This is the perfect time to raise the bar in your real estate business. Re-dedicate your efforts to list or sell more homes, make more contacts, learn more strategies.

The first step is your real estate marketing plan. Without a plan you’ll waste time and money.

Let’s work first from the numbers you want to hit. Download your Goal Setting Worksheet for 2012.

Now, how are you going to hit those numbers?

1.    First, spend some time cleaning out your database.
2.    Add all those new names you’ve meant to add but haven’t yet.
3.    Outline a 3-point marketing plan: internet, email and print. If you really want to surpass your numbers, add a 4th leg – public speaking, publishing or create your own radio show.
a.   Internet: This means your own blog – which you keep up to date. It also means social media, the more sites the better.
b.   eMail – regularly send a newsletter (not one prepared by someone else). Send this monthly. In the interim, if you have something newsworthy, create an additional email.
c.   Remember the days of the print newsletter? They are so unusual now that you will definitely stand out.
d.   For those who are really serious, becoming a public figure, even in a small pond, will send you over the top.

Most agents hesitate to spend money on marketing when business is slow, yet that’s when it’s needed the most. The top real estate agents across the country spend as much as 10% of their income on marketing.

Make the biggest splash with the least amount of time invested by deciding exactly what your marketing plan will consist of, plugging it into a calendar, then following it daily.

Here are the 6 marketing traits of the top real estate agents in the country.

1) Set Clear Objectives
2) Invest 10% of their earnings into marketing:
a) Specialty print
b) Internet
c) Other
3) Spread the wealth
a) Do not market in one area only – use internet, print, FB ads, etc.
4) Learn New Technology
5) Track their results
6) Constantly Think About How They Can Stand Out From the Crown

Remember, it’s all about visibility and consistent communication.

For any of you who haven’t heard this ….. this month all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

…. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone:

888-382-1222.

It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your
time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the
cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a
different phone number.

If you pay attention, just keep your eyes and ears and intuition open, there are bits of information that foretell the future.

In 1982, when I was a wet-behind-the-ears stock broker, interest rates were 17%. Nothing much was happening at work, so I took off for Hawaii for a few days. It was October. I remember getting that 4 am phone call from my manager saying “get your a.. back here, now! That was the day rates started to fall. No one expected it – no one saw it coming.

Fast forward to today and look at some of the news articles that are buried on second and third pages of newspapers; just small footnotes.

A Few Cases in point:

In the news these past few days, Thomas Properties Group has recently signed a $6 million dollar 10-year deal for bigger offices – this time in the City National Plaza in downtown Los Angeles.

KB, one of the country’s largest home builders is still losing money, but they are also reporting more orders for homes.

One of the most impactful stories was reported last Thursday as New York City knocked London off the top spot as the city attracting the most commercial property investment in the world – the first time in this position since 2007. Congrats New York!

All these things mean something. They may seem like only small points of light, but they just might be indicators of underlying strength. As it has in the past, the recovery might just creep up on us while we’re looking the other way.

I’m not ignoring that there is still plenty to be unhappy about. People are not going to wake up to money falling out of trees and thousands of homes for sale at reasonable prices (not short sales, please), and job openings by the thousands, but I think it’s time to stop whining and focus on whatever each of us can do to keep our lives moving forward on a positive note. Maybe even reach out and give someone else a hand.

My final word – Stop your belly-achin’. I know the economy stinks, but this is the U.S. man! You can’t keep us down forever.

One of the questions that are always asked of Real Estate Agents and Mortgage Professionals is “should I buy, or wait?” There is so much press about falling rates, rising rates – falling prices, short sale nightmares and on and on . . . Buyers are confused and looking to professionals for guidance.

What better way to answer than with cold, hard facts?

Let’s look back to January, 2011. Where were prices and interest rates?

Even though rates are down, prices are up.  Take a look at this illustration.

Based on this, buyers would have been better off waiting – for a savings of 2.6%. Wow! This will buy a starbucks a day (or maybe two a day for a larger loan amount.)

But wait!

Rents are up 5.9% since January.

What happened to the savings?

Next time someone askes if they should buy now or wait, you have your answer.

In the past we’ve talked about standing out from your competition. In fact, every time you go to a seminar or conference on increasing your business, the speaker will lead off with “What Is Your Unique Value Proposition”?

Not to beat it to death, but with so much competition in your local market, coming up with a few words that will stop people in their tracks is absolutely essential.

If you don’t know precisely what it is that sets you apart
though, how can you expect your clients or customers to make
the distinction and choose your business over those of your
competitors?

A unique selling proposition (USP), – I prefer to call it your “Unique Value Proposition”  – must, as the name suggests, tell prospective clients and customers precisely what value you offer that the competition doesn’t.  It must describe a benefit that is so compelling that your target market will be drawn to your business and no other, but it absolutely must be a genuine proposition that you can deliver on.

Two of my favorites that I always strive to emulate are Fed-Ex’s “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” and the iPods “1,000 songs in your pocket”. Both, in their day, were revolutionary! Both told a whole story in just a few words. When you heard them, you were sold, right then and there.

Check out this Reno Buyer’s Agent’s UVP. This is a good one.

When deciding on your own USP, remember that it doesn’t necessarily have to be based on a single benefit, but could encompass a unique combination of benefits.  It’s not easy to come up with the perfect combination of words, but it’s worth the time to think it through. Ask your friends to help – they see things from a different prospective.

Most of you know that I’m pretty much of a geek when it comes to gadgets and toys. These new Sony 3-D HD binoculars are amazing.  and I can’t help but think they might be great on a film set.

With four-figure price tags, Sony’s DEV-3 and DEV-5 digital recording binoculars, which are due to hit stores in November 2011, are not likely to appeal to everyone. Sony is marketing them mostly to nature lovers, (ie rich bird watchers) and technophiles or the person who has everything, but I can’t help but think they might be great on a film location.  The ability to capture in 3-D precisely what you see through the lenses could come in very handy.

Now for some tech talk: 

The DEV-3 and DEV-5 models feature 10x and 20x maximum magnification, respectively, and both models come with HD; 3-D Exmor R™ CMOS Optical SteadyShot for steadier, clearer images at high magnifications; dual electronic viewfinder; and HDMI for transmitting uncompressed digital data.  The smooth zoom control and auto focus both help ensure that your subject stays sharply in focus, but unlike with regular binoculars, you can digitally capture exactly what you see as HD video or still photos.  Simply connect to an HDTV or PC and you can either replay your footage or transfer images.

And besides, it’s getting close to that gift-giving time of year.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of buying a home is “does the real estate agent REALLY represent you, the home buyer?”

Yes, you do have the right to ask an agent to solely represent you. Here are some FAQs as to what’s involved and why you should consider it when buying your next home, second home or investment property.

1.    What does Buyer Representation mean?

The real estate agent represents your interest.  They are required to be loyal, accountable and not disclose any information about you that you don’t want the seller or the other real estate agent to know.

2.    Should you call the agent who listed the house for sale? 

You may, but they are representing the seller—not you—and their responsibility is to get the highest price and the most money for the seller.  You will also have to sign a piece of paper stating that you are aware that the real estate agent will be representing both of you, and will do their best to be fair and honest.

3.    Will you get a better deal if you work with the listing agent?

Some people think since the real estate agent would be getting all the commission when working with both the buyer and the seller, that the listing agent will negotiate a better deal.  The bottom line is that if the seller doesn’t accept the offer, or if you, the buyer, won’t counter with another price, it’s out of the agent’s control and the sale does not happen.

4.    Will they only show you listings that are in the MLS?

An agent who represents buyers not only can show you properties listed for sale through the Multiple Listing Service, they can also contact For Sale by Owners.  If there is a home you’d like to buy, but it’s not for sale, they can knock on the door for you and ask if they would consider selling it to you. This is not to say that a listing agent can’t do the same. They can, but a homeowner often thinks the agent is just trying to get a listing if there is not a specific buyer interested – you.

5.    How much does it cost to hire a sellers agent?

Over 99% of the time, the seller still pays the real estate commission.  There are extremely rare times where the seller may not agree to pay the commission, but you will know ahead of time if there are any issues.

6.    Do you need to sign anything?

Yes, there is an agreement called the Exclusive Right to Represent the Buyer, and it outlines what the sellers representative’s duties are and their responsibility to you.  It lets the seller and the real estate agents know that there is an exclusive relationship existing and  if they tell your agent something about the property, or the seller tells your agent, or any other information, your agent has the duty to tell you.  You will usually have to sign it for a period of time—but that too is negotiable between you and the agent.

There is yet another reason to have an agreement with a buyers agent. No real estate agent will work as hard for you if you are hopping from one real estate agent to another. Their job is hard enough as it is, but to put so much time and effort into a buyer only to have that buyer wander into an open house and write an offer with whatever agent is sitting there that day (it may not even be the listing agent) is very disheartening. Form a bond with your agent and work closely with them and they will find your home.  If you feel they aren’t doing their job, tell them and move on to someone new, but don’t work with several simultaneously. You will be getting duplicate listings and find yourself running in circles. All business is about relationships and real estate is no different. Remember, you can always vote with your feet!

If you are thinking of selling your home, contact me and I’ll recommend several great listing agents.  If you are thinking of buying a home, I also know of many great buyers’ agents who I can recommend to you.

Steve was more than a visionary, he was an inspiration to millions.

There will never be another Steve Jobs.

You will be missed.

In the 80′s I was a stock broker then after a few turns in the road, I became a mortgage broker. Still the age-old debate: is the stock market or real estate a better investment? Other than the usual discussion about liquidity vs non-liquidity there is a clear winner.

When there’s volatility in the housing market everyone seems to jump all over it. When there’s volatility in the stock market, there’s some people saying you should never buy stocks again. Stocks were never a good investment, they’d say. Some people feel that way about real estate now.

What I learned as a stock broker, never try for the ultimate bottom or top – it’s a losers game. Buy when a good stock is low and if it’s quality, it will go up. So what if it falls a bit first. If you wait, you might miss the move altogether. 

Well let’s take a look. We go all the way back to January 2000. And the most amazing thing with this is real estate has gone up over six times more than the Dow. S&P 500 and NASDAQ are still in the negative from January 1, 2000. But the Dow, which is in the positive, real estate out performed it by over six times.

If you think the past ten or eleven years are unusual, pick another decade. You’ll find similar percentages.

If it were me, I’d own both.

For all of you who are thinking of selling your home, read on. This is a great story that was reported in the “Wall Street Journal”.

It seems that the person who founded the original forsalebyowner.com put his house on the market this year. Well let’s go over a little bit of history. He founded the site forsalebyowner.com back in 1999. He sold it in 2006 to the Tribune Interactive. It was for an undisclosed amount. No one knew for sure what the terms of the sale were. But I can tell you a few months later that founder bought an apartment in New York City for $2 million so I guess he did okay on the sale.

Fast forward four years to today, he tries to sell the apartment in New York City and he does what he’s always told people to do – For Sale By Owner it; FSBO it. The only challenge is he couldn’t get it sold.

It wound up that the founder of forsalebyowner.com reached out, hired a broker at a full commission to sell his apartment in New York City.

And one of the most amazing things in this story is the fact that when the broker came in he said, “Well part of the challenge that you have is it’s not priced right.” “It should be more money attracting a higher client.” The broker came in, raised the price by $130,000.00 and sold it at the higher price after the owner, founder of forsalebyowner.com, failed doing it as a FSBO.

That’s funny enough in itself, but in the article in the “Wall Street Journal” the seller announced that he’s about to launch a brand new FSBO website. He made his money convincing people they should FSBO. When his property came up for sale he got a broker, paid them a full commission, and got more money than he was trying to sell it for. And once he got that money he announced he’s launching a new website for people to do FBSO’s.

For anyone who wants a copy of this graphic, you can get it here. For all you realtors out there, feel free to use this in your listing presentations.