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Sending Mother’s Day Cards to Your Sphere? A Glimpse at How the Holiday Got Started

Apr 25, 2022

On Sunday, May 8, 2022, we celebrate Mother’s Day.

Women comprise 64% of the population of real estate agents in the U.S., according to the NAR, and 60% of licensed brokers.

With 57 as the median age of a real estate agent, it’s safe to say that among the ranks, there are lots of moms.

So, to all of the mothers out there, I wish you an early Happy Mother’s Day!

How the holiday got its start

Although it’s easy to assume that Hallmark created this holiday, it did not. In fact, this annual celebration of motherhood has an interesting path.

It was the brainchild of Anna Jarvis who was seeking a way to pay tribute to her mother as well as mothers across the globe.

A tireless campaign

Jarvis’ mother, who gave birth to 11 children had a dream that someone someday would found a memorial to mothers commemorating them for their service.

Jarvis, along with her supporters, started a letter-writing campaign to city officials. She also spoke frequently on the topic at her church.

However, nobody was interested in Mother’s Day. But, she kept at it and, in fact, was able to get assistance from John Wanamaker, a Philadelphia philanthropist.

It took them two more years to make West Virginia, Jarvis’ home state, the first in the nation to set aside a day to honor mothers.

Four years later President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day an official national holiday and set aside the second Sunday in May just for moms.

Retail hijacks another holiday

What should have been a happy ending for Jarvis turned to frustration when retailers jumped on the holiday as a way to increase their profits. From florists to chocolatiers to gift card retailers, Mother’s Day became a retail holiday.

An ironic twist

Anna Jarvis felt that her mother’s idea had been hijacked, so she decided to throw her energy into a campaign to have the holiday rescinded. She organized boycotts and spent the rest of her life campaigning to have Mother’s Day repealed.

Regardless, of how the story ended for Anna, I truly enjoy celebrating Mother’s Day and honoring the mothers in my life.

If you’re interested in sending out a celebratory greeting to the mothers in your sphere, there’s still time. Send Mother’s Day postcards out first-class mail by April 29th to ensure they arrive in time.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine, with rich, full-color content, and a sharp, professional esthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts, combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and, it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

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Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

Ready to Level-Up? Add One or More 2022 Real Estate Conferences to Your TO-DO List

Mar 22, 2022

The list of real estate conferences and conventions is, as usual, long this year. Not surprisingly, this year you’ll be able to attend most of them in person.

We urge you to attend at least one. There are so many benefits to networking, attending the sessions, and socializing with your colleagues.

The people you meet, the information you attain, and the resources you discover will result in a level of business growth well worth the time spent.

Learning new techniques, becoming inspired by speakers, and making new contacts is the name of the game. So, let’s dive into some of the more popular 2022 offerings, listed by date.

The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® National Convention

March 14–16, 2022

NAHREP’s 2022 event is being held at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington DC.

Organizers promise that over the course of the three-day event, you’ll be able to attend “… professional development workshops, [get] key insights from policymakers and top industry professionals.”

You can still register online until March 11 and pay $399 if you’re a NAHREP member and $549 if you aren’t.

On-site registration will be available during the event and the cost is $499 for members and $699 for non-members.

Find additional details online at nahrep.org.

The Real Estate Times Postcards are shown above. To see more, Click Here.

Inman Connect New York

April 19-21, 2022

Circle the date so that you don’t miss Inman Connect, New York, held at the Hilton New York Midtown.

The speaker lineup is impressive and includes Zillow’s president, Susan Daimler; Ryan Serhant; Spencer Razcoff, and other real estate notables.

Tickets at this writing cost $1,299 with a note on the website stating that “This price will go up.” There are less expensive virtual tickets on sale as well, for $199.

Learn more online at inman.com.

Inman Luxury Connect

Aug. 2-3, 2022

Luxury agents won’t want to miss Inman’s annual lead-in to the Vegas Connect. Held at the center-Strip located Aria Resort and Casino, you can network, attend workshops and enjoy speakers on topics of interest to luxury agents.

Tickets are marked down, for now, and you can pick them up for $899. Register online at inman.com.

Inman Connect Las Vegas

Aug. 3-5, 2022

Inman’s main event happens on the heels of the luxury conference and also at the Aria. Organizers promise “… a 3-day exploration and celebration of the glorious, complicated, rapidly evolving real estate marketplace.

The in-person tickets are selling for $899 or you can participate virtually for $199. Get registration and ticket information online at inman.com.

Asian Real Estate Association of America National Convention

October 20 – 22, 2022

AREAA’s national convention will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. There is currently not a lot of information on the group’s website, but keep checking in as the date draws near. Visit them at areaa.org.

2022 REALTORS® Conference & Expo

November 11-14, in Orlando, FL. What better way to escape the fall’s chill than schmoozing in sunny Orlando, Florida? Again, the agenda has yet to be posted to the website. You can check for updates online at conference.realtor.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and, it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here

2. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here

Will the REAL Neighborhood Expert Please Stand Up?

Dec 23, 2021

It takes more than a statement on your website or business card to truly be considered a neighborhood expert.

There are many agents using this title as a marketing tool, while not doing the necessary work to make the title a reality.

Let’s consider some ways to prove to potential clients that you are what you say you are.

1. Prove it in your marketing materials

True neighborhood experts, by and large, market to farm areas.

Whether that is a condo community, a specific zip code, or by subdivision, focusing on a smaller pool of homeowners is a brilliant way to become known as the expert in a community.

The best way to reach these homeowners or tenants or whomever you are targeting is via direct mail. It’s quick, it’s inexpensive and it works.

Shown above, FARM, Get More Listings postcard campaign. Learn more, **HERE**

Geographic Farm marketing

Here’s an idea of what to send to your chosen neighborhood: the Get More Listings postcard campaign.

Be sure to include on the back of the postcards an offer for a free “local market stats” report, that details home listings and sales in that area.

It shows them that you know your stuff and are on top of what’s happening in their area.

And, when homeowners reach out for this report, ensure that your explanation is in plain English. Unless you explain the meaning, avoid insider jargon, such as:

“absorption rate”
“months’ supply of real estate inventory” (what does months’ supply and “inventory” mean?),
“the median price range” (explain median vs. average)
“time on market” or “days on market” (why is this important to the average homeowner thinking of selling?)

We found lots of other examples online of what to AVOID in your Market Stats or CMA reports, such as:

“During this quarter, sales dollar volume increased year over year by 3% to $599,080,374. New listings rose 22% to 2,820, active listings increased 21% to 5,840 and pending sales increased 11% to 2,452. Monthly housing inventory increased by 0.4 months to 2.3 months.”

“Sales dollar volume” is meaningless to a homeowner. We would reword the paragraph to read more like a narrative than a dry list of statistics:

During this quarter, 22 percent more homeowners put their homes on the market here in Any town than in October. As quickly as they’re listed, however, buyers snap them up. One indication of that is the increase in pending sales, which were up 11 percent more than pending sales during the previous quarter of 2021.”

Since potential home sellers are your primary audience when farming, leave out the increase in inventory unless it’s significant (0.4 months isn’t). And, if you must express inventory in “months,” do the readers a solid and explain what that means.

Additional effective farming pieces include:

Just listed and just sold postcards (even if you haven’t sold or listed the property, if the agent in question has chosen not to announce this news, use their loss as your gain and send these postcards out).
A Just Sold Follow Up Campaign
The Market Dominator, an automated mega-newsletter that’s sent to an exclusive carrier route monthly through the use of EDDM.

2. Prove your neighborhood expertise on your website

Your website provides the ideal platform to strut your neighborhood expertise. Start by ensuring it’s localized.

So many agents pay the big bucks for a professional website and fail to remove or change the template text that comes with it.

Add your market area everywhere possible, starting with the above-the-fold area on your home page. Don’t make visitors wonder where on earth you sell real estate.

Create a neighborhoods section on your site and fill it with valuable, hyper-local content. In-depth neighborhood descriptions, quotes from folks who live in the neighborhood about why they love it, links to listings, and lots of photos are the bare necessities for neighborhood pages.

Finally, if you don’t have a blog, start one. It’s the ideal place to post local content and, if promoted across your social media platforms, it will help drive traffic back to your site.

3. Prove it in person

Get your face known around your chosen neighborhood(s). There are many ways to accomplish creating visibility. Here are a few:

Hold home seller seminars in the area.
Join the PTA.
Sponsor a community sports team and, in exchange, ask that your banner be displayed at games. And, do attend the games.
Join the neighborhood YMCA or gym.
Attend the HOA meetings.
Host a monthly coffee-and-pastry or happy hour event at the neighborhood café or watering hole.
Patronize neighborhood merchants and introduce yourself. Become a repeat customer.

Your aim is for people to think that they see you everywhere they go. Talk to folks, hand out your business card.

If you are truly the neighborhood expert, you need to prove it. It’s a brilliant way to stand out among the pretenders.

Ready to prove You’re the REAL DEAL When it Comes to Neighborhood Expertise?

Get Started by Creating Your Geographic Farm Prospects List While They’re on Sale 15% 0ff!

Why Build Your Geographic Farm List Now?

Because You Want The Following Things to Happen in 2022?

Strategic focus – Centralized sales in one area. No more driving across town for a listing.
To become a neighborhood expert – You’re committed to a specific neighborhood where you will become known as the expert.
Increased growth – You’re building toward the future instead of “just getting by” working on whatever comes your way.
A branded business – You’re branding yourself and your business within a community and building relationships over time with the people who live there.
Increased demand for your service – Sellers and buyers want to work with real estate agents who are experts in the community where they are buying and selling, and that’s YOU.

Build a geographic farm list (from a desktop or laptop computer) using the MapMyMail tool.

Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the MapMyMail listing building tool.

USE PROMO CODE: FARM15 to get 15% off of your geographic farm list.

Get started building your geographic farm list now, CLICK HERE!

For Help Creating Your Geographic Farm List, Watch This Video Below.

This sale expires on 12/25/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

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The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

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Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

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The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here

While you’re online scheduling your Holiday postcards to go out, consider launching an annual Holiday scheduled campaign.

Two Important Factors to Consider When Choosing a Geographic Farm

Dec 16, 2021

One area of real estate marketing that can’t be ignored if you intend to enjoy long-term growth in your real estate business is Geographic Farming.

Why? Because it alleviates the ongoing frustration of constantly chasing new commissions.

You’re working strategically with a focus that will benefit you now and well into your future, ensuring you don’t end up like 85% of agents who continue to struggle.

The secret to choosing the right geographic farm

Adequate research is the key to locating the right farm for you and your business.

Even if you find a geographic farm that you think works for you based on location and number of homes your research isn’t done yet. There are two more crucial factors that can’t be missed.

Two Important Factors:

Turn-Over Rate – Ideally you want a location with at least a 10-15% turnover rate. You can easily determine the turnover rate by dividing the number of homes in the farm by the number of homes that have sold.
Competition – If you choose a farm that already has an agent who appears to have achieved penetration in that market, you will find yourself working much harder and longer to see any positive results. It’s preferable to find an area where an agent has less than 10% of market share. Or an area where a previously aggressive agent has slowed or stopped marketing.

Time to Take Action

Once you’ve chosen the perfect farm it’s time to take action.

Get out and meet the people in this location (weather and restrictions permitting) It’s time to make your name, face, and brand as visible as possible, to begin the process of becoming identified as the neighborhood expert.

Canvassing a neighborhood may be old school, but it also makes you highly competitive.

In a market where so many agents are relying on email and social media to spread the word, walking your farm gives you a definitive advantage.

Shown above, Holiday postcards. Mail first class by December 18th to arrive on time for Christmas. See more, **HERE**

Your goal is to help people get to know you, like you, and trust you enough to do business with you.

You can’t do that sitting in your office. In fact, statistically, it takes 27 contacts to create effective branding of who you are and what you do.

In addition, to walking your farm, send out direct mail marketing at least once a month and call them at least once a quarter.

A great marketing piece to send this time of year is a holiday postcard.

Work Smart – Automate

So, how do you free up the extra time your farm will need from you? By automating your marketing wherever you can.

The perfect place to begin your automation is with a postcard campaign. This ensures you are in front of your homeowners consistently no matter how busy you get.

More importantly, as the people in your farm become familiar with your face, they will begin to identify you as the real estate expert in their neighborhood.

And, people choose real estate agents who:

Know their neighborhood
And, know how to get results in their neighborhood

The Top 7% of Agents

The top 7% of agents in the country have one thing in common – they have strategic, focused long-term marketing in place.

They aren’t leaving things to fall through the cracks or living commission to commission. They’re following a solid, systematic plan to generate business utilizing a farm as one of their main areas of focus.

So, join the 7% by getting started choosing your geographic farm. Then launch a Get More Listings postcard campaign and begin the process of branding yourself as their neighborhood expert!

Right now, Geographic Farm Campaigns are on sale 10% off the first month!

Shown above: Get More Listings postcard campaign, available in the FARM Campaign section. Learn More, **HERE**.

To Launch a Farm Campaign,

Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below (from a desktop or laptop computer).

USE PROMO CODE: FARM10 to get 10% off the first month of a FARM Campaign.

Start now, CLICK HERE!

Details: Take 10% off the first month of a FARM Campaign for a limited time (excluding tax, postage, data, EDDM. Sale ends at midnight Saturday, 12/18/21).

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

While you’re online scheduling your Holiday postcards to go out, consider launching an annual Holiday scheduled campaign.

Make 2022 the Year you Narrow Your Focus

Dec 14, 2021

Sure, you can continue to throw stuff against the wall to see what sticks. It’s a common practice among real estate agents.

If you want to make more money, however, consider narrowing your focus to owning a specific real estate market or niche.

A real estate niche can be plucked from a number of categories. Take home type for example. According to a study by the folks at McKissock, a real estate education and professional development firm, agents who specialize in luxury homes are among the highest earners in the industry.

Aside from property type, there’s the location niche, type-of-client niche (first-time buyers, veterans, etc.), and others.

There are a lot of specialties from which to choose. Let’s take a look at the potential of older Americans, aka “empty nesters & baby boomers.”

Especially if you list and sell real estate in an area popular for retirees (Georgia, the Carolinas, and Florida, for instance), read on.

Empty Nest Campaign shown above. See more under FARM Campaigns, HERE

Why empty nesters & baby boomers?

Age 58 to 76 in 2022, older Americans spent much of the past two years reevaluating their priorities.

“We’re now seeing the ‘Great Retirement,’ a tsunami of Baby Boomers leaving the workforce,” according to Jack Kelly, the senior contributor at Forbes.com.

In fact, “3.2 million more of them retired in the third quarter of 2020 than did in the same quarter of 2019,” said Kathy Gurchiek with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Most who want to sell, want to remain in close proximity to their adult children, but not necessarily in the same, large home in which they raised them.

Another reason to consider older Americans is they currently hold the most real estate wealth, owning 44% of homes in the U.S.

But, are they ready to sell?

Not all of them. Some became so freaked out over the inventory shortage that they decided to keep the home, renovate it, and age in place.

But, overall, those “… aged 65 to 73 … sold their homes at a higher rate than any other age group in 2020,” according to Natalie Campisi, a member of the Forbes Advisory staff.

And your association agrees. The 2021 National Association of REALTORS® “Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report” finds that baby boomers and empty-nesters make up the largest share of home sellers and second-largest share of buyers.

Millennials once again took the top spot in the buyers’ category.

Another area to give your attention is geographic farming

If you haven’t chosen a geographic farm to concentrate on yet, here are a few reasons to get started now,

Provides strategic marketing – You’re centralizing your sales into one area. No more driving across town for a listing.
Creates focus – You’re committing to becoming the neighborhood expert in a specific area.
Contributes to future growth – You’re building toward the future instead of “just getting by” working on whatever comes your way.
Brands you within a community – You’re branding yourself within a community and building relationships over time with the people who live there.
Increases demand for your service – Sellers and buyers want to work with real estate agents who are experts in the community where they are buying and selling.

And, right now, Farm Campaigns are on sale 10% off the first month!

To Launch a Farm Campaign Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below (from a desktop or laptop computer).

USE PROMO CODE: FARM10 to get 10% off the first month of a FARM Campaign.

Start now, CLICK HERE!

Details: Take 10% off the first month of a FARM Campaign for a limited time (excluding tax, postage, data, EDDM. Sale ends at midnight Saturday, 12/18/21).

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

While you’re online scheduling your Holiday postcards to go out, consider launching an annual Holiday scheduled campaign.

Curl Up with a Good Book and Improve Your Real Estate Business

Dec 9, 2021

Fall has its good and not-so-good points. Cleaning leaves from your home’s gutter gets tiresome. Firing up the fireplace on a chilly fall evening, on the other hand, is something to look forward to after a long day slinging real estate.

Grab an afghan, pull up a comfy chair, and crack open a good book. Read on to find two suggestions we think will help get you motivated, back on track, and ready to take on 2022.

“The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results,” Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

Published in 2013, Keller and Papasan’s book has garnered plenty of accolades. With 10,255 ratings at Amazon.com, 81% gave it 5 stars. But, that’s not all.

From the book’s Amazon page, we learned that “The ONE Thing” has earned:

The number 1 spot with Wall Street Journal, USA Today and the New York Times
A dozen book awards
Goodreads’ “Top 100 Business Book of All Times”
A spot-on national bestseller lists more than 575 times

What do Amazon reviewers say?

“… one of the best books I’ve ever read”
“amaaazing”
“… I am sooo happy I bought this book”
“This book helped me focus more on my business goals”

Oakland, California super-agent Kenny Truong, credits Keller’s book “… with helping him ignore the temptation to branch out to too many markets and refocus on his core farm area…,” according to Paul Hagey at Inman.com.

Only 1% of the reviewers gave the book one star. Among these reviewers, one says that the authors claim as their own a very old concept, another is that the authors could’ve gotten the point across in a blog post and yet another says “The entire book was fluff. It just constantly spoke in general terms.”

**There’s still time to get your holiday cards out! See more, HERE**

We recommend “The One Thing” for all agents, but especially beginners. Get your business habits off to a solid start by reading this book.

Find it at ThriftBooks.com and Amazon.com.

“The High 5 Habit: Take Control of Your Life with One Simple Habit,” Mel Robbins

Ms. Robbins’ publisher begins the explanation of her latest work thus:

“In this book, Mel teaches you how to start high fiving the most important person in your life, the one who is staring back at you in the mirror: YOURSELF.”

In case you’re not familiar with Robbins, she is a former criminal defense attorney for Legal Aid in NYC, a CNN legal analyst, best-selling author, wife, and mom of three.

She has lived what she preaches and, apparently, it works.

Eighty-nine percent of Amazon reviewers award the book 5 stars. They rave about the encouragement they found within the book’s pages, especially welcome in present-day America.

Here are samples of a handful of Amazon reviewers:

“Written with total abandon and enthusiasm, it’s easy to be drawn into these pages …”
“The … version is now covered in notes and 4 days later I am already feeling huge benefits from implementing things in this book.”
“This is not just fluff, it is practical, life changing tools, you can really use, and for me it is making a huge difference …”

If you find your mind cluttered with self-doubt, if you crave serving an eviction notice to the “nagging critic” in your head, if you’re unable to celebrate your success because you’re too focused on what might go wrong, you may want to curl up with this book.

Find “The High 5 Habit” at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Ready to target Baby Boomers? Right now, you can get 100 Baby Boomer prospect list contacts for FREE

BABY BOOMER LISTS ARE ON SALE FOR 3 MORE DAYS!

HOW TO FIND BABY BOOMER PROSPECTS IN YOUR AREA.

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Demographic Search Tool.

USE PROMO CODE: BOOM100 to get the first 100 prospects free.

5 Reasons to Go After Baby Boomers RIGHT NOW –

Two sales in one (downsizing & selling one home then buying another smaller home)
Baby boomers make up nearly half the seller’s market
They’re seasoned buyers/sellers. They’ve sold homes before and understand the process.
They know what they want. Making for an easier transaction.
They have a higher amount of equity in their home than most sellers, meaning more money to spend on a new home.

Discover Baby Boomer Prospects in your area, now, CLICK HERE!

This sale expires on 12/11/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

While you’re online scheduling your Holiday postcards to go out, consider launching an annual Holiday scheduled campaign.

Hey Neighborhood Expert: Are You Walking the Walk?

Dec 7, 2021

Think back to the Great Recession. “Banks seized more than 1 million homes in 2010,” compared to 100,000 in 2005, according to the staff at theweek.com.

Mysteriously, almost overnight, scores of real estate agents across the country became “short sale experts,” promising underwater homeowners that they could help them avoid foreclosure.

Today, we have “neighborhood experts.”

Many of these agents, however, pay lip service to the title. After all, it sounds like a good thing to say—everyone else is doing it—so they slap the phrase on their websites, hoping it’ll give them cred.

It doesn’t. Within two minutes of speaking with them, real estate consumers figure out that it’s all smoke and mirrors.

If you’re going to talk the talk you need to walk the walk. Trust us, it’ll impress even the most skeptical homebuyer or seller.

The Market Dominator and Homes & Life Magazine shown above, learn more, **HERE**

How to walk the walk

Like many of us, real estate consumers have become suspicious of common marketing practices and expect proof that we aren’t merely paying lip service to a slogan.

So, be prepared to commit yourself to yours in a substantial way:

Tour all new listings in your chosen neighborhood. This way, if asked, you’ll be able to answer, immediately, instead of having to look up the information in the MLS. Impressive.
Keep an eye on what city officials may be proposing for the area in which you specialize. Being able to share this info, off the top of your head, will be impressive.
Join the Next Door pages of your neighborhood. Become the resource for information about everything from the area’s recreational amenities to who to call to fix a broken window.
Consider holding an annual event for the entire neighborhood. One agent we know gives away pumpkins near Halloween, another holds an annual crab feed and, yet another, has a wreath decorating party at Christmas.
Publish local information such as a relocation guide or area resource guide.

Get the word out that you’re their neighborhood real estate expert

The best way to get the word out to the neighbors about your expertise is with direct mail. Provided the area you’ve chosen isn’t too large, it’s cheap and it’s quick.

Then, keep the campaign ongoing to ensure that your name remains top-of-mind when it comes time for one of them to buy or sell real estate.

What to send? The tried and true, of course:

The mega-sized Market Dominator newsletter
Just sold and just listed postcards
Market reports

Ensure whatever you send is branded and includes your website’s URL to help generate traffic so they can learn even more about why YOU are the neighborhood expert.

The bottom line? Build your image and reputation by becoming so closely woven into the neighborhood that you become part of its fabric.

Ready to go after Baby Boomers in your area market? Right now, you can get 100 contacts on a Baby Boomer Prospect list for FREE!

HOW TO FIND BABY BOOMER PROSPECTS IN YOUR AREA.

Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Demographic Search Tool.

USE PROMO CODE: BOOM100 to get the first 100 prospects free.

5 Reasons to Go After Baby Boomers RIGHT NOW –

Two sales in one (downsizing & selling one home then buying another smaller home)
Baby boomers make up nearly half the seller’s market
They’re seasoned buyers/sellers. They’ve sold homes before and understand the process.
They know what they want. Making for an easier transaction.
They have a higher amount of equity in their home than most sellers, meaning more money to spend on a new home.

Discover Baby Boomer Prospects in your area, now, CLICK HERE!

This sale expires on 12/11/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

While you’re online scheduling your Holiday postcards to go out, consider launching an annual Holiday scheduled campaign.

New Real Estate Agents: 3 Mistakes That Can Derail a Deal

Nov 30, 2021

Real estate transaction mistakes happen. Things fall apart, you-know-what hits the fan. The problem is that, especially when it happens in a real estate deal, there are a whole lot of people impacted.

Not paying attention to the rules and regs can blow up a deal. Assumptions can blow up a deal. Real estate-unaware clients can really blow up a deal.

Still, some real estate mistakes happen and, according to the pros we spoke with, the following are among the most common culprits when a transaction blows up.

1. You can’t sell what you don’t own

“We signed closing papers last week and the day we were to take possession of our home the seller didn’t sign,” begins a tale of woe in the old “Voices” section at Trulia.com.

“Her agent told my agent that the seller had gone bankrupt in the past year and needed court permission to sell. And also tells us the seller hasn’t made payments on the house for months. This is the first time we heard of any of this.”

Sounds to me like someone failed to read the prelim.

Photo Introduction Series, see more HERE

Aside from that, the question “Do you have the legal authority to sell the home?” is a listing agent’s best friend. “Is there anyone else on the title?” is the second bf. And, as a new agent, you need to know that these should be the first questions you ask a potential listing client.

Sometimes the seller thinks he has authority by power of attorney but doesn’t realize the power of attorney has expired.

“It is usually a matter of an Internet search or a phone call to a title company to determine the legal owner of the property,” explains Seattle real estate attorney Evan L. Loeffler at americanbar.org.

He goes on to add the second understatement-of-the-year warning: “It would be wise to make that call early on.”

2. EVERYTHING should be in writing

We all learned in real estate school that relying on verbal agreements in the sale of real estate is a recipe for disaster (Statute of Frauds, remember?). Yet, there are still agents who do it, especially when it comes to the smaller details in the contract.

A verbal agreement from the seller to make a certain repair, or to leave the washer and dryer is just as unenforceable as a verbal agreement on price. Sure, the injured party can take the matter to court, but proving a verbal agreement isn’t easy.

And, the deal explodes

Never rely on a verbal promise in any part of the transaction, regardless of how seemingly small it may be.

3. It’s not over ‘til the lender sings

“How the heck can a lender pull out financing so close and with zero indication this would happen? We figured our home sale was a done deal,” complains a Wisconsin homeowner at biggerpockets.com.

How sad that this seller’s agent didn’t warn him that the sale wasn’t a “done deal” until it closes. That between acceptance and closing there is a whole lot of you-know-what that might hit the fan? And, yes, right up until the last minute.

Real estate school was only the beginning of your education. Hang around with seasoned agents, ask one to mentor you. It doesn’t take long to get the hang of it, but it does require attention to every detail.

A Cyber Sale is going on right now! Save 10% on Standard, Jumbo, and Panoramic Postcards!

To get 10% OFF, click the “GO NOW” button (below) and choose from 100s of targeted postcards including,

Holiday postcards
Calendar postcards
Recipe postcards
Get More Listing postcards
Just Listed/Just Sold postcards
and more…

USE PROMO CODE: CYBER10 AT CHECK OUT

Details: Get 10% off on standard, jumbo, and panoramic postcards (excludes postage, tax, EDDM, scheduled campaigns. Sale ends midnight December 5th, 2021).

Money-Saving Tip: Do you have a bunch of postcard marketing that is going to happen in the coming weeks? Purchase those postcards now to get 10% off, then schedule the orders to go out at future dates.

CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED SAVING!

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

While you’re online scheduling your Holiday postcards to go out, consider launching an annual Holiday scheduled campaign.

Real Estate Myth #2: Living Near a Highway Destroys a Home’s Value

Nov 23, 2021

“Environmental noise caused by traffic can reduce property values,” according to an online article from Road Engineering Journal, citing research from the 1970s and 1980s.

Other blanket statements such as “… the vroom, vroom, vroom of traffic right outside a bedroom window …” will negatively impact the value of a home, are far from accurate. In fact, these stereotypes can keep you from maximizing your near-a-busy-street listing’s potential.

There are pros and cons for homebuyers who purchase a home near a highway. The experts who’ve extensively studied the highway issue claim that results are a mixed bag.

Get your holiday postcards ordered now, HERE

Noise level

We found an interesting study on freeway noise, published by the Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board.

In it, the researchers found that “Freeway construction may have an adverse impact on some properties, but in the aggregate, property values tend to increase with freeway development.”

They also claim that the effect of freeways on property values varies according to the type of property.

The value of single-family homes experienced a negative impact while multi-family dwellings, such as condos, apartments, and commercial properties found a rise in value.

Finally, the study found that “… the most important factor in determining negative impact on property values appears to be the level of traffic on any major roads in the proximate area …”

The level of traffic implies the level of noise, which produced a more significant impact on values “… than the presence of a freeway per se.”

Consider a home in an inner-ring suburb near a highway compared to a home further out near a highway. The latter will experience less traffic and, thus, less noise and less of an impact on value.

Two additional considerations

Commuters may be willing to pay more to be able to hop on the freeway in the morning. Those who cherish a quiet night’s sleep, on the other hand, probably shouldn’t be looking at homes near a highway.

Then there’s this random tidbit: Those homes located near a depressed freeway are valued higher than those located near at-grade or elevated freeways.

Again, do the research required because what’s happening outside that bedroom window in your client’s chosen neighborhood may just have a positive impact.

While you’re online scheduling your Holiday postcards to go out, consider launching an annual Holiday scheduled campaign.

Right now Holiday scheduled campaigns are on sale!

Shown above: Holiday postcard campaign. Learn More, **HERE**.

HOW TO LAUNCH HOLIDAY SCHEDULED CAMPAIGN.

Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below (from a desktop or laptop computer).

USE PROMO CODE: HOLIDAY10 to get 10% off the first month of a Holiday Campaign.

Schedule a Holiday campaign, now, CLICK HERE!

This sale expires on 11/27/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, niche markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. –Click Here

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

New Agent: Get Online Now with THIS Easy Real Estate Website Platform

Nov 18, 2021

Your real estate website will be one of the most important marketing and lead-generating tools in your real estate business.

If you’re just starting out in the industry, however, you probably don’t have a lot of money to hire one of the larger real estate website development companies.

That’s ok. It’s important to get yourself online however you can, and a WordPress site may just be a sensible interim solution.

What is WordPress?

It’s surprising, but not everyone is familiar with WordPress. So, for the newbie, WordPress is an Internet-gobbling content management system, powering more than 26 percent of all websites, to a total of more than 70 million worldwide.

If that’s still too technical, think of WP as a blogging-platform website-builder-E commerce platform. Sort of a one-stop-shop, if you will.

Its popularity stems from the fact that it’s open-source, so modifications and improvements occur frequently and fixes happen rapidly, unlike closed-source software such as Microsoft Office or Adobe Acrobat.

WordPress is easy

The number one reason to consider WordPress for your agent website is that it’s so easy to use.

It offers not only one-click installation but functionality options that allow for easy updates to your site – even if you’re completely unfamiliar with blog publishing, RSS feeds, and IDX capability.

No developer or webmaster is needed for every little tweak you want to make.

WordPress is customizable

You won’t need to take coding classes to customize your WordPress site. Just think “widgets,” which are simple to use and give you design control over the WP theme.

There are widgets for just about any use, from advertising open houses and just-sold listings to user registration and social integration.

Google loves WordPress

Getting your website to rank higher in search engines is important to your real estate business and WordPress helps you do just that. When you use WordPress’ built-in features, such as tags and categories, Google learns what your pages are all about and that’s good for SEO (learn more about how to supercharge your site’s SEO, here).

Then, there are the SEO plugins that can help your site rank quickly. Best of all, they’re easy to install, even for the novice.

Of course, you’ll still need to walk the walk and talk the talk by ensuring that your site has relevant content.

It’s easy to add content

Yes, content is still king when it comes to generating traffic to your website. In fact, Google’s “Quality Rater Guidelines” insist that a website’s content should be “maintained and updated regularly” to receive the highest ranking.

And, how should agents accomplish this? By blogging, and fortunately, WordPress includes a built-in blogging platform that is a snap to use.

It’s all about IDX

At the end of the day, the main reason someone visits your website is to search for homes for sale in your market and they can’t do that without IDX (Internet Data Exchange) and its seamless integration into your WordPress site.

But it doesn’t stop there. You can include interactive maps and other search features as well. These include:

Sharing property data on social media
Allowing visitors to create a list of favorite listings and share them via email or social media
Enabling users to subscribe to new listing alerts
Integration with your CRM

Harnessing the power of WordPress and IDX for your agent site is the best step you can take right now for your new business.

It’s not called “Marketing Media,” but “SOCIAL media.” Get social. Join pertinent groups and engage with people. A new year will be upon us before we know it. While penciling out your 2022 business goals, vow to leave the dated aspects of your business behind, where they belong.

Did you know our Farm, Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign is currently on sale 10% OFF the first month?

SALE ENDS IN 3 MORE DAYS!

Get More Listings Postcard Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

TO LAUNCH A GET MORE LISTINGS CAMPAIGN:

Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Get More Listings I or II Series.

USE PROMO CODE: LIST10 to get 10% Off at check out.

And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change up until the night before the mailing goes out). This sale expires 11/20/21.

Launch a Get More Listings Campaign Now, CLICK HERE!

Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Reach Out to Your Sphere This Holiday Season

Nov 16, 2021

If you send holiday greetings to clients every year and haven’t even had time to think about them this year, time’s a-wastin’!

Although it’s still not too late to design and print your own greeting, you may opt for our nice array of holiday postcards.

Even if you don’t typically send greetings, if you hold an annual charity program or something similar, let folks know about it, while simultaneously reinforcing your brand into their awareness.

Thinking of sending email greeting?

Please. Don’t. Do. That.

Sure, it’s cheap and easy. But, email greetings during the holidays most likely won’t even be opened. They might also:

Give a feeling of not alot of thought in your greeting
Get lost in all of your other year-end emails

If an email holiday greeting is the best you can do, consider not sending greetings at all.

Use the good old U.S. Postal service or, deliver your card in person. Either of these methods is far more personal than a dashed-off email with a greeting cut and pasted from the internet.

Holiday Postcards are shown above, see more, **here**

Words, words, words

What will you say?

“Never mention ‘Christmas,’ ‘Hanukkah,’ or any other particular holiday,” says one online writer.

She states it’s important to be inclusive of everyone and warns not to alienate anyone.

Overall, it’s probably not a bad idea. But if you have folks in your sphere that you know, without a doubt, celebrate one of the religious holidays, a card specific to them would not only be appreciated, but they’ll know that you remembered them.

Dig deep for enough cash to buy a few different cards or postcards for these leads, former clients, or those in your sphere. Be daring and actually wish them a Merry Christmas (December 25) or Happy Hanukkah (which begins the evening of November 28, 2021, and ends on December 6, 2021).

Here’s an even better idea

Some people find Hanukkah cards offputting. Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners, calls them “insensitive,”.

So, consider skipping the winter holiday greetings and sending New Year cards instead. Not only will you avoid offending anyone in your sphere but your cards will arrive when the mailbox isn’t crammed full of other cards.

When to send

If you’ll be ordering your postcards online, it’s a good idea to get that head start that the department stores are so fond of. Order them a.s.a.p. On ProspeectsPLUS! you can schedule an order to go out anytime you like.

We also offer an array of holiday cards and New Year cards to choose from. Check them out, here.

While you’re online scheduling your Holiday postcards to go out, schedule a Get More Listing campaign as well. Right now you can get 10% off of Farm, Get More Listings campaigns.

HOW TO LAUNCH A GET MORE LISTINGS CAMPAIGN.

Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Get More Listings I or II Series.

USE PROMO CODE: LIST10 to get 10% off the first month of a Get More Listings Campaign.

Schedule a Get More Listings postcard campaign, now, CLICK HERE!

This sale expires on 11/20/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

Before Believing THIS Real Estate Myth, Check Your Sources

Nov 8, 2021

Here’s a real estate myth doled out to agents from the pros at Investopedia.com:

“A lot’s proximity to things like busy roadways and community centers may make it less desirable for resale.”

REALTOR® Magazine gives us something similar: “If your seller’s home is in a part of the neighborhood that borders a highway, train tracks, or an industrial area, it’ll likely fetch a lower price.”

While Investopedia is flat-out wrong (read why below), REALTOR® Magazine got it partially right.

The takeaway from this for real estate agents is to always check with more than one source when it comes to helping a client with an investment as large and important as real estate.

Believe it or not

University studies about several aspects of the housing industry litter the internet. Why take advice that is, on the face of it, either agenda-driven or based on anecdotal evidence? You owe your clients more than that.

The truth is, although “location” is critical to the present and future value of a home, the truth of the specifics of the location are a bit more complicated.

If you truly are your area’s “real estate expert, put in the time to perform proper research. You may be surprised by what you learn.

Location Myth: Homes near a railroad fetch a lower price

In 2007, researchers studying the issue of rail transit’s impact on home prices cited previous studies and claimed that the conclusions were “… not uniform.”

In other words, “location,” as you know, includes many variables. When it comes to a railroad, some of the considerations include:

Is the property commercial or residential?
Is the railroad a commuter line or heavy rail?
Is “railroad” referring to the proximity of railroad tracks or a station?
And, naturally, the addition or deduction of value for these properties depends on the region.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, for instance, a study reveals that a home “… immediately adjacent to BART [Bay Area Rapid Transit] would sell for close to 38% more than an identical house not near any BART service.”

Other studies find that a home located near the commuter rail in the suburbs of New Jersey and in Philadelphia also saw higher sale prices than homes further away.

On the flip side, homes located closest to a station area in Portland were worth less, “… due to the traffic and noise.”

We’ll feature additional location myths in the future. In the meantime, next time you hear or read that one of the drawbacks of living near a railroad is that it depresses property values, do some research on homes in the community you serve.

You and your client may be pleasantly surprised by what you learn.

The Fence Sitter postcard campaign is the perfect direct mail marketing tool to get prospects motivated to move forward. And, right now you can get 10% off Fence Sitter Campaigns.

Shown above: Fence Sitter postcard campaign, available in the FARM campaign section. Learn More, **HERE**.

HOW TO LAUNCH A FENCE SITTER CAMPAIGN.

Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Fence Sitter Series.

USE PROMO CODE: FENCE10 to get 10% off the first month of a Fence Sitter Campaign.

Schedule a Fence Sitter postcard campaign, now, CLICK HERE!

This sale expires on 11/13/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.

PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.

1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand

Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.

4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook

6. The Free Online ROI Calculator

7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”

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