Staff – Page 2 – IN-SITE REALTY LLC

Cut the Middle Man Out

When it comes to marketing listings, many practitioners pay an IDX provider to set up an MLS feed on their website. Others have decided there are better ways to get their listings in front of clients.

NOVEMBER 2014 | BY GRAHAM WOOD

It may seem like a forgone conclusion that you should have your listings displayed front and center on your website, but some real estate practitioners are finding less value in it these days. While many choose to pay a third-party IDX provider to set up a searchable MLS feed on their sites, others say the cost isn’t worth it, instead turning to other platforms that they say offer more exposure and a better return on their investment.

MLS migration is a common solution for getting listings to display on a personal website, most often involving an IDX company storing MLS data on its servers and migrating that data onto an agent or broker’s website. The agent or broker pays a monthly fee for this feed, which is automatically updated regularly.

But one major drawback to using some IDX platforms is that they don’t give the agent website any of the search engine optimization value of the MLS data, says Carolyn Bickerton, a former practitioner who now works for real estate web development company Realtyna Inc.

“The framed IDX provider is a middle man,” Bickerton explains. “It gives you the data to display listings on your site. The framed IDX provider has all of the real raw pages from the MLS on its server, which means it keeps all of the IP addresses, so it gets most of the SEO value. Agents are actually paying framed IDX providers to rob them of SEO value.”

A different issue, though, is what drove Ivy Beitner, broker at Century 21 North Homes in Snohomish, Wash., to drop her IDX provider. Most of her clients don’t rely on agent or broker websites for property search—they go to real estate portals such as realtor.com®. So what’s the point in paying for a feed on her website?

“People start looking at houses way before they’re even prequalified, and they just get comfortable with whatever interface they find most helpful,” Beitner says. “No agent site can compete with the large real estate sites, simply because we don’t have the kind of funds it takes to be at the top of Google search results. That makes IDX not worth the extra $30 or so a month. I would rather spend that money on something I think would be more effective: a self-promotional app, for example, that my clients can simultaneously use to search for homes.”

That’s exactly how Tyler Pearsall, a salesperson with Coldwell Banker in Jupiter, Fla., advertises his listings. Though he does use an IDX provider to surface listings on his website, he says he gets more leads and better exposure through the Coldwell Banker mobile app, which allows him to text links to MLS listings directly to clients. The app uses a phone’s GPS to map listings so clients can see which properties are nearby. Clients can click on the listings and instantly call or text the agent for more information.

“It provides a more on-the-go means of MLS access,” Pearsall says. “I don’t think traditional websites for listings will go away, but they will surely be the lesser-used platform. Since smartphones and tablets take precedence over desktops and laptops these days, MLS access has to be streamlined and easy to use.”

Framed IDX vs. Organic MLS Migration

For those who still want an MLS feed on their site, there’s an option other than framed IDX integration: It’s called organic MLS migration. Companies providing organic MLS migration, such as Realtyna, connect the MLS feed directly to agent sites instead of hosting the data on an IDX server and migrating it from there. Essentially, it eliminates the middle man and reroutes the IP addresses of MLS property pages to agents’ sites so they get all of the SEO value, Bickerton says.

“When we do an MLS migration, we put the real pages on the agent’s server,” Bickerton explains of Realtyna’s process. “We get the feed from the board, and we put it directly on the agents’ websites. All those IP addresses lead back to your website, so you get all the SEO value and the leads.”

Agents also pay only a one-time fee—$1,139 to $1,349, depending on the website platform—for the setup; there are no monthly fees.

Amir Feinsilber, broker-owner and CEO of The Force Realty in Seattle, a company that used Realtyna to set up an organic MLS feed on its site, says he’s seeing far more SEO value than he did when the company used an IDX vendor. “The amount of traffic to our site has increased exponentially,” Feinsilber says. “Lead generation now happens through osmosis, in that we are heavily indexed [on search engines] naturally and receive phone and Web leads as a result without having to spend a tremendous amount of marketing dollars on pay-per-click and other brute-force methods of generating traffic to our site.”

Still, there can be advantages to using an IDX platform for MLS migration. Feinsilber says that when his company used IDX integration, the costs of developing an MLS feed were much less than going the organic route, and the time it took to set it up on the company website was minimal. “Typically, these solutions were either instant or took a few hours to integrate while [my brokerage] inherited a suite of well-polished tools,” he says.

Whatever route you choose, it pays to take a thoughtful approach about whether listing feeds make sense for your overall business plan and budget. After all, your goal is to help consumers find not only the listings that most appeal to them but also the trusted agent they want to guide them through the transaction.

7 Bits Of Wisdom For Launching A Successful Real Estate Career

The real estate industry has seen some ups and downs in the last few years, and if you are just getting started it may seem a little scary. If you are not able to get a job with an established real estate company, you will have to get started on your own without the training and leads provided to those working with industry power brokers. Don’t be dismayed by what seems to be a daunting task. You can become successful on your own by utilizing some of the following industry tips.

Know Who You Are

“To thine own self be true.” Shakespeare penned the words for Polonius in Hamlet. Stick to your principles and don’t be swayed by big talkers. Don’t compromise your reputation, your self-respect or your place in the community in order to make a sale. Build your business on your honesty, dependability and customer service.

Avoid Burn Out

Working for yourself entails a variety of tasks that can wear you out if you are not careful. Have an outlet for relaxation that you take seriously and perform faithfully. It may be running, yoga, meditation, tennis, horseback riding or reading a good book; whatever brings you back to center and keeps you focused on both your personal and professional life is the right path to follow.

Organize Your Day

Self-employed real estate agents need to create structure for their business. Organization is essential for any business, but especially for the single-agent real estate office. Create a daily routine that includes all the tasks that need to be accomplished, and stick to it. Following a plan provides a means to accomplish what is needed at the office while still allowing for quality time with your family.

You Are Your Brand

Who you are is how your company is perceived. You are your business, and it is important that you exude professionalism when it comes to real estate. Be on time for appointments. Don’t cancel showings or an open house to accommodate a golf game or other personal activities. Plan your important family events, and mark those times off on your calendar to avoid a scheduling conflict with a client. Your company will be judged by how you are perceived. It’s all up to you.

Technology Rules

In order to compete with other real estate businesses, learn all the technology tools related to the industry and office management. Software is a business expense and a legitimate tax deduction. Staying on top of all the technology advancements available to real estate agents provides you with fast and accurate information on properties around your state and beyond. Technology is the tool that keeps you connected to the industry.

Networking

Let people know who you are and what you do by participating in your community. If you have children, volunteer at their school, coach a children’s sport or mentor students in an area where you have expertise. Join your local chamber of commerce and participate in networking events they sponsor.

Web Site

A web site is one of the most important investments you will have to make as a real estate agent. Not only does a website solidify your brand, it becomes your branch office. While associations you have joined may offer a page on their web site, they promote all of their members at the same time. Don’t get lost in a forest of real estate agents, when there are many affordable website options

Double-ending Real Estate Deals – Don’t Do It!

When is it good for the buyer and seller of a property to be represented by the same real estate agent?

The answer is almost never!

Think about it… The home seller wants the highest sales price and the buyer wants the lowest.

Letting the same agent represent both sides of the transaction is like having the same attorney represent both the plaintiff and defendant in a legal case.

Known in the industry as “double-ending”, the idea is that by having only one agent involved, the transaction can be done more easily with everybody benefiting financially.

Today’s consumer can find most for sale homes on the internet. The logic goes that by working directly the listing agent (with no buyer’s agent involved), some or all of the buyer’s agent commission can be credited to the buyer in the form of a reduced price.

But it rarely works that way.

How does the buyer know he didn’t overpay? How does the seller know he didn’t undersell? Plus, good listing agents would far prefer another agent earn the buy-side commission for doing the buy-side work than to give commission to an unrepresented buyer.

In this hot seller’s market there is lots of press about unscrupulous listing agents using the lure of a pocket listing to attract buyers so as to keep both sell and buy side commissions. At Top Agent Network, we feel that using pre-MLS or pocket listings this way is wrong and bad for everybody.

When a Top Agent Network member posts an upcoming MLS or pocket listing on TAN they are sharing it with the verified top 10% producing real estate agents; those who sell 3 out of 4 homes in their market. Posting the property to fellow TAN members virtually eliminates any chance of double-ending the sale and is in the best interest of their sellers. As a bonus, the posting member agent builds his or her collaborative relationships with other top agents in their local marketplace.

To be clear, we find no issue with two different agents working for the same brokerage choosing to represent the buyer and seller of the same property. Regardless of their brokerage affiliation, nearly every real estate agent is an independent contractor and will strongly represent their client’s interests. Agents cooperating with other real estate agents is central to the real estate sales process.

As a broker myself, I can tell you from personal experience that the two times I double-ended a home sale, nobody was happy with the outcome.

If you try to burn the candle at both ends you are bound to get burned in the middle!

What real estate agents won’t tell you

Ever heard the comparison between real estate agents and the Ku Klux Klan?

It’s made in the best selling book Freakonomics, written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. The authors don’t infer that real estate agents are a bunch of racists but rather that both groups maintain power by controlling “secret” information.

The book details how the Ku Klux Klan wielded its power as a secret society until it was no longer a secret and its formerly hidden passwords were turned into material for children’s comic books after World War II.

Real estate agents have also held onto their power by convincing the average punter that because of their secret knowledge only they can get the best possible prices for properties.

It may be time for the authors of Freakonomics to update this chapter because the information collected and held by agents is not so secret any more – it’s online, mostly free and changing the game for the real estate sector.

Consumers can now buy and sell their homes online at a fraction of the cost of an agent by using websites such as PropertyNow (see story “Virtual agent makes its move”).

These sites act like a virtual real estate agent. Depending on how many bells and whistles you’re prepared to pay for, they help arrange professional photographs, a for-sale board at the front of your house and provide the vendor with general over-the-phone advice when negotiating with buyers.

Landlords, too, are being offered alternatives to agents. New websites cut out the agent as the middle man and instead allow landlords to manage their properties online for a lower fee.

Such sweeping changes have empowered sellers, buyers and landlords like never before.

“The veil of secrecy has been lifted; it’s not hard to sell a house, it’s ridiculously easy,” the owner and director of PropertyNow, Andrew Blachut, says. “Agents try and wrap it up in mystery as much as possible.”

His knowledge comes from having worked in the real estate industry for 15 years, for big companies including LJ Hooker, Ray White and Elders.

“They say things like, ‘We are masters in selling your home – you don’t have access to buyers and don’t have masterful negotiation skills’. It’s complete nonsense.”

Buyers advocate David Morrell says the internet will become “more and more the medium through which people buy and sell” and that “you don’t necessarily need the agent in the middle”.

Investors can now do their own research and get a reasonably accurate home valuation from a variety of sources. Some of it’s freely available on the web, including suburb and street profiles and median house prices.

Some comes at a small cost – between $30 and $300 depending on the level of valuation information you’re after – from players such as RPData, Australian Property Monitors and onthehouse.com.au.

The banks still have their own valuations undertaken by qualified valuers but all the information online has helped consumers become informed.

Morrell says this means agents have to demonstrate value or risk being phased out. “The public have become more knowledgeable; they have access to market reports and information. They’re not believing the real estate agent,” he says.

“So the agent has to work harder rather than just stand out the front of a house handing out brochures.”

Many people have also learnt that marketing your home isn’t really that hard. Hundreds of thousands of properties are listed for sale or lease through the portals www.realestate.com.au and domain.com.au and some consumers are using Facebook and Twitter to sell their homes.

Domain and realestate.com.au dominate in property listings. REA Group, which owns realestate.com.au, controls about 70 per cent of the online real estate advertising, IBISWorld esimates. It and domain.com.au charge real estate agents a subscription fee plus advertising fees to advertise houses on their portals. Consumers pay a one-off listing fee.

The duopoly is working hard to protect its territory – Google was admonished two years ago when it tried to take them on by putting up the details of properties for sale on domain and realestate.com on Google maps (it no longer does this). Real estate agents are trying to devise an alternative site so they can avoid paying the two websites hefty subscription fees.

The fight for online advertsing continues, with hundreds of websites allowing consumers to upload their listings for free.

To get the best results, print advertising is still used which allows consumers to directly compare properties but social media is playing a bigger role for people wanting to target the broadest audience possible.

In February, social media expert Kurt Opray used a blog and Twitter and Facebook to market his Northcote home in Melbourne.

He bought domain name northcotehouse.com.au (at the time of print it was still the top result on Google when you type in “northcote house”) set up a WordPress blog, made YouTube videos and put up photos telling potential buyers everything they needed to know about his home – including pictures of the autumn leaves on the trees in his backyard, the veggie garden and the local playground in his neighbourhood.

He says the blog got 23 hits a day on average (both through traffic he generated himself and that referred by the local Hocking Stuart real estate agent he used). His three-bedroom home sold for $1.05 million – $135,000 above its reserve price of $920,000 – because he was able to give the buyer something the agent couldn’t: a vivid account of what it’s like to live in the property and neighbourhood.

“Who better to sell my house than me?” Opray asks. “I know the best place to have a coffee and take in morning sunrise, I know where all the local amenities are. I was able to sell the emotional attachment to the house; the agents don’t have one.”

Opray deliberately didn’t bypass the agents, he complemented what they do by running his own campaign simultaneously. “When I said what I wanted to do online, they were amused,” he says. “It was a brave new world for them.”

The internet isn’t only creating competition with agents when it comes to buying and selling. It’s also attacking their largest income stream – management fees for looking after a landlord’s property.

Gareth Robinson, who was mentored by entrepreneur Matt Barrie in his university days, set up online site called Leasate which cuts out the agents and allows landlords to manage their own properties with tenants. The entire process – from the lease application, to rental payments, to maintenance issues – is done online and for a significantly lower management fee.

The site, which initially was set up as a university project, went live in February after Robinson was able to secure $55,000 in funding from an investor. He says that about 120 landlords and tenants are using the site – most are friends they’ve talked to about the service but once they get more investors on board they hope to take it national (it only is available in Sydney at present).

“We’re trying to grow the site and get licensing in all states,” Robinson says. “Our aim is to capture 10 to 20 per cent of the market. We really feel that for a lot of people hiring a real estate agent is something that’s outdated and no longer necessary.”

The real estate industry is facing its biggest shake-up in years. IBISWorld estimates that during the five years to 2011-12, revenue for the real estate industry fell 1.1 per cent a year to $9.02 billion from $9.55 billion. At the peak of the property boom in 2002-03 the nation had 76,599 real estate agents but at the end of 2011-12, this had dropped to 67,621 agents.

Real estate agents aren’t extinct yet though. IBISWorld forecasts industry revenue will increase by 1.6 per cent a year over the next five years to $9.8 billion in 2016-17 as the population grows and development increases.

So long as people buy and sell houses there will be a role for intermediaries. But to survive, agents will have to convince consumers they can provide a professional service akin to a doctor or lawyer, as well as remodel their business to a lower-margin world.

“Real estate agents have to be transparent,” says George Rousous who heads Industry Training Consultants, a company that trains real estate agents and lobbies governments on behalf of the industry for change. He believes business models will change, with firms offering multiple services and moving towards a flat fee rather than a commissions-based approach.

Some agents are working hard to convince consumers of the value of their service by embracing technology. Franchise business Ray White offers its agents a device called Field Agent (see story “If you can’t beat them join them”), which uploads photos of a property during an inspection and instantly sends them to the landlord.

Ray White is also installing “research bars”, where consumers can come into an agent’s office and research properties for free. In the past, real estate agents have held this kind of information tightly but Ray White director Ben White is the first to admit that hiding information is foolish.

He says agents who do that will end up going out of business. “The good agents are those that have courage to say, ‘We can survive post this phase’,” White says. “If they sit around and try to ignore [technological changes], it doesn’t do anyone any favours.”

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BROKERAGE FIRM

The life of a real estate agent can be extremely appealing. It’s freedom with unlimited earning potential, and in NYC, a few deals can go a long way. Sometimes, it seems that money falls from the sky and into your lap. You meet exciting people, celebrities, and titans of industry. One day you tour a $30,000 West Village triplex rental, the other your showing a $5,000,000 million dollar Townhouse.

Is it that easy? Yes.. and no.

There’s a long road that must be taken to have such great clients and showings. A road paved by the bones of many agents before you. So let’s start at the beginning.

Your in real estate school such as NYREI (Recommended) and about to take the the school exam, then the next day or so take the state test. If you fail these test, reassess your future in real estate but by no means retain any of the information you’ve learned. Most of which isn’t applicable to NYC real estate. As is the case with most education.

What most people don’t realize, is that underneath the seemingly simple act of showing an apartment or house, lies a complex industry with thousands of moving parts.

Now comes the fun. You have to select which brokerage can handle your future superstar status and dealmaking abilities. So, you interview, but what are you looking for besides a cushy corner office with a desk and skyline views?

Things to consider when selecting a brokerage

“WAIT!! I want to know about splits first and how much money I can earn ASAP!”Then this isn’t the business for you. Yes, splits are important but having patience to learn the business is what will earn you more money in the long run.

Training

Choosing a brokerage with stellar training should be on top of your list, even if that means earning less in the beginning. A good brokerage will have a couple of weeks worth of initial training as well as classes year round. Mentoring programs and joining a team are also excellent ways to get the knowledge you want from experienced professionals who’ve worked the trenches and have insight into not just deals but client psyche. Don’t dismiss training, it probably adds to your odds of staying in the business longer if trained properly and by good people.

Now the flip side, these days every brokerage has some sort of training so it may seem hard to tell which programs are well planned and others that basically tell you how to use a computer. Ask questions about what you’ll learn, and ask for a schedule of upcoming classes and training. Make sure the people training you have actual experience in the field their training. Having a “coach” on staff doesn’t necessarily mean they understand what it is to be an agent.

Commissions & Fees

Obviously one of the most compelling reasons for choosing a broker is the commission structure and how much you will get paid per deal. Below are examples of firms commission payouts or splits. (Between you and the company) As you can see, 50% is most likely where you’ll be starting off and it’s mostly used as a standard in the industry.

GCI: Gross Commission Income, is the annual commissions you’ve earned, which will be the basis of how much percentage you will earn on deals.

Most firms adjust the structure annually, so if you earn $400,000 the first year, your split will adjust the following year. (Some brokerages vary when they will give you an increase and will even negotiate with you during the same year).

Example of traditional Commission Splits

Search:

Commission Type	Split %	GCI
Traditional	50.00%
w/Escalation	55.00%	$140,000.00
w/Escalation	60.00%	$170,000.00
w/Escalation	65.00%	$220,000.00
w/Escalation	70.00%	$350,000.00
w/Escalation	75.00%	$500,000.00+

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Hybrid Brokerages and Commissions

Nothing is sweeter than making 100% of your commission, but this sort of structure is reserved for seasoned agents. That being said, there are decent firms offering amazing splits for monthly fees. Below is an example of how it works and how much you could expect to pay back in fees. Please remember that it varies from firm to firm so always ask questions about the structure and what fees to expect.

Example of Hybrid or 100% Commission Splits

Search:

Split %	Monthly Fees	Desk Fees	Tech Fees
100.00%	$395.00	$0.00	$0.00
90.00%	$99.00	$0.00	$0.00
70.00%	$0.00	$150.00	$50.00

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Getting Paid
The next question you should ask is when will you get paid, this often varies depending on the firm you choose. Some companies pay within a week and others pay when your client takes possession of the property (rentals) either way, make sure you understand when accounting doles out those checks. If you require a consistent stream of income then maybe a broker who pays out when you complete a deal is better for you. If you already have some income or low monthlies, then maybe you can wait longer for a paycheck.

Marketing

Most of listings come from marketing, does the brokerage have exposure to all the aspects of real estate you might be looking for? Do you see signs, television, Internet, magazine, or outdoor advertising? Is the brand recognizable or a household name? Maybe, maybe not, let’s say it doesn’t, how much marketing are they willing to put behind you or your future listings? Do they have an active social media campaign or just a twitter and Facebook account that just spits out listings? Do they have relationships with developers? These are some things to consider when looking at brokerages.

Because let’s face it, if their not investing in marketing themselves, they’re sure as not going to invest in you.

Geography & Locations

Finding a brokerage with a few offices has some pluses, especially if you find a location near your home. This eases commutes and showing schedules while at the same time gives you flexibility to change or if you forget something, run back and get it. A brokerage with different locations also means that they can afford to expand into other areas, providing you with additonal resources that you may not have with a one or two location firm. So when sizing up a potential company, see how many location they have and how many people are staffed in each office, also look for which office produces the most in terms of deals. This will give you a good sense of where the brokerage allocates funds and marketing dollars.

Benefits & Amenities

Many brokerages have started offering discounts on uber and other car services, some even provide health care reimbursements and club memberships. Office amenities can be free drinks, food and sweets, pool tables and foosball. Company outings and parties are also a staple at most firms, while mostly for celebrating holidays, some have monthly or even weekly nights out for bonding and morale. This can lead to distractions in my opinion but hey, I’m never going to say no to an open bar.

Free or discounted ads, such as NY Times, Craigslist, Renthop, and Naked Apartments plans. Some firms will give you free credits for showing up before a certain time. Others will give you a budget and you can spend it on whichever is your preferred method of advertising. You should choose a broker with a broad range of advertising opportunities, free and discounted. This is a good way to save money in the beginning and you can always purchase more from the company as you grow your business.

Firm Motto/Credo

There isn’t any brokerage that’s not about making money but the firm you should choose should reflect your ideals. Customer service is number #1 in this business, so go with a firm where it’s the mantra. (If you care, if not, then don’t worry, there’s plenty of operations that run like an assembly line through clients). A good brokerage that takes care of their clients will also take care of you. This will be evident by the other agents your surrounded by, are they positive? Do they really believe in excellence and the goals of the firm? Do you care? You should ask yourself these questions. Because it does come back to bite you.

Offices

A client’s first impression means a lot in the real estate business so a nice office can go a long way. This doesn’t mean a hole in the wall can’t do a ton of business, but the hole in the wall will lose more business then it gains. Working in a nice interior can give you confidence, as well as your clients and those around you. Clients want to be greeted and feel comfortable in the presence of a positive atmosphere. If they’re going to conduct business they want to make sure it’s in a secure environment that’s grounded in the businesses sustainability. Where you work is also a reflection of you, if you work on a broken desk with a slow computer, dim lighting, walls peeling, and the people around you are from the cast the walking dead, well then don’t be surprised if clients treat you just as shabbily.

Lead Generation

The lifeblood of your business. How does the firm get you leads? Will they show you how and help you get and maintain a steady stream of customers? Do or will they give you a certain amount of leads monthly? If a broker provides leads then that’s great but you should not rely on this. It’s your job to generate business and maintain a certain flow of clients. A good brokerage will teach you how to get business and be there to supplement additonal customers. Some brokerages get leads by partnering with other websites or services, others solely rely on their own site. Make sure the brokerage has the right combination of tools, partners and traffic for you.

Technology

Another important factor is considering where a brokerage stands technology wise, what kind of computers do they work on? Are they networked, do they have up to date software? This can mean the difference between productivity and calling tech support every other day to reboot your computer because it’s so slow. Nothing is more frustrating when your working on sending out emails, putting up listings and the PC your working on freezes for no reason. This also means software, what CRM does the company use?If any, how do you keep track of clients, scheduling, email archives and documents. If your used to Gmail then you might find a firm that uses Google as there back office. If your more of an Microsoft Outlook and Word person, then maybe you’d feel more comfortable with that platform. The small things can make a difference in productivity, it’s about easing your work flow. If it’s a free for all, meaning, you use your personal email, own computer, etc… then you might want to look elsewhere.

This also means MX and OLR, both of these are listing platforms that populate the company website with listings and also syndicate those ads across a network of websites. This is vital so make sure whatever system you see has these capabilities.

Some firms now offer apps for your mobile device, this is a relatively new phenomena but I’m sure more will be coming. These apps let you keep track of clients, data, scheduling and some even let you register customer for open houses.

Listings

The core of the brokerage, listings are what makes the firms go round. When choosing a firm it’s best to look for one that has an in-house listings database, a database developed internally. Most major brokerages have them and in some cases they’re tied into other listings databases such as RealPlus, OLR, and ACME for supplemental information. When doing your due diligence make sure you know how often that database is updated and how many people or listing managers are working to keep it current. Other things to think about is how easy it is to access and if it syncs with other software or services the firm offers.

Note: No brokerage firm has every listing

Owners & Managers

Nothing, and I mean nothing can beat a good manager. This is tricky because you might not know who will be better and who won’t. After some interviews you should Google manager names and see if there’s any consensus or at the very least what the manager has done in the past. A good manager is the difference between getting deals done and not giving a hoot about you. Owners and managers are there because, theoretically, have the experience and relationships. So they can tell you outright if a deal can get done or not, or, if they can push a deal through solely based on their word. Don’t think you won’t need a good manager on your side, it really will make your life so much easier. You want a manager with a breadth of knowledge of the market and understanding of how deals get done. Someone who has answers to your questions or will find out if they don’t, as well as being accessible and honest.

Make sure the owner or manager has a track record or history of success in the business

Owners, well, there are good ones and bad ones, that’s just par for the course. You may never meet the owner of a firm more than once or maybe at company functions but know this, if the owner of a firm isn’t constantly out their pitching for new developments, exclusives or advancing the their firm in some way, then you should find another place to work.

Signing the Contract

You will be signing a contract, most are boiler plate with riders, these are tied to your success at the company. It will go over commission structures in detail, as well as advertising guidelines, company policies, confidentiality, termination and so on.

Click Below to see an example of an independent contractors agreement or salesperson agreement.

+ Sample of Independent Contractors Agreement

Make sure you read it completely and when you’re done signing, ask for a copy for you’re records.

Initial Startup Costs

You’ll most likely have or will be spending about $1000 initially. From school ($395) to REBNY ($250) Some firms will pay for your first run of business cards, but if not, that could go to $80 and up. (For quality business cards, not vistaprint) Then there’s a camera with wide angle lens (25mm or less), I suggest a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 ($100 – $200) depending on where you get it and the newer models. You will also spend more on transportation and buying ads or plans from website aggregators such as Naked Apts, Craigslist, and Renthop. Or premium accounts at Zillow or Streeteasy. All of which range in price and how much a discount your brokerage gets.

First Day on the Job

Play around with the listing software, get comfortable with some of the ins and outs especially creating listings and syndicating ads. If your using MX or OLR then they’re pretty straight forward.

Know where your ads are going. When you finish adding a listing, visit all the website that there going to be syndicated just to get an idea of where potential customers may be coming from. Sites such as Renthop, Naked Apartments, Apartable, NY Times all have unique web IDs, customers may give you those instead of your listing ID. See how ads are displayed on the sites and make sure they look good, if not, readjust your listing photos or information. Also send yourself some inquires to see who they might look when you eventually do start getting leads and to make sure they don’t end up in your spam folder.

Select inventory that will get you off the ground fast. Many beginning agents advertise $20,000 dollar apartments to make that huge commission and first big deal, DON’T DO THAT. You will be waiting for months for someone to respond to that ad. Those clients already have brokers searching for apartments for them. Don’t waste your time. Start off with middle of the road priced apartments and maybe even some lower priced deals. This will get your phone ringing and inbox full of leads, perfect for honing in on your customer service skills.

Work your neighborhood or near your office so you can easily preview and show apartments.

Work your neighborhood or near your office so you can easily preview and show apartments. It will make it easier for you to learn the inventory if your easily accessible to it. Another rookie mistake is to work areas of the city your unfamiliar with but are the expensive and hot places to be. This will eat into your commute time, and that means less client showings per day which reduces your odds of doing deals. Also racing back and forth will cost you more money for trains, taxis, buses, etc…

Helpful Tips

Learn the paperwork and how to process deals yourself. Even if you don’t have to. There will be a time when someone or something will happen and it will be up to you to carry it through.
Read a lease, yeah, read it. Know why clauses are in it and for what reasons. Clients will always ask you about the lease. (Rug covering 75% of the floor is a big one) Also a Sales contract.
Make copies of keys you use often.
Buy comfortable shoes.
When you get a lead via email with a phone number, CALL IT!
Always confirm your commission.
Keep all your leads and build little profiles of each in a spreadsheet.
Get yourself a good camera with a wide angle lens, wifi and video.
Organically build relationships throughout the industry
Don’t assume anything.
If your brokerage expects you to do deal ASAP, get out of there, it’s a chop shop. No reputable brokerage expects you to deals the first day on the job. If you do, then great, but a solid firm will let you get up to speed and give you a month or two to acclimate.
Be prepared for wasted time, lost causes, negative feedback, broken deals and more.

You will not receive a salary or health insurance, everything you do comes out of your pocket. So budget accordingly, make sure you can survive a month or two without a deal. Don’t get into a massive amount of debt doing this job. If you find yourself borrowing money from other agents or managers then you should to take a step back and look for alternatives careers.

Good luck!

Agent Redefined | Online Marketing Plan

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

1. THE ONLINE MARKETING PLAN

GEORGE “EL GUAPO” CUEVAS

This is it, let me know what you think!!!

Photo by Stuck in Customs

2. George’s Presentation

Photo by Stuck in Customs

3. I’M NOT YOUR TYPICAL REAL ESTATE TRAINER

ARE YOU TRACKING?

Photo by The U.S. Army

4. WHY GO ONLINE

Photo by lecates

5. Online Marketing

Photo by dolanh

6. IT’S WHERE THE BUYER’S

AND SELLER’S ARE AT!

I don’t care what the website it or what technology I need to have. Wherever the buyers and sellers are online is where I want to be. Don’t hate social media, don’t hate Zillow and Trulia. If buyers and sellers want more pictures, give it to them. If they want video, give it to them. Everything that enhances the viewing of a property online or offline is what being a marketer of real estate is all about.

Photo by Stuck in Customs

7. A HOME’s FIRST SHOWING

IS TAKING PLACE ONLINE

It’s true, home’s first showing is taking place online first. This is a trend which is unlikely to change. If this is in fact true then what this mean for the Real Estate Agent? It means showing a properly online the correct way with professional visuals like Photos and Video. Plus, the presentation of the property, the information, and the layout online should be professional. Compare it to home staging or de-cluttering a property.

Photo by darrowwest

8. Buyers & Sellers

DONT YOU WANT TO BE WHERE ALL OF YOUR FUTURE CLIENTS ARE AT

Buyers & Sellers are also expecting real estate agents to be online. They expect their properties to be marketed online. They expect agents to have a complete online marketing plan for marketing the home.

Photo by el patojo

9. 5 Listings in 5 Days

THIS IS NOT WHAT ONLINE MARKETING IS ABOUT…

There is no Magic Bullets here.

Photo by Sprengben [why not get a friend]

10. A BETTER ONLINE MARKETER

THIS IS WHAT THE TRAINING IS ALL ABOUT…

Online Marketing for Real Estate Agents requires that agents become better marketers. In order to do this an agent needs to either acquire new marketing skills, or to hire out those skills. Bottom line agents must become a better marketer in order to do online marketing.

Photo by rooneg

11. BUILDING A MARKETING ARM

IT’S EITHER YOU, YOUR BROKER, OR CONTRACTOR

Online Marketing is not rocket science but it does require some time. There are no quick fixes to do it properly. Each agent, team, and real estate office must decide how it’s going to execute these additional marketing techniques.

Photo by compujeramey

12. Tech & Realtors

IF YOU CAN ENTER A LISTING INTO THE MLS THEN YOU CAN MARKET ONLINE

Agents just need the skills and training to use technology and the internet to market themselves and their listings online.

Photo by kfisto

13. TECH & ONLINE

ARE IN A CONSTANT STATE OF CHANGE

Change is the key word for online marketing. You must be willing to change and adapt to the changing world of online marketing.

Photo by Mrtyndall

14. BUYER & SELLERS ARE CHANGING

THEY WANT ACCESS TO INFO/DATA DIRECTLY…

You need to read this report if you want to understand the how buyers are currently using the internet and technology to search for homes and real estate information. This report can be found on the NAR website, or you can go to my website at http://www.agentredefined.com and in my blog you’ll find an article about it with a link to it.

15. Untitled Slide

16. Untitled Slide

Here it is: The Online Marketing Plan for Real Estate Agents. Start at the Basic Level and work your way down to Braveheart Level.

17. Real Estate Search Websites

These are the main real estate websites within the Top Ten most viewed in the country every month.

Photo by Zolk

18. The President on Zillow

WHEN THE PRESIDENT HAS A MESSAGE ON HOUSING HE WENT TO ZILLOW

When the President Obama wanted to give a talk about home ownership in August 2013 he needed a venue to broadcast his message in a big way. He didn’t choose the NAR for this, he choose Zillow. This gives you some insight to just how big Zillow is to the real estate industry.

19. Social Media for Agents

I regard these at the standard 4 Social Media Platforms every agent should be engaged on.

Photo by Jason A. Howie

20. Engagement

THE KEY TO BROADCASTING YOUR MESSAGE ONLINE

Just what the slide says.

Photo by Jason A. Howie

21. MANUAL DIRECT SYNDICATION

REAL ESTATE WEBSITE MATRIX

This is it. You need to know how to use these sites to market your clients properties online.

22. PRO Pictures & Video

MANDATORY FOR MARKETING A HOME ONLINE

Professional Pictures and Video are critical for marketing a property online. Without great visuals what’s the point of marketing a property online? Remember the First showing is taking place online!!!!

Photo by AMANITO

23. #1 REAL ESTATE SEARCH SITE

35 TO 40 MILLION HITS PER MONTH

Zillow is the #1 most viewed site in the country with just over 35 million hits per month. This is why Zillow is part of the Online Marketing Plan, and why President Obama went used Zillow for a platform on housing issues in August 2013.

24. #2 REAL ESTATE SEARCH SITE

25 MILLION HITS PER MONTH#2

Trulia is the 2nd most viewed real estate website in the country. Again it’s a crucial part to your Online Marketing Plan.

25. #3 REAL ESTATE SEARCH SITE

12 TO 16 MILLION HITS PER MONTH

Even though Realtor.com has dropped from the #1 spot to the #3 spot. It’s still an important website to market your listings on. IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THIS SITE: If you don’t have a featured listings package with Realtor.com you will not be able to do the following: a. You have no link back to you. Your contact info, your picture, nothing connects you to the listing without a featured listings package. Your listing will be on Realtor.com, but not connected to you. Realtor.com will sell the leads that come in from your listing online without the featured listings package. b. You cannot customize a listing without a featured listings package. This means you cannot add a Video, Headline, or Special Note on the listing.

26. WORDPRESS REAL ESTATE SITE

VIRTUAL TOUR AND LINK BACK

Here’s an example of my WordPress Website. I create a property page here which hosts the Virtual Tour of the home, plus contact information, property information, and I also place other property listings on the page that are of similar price and features.

27. FINISHING TOUCHES

PROVING CLIENTS WITH A TRUE ONLINE MARKETING PLAN

I love this part. This is a customer service finish that no other real estate agent does. We provide the actual direct links to every website we have listed the property on. This is also a sort of “check and balance” of your marketing plan for property. Here your ensuring you have done your job 100% when marketing the property online.

28. RESULTS AND PRICE CHANGES

MEASURE ACTIVITY OF ONLINE MARKETING

Another important piece….. You can pull up data on Zillow and Trulia for FREE which will tell you how many searches were performed the zip code in which your listing is located. Plus, you can view how many times the actual listing was viewed weekly since the listing came online. If you combine this information with your MLS Data which can tell you how many times your listing was delivered and viewed in an MLS back tracking search, then you can provide some powerful data to your client. This can become helpful when requesting a price change on a property.

Photo by nffcnnr

29. OPEN HOUSES

PHENOMENAL TOOLS FOR PROMOTING

The general public still likes open houses and both Zillow and Trulia are an important part of marketing open houses to potential buyers. Plus, if you have a featured listings package on Realtor.com then you can market an Open House on there as well.

Photo by kennyferguson

30. Social Media for Agents

Photo by Jason A. Howie

31. ON FACEBOOK

HOW TO GET MORE LEADS

Side Note: This is the best real estate movie of all time, Glen Gary Glen Ross.

32. FACEBOOK MARKETING IS DEAD

IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE STRATEGY

Photo by Nathan Rein

33. FAN PAGES

CAN ONLY WORK WITH A CONTENT STRATEGY

Photo by afagen

34. Engagement

THE KEY TO BROADCASTING YOUR MESSAGE ONLINE

Photo by Jason A. Howie

35. CONSTANT COMMUNICATION

SOCIAL MEDIA’S POWER IS IN THE MESSAGE

We are more connected than ever but is your message getting through?

Photo by Constance Wiebrands

36. ENGAGEMENT

ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND “ENGAGEMENT” YOU CAN UNDERSTAND SOCIAL MEDIA

Photo by efergyofficial

37. IT’S YOUR ONLINE DATABASE

WHY USE FACEBOOK?

I recommend agents treat Facebook as their online database.

Photo by niallkennedy

38. YOUR FRIENDS ON FACEBOOK

MANAGE THEM AS PART OF YOUR DATABASE

Your Connections on the Facebook are part of your database online.

Photo by Fey Ilyas

39. THE ALGORITHM

HOW FACEBOOK MANAGES YOUR ENGAGEMENT

Once you understand how the Facebook works, you can then understand how to make it work for you.

Photo by niallkennedy

40. 1500 POSTS

YOU CAN’T SEE THEM ALL

The average Facebook user is exposed to as many as 1,500 posts a day.

Photo by Ottoman42

41. FACEBOOK DECIDES FOR YOU

AVERAGE NUMBER OF POSTS, STORIES, ADVERTISEMENTS

But, the Facebook Formula will not show you ALL of the 1500 posts. On Average you’ll see approx 300 of the posts that Facebook thinks you want to see. It does this based on your interaction on Facebook.

Photo by suhajdab

42. Facebook Strategy 2013

1. SELL WITHOUT SELLING

The Technique…..

Photo by Mukumbura

43. Facebook Strategy 2013

2. ENGAGE WITH YOUR CONNECTIONS

Photo by John-Morgan

44. Facebook Strategy 2013

3. THE 60% / 40% RULE

My Simple Facebook Rule: a. 60% of your postings are NON Real Estate related. b. 40% of your postings are Real Estate related. REAL ESTATE RELATED POSTS These posts must be creative and engaging!!!! Easier said than done but look at the examples ahead. Remember to use the rule of “SELL WITHOUT SELLING”.

Photo by noahg.

45. strategic postings

Photo by Andreas Solberg

46. Don’t Overload Your Friends

KEEP YOUR REAL ESTATE POSTINGS LIMITED

Facebook is not the Classifieds.

Photo by Jason Pier in DC

47. SHARE PHOTOS & VIDEO

LEARN TO FIND THOSE PERFECT PICTURES

Photo by Defence Images

48. PROFILE PICTURES AND COVER

FACEBOOK PUSHES THESE MORE ON THE NEWS FEEDS

49. CRAFT THE MESSAGE

BE CREATIVE AND HAVE FUN

Photo by nedrichards

50. ODD HOUSES

WHAT

51. Happy People

SELL WITHOUT SELLING

52. HAPPY PEOPLE

CLOSINGS MAKE GOOD PICTURES

53. Sharing Video

CREATIVE MESSAGES (SELL WITHOUT SELLING)

54. HAVE FUN

FUNNY POSTS CREATE ENGAGEMENT

55. GHOSTS

FUN STORIES IN REAL ESTATE

56. OPEN HOUSE MARKETING

SHOW WHAT YOU DO / BE CREATIVE

57. HAPPY FACES

SUCCESSFUL CLOSING (SELL WITHOUT SELLING)

58. great views

CLEVER MESSAGE (SELL WITHOUT SELLING)

59. ghosts

WEIRD THINGS IN HOUSES

60. Real Estate Agent

HOW TO USE YOUTUBE FOR REAL ESTATE

YouTube is your friend and it’s Free….

Photo by Rego – d4u.hu

61. COVER AND PROFILE

ALTERNATE BETWEEN REAL ESTATE AND NON REAL ESTATE PHOTOS

Take the time to resize your images to fit properly online.

62. ENGAGMENT

VIDEO IS JUST ANOTHER METHOD OF COMMUNICATION

Engagement is key to utilizing YouTube effectively. YouTube wants it.

Photo by cackhanded

63. TV & INTERNET

MOST NEW TV’S ARE READY FOR INTERNET

Photo by jasonEscapist

64. Why use Video

IT DEMONSTRATES YOUR AUTHORITY

Photo by 55Laney69

65. WHY USE VIDEO

IT DEMONSTRATES YOUR MARKETING CAPABILITY

Photo by 55Laney69

66. why use video

YOUR A LOCAL EXPERT

Photo by Chris Smith/Out of Chicago

67. 4 TYPES OF VIDEOS

Here are the 4 types of videos Real Estate Agents should be making.

Photo by @yakobusan Jakob Montrasio 孟亚柯

68. Realtor Examples

JESSICA RIFFLE EDWARDS / COLDWELL BANKER

Find this agents YouTube Channel and watch all of her videos. 1. Go to YouTube and search for “Jessica Riffle Edwards”. 2. Watch the videos. 3. All of her videos have a strong, simple, and short message.

Photo by the tartanpodcast

69. SHARE MOMENTS

LEARN WHEN THEY ARE HAPPENING

Photo by Defence Images

70. BRANDING

PROVIDES GREAT PLACEMENT FOR YOUR NAME

LinkedIn is still important to your Online Marketing Plan.

Photo by nan palmero

71. Paperless Agent

SHOWING OFF TECH AND GOING PAPERLESS

This is probably the best training product out there for training agents how to use the iPad for Real Estate. It’s not my system, it’s developed by a real estate brokerage in Austin, TX. It’s a great product, I purchased it in early 2013 and very satisfied with it. Goto: www.paperlessagent.com

Photo by [cipher]

72. CArtavi

GOING PAPERLESS WITH CARTAVI AND DOCUSIGN

Your solution for putting your real estate contracts and addendum’s online in the cloud….

Photo by Mark Seton

73. HOMES.COM

4TH LARGEST REAL ESTATE SEARCH WEBSITE

GEORGE CUEVAS

HAIKU DECK PRO USER

http://www.agentredefined.com

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The Ultimate Real Estate Agent Resource Guide

The Internet is a wonderful place.

It’s like Wal-Mart on steroids for your business, packed full of resources that can help you find the right tools and training to grow your business.

But it can be pretty overwhelming.

How-to guides, articles, vendors and videos. You could spend hours just trying to sort through it all.

That’s where I come in.

I’ve put together this list to help you find those tools. I’ve spent hours looking for the best tips, training, services and software so that you, dear reader, can get the information you need to work smarter and love larger.

Ready to jump in? Let’s go. . .

A/B Testing

A/B, or split-testing, is a process that allows you to test various components of your marketing and lead generation to identify which ad will produce the best results.

How to Perform A/B Testing on Headlines, Tweets, Traffic and More

The Beginner’s Guide to A/B Testing

The Ultimate Guide to A/B Testing

Analytics

Sure, you have a website; but is it converting visitors to leads? What actions are visitors taking when the visit your site? Understanding analytics will help you tweak your message and website layout for the best possible results.

A Beginner’s Dictionary of Google Analytics

Google Analytics 101

How to Use Google Analytics

HotJar – All-in-One Analytics and Feedback

Want to Learn Marketing Analytics? Start With These 9 Great Resources

Ad Networks

Ad networks enable you to promote your website, or landing page, by displaying your ads on popular websites that accept advertising. Learn about the various types of ad networks, when your ads would run and how to target your audience.

A Beginner’s Guide to Paid Online Advertising

How to Choose an Ad Network

Where Are Your Ads Running?

Branding

One of the most important components of your business is your brand. But branding is much more than your logo or tagline – it represents the promise of future value a homeowner can expect to receive by working with you. Here’s how you can create a powerful brand;

Branding for Real Estate Agents

Developing a Powerful Brand Purpose

Powerful Value Propositions

23 Steps to Build Your Personal Brand

5 Things Your Brand Must Have (Besides a Logo)

Business Planning

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.” A concise business plan, including how much you need to earn, how your business model works, what market you’ll pursue and how you’ll stand out from the competition, is critical to your success.

7 Steps to Creating a Real Estate Business Plan

Business Planning Tool for Real Estate Agents

Buyer Tools

Help your buyer client’s understand the buying process, manage their homes search and more with these online and mobile tools.

Content Marketing

Whether you cal it content marketing, or blogging, you can’t underestimate it’s power for educating and informing your existing and potential clients. It helps you get found online through building your SEO value, establishes your credibility as an agent and helps you generate and nurture leads.

How to Use Content Marketing for Real Estate Lead Generation

How to Write a Blog Post

How to Launch a Successful Business Blog

36 Tried and True Ways to Promote Your Blog Posts

The Essential Guide to Generating Leads with Business Blogging

Sniply – Content sharing tool that enables you to share others content while driving traffic your website.

PrintFriendly – App that enables you to convert your blog posts to .pdf files and share them on sites such as Slideshare

Copywriting

I’ve heard it stated that copywriting is “salesmanship on paper”. If you can’t get homeowners to read your message, you’ll have a difficult time generating consistent leads. Learn how to craft a powerful headline, draw the reader in and then serve up an irresistible call-to-action.

The Definitive Guide to Copywriting

The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Copywriting

27 Best Copywriting Formulas

21 Tips for Writing Great Ad Headlines

Copywriting Formulas for Better Ads

Headline Analyzer – Powerful, and free, headline checker that scores your headline, or other copy, on proven Emotional Marketing Values.

CRM’s

If your contact list is the largest asset for your business, then a CRM is the wealth manager. Having the right tool to manage your contacts, your communications and your schedule is essential. Here’s a list of some to consider;

Agent Office

All Things Real Estate CRM – David Gary Hall is a tremendous resource when evaluating a CRM for your business.

Direct Mail

No, direct mail is not dead. Done correctly, it can be one of the most productive lead generation tactics you can use. The last year or so before I retired, I had over $20 million in listings. 100% of those came from direct mail.

25 Direct Mail Ideas From the Pro’s

5 Benefits of Direct Mail Marketing for Real Estate

EDDM – (Every Door Direct Mail) USPS web site

Direct Mail – Printing & Mailing

55 Printing – Regular and EDDM services

EDDM To Go – EDDM Printing and mailing services

Print For Less – EDDM and regular printing and mailing services

PrintPlace – EDDM and regular printing and mailing services

PSPrint – regular postcard printing and mailing

Send Out Cards

VistaPrint – regular postcard printing and mailing

Document and Transaction Management

Hoping to become a paperless agent? The emergence of online document and transaction management tools means you can literally carry what used to fill a file cabinet in your smartphone. This is a huge timesaver as you can access important dates, terms and more without stepping foot into your office.

Email Marketing

You’ve probably heard me say it before, but here it goes again; Email marketing absolutely crushes social media marketing for lead generation and nurturing. Learn how you can build a huge email list of homeowners and how to use email marketing to build your credibility and stay top of mind.

21 Ways to Grow Your Email Marketing List

A Beginners Guide to Successful Email Marketing

Bloom – An email capture plug-in for WordPress sites

Constant Contact – Email marketing provider

Email Marketing Field Guide

EMailStationary – Custom Email Stationary

MailChimp – Email marketing provider

Outbound Engine – Managed email marketing services

The Complete Guide to Optimizing Email for Conversions

The Complete Guide to Email Marketing

Financial Calculators

Why financial calculators? Have you thought about retiring someday? Would you like to know how much money you need to live comfortably? Want to know how much you need to save to get there? What about sending the kids to college – what’s that going to cost? Now you can know.

80 Best Financial Calculators

Bankrate Calculators

FinancialCalculators.com

Graphics and Graphic Design

From logos to brochures, blog posts to social media and websites, we rely heavily on images for our businesses. Here’s where you can find the perfect image – or someone to help you create it.

53 Free Sources of Images for Your Blog and Social Media Posts

IDX Providers

Want to add listings to your website? Here’s a list of some of the most popular providers;

Internet Hosting

If you have your own website or blog, you’ll need someone to host it. There’s a lot more to it than you might think.

BlueHost

GoDaddy

HostGator

How to Choose the Right Web Hosting Company

WPEngine – High-end WordPress hosting and management

Landing Pages

The popularity of landing pages to facilitate lead generation is exploding. A landing page is a single page, stand-alone website with one function; to provide visitors with enough information about your offer that they can make a decision to swap their contact information for your free e-book, video, checklist or other lead magnet.

5 Second Test – Get user feedback of the design of your landing page.

Landing Pages That Convert

The Beginners Guide to Landing Pages

The Landing Page Optimization Guide You Wish You’d Always Had

Leadpages – Landing page provider

Unbounce – Landing page provider

Lead Generation

To build a consistent income, you need to have consistent leads. While I’m a huge believer in building your own lead generation system (where you’ll have control over every aspect), there are services available that can help you find potential clients. If you can negotiate a trial membership that gives you an opportunity to evaluate the service, and the quality of the leads, prior to making a larger financial commitment, I would encourage you to do so.

How to Write an Ebook for Real Estate Lead Generation

SmartLeads – Learn to build your own lead generation system.

Market Data & Reports

Want to add market reports to your website? Here are a few of the leaders in that space. . .

Marketing Automation

Marketing automation is the use of software to automate, streamline and measure the various marketing tasks for your business. It can become quite sophisticated, including customer segmentation (so you don’t send empty-nester articles to first-time homebuyers), scheduling email campaigns based on behavior and more.

A Beginner’s Guide to Marketing Automation

Hubspot – Inbound sales and marketing software

Infusionsoft – Automated marketing software

Marketo – Automated marketing software

The Definitive Guide to Marketing Automation

Turn Your Website Into a Lead Generation Engine with Marketing Automation

Mobile Apps

In 2014, the number of mobile users caught up to, and surpassed, the number of desktop users in the world. Now ad spending is close behind. From 2014 to 2015, ad spend on mobile grew by 50%. With more users relying on mobile to access information, mobile should have a place on your marketing plan. Here’s several providers who can help you;

DreamPro – Social media collaboration with your clients

HomeSpotter

MobileZen

Smart Lead Capture

Photography Equipment & Software

The software, and online tools, you need to make your photos look great.

Adobe Lightroom – photo editing software

Adorama – online camera store

B&H Photo – online camera store

Photography Training

Tired of paying a few hundred dollars for mediocre photography for your listings? With a basic set of equipment and skills, you can take great photos of your listings, as well as for your website or blog. Here are some great resources to help you know the difference between an f-stop and ISO.

iPhone Photography School

Ken Rockwell – Camera reviews, free training

Lighting Interiors – Book and Online Course for Using Flash Photography

The Ultimate Guide to iPhone Photography

Tips for Real Estate Photography

Podcasting

Podcasting is growing, but still represents an opportunity to be a pioneer. While there’s 227 million blogs (as of April 2015), there’s only about 250,000 podcasts and the number of listeners is growing. You could create a podcast for busy homeowners that includes tips for home ownership, buying or selling, interview area experts on topics of interest to homeowners and more. Here’s how to get started. . .

An In-Depth Guide to Launching Your Own Podcast

The Beginner’s Guide to Podcasting

Remarketing

Have you ever visited a website and then, as you visit other websites, you see ads for the first website? That’s remarketing, or retargeting. Whatever you want to call it, it enables you target visitors to your website with offers. That first website uses a tracking pixel, or cookie, to create a record of your visit. Then, as you visit other sites, you are presented with an appropriate ad. The power of retargeting is that because the person seeing the ad has already been to your website, the opportunity for conversion is much higher than attempting to convert a person who has no knowledge of you or your services. Here’s what you need to know;

How to Double Your Facebook Retargeting Results

How to Remarket Twitter Users With Tailored Audiences

Introduction to The World of Remarketing

The Beginner’s Guide to Retargeting Campaigns

SEO

If there was ever a part of the Internet world that changes more than search engine optimization, I haven’t found it. Over the years, SEO has gotten both harder and easier. Harder because it has always been the domain of computer geeks who claimed to have the “secret sauce” to get you to page one of Google, and a lot of “malpractice” occurred. Promises made without the results. Now, Google has peeled back the curtain and presented best practices most anyone can follow.

45 Best Free Tools for On-Page and Off-Page Optimization

Optimizing Your Website for Local Searches

SEO 101

SEO Checklist – 15 Steps to Optimize Your Website

The Beginner’s Guide to WordPress SEO

Showing Automation

If you’re a high-volume agent or team with lots of listings, you may want to consider using a automated scheduler to streamline your showings. Here’s how. . .

Book a Showing

Centralized Showing Service

Real Front Desk

ShowingSuite

ShowingTime

Social Media

OK, I’ll admit, social media is pretty overwhelming. Which platform do you use? How do you use it best? How often should you post? What should you post? While I’m not convinced there’s a hard and fast, right or wrong answer, there are clearly some best practices you can implement to harness the power of social media for your business.

24 Must-Have Social Media Tools

Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Marketing

How to Optimize Your Social Channels for Lead Generation

How to Set Up a Facebook Page for Business

How to Set Up Facebook, Twitter and Every Other Major Social Media Profile

How to Use Facebook Ads to Generate Website Traffic

The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Social Media

The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media

The Definitive Guide to Social Marketing

Surveys

Many years ago, when I was a lowly apartment developer, I suggested to my partners that instead of spending money of amenity improvements willy-nilly, perhaps we should survey our residents – you know, ask them what they want. Pretty heady stuff back then. But I still do it. The best way to tailor your services and your advertising message is to ask. Find out what theythink is important. It may be, and often is, radically different from what you may have thought.

12 Steps for Creating an Effective Customer Survey

Google Forms

How to Write a Customer Survey

SurveyGizmo

Survey Monkey

Video Email

Take two great technologies; video and email. Add them together. The results can be pretty cool. Here’s how. . .

Bomb Bomb

Eyejot

Mailvu

Wistia’s Guide to Using Video in Email

Video Equipment

Over the years, I’ve bought a lot of video equipment. Aside from eBay, here are the places I find the best deals and service.

Adorama – Online camera equipment store

B&H Photo – Online camera equipment store

Video Hosting

OK, you’ve created your masterpieces. Now you need somewhere to host them. I use Wistia because of the advanced tools they provide, including lead capture, but take a look at all of these providers. You’ll find one that works perfectly for you.

Vimeo

Wistia

Youtube

Video Marketing

People are lazy. They’ll watch a 2 minute video before they’ll read a long article (like this one?). Because of that, video marketing represents a powerful way to communicate your message while giving viewers a chance to “get to know you”. If you haven’t added video to your marketing toolbox, I suggest you make it a priority. Here’s how you can get started;

7 Tips for Launching a Video Marketing Strategy

Fundamentals of Video Marketing

How to Create Video Facebook Ads

The Beginner’s Guide to Using Online Video Marketing

The Distilled Guide to Online Video Marketing

Video Blogging: How to Become a Video Personality

Video Production & Editing

Want to channel your inner Steven Spielberg? Here’s a list of tools that can help you make your videos look professional!

4 Tools to Easily Create Videos to Diversify Your Content Marketing

Audacity – free audio editing software for PC and Mac

Corel Video Pro8 – Video editor for PC

CyberLink PowerEditor Ultimate – Video editor for PC

Final Cut Pro – Video editor for Mac

Screenflow – Screen capture for Mac

Screenflow for PC

Video Training

OK, I never said video was going to be super easy. Anything that powerful and cool is likely to take some effort. Here’s some fantastic resources for learning the basics – and beyond.

Video Traffic Academy

Vimeo Video School

Wistia Library

Virtual Assistants

Need a “Mini Me” to help you get more done in a day? While it’s difficult to turn the reins over to someone else, once you do so you’ll find you have more free time without sacrificing quality.

Another Me

My OutDesk

My Real Estate Assistant

Real Support

Virtual Tours

Virtual tours can be used to capture and hold the interest of potential buyers for your listings. Here are a few companies who lead the pack in providing tours.

Webinars

Like content marketing, webinars are a great strategy for getting your name out, establishing your credibility and generating new leads. The topics are almost endless, from first-time homebuyers to how to select a custom homebuilder or how to challenge your property taxes, you have the ability to provide valuable information, build your email list and position yourself as the local expert. Here’s how you can get started. . .

How I Generated 518,399 Visitors and 16,394 Leads from 77 Webinars

The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Webinars

The Science of Webinars

Using Webinars for Lead Generation

Webinar Providers

Websites

OK, every agent has a website. (I think that’s a pretty safe assumption)
But do they generate leads? Is your value proposition clearly defined? Does your website have a clear focus or does it include everything but the kitchen sink? There are as many bad websites as there are bad website developers (most of them I’ve used). Here’s what you need to know to design a website that helps promote your business. You’ll also learn a lot that will help you identify a website developer who knows what they are talking about!

How to Build Websites That Sell (Book)

How to Optimize Your Website for Lead Generation

The Guide to Building High-Converting Websites

The Ingredients of a Successful Website

The Most Important Page on Your Real Estate Website

What The Highest Converting Websites Do Differently

Website Developers

Real Estate Webmasters

RealtyIT

myRealPage

Website Box

Did we miss your favorite real estate agent resource? If so, let us know in the comments below and we’ll add them to the list.

7 Steps to Creating A Real Estate Business Plan

If you’ve never been much of a goal-setter, now’s the time to get started. Creating a real estate business plan and setting effective goals provides a roadmap for your daily activities, keeps you motivated and enables you to accomplish much more in your real estate business than by simply taking each day as they come.

To create a workable real estate business plan and set effective goals, you must follow a simple 7-step formula;

Step 1: Your Goals Must Be Written Down

Committing your goals to paper helps you to focus on exactly what you want to achieve. Research has shown that written goals are also more likely to be achieved than goals that are simply stated but never written down.

The Listing Academy

Step 2: Your Goals Must Be Stated In The Present Tense

You want to state your goals as though they have already occurred. For example, state that “I have earned $100,000 in 2015″, not “I will earn $100,000 in 2015″. When your goals are stated in the present tense it creates a sense of urgency to make the goal a reality.

Step 3: Your Goals Must Be Specific And Measurable

Creating goals is not a time to be fuzzy or wishy-washy. There can be no lack of clarity in your goals. You wouldn’t say, “I have listed a lot of houses this year.” Instead, you would use actual numbers so that you, and others, can hold you accountable for your goals. A goal that is specific and measurable would be stated as, “I have listed 30 homes in 2015″.

Step 4: Your Goals Must Be Time-Bound

To be effective, your goals should have a deadline for achievement. Otherwise you convince yourself that “I still have time” and put off doing the necessary tasks to reach your goal. Instead of stating your goal, for example, as “I have listed 20 homes”, try stating it as “I have listed 20 homes by June 30, 2015.”

Step 5: Your Goals Must Be Challenging, Yet Attainable

To find out what you’re truly capable of, your goals need to scare you just a bit. They need to cause you to stretch the way you think about your personal life, your business and more. To avoid total frustration, your goals also need to be attainable. There’s a balance between challenging yourself to reach new heights of achievement and setting yourself up for disappointment. Only you can determine what that balance is for your life – and your business.

Step 6: You Must Share Your Goals

One of the main reasons people fail to set goals is fear that others will laugh at them for wanting to achieve something in their life that others couldn’t imagine for themselves. Nobody wants to hear their goals condemned as far-fetched or ridiculous. But you simply have to find that one person, or two, who is supportive and will hold you accountable. Establish with this trusted friend or family member how you would like to be held accountable in a positive way that encourages your efforts. Nothing is as destructive to reaching your goals as having the person you shared them with, and to whom you look for support, to use negativity when you are struggling.

Step 7: Create A System For Attaining Your Goals

As the old saying goes, “You can eat a whale, you just have to do it bite by bite.” While I’m not sure I want to eat a whale, that is good advice for reaching your goals. Tommy Newberry, one of America’s top personal coaches, shared this idea with me many years ago. I have followed it relentlessly and have found it an excellent way to attain your goals! By the way, I set my plan up using an Excel spreadsheet so it was easy to use.

First, start with a 10-year plan. Grab a piece of paper and write down everything you’d like to accomplish, do or have in the next 10 years. Don’t hold back – think outside of the box! What do you want for your family? What accomplishments would you like to achieve in your business? Where would you like to travel? What would you like to own? What charities would you like to support with your time or money? Find photos of your dream car, your dream home – whatever it is you are striving to attain and make those images part of your plan. Having a visual reminder of your goal will help keep you focused.

The image below is a sample of your 10-year plan:

Once you have completed your 10-year plan, identify several items from the list that you think you can realistically achieve in the next three years. Three years is plenty of time to make some things happen but it’s also a short enough time period that you can see the “carrot at the end of the stick”. Write down which items you will achieve in each of the next three years; for example, identify several items for 2015, several more for 2016, and yet several more for 2017. Some goals may be attainable within the year and others may take time, such as saving for your kids college education or for your retirement. For those goals that span several years, break them down into annual accomplishments, such as saving $5,000 per year. And again, use pictures of your goals to remind you of the rewards.

The image below is a sample of your 3-year plan:

From your 3-year plan, select several items that you would like to accomplish in the coming year as part of your real estate business plan. Again, some of these could be completed over the next 12 months while others are “getting-started goals” such as savings, growing your business, etc.

The image below is a sample of how your annual plan might look:

Once you have identified your goals for the next 12 months, break those goals down into quarterly goals. For example, if you were looking to grow your business in the coming year, you may consider establishing a series of goals that build on one another such as identifying a niche market to pursue in the first quarter. Then, in the second quarter, you may have a goal of launching a lead generation and awareness campaign within that niche market. Your goal for the third quarter is that you have taken 5 listings in the new niche market. Then, in the final quarter of the year, you have taken an additional 8 listings. Following this process enables you to break your bigger, long-term goals into smaller, more attainable goals that keep you on the right path.

The image below illustrates a typical quarterly goal plan;

For each quarter, establish goals for each month that, once completed, will enable you to have achieved your quarterly goals. To use the example above about identifying a new niche market, the goals you might establish for January could include evaluating neighborhoods with high average annual turnover rates of home ownership, assessing the competition, developing your positioning strategy, creating your marketing plan, etc. By accomplishing each of those tasks by the end of the month, you would be well on your way to reaching your quarterly goals and then, ultimately, your annual goals and beyond.

The image below is a sample monthly goal plan;

Next, break each month into weekly goals – these are the “baby steps” you must accomplish that help you achieve your larger goals. To continue the example above, your weekly goal could be to search for neighborhoods that you would like to consider for further analysis, to conduct sales activity searches using your local MLS to begin your neighborhood evaluation and to identify the agents with a consistent track record of sales within each neighborhood.

The image below illustrates how a weekly goal plan is established;

Your last step is to break each week down into a daily to-do list. These are the daily tasks that you must complete to reach your weekly goals. The image below shows how your goals are broken down into daily to-do items that must be completed.

If you are committed to this process, I can assure you it will work for you. In the many years since I began using this approach I have only missed one goal that I had set for myself. So take the time to create a well thought out real estate business plan and be sure include some personal goals you’d like to achieve as well.

5 Things Your Brand Must Have Besides A Logo

Lots of people, many designers included, think a “brand” is just a nice looking logo. Wrong. So, so wrong, designers. A brand is about a lot more than simply a logo, or a stationery set, a cool t-shirt, etc. As a branding creative director, I’ve accumulated a bit of knowledge about what, exactly, goes into a successful brandthat users truly connect with.

Today, I’m going to take you through the 5 essential things I believe a brand needs other than a nice looking logo, which is also important, but it’s also sort of a given, right?

RECOMMENDED READING:5 Tips To Better Brand Names

1. A Mission

The brand you’re designing has to have a reason for existing. If it doesn’t, run far, far away from that project. A mission doesn’t have to be anything especially complicated. It can be as simple as a dream or an ideal that the founder had to reach out to more people through their business, or perhaps they want to continue a family business started by a parent or grandparent.

But, if the business owners have no motivation or guiding principles that inspire them to work hard on their business, how are they going to expect you, the designer, to do the same?

Some entrepreneurs have lost the “spark” they once had, that motivation that made them start the business in the first place, and they are looking for outside help to try and get it back.

That’s all fine and good, but you usually don’t want to be in a situation where you’re the only one who’s passionate about the business. What tends to happen is actually the opposite of what the client hopes: their “meh” attitude will actually infect you too, and you’ll soon be dreading going in to work every morning.

2. A Target Market

You don’t just create a branding strategy because you want some cool looking stationery. Your client’s brand needs to have a target audience, people who get the main message and will respond positively to it. This legwork will likely already be done by the client, but not always. Sometimes, it will be your job to be market researcher as well as designer.

How do you go about researching a target market? First, you have to know something about the industry. If you don’t, now is a great time to familiarize yourself and do some rooting around. Talk to potential users of the product or service and get a feel for the kind of people they are. What are their likes and dislikes, their expectations when using a website, software, product, etc.

3. Something Of Value

Brands provide value. Usually, this value is of an emotional nature – making people feel happy, safe, secure, entertained, etc. The actual product itself may not be worth much, financially speaking, but there is a lot to be said aboutpeople’s perception of a brand. If a user believes that something has value, then it does. This is both a good thing for designers – and a bad thing.

On the one hand, it means that you only need to come up with that one, great design that really connects with a large number of people and your reputation is basically set. On the other hand, it means that you need to be discerning about the exact kind of value you choose to provide your users.

4. Trust

More accurately: users have to Know, Like, and Trust your brand’s message if they are going to continue to value it and support your client’s business. These are the basic fundamentals of branding that every designer needs to be aware of. It’s not just your client’s responsibility; if you’re going to build a niche and have only the best clients on your roster, you have to become a mini-brand expert yourself.

First, people need to know the brand exists. That’s where marketing and spreading the word comes in. Next, if people don’t like a particular brand, they aren’t going to use it. This may be a matter of simple perception.

The bread on the bottom shelf may taste the same as the top shelf bread, but people are going to assign a lower value to it regardless. Or, it could be that they genuinely don’t like the product or service. There’s nothing you can do about that – no brand can please everyone, nor should they try.

Finally, if people don’t trust the brand, then all the fancy logos in the world aren’t going to fix the problem. This is more a problem with your client, andhow well they convey trust, not only to their audience, but to everyone who works for them – including you. If you don’t trust them, there’s no way users will.

5. Genuine Communication

A brand needs to speak its target market’s language. If it comes across as phony or artificial, people will pick up on it immediately, and the brand will be a source of ridicule. This is related to trust – people have to agree with your messageand trust that you know what’s best for them.

Nowhere is this more apparent than the social news site Reddit. The Reddit community is famously selective – not just anything can make it onto its coveted front page. Many marketers have tried to crack the code, failing miserably because they don’t understand how Reddit works and what Redditors value in a brand. Because Redditors have the power to “downvote” posts, it creates a purely democratic experience that proves the sincerity of any marketing attempt and keeps brands honest.

What Do You Think?

What else do brands need to have (other than a logo)? How important do you think it is for designers to have a solid understanding of brand creation?

23 Steps To Build Your Personal Brand

We live in one of the most exciting times in the world’s history where you can build a personal brand faster and broader than anyone has even imagined. Most people are underestimating the reach and power of the internet that has really only been available for barely 15 years. Facebook marketing is less than 2 years old and YouTube and Twitter have only been in existence for a few years.

The previous generation built their personal brands on television, radio, magazines and newspapers. You now have the opportunity to build a personal brand utilizing the power and leverage of social media and blogs that can accelerate the process.

The potential of the web is still evolving and will continue to surprise us as it continues to grow and challenge established thinking and disrupt business models.

So what are 23 steps to build your personal brand in a digital world?

1. Identify Your Passion

2. Think of 20 or more blog topics that you can write about or video on your passion so you can have plenty of content to publish when you are ready to launch your blog

3. Ask yourself the questions “Can I talk about it better than anyone else?” and “Am I so passionate about it that I can get up at 4.30am, 5 days a week to do it?”

4. Name your personal brand eg “The online gaming guru” or the “The place to get your scrapbooking tips”

5. Buy your user name (as a domain name) preferably a .com and or .tv at Hostmonster.com

6. Choose Your Medium eg video, audio or the written word as some people can write, others are better on video and some can communicate their passion through speech

7. Buy a hosting account and a WordPress theme that suits your medium

8. Hire a web designer so that you can present the most professional brand you can afford to the online world as it is the global front door for your digital online brand

9. Make it easy for people to share your content and include a retweet and Facebook share buttons as a minimum as well as making it easy for fans to subscribe via RSS and email

10. Create a Facebook fan page

11. Sign Up for Ping.fm ( multichannel social media promotion and publishing software) or Tube Mogul (online video distribution platform) then select all the platforms you want to distribute your content (Twitter and facebook are absolutely essential) choose others depending on your interests

12. Publish and post your content to your blog

13. Write, video or record your posts regularly preferably once a day 5 days a week.

14. Create community by leaving comments on other peoples blogs and replying to comments on your blog

15. Use Twitter search to find as many people as possible talking about your topic and communicate with them

16. Follow people on Twitter who are following leaders in your niche (they have already identified themselves as being interested in your subject area)

17. Use Google Blog search to find more blogs that are relevant to your subject

18. Join as many active Facebook fan pages and groups relating to your blog topic as possible

19. Repeat steps 12 to 18 over and over and over and over

20. Monitor your brand with Google alerts or Tweetdeck so that you can thank people that publish your content and protect your brand from misconceptions

21. Find and use tools to make it more efficient to publish and promote your blog content such as socialoomph.com

22. When you have feel that you have gained enough traction and attention and you have fans that are spreading your message then start reaching out to advertisers and begin monetizing

23. Place a big button on your site that invites and makes it easy for people to do business with you

These are the key steps to start creating the brand “You” that will create opportunities and open doors that were previously closed.

This blog post was inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk’s book “Crush It” I would recommend that you go and buy it!!

In-Site Realty LLC

5.0

Based on 7 reviews

Carolyn McCarthy

2020-01-21T21:31:47+0000

My cousin recently purchased their home in September and Mike was their realtor as they had dealt with other realtors... in the past who wanted either a quick sale or just didn’t click with their needs in a home. Michael was so efficient and honest and reliable as to all their wants and desires in their future home and they couldn’t be more happier. I will also be using him in the future , but in the meantime we recommend him 100% as anyone’s realtor !!! Thanks from us all !read more

Jodi Crisci

2017-11-20T19:43:01+0000

Ana Brunelle

2017-08-16T22:02:55+0000

We worked with a terrific agent from In-Site, Mike Cunningham. This was our first home and we were ready to move on but... also somewhat reluctant. Mike worked with us every step of the way and we set specific financial goals. Within two weeks we had multiple offers and ended up accepting an offer for 6k over our asking price. We knew we had a desirable home but did not expect this and we are thrilled! We are now in a rental and are looking forward to working with Mike and In-Site Realty on the purchase of our next home in a couple years. I highly recommend In-Site Realty and Mike Cunningham. You will not be disappointed.read more

Ben Fyfe

2017-08-14T14:42:25+0000

Nichole DeRenzis

2017-08-14T14:05:43+0000

Mary Giardina

2017-08-10T13:15:39+0000

It was a pleasure to deal with Insight Realty. The second prospective buyer bought my house and paid a little less than... asking price which was fine as we went a little high. The contract and closing went seamlessly. All our questions were answered in a timely manor and our phone calls were answered quickly. I would recommend this realtor to anyone looking to sell their home. It was a pleasure doing business with them.read more

Tim Prohinsie

2017-08-02T17:01:20+0000

I had a property to sell and In-Site got me a deal quickly and painlessly. They are the best.