Freddie Mac reported today that the interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate loan dipped below 4.69% while the rate on a 15-year loan sank below 4.13%. These are the lowest rates we have seen  since 1970.

Do you have potential buyers you can call with this news? Record low rates might just get them off the fence and encourage then to buy NOW!

This news is the perfect opportunity to connect with your database.  Send a blast email. Post the news on Facebook, Twitter and your other social networks. Write a blog post.  Send a text. Or post a video.

Need help with any of this? Contact your favorite real estate virtual assistant!

Last month I wrote a post about real estate closing gifts. One of my real estate virtual assistant clients, Clayton Gits, had asked for suggestions so I went to my LinkedIn network for ideas. Below are responses that have come in since the original post.

All of my clients have become more than clients. Some a little more than others. I do like to tune into what they are like and about and find an appropriate gift. I don’t take my CPA, attorney, insurance agent, dentist, Dr. or my stockbroker to dinner. But they don’t know me like I know my clients. I do stay in touch. Les Hackmeister

If the buyers are from out of town I’ll buy them a subscription to the local newspaper or regional magazine. It helps them to get acquainted with their new surroundings and they’re reminded of me every time they read it and see our ads. Nancy McBride

I’m with Rick, I do not normally do a closing gift. I typically work with sellers and on the occasion I felt it appropriate I bought my customer champagne to celebrate (I knew they would appreciate). I heard of a great closing gift and I will use one day; a pre-inked stamp with new address on it. I thought that was very clever and did not cost a lot.  Kari A. Battaglia

I work with buyers, usually relocating from afar. My closing gift is often a beautiful large basket filled with necessary stuff like toilet paper, tissues, cloth tea towels, liquid soap, a sponge, and a few snacks, like cheese and crackers, nuts, sparkling soda and chocolates. These are practical and greatly appreciated on move-in day or at their house when they arrive. The basket and (southwest motif) tea towels hang around. As special thank you’s, with much longer “shelf life,” I have given beautiful pieces of Nambé for their new home, made in New Mexico. How cheap it is to receive a $30,000 commission and not give a real gift?! Bad form, I’d say.

I disagree with Rick and others who think this cheapens our professionalism. I am all for doctors, lawyers and others giving thoughtful thank-yous, especially for referrals, which are the life blood of all business. I am amazed that many times I’ve referred a patient or client and never received so much as a thank you note. That’s not good business. Aysha Griffin

I always give a gift and it differs from each one. Now, my sister-in-law use to make dinner for each of her buyers. Now, I think she takes them out to dinner. Rebecca Gaujot

For a few sellers, I have taken the photos of the listing and made a keepsake book. I used www.mypublisher.com, but there are several others. This works especially well for sellers that have worked hard to re-hab a house and are now moving up by choice. Brian Hall

I do not give closing gifts to buyers but do give a drawing or oil of their house if I represent the seller . Michelle Drum

My favorite buyer gift is a welcome mat and flowers. Whenever possible I arrive at the walk-thru before them and set the mat and large flowering plant (Costco or Sam’s) on the front doorstep. I have personalized note cards with my logo on the front and on the inside I simply write “Welcome Home!”  Dawna Watson

One of my real estate virtual assistant clients, Clayton Gits, asked me for client closing gift suggestions. I posed the question, “What has been your most successful closing gift in terms of client appreciation and shelf life?” to a LinkedIn Group and here are the results:

“A brass plaque of the homes street address. The clients loved it, and point out to each of their friends that their “Realtor” bought it for them…They see it each time they enter their home and are reminded of me.”  Alan May

“Anything practical – gift card to Home Depot or Lowe’s or Costco. Substantial amount. Always depended on their needs.”   Laurie Barrera

“It depends on the client’s needs/wants. Recently I had a client mention the name of her favorite restaurant so I’ll likely get a gift card for there and something for the home. I’ve given Scentsey product as well. Here is a link in case you aren’t familiar with the product. https://ussuccess.scentsy.us/home ” Les Hackmeister

“I wrote a post called “My Housekeeper is Adorable! ” I described the Roomba which I have renamed RomeBa. This is a great closing gift!”  Margaret Rome

“I quit doing closing gifts. The best “gift” is to stay in touch with your clients. If you have to give something, one of the best I was was a self inking stamp with the buyer’s new address on it. They can use it forever. I never put my return address on my bills, but I always make sure the sender’s address is showing, but if I had a stamp, I would use it. Of course the stamp should have your name and contact information on it.”  Jerry Becker

Thank you all for your suggestions! what do you give for a real estate closing gift?

As you know from previous posts, your real estate virtual assistant is taking a social media with Social Media Magic.  Today I want to share with you how to strategically optimize your LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn is a network of over 55 million professionals who are interested in exchanging information, ideas and opportunities. It is a ‘place to find and be found.’ You can find people who will be helpful in building your business. And you can be found by people needing your real estate services.

Your profile is your online business card. It is the first glimpse of who you are. It is a showcase of your experience and expertise. And it needs to be strategically optimized for people to be able to find you. There are 2 reasons to optimize your profile. One is for the computer and one is for people. Optimization of the computer includes the strategic use of keywords. People don’t search for you by your name but by the services you provide or the company you are affiliated with. You also want people to look at your profile and think, “Wow, this is a person I need to do business with.”

Prior to optimizing my profile, if I searched ‘real estate virtual assistant’, I showed up on page 3 of the results. After optimization, I show up as #2 on the first page. Certainly, a better place to be if I want someone to find me. Let’s look at the elements of a profile and how to best make them work for you.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are many applications available to add your real estate listings to Facebook. So many in fact, it becomes very time consuming to look at each one and figure out which one best suits your needs. The purpose of this post is to save you time and aggravation by sharing my research as a real estate virtual assistant.

1. Realtor.com

Realtor.com has a free Facebook application that pulls your listing information from Realtor.com and adds it to your Facebook profile in a box on your left sidebar and in a tab. All you need is your MLS ID and you are good to go. The one drawback to this application is when visitors click on your listing they are taken to the Realtor.com page and away from your Facebook profile. Once on Realtor.com, a visitor may never get back to your information.

You can download the application at www.SeeMyListings.com.

2. My Real Estate Listings

This application is powered by www.previsite.com. The Facebook application is free, but you must subscribe to Previsite. Included in your yearly subscription is a camera kit to do your own virtual tours, a web based platform to upload, organization and management of your images. You can add floor plans and hotspots, send your tours to facebook, twitter, send video tours to youtube, get traffic statistics, email/share the tour, print flyers, etc. A yearly subscription is $579.

This application received rave reviews from the agents using it and listings are displayed in an attractive manner. When accessing the application you must sign up for a Previsite account first. I was sent to a Login page with no ability to create an account. Extremely frustrating to say the least!!

3. Center Stage For Real Estate

This application is from Clientopoly. It displays your listings and even sold properties, publishes updates to your page and automatically generates a flyer/web page. There is a 30 day free trial and then a $96 annual subscription. Listings are displayed nicely and when clicked on a custom flyer displays. This application can be added to a Page, as well as your Profile.

4. My Agent Desk

You must be a member of My Agent Desk to use this application, but membership is free to Real Estate Professionals. Listings are added to a box in your left sidebar and to a Tab. The listing display page is not terribly exciting nor is the property flyer. I wasn’t impressed by the typos on the Info tab.

Here is a full flyer view.

5. Real Estate Agent Widget

This application gives you a separate, professional Real Estate Agent profile with the ability to add your Real Estate listings directly to a Facebook personal, business or fan page. The widget is eye catching and one I thought looked promising. But there are 2 reviews on their page and neither is complementary. Complaints are the widget is too far down on the wall and the subscription is difficult to cancel. You go to http://socialrealestatetools.com to subscribe. The cost is $129.99 annually.

6.  Mighty Agent Listings

You must have an account at www.MightyAgent.com. Mighty Agent creates single property websites for your listings. There is a $195.00 set-up fee and a $39 month fee for 2 agents (I’m guessing a Team). Property domain registration and sign riders are also available. The summary page of listings is the nicest looking that I have seen. When you click on the listing it brings up a full page property flyer customized to the agent. Here is an example: http://selwithdel.com/?mlsnum=3850719.

7.  Real Estate – Realtor Listing Application

This application is from www.elistit.com. It provides a slide show in the left sidebar of your Profile plus a summary page that will show all your listings in a wider column then the Narrow Box. It will also show your contact information and your company logo. Elistit offers a 14 day free trial and then it is $99 annually. I couldn’t get any pricing info until after I signed up for the free trial.

8.  Real Estate Agents Listing Application
Real Estate – Agents Listing Application by SocialRealEstateTools.com lets you add your property listings and manage a professional real estate profile. This service works by combining a feature rich editor for your real estate profile and property listings for sale with custom built Facebook apps and features. This is the same application as #5 with a different name.

9.  See Live Listings

When I clicked on this app, I got a blank page. This is what Julie Woodward-Trenker had to say:  “Well I filled this out except that everytime I confirm my information, the page defaults to listing me as a Spanish Tutor instead of Residential Real Estate Agent. What’s that about?????”

10. USAHomeSearch

If you have an account with www.USAhomesearch.org, you can post your listings to your Facebook profile page. I couldn’t get my login to work and there are many requests for help on the Wall for this provider. I couldn’t find a sample of a summary page.

11. Agent Nation

The AgentNation Facebook App integrates with your AgentNation real estate listings, virtual tours, and blog displaying them on your Facebook Profile. AgentNation offers virtual tours, property flyers, Google street views, Realtor.com integration, unlimited hosting, video creation and hosting, and Facebook integration for $89 a year. There is an impressive introduction video that is worth taking a look at, https://www.agentnation.com. The summary page is easy to read and here is a sample of a virtual tour, http://www.agentnation.com/vt/1118.

Well, my friends, your real estate virtual assistant has done her homework and compiled this extensive list of applications to help you decide how and where you want to  display your listings on Facebook. I hope it saves you much time and aggravation so you can get back to your job of selling real estate.

If you are confused, have questions or want help with your Facebook and social media presence, give me a call or shoot me an email. I’m here to help!!

Social Media. Real Estate. What’s the BIG deal?

Are you one of many who think social media is a Fad and you and your real estate business don’t need to be there? I was! This video by Erik Qualman at Socialnomics.net will change your mind!

As a real estate virtual assistant, I have been blogging for years and have understood the seo value of blogs. I also have personal profiles on the prominent social media sites, as well as created profiles for clients. But I have to admit, I did really GET social media.

This video and a webinar course with Social Media Magic his opening my eyes. You will hear more about what I am learning and how to make money with social media.

When I heard Gary Keller, author of the best-selling “Shift: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times“  and owner of Keller Williams Realty, was going to be on “Good Morning America” last week, I was anxious to hear what he had to what he had to say about  how people can sell in a buyer’s market.

I was not only surprised but shocked to hear Gary Keller recommend sellers be present during showings of their homes. During my 17 years as a licensed Realtor®, common wisdom was for sellers NOT to be home and it leave the showings up to the professionals.

An example of why a seller shouldn’t be present is when I was showing a young Navy family with 2 young daughters houses. We went in one house with the sellers there. I started a conversation with the wife and asked why they were moving. She said, “We just had our second child and this house is too small for us.”  Needless to say, my family with 2 daughters didn’t buy that house.

What do you think? Has conventional wisdom changed? Has real estate changed this much in the few short years since I opened my real estate virtual assistant business?

Tim Burrell is a Realtor with 28 years experience. He is licensed in California as an Attorney and is a real estate trainer. He is associated with RE/MAX United in Raleigh, North Carolina and RE/MAX Palos Verdes in the South Bay of Los Angeles, California.

Tim contacted me this me this week about an upcoming training for real estate professionals and their assistants whose job it is to close short sales. We all know how challenging short sales can be! Tim’s training is invaluable to any Team member or Real Estate Virtual Assistant who is in the trenches getting short sales to closing!

I have known Tim Burrell for years and he is the consummate professional and a fun person to learn from. Read what Tim has to say and take advantage of his FREE Seminar…you will be glad you did!!

“It took me seventeen years to learn the best way to do short sales.  I have been teaching Realtors how to do short sales, which is like teaching donkeys to fly.  You can launch them with high amounts of energy, but they do not stay with it for very long unless you give them lots of support.  Most Realtors do not like the persistence, detail and repetitive work that it takes to negotiate a short sale with a bank, because most of them do not have a C personality type.

So, I am concentrating on teaching how to negotiate with the bank, mainly for the team members and Real Estate Virtual Assistants.  The Realtors can do the Realtor part of it i.e. get the listing and get an offer.  The team does the part that makes the difference: getting it approved.  The negotiating techniques I teach have enabled me to get all but one of my short sales approved.

The Realtors need to learn this also, because they are responsible for the whole transaction.  However, their team members or Real Estate Virtual Assistants take to it better than they do.

If you are interested, go to www.ShortSaleNegotiatingSpecialist.com to register for a free webinar February 25th at 3 pm eastern time, and bring your team members and assistants.   After all, it takes the same amount of time to negotiate a short sale that does not get approved by the bank as it does to negotiate one that is approved… and the ones that are approved pay much better.”

Tim Burrell
www.CreateAShortSale.com
919-812-5111

Real Estate Virtual Assistant Buzz: Why Short Sales Are So Difficult To Close!

Short sales are a fact of life for most real estate professionals. Despite new government regulations short sale transactions are still difficult to close. You probably feel like you are hitting your head against a brick wall over and over and over again!!

The question arises, why are short sale real estate transactions so difficult? Why do some banks act like the enemy?

This video from  www.ThinkBigWorkSmall.com,  show why some banks aren’t motivated to get your short sale closed. The good part comes after the CNN announcer stops talking.

Real estate virtual assistants can help get your short sales to a successful closing! Our team of Transaction Managers are Certified Distressed Property Experts (CDPE). We have the expertise needed to communicate with lenders, your clients and other real estate professionals to get you to the closing table. Contact us today and get more of your short sales closed!!

Real Estate Virtual Assistant Buzz:

Do you remember the brisk Buyers Market of a few years ago? Buyers were beating down your doors. Anyone who could breathe had a real estate license and was selling homes. Then the market went south. Buyers were no where to be found and your pipeline of new business dried up because you hadn’t been doing any marketing. You had neither the time nor the need to keep your name out there. A tougher real estate  market requires getting back to basics and evaluating what works in our new reality and what doesn’t.

Brain Buffini has detailed detours on your road to success:

The Five Detours on the Road to Success

1. Lack of Accountability

Every human being does better with accountability because we truly cannot see our own shortcomings; outside perspective is the best way to gain clarity on our patterns.

2. Loss of Motivation

Motivation, by its very nature, is designed to dissipate so we need to seek it out continually. As my friend and mentor, Zig Ziglar, says: “Motivation is like bathing. You have to do it on a daily basis!”

3. In Need of Direction

Once you get things moving and gain some momentum you actually need more direction than you did when you were just starting out. This is borne out by countless people who work their whole life and have nothing to show for it.

4. Isolation

All you have to do is watch the “Animal Planet” documentary on predators in the wild to know how detrimental isolation can be: Predators never attack the pack; they always look for the isolated, hurt, wounded, and lost, the ones who’ve stopped moving forward. Self-employed people are more predisposed to this isolation than anyone else.

5. Drift

While “isolation” is a predator, “drift” is a killer; it’s the “silent assassin” because we don’t know how far and how fast we’ve drifted until something catastrophic happens.

As you can see, the “Five Detours” are things we all face and it can be easy to get off track in both business and our personal lives. But let’s examine the solution side of things. If there are detours, then rest assured there are also rules of the road to get you and your real estate business back on track.

Stay on Track with These Rules of the Road

1. Stay Accountable

While it may not be natural to seek out accountability, let’s just have a look at what happens in its absence. Tiger Woods – the greatest golfer in the world – recently missed the cut at the British Open. Just so happens it was the first time in five years he didn’t bring his coach to a tournament.

2. Brainstorm and Network with Others

We humans do much better when we mastermind together, which is why we facilitate networking at our events, as well as in our Coaching programs and Small Groups. Surround yourself with positive, resourceful, successful people, because they’ll lift you up rather than drag you down.

3. Plan Daily Doses of Motivation

Just think of your daily motivation like an essential vitamin, with nothing but positive, good-for-you side effects. Plan daily doses by listening to affirming CDs in your car or by reading good books – just a few lines here or there will go a long way.

4. Follow the System

You know you’re in need of direction – everybody is. And we’ve developed a system that works. Now, I know that few people ever follow the system 100%, but what if that means you’re missing out on a 30% jump in your income?

5. Work with a Coach

A Coach has the expertise, tools and strategies to help you get your business cranking. That accountability and direction will help you avoid drift – the deadly killer.

A real estate virtual assistant helps you stay on track on your road to success. We can create and implement the systems needed to accomplish your goals and keep you moving in the right direction. Contact us and together we will make 2010 the best year yet!