Realty World Northern California & Nevada

How many times have you attended an event and found yourself without business cards? Or, you return to the office with a stack of new contacts’ business cards asking yourself when you will find the time to sort through them, scan, or enter the information in your contact manager? 

With DropCard you can set up an account that includes your social networking information such as Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. When you meet someone you would like to exchange contact information with, you simply text their email address to DropCard.  DropCard immediately sends the person your contact information including website address, social networking profiles, etc. This is a great way to increase exposure to your site with little to no effort. Account registration ranges from free memberships to more robust features at $4.99 and $9.99.

Here’s a video the DropCard team created about what to do with your extra business cards… since you won’t need them now.

Terri Adamo
Franchise Sales Director
Terri.Adamo@rwnc.net

First-time homebuyers need a strong, knowledgeable real estate professional now more than ever; preferably, a real estate professional who doesn’t visit the past in how they work their business model, especially when it comes to first time homebuyers.

A new era has emerged, and working with first-time homebuyers should be a long-term relationship built upon trust, loyalty, integrity, responsibility, and accountability.  To formulate this type of relationship the client needs to be placed on a true Action Plan that guides them through every step of homeownership. This type of plan might include ‘homework’ assignments where they can be held accountable and responsible for information that might be needed (i.e., documentation, credit letters, etc.). Along with this Action Plan, there should be regularly held informative meetings over the course of many weeks for the purpose of educating and providing direction pertaining to the very in-depth decisions which they are going to make. And with it, rid any intimidation during the process.

Allowing the time to have first-time homebuyers truly prepared gives the realtor an opportunity to truly understand the comfort zones and needs of the client, which also allows them to be readily prepared for any budget constraints that homeownership could bring. In addition, during the preparatory stages of the Action Plan, it allows for each party to become an explorer, gaining better clarity of what homeownership entails. The client learns about what they truly need in a home and a neighborhood. The realtor, through discovery of what will meet the clients’ needs, leads them on this journey to discover the perfect community, pricing and payments.

The door is open and the field is ready to be harvested when it comes to first-time home purchasers. Any quality realtor just needs to have patience and good communication when working with them, keeping them informed through a finely designed Action Plan. Above all, allow them to journey and enjoy the trip to homeownership.

Dennis Stewart
Vice President & Regional Director
Dennis.Stewart@rwnc.net

There are many areas of life where tradition has its place. For instance, this weekend I joined my nephew’s fiancé for the fitting of her traditional red dress to wear in honor of her Chinese heritage at their upcoming wedding reception. Another example… traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams and pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Where “traditional” does not seem fitting these days is in the area of marketing your real estate business. The days of relying on advertising your listings through newspaper or magazine ads, or running a costly ad in the local Yellow Pages just to make sure someone can find you are gone! Really, how often do you refer to the newspaper or the Yellow Pages to find anything these days? I actually groan when the Yellow Page book is dropped on my doorstep. Ugh… that’s actually two groans for the two books they drop at my door simply due to having two phone lines. So much for saving trees!

Today’s world is all about change, change, change. If you aren’t ready to adapt, watch out because those who are will roll right over you; particularly, those who are adapting to the changing ways of communicating with their clients! 

It’s a fact that 60% of today’s buyers were born after 1964 (Gen X & Gen Y); 54% first-time buyers are in the 25-34 age group. Do you know how these buyers prefer to communicate? Do your clients want to communicate with you via phone, email, text or Facebook?  Do you even ask? If not, then do so! And if you aren’t adept at their means of communication, learn and learn fast! If you didn’t seize the opportunity to attend the previous GEN X & Y seminar hosted by Realty World Corporate, watch for the online video course in the coming months as it provides great insight into how these generations think, communicate and respond. Attending the upcoming Phase II Technology Certification Meetings this month will shorten your learning curve by far, so don’t miss out!

If you are in the real estate business you have no choice but to jump on the “new communications” bandwagon. Do it today or step aside as the agent who knows how to communicate and market to the Gen X & Y populations will be happy to communicate with who may be your next client.

Terri Adamo
Franchise Sales Director
Terri.Adamo@rwnc.net