are lots of deals out there and it is perhaps the best time to buy in over 6 years.
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