By Dawn Miller, 2009 NAR Conference Blogger In the real estate world where the average age of a REALTOR® is 52 years old, some may agree it’s a challenge as a young professional, or YPNer. I may have just added another challenge to the equation—trying to break into the international real estate world. While myth has it that one should know …
Social Media Does Not Guarantee Success
By Dan Iampieri Generation Y REALTORS® have written the obituary on colleagues who fail to utilize social media – I respectfully disagree. I know too many top producers who are doing just fine without spending every waking minute checking their status update on Facebook or tweeting their every move to the world. Don’t get me wrong, I use social media …
What’s Your Chicken Fried Meatloaf Approach?
By Jeremy Williams I had lunch last week with a friend from church at a quaint diner called Country Roads in Conroe, Texas. When looking at the menu, my friend suggested ordering off menu. Usually I am not the type to do this, but I was intrigued when he mentioned chicken fried meatloaf. It sounded dangerously good and definitely outside …
Tricks and Treats for the Real Estate Market
By Heather Soldonia More scary than mummies, black cats, or cobwebs is the looming question: Has the real estate market bottomed out? We REALTORS® have been asking Congress “Trick or Treat? … Please come up with some creative ways to revive the real estate market. Pretty please?” When Forbes reported the 10 worst real estate markets of 2009, eight were …
Life After the First-Time Home Buyer Craze
By Michelle Flaherty Does anyone else miss working with people who want to buy AND sell? In a market marked by bank sales, short sales, and first-time home buyers, it’s easy to lose sight of what lies beyond this year’s surplus of single-sided clients. The year 2009 was without a doubt the year of the first-time home buyer. Already, …
I Would Like a Cheeseburger, But Hold the Cheese.
By Jeremy Williams What would happen if you ordered a cheeseburger at a fast food restaurant, and in ordering asked to hold the cheese? What reaction would you expect when you pulled up to the window to pay? The reaction would most likely be confusion because the restaurant’s expectation is that when you order a cheeseburger from the menu that …
Real Estate Agent 1.0 vs. Real Estate Agent 2.0
By Dan Iampieri Real Estate Agent 1.0 takes any listing at any price and then spends their time working on a price reduction. Real Estate Agent 2.0 prices listings at market value, only take saleable listing and always tell sellers the truth about price. Real Estate Agent 1.0 has no marketing plan. Unless, it is a plan to put a …
Does Social Networking Result in More Closings?
By Drew Burks Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Blogging … I get asked this question all the time: “Can I really close more business using social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a blog?” The answer is YES! I know that many are skeptical, so I interviewed quite a few REALTORS® to find out what their experience has been over …
No Shoes to Fill Except Our Own
By Kelly Reark According to NAR’s Home Buyer and Seller Survey, the median age for REALTORS® is 54, while the median age for first-time home buyers is 30. The median age for a repeat buyer was only 47. The “average” real estate professional is likely not as keen on technology and gadgetry as we are. Nor do they adjust to …
Existing Homes vs. New Homes
By Heather Soldonia It is rare to see such an example of REALTORS® and home builders working together, but both National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) are both rallying for an extension of the first-time home buyers’ tax credit. Though the tax credit has served to stimulate both the existing home sales market …