Posts from January 14th, 2020

The 2020 Conference Season is Upon Us

My busiest time of year is typically the last week of January through the middle of May, which is due to having a conference or event to go to nearly every other week in that time frame. There are so many real estate conferences or gatherings going on, it seemed appropriate to put together my thoughts on how to make the most out of every conference you attend each year.

The very first thing I do once I've decided which events I'm planning to attend is to see which conferences have a dedicated app to get additional information about the event. So many great conferences such as Inman Connect, LeadingRE, NAR, and dozens of other regional and franchise-based events offer dedicated mobile apps where you can start to make an itinerary of which sessions you want to attend based on your schedule.

When booking sessions one of the main ways I gauge which events I think will be worth my time is if a speaker is giving a session tha...

Click Here to Read More...

On November 11, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) voted to limit how real estate professionals can use "pocket listings," private real estate listings that don't appear on NAR-affiliated Multiple Listing Services.

Pocket listings are used in real estate to test the market and tweak a property's price and marketing before distribution or because an MLS does not support the type of listing the real estate firm is trying to market. For example, we know of several MLS systems that cannot display rentals, and the "pocket listings system" allows the firm to display the listing that their MLS does not support. Many pocket listings eventually end up on MLS, but some don't.

One of the key reasons that NAR has worked on adding this new rule is the public marketing of the listing. Many of the listings are marketed in a variety of ways. Email blasts, "coming soon" announcements, signs, and flyers are just a few methods some sales associates used to promote pocket list...

Click Here to Read More...

Real estate is an exciting, rewarding, and lucrative field – but there's one aspect of the industry many firms still have a strained relationship with TECHNOLOGY.

AI-driven technology tools have transformed work everywhere from the corner store to the corner office. Sadly, though, real estate lags behind. There are about 2 million real estate sales associates in the United States. Most are still relying on home-brew technology "stacks" cobbled together from 250 common tools.

A unified, end-to-end technology platform simplifies things for sales associates, raises profit for firms, and – most importantly – makes clients' lives easier. The number of real estate platforms is increasing, but there's a difficult hurdle to jump: Adopting them.

Technology Adoption is the Next Big Strategy Challenge for Real Estate Firms

Teams of all sizes win by embracing the latest technology. As a firm gets bigger, though, it's harder to get everyon...

Click Here to Read More...

How does your real estate firm get new sales associates through the front door? Some might immediately answer commissions - and that's great. However, real estate sales associates in 2020 need additional motivation to join your company. Today's sales associates consider everything from a collaborative work environment and marketing resources to top-of-the-line technology and tools.

Technology can simplify and improve the sales associate experience, starting with recruitment. It's one of the best ways for firms to buck bad trends and stand out from the pack.

Once technology is firmly built into the recruitment process, it becomes much easier to use it in other aspects of business, too: Creating relationships, finding leads, and transaction management.

Many firms are rising to the challenge and energizing recruitment with next-gen technology. That's all the more vital as the internet grows into the place where most real estate pros will source their leads and e...

Click Here to Read More...

At any given time, there may be thousands of people in your market who are considering buying or selling a home. Each person may be weeks, months, or even years away from making a decision. But as they are getting closer to one, there is one thing you can be sure of—they will go online to start their real estate process when the time is right.

The internet is a phenomenal way for anyone to learn about nearly any subject. When people have problems to solve or tough questions, they turn to Google to find answers.

That decision—to start gathering information out on the Web—is where a prospective customer's needs and your expertise come together. The way you put yourself on the radar is content marketing.

Content marketing is an approach to digital marketing that focuses on posting helpful, useful, informative content on your website. As you first get started, most of your content will come in the form of blogs. There is any number of benefits you'll receiv...

Click Here to Read More...