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Archive for March, 2010

BusinessWeek has named Dave Liniger, RE/MAX International Chairman and Co-Founder, among the 50 Most Powerful People in Real Estate. The list appeared in the March 23 edition of the magazine.

Leaders from various industries such as government, lending, insurance, investment, construction and real estate, made the list. Liniger is included with heavy hitters such as U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, FHA Commissioner Dave Stevens and others.

Liniger was among just two leaders from real estate brokerages who were featured on the list (the other was the Realogy CEO). Liniger was lauded for encouraging more than 10,000 RE/MAX agents to earn the Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) designation in 2009. He also played an integral role in lobbying government leaders to create legislative policies aimed specifically at extending the Homebuyer Tax Credit and streamlining Short Sales.

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Congratulations to Phil Bolin, Branch Vice President of the Franconia office, for recently being quoted on RE/MAX Mainstreet (remax.net):

20+ Tips: Award Winners Tell All

Here are 22 success strategies from some of the network’s top producers in 2009:

“Do more of the things you do well, and don’t worry about everything else.”
– Phil Bolin (ABR, CDPE, CRS, SRES), RE/MAX Allegiance, Alexandria, Va. (Platinum Club)

“First and foremost, stay associated with RE/MAX. Have a positive attitude and surround yourself with good people. Also, work to stay in touch with past clients.”
– Ken Brown (CERP), RE/MAX Performance Realty, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Platinum Club)

“Nothing ever works right away, so you have to be consistent and give yourself a chance to hit a stride.”
– Barry Cohen (CREA), RE/MAX Realtron Realty, Toronto, Ontario (Diamond Award)

“Be honest and sincere. Buyers and sellers can sense it, and when they do, they will refer you to their family and friends.”
– Vito Ettorre, RE/MAX Excellence Realty, Woodbridge, Ontario (Hall of Fame)

“It’s time for back-to-the-basics prospecting, Brian Buffini said the same thing this morning. You need to prospect for a couple hours every day, no matter what else is going on. It’s how you get the leads. It’s not an easy thing to do. You have to commit to it.”
– Fred Evans (CLHMS, CDPE), RE/MAX Gold Coast, Ventura, Calif. (Chairman’s Club)

“I never miss a RE/MAX Convention, and this is No. 18 in a row. If you don’t come, you don’t learn and you don’t improve. You can take the strategies you learn and pick three to try right away, then pick three more and three more. Just start somewhere, and you’ll be running in no time. And only work with people who love you, because they’ll tell other people that they love you.”
– Frank Gerbes (ABR, CDPE, CRS, SRES), RE/MAX Benchmark Realty Group, New Windsor, N.Y. (Lifetime Achievement Award, Platinum Club)

“Make sure you follow up with everyone and everything.”
– Kristi Idol, RE/MAX Preferred Properties, Kernersville, N.C. (Platinum Club)

“Don’t go on holiday. You think I’m joking but I’m not. At the end of ’08 I knew it was going to be a tough year, so I pledged to work nonstop. I had my best year ever under very difficult circumstances.”
– Michael Joseph, RE/MAX Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (Chairman’s Club)

“It’s 100 percent about personality, so socialize with your clients – get to know them. If you stay down to earth, you’ll make the most valuable connections.”
– Vesna Kolenc, RE/MAX Excellence Realty, Woodbridge, Ontario (Diamond Award)

“Organize your schedule. Work on your paperwork in the morning and spend every afternoon with customers and prospects. Also, always have a smile on your face.”
– Michel Noreau (CREA), RE/MAX Vision, Gatineau, Quebec (Platinum Club)

“Focus on the basic fundamentals: calling past clients, prospecting for new business with FSBOs and expireds, and following up on leads. Also, educate yourself and try to learn from your peers.”
– Eric Pakulla, RE/MAX Advantage Realty, Columbia, Md. (Diamond Award)

“Create a business plan and have a system in place where someone holds you accountable.”
– Mark Parris (ABR, CLHMS, CDPE, CRS, e-Pro), RE/MAX Renaissance, Peoria, Ariz.

“You have to work smarter, not harder. Have systems in place and anticipate changes in the market. They come every day.”
– Josephine Pierce (CDPE, CRS, SRES), RE/MAX Realty Team, Cape Coral, Fla. (Chairman’s Club)

“Having goals in No. 1. Track your production and know where you’re going and where you’ve been. If you have a plan to get where you want to go, you’re sure to get there.”
– Sheila Rafuse (ABR, ASP), RE/MAX Nova, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia (Platinum Club)

“Live the business. Go 24/7 and do whatever it takes.”
– Jim Rossi, RE/MAX 2000, Crete, Ill. (Hall of Fame, 100 Percent Club)

“Get a coach. We’re coached by Buffini and Company; if you work the system it works for you. We go to Brian’s training sessions all the time. He’s changed our careers.”
– Chris Ruszkiewicz (Hall of Fame, 100 Percent Club) and Steven Westrick (Hall of Fame, 100 Percent Club), RE/MAX Realty 100, Hales Corners, Wisc.

“Always surround yourself with people you think are better than you. If you are the top dog, you’ll never get better. If you’re the middle fish, you have somewhere to go.”
– Julie Salinas (CDPE), RE/MAX Gold, Fresno, Calif. (Hall of Fame, Chairman’s Club)

“Listen to your customers. It’s that simple.”
– Colleen Sample (CDPE), RE/MAX of Stuart, Stuart, Fla. (Hall of Fame)

“Be really genuine, considerate and easy-going. Always follow up and if you say you’re going to do something, make sure you do it.”
– Tamara Siemens, RE/MAX Cayman Islands, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (Hall of Fame, Platinum Club)

“Consistency is vital. Keep doing what you’re doing if it’s working out for you.”
– Pat Slack (ABR, CDPE, CRS), RE/MAX Pros, Oklahoma City, Okla.(Platinum Club)

“I do it because I love the work and I love my clients. Focus on service.”
– Madeleine Sollazzo, RE/MAX 2000, Laval-des-Rapides, Quebec (Lifetime Achievement Award, Chairman’s Club)

“Keep working and never give up. Get organized and keep an agenda, and always return calls and e-mails.”
– Danny Wai, RE/MAX Real Estate (Mountain View), Calgary, Alberta (Platinum Club)

“You have to concentrate on networking as well as social media to build up ambassadors for your business.”
– Jorgen Warberg (CIPS), RE/MAX Goteborg City, Gothenburg, Sweden (100 Percent Club)

© 2010 RE/MAX International, Inc. RE/MAX Affiliates may share this article, provided they do not charge for it and this notice is included. All other rights reserved.

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The nation’s wealthiest counties are all suburban retreats outside of large cities, according to an analysis by Forbes magazine.

The data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, which examines the average incomes in 1,889 counties.

Of the top 25, 19 of these counties are on the East Coast – just outside of New York City, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Williamson County, outside of Nashville, Tenn., and Forsyth County, outside of Atlanta, are the only Southern counties on the top-25 wealthiest list. California has only two of the wealthiest counties, Marin and Santa Clara.

Here are the top-10 wealthiest counties on the list:
(1) Loudoun County, Va.
(2) Fairfax County, Va.
(3) Howard County, Md.
(4) Hunterdon County, N.J.
(5) Somerset County, N.J.
(6) Fairfax (city), Va.
(7) Morris County, N.J.
(8) Douglas County, Colo.
(9) Arlington County, Va.
(10) Montgomery County, Md.

Source: Forbes via Realtor Magazine Online

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Congratulations to Debbie Wicker, of the Ashburn office, for being recently featured on RE/MAX Mainstreet (remax.net):

Flip Video Helps Veteran With Overseas Clients

By Deborah Ball, RE/MAX Times Online Associate Editor

When Debbie Wicker received a recent referral from a past client, she used social media, concierge service and constant communication to successfully close the transaction. The clients, Dave and Silvia, were looking for a home in the Leesburg, Va., market served by Wicker, a Sales Associate with RE/MAX Allegiance in Ashburn.

There was one catch: her clients, a married couple who worked for Chevron, were living in Angola, Africa. They were purchasing a property sight unseen until move-in day.

After getting the couple’s wish list for the ideal stateside home, Wicker looked for properties that matched her clients’ needs. She also used a new tool called Listingbook.com – a real estate search engine that allows clients to browse the MLS just like an agent – to give Dave and Silvia a way to quickly and thoroughly search through the local inventory.

When she came across a house that seemed to fit the bill, Wicker brought her Flip video camera – the first time she had ever used it to capture video of a property for a client – and a digital camera. After taking multiple photos, videos and notes inside and out, she e-mailed the videos and pictures to the clients in Africa.

“The clients loved the house, but wanted to be extra sure about their purchase,” Wicker says. “Silvia sent her sister and a friend to preview the property. I took even more photos and Flip video of the interior, exterior and the neighborhood to give them a real feel of what the home and the neighborhood was like. They hired a professional photographer to take even more photos so they could decide on remodeling options for the kitchen and bathrooms.

“Using videos, photos, e-mail and constant communication helped me close this transaction. Recording the video with the Flip camera was so easy. It proves that you can help clients find the perfect home no matter how far away they are.”

Wicker, who has been in real estate for 22 years, never imagined she’d use photos and videos so intensively in a transaction. It serves as a good reminder to real estate agents to be open to new ways of doing business, she says. RE/MAX agents, Wicker adds, should take advantage of the network’s international reach instead of solely relying on local clients for new business.

“If you keep in touch with your current and past clients, you’ll get quality leads – even if those leads are in another state or country,” Wicker says. “Your clients will refer you because they know that you can truly help people anywhere in the world. People are intrigued that we have such a great referral network and they trust the RE/MAX brand. When you’re dealing with any client – especially a client who is buying internationally – you have to be very organized, light on your feet and help with any request that will help make the client’s purchase and move a smooth transition.”

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Congratulations to Nancy Alert, of the Arlington office, who was recently featured in an article in BlackEnterprise.com:

Black Enterprise invited owners of large technology firms, single-person shops, and part-time businesses— or somewhere in between—to share their stories with readers. We asked one simple question: How have you used technology to make over your business? We received numerous responses to our tweets, as well as to our Facebook and LinkedIn queries, and selected companies that reflect the variety of resources available and the ways in which even a small investment can make a huge difference in revenues, outlook, and mindset.

Company: Nancy Alert & Associates L.L.C. [2]
Principal: Nancy Alert working under RE/MAX Allegiance
Location: Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. (also licensed in Maryland)
Type of Business: Real Estate
2009 Revenues: $200,000-$250,000
In real estate, 2009 was just an ugly year. I decided I needed to get back to revenues of the year past, when I was making real money. I wanted to do what I could to make myself stand out and measure those efforts to see if they worked. So I implemented a number of new (to me) technologies to improve productivity and save time.

I have added DocuSign [3] to my business. It costs $19.95 per month, with no contract required. You can cancel at any time or just order a month here and there. With DocuSign I can get my clients’ signatures on a contract or lease, even if they do not have a printer or fax machine. I send the contract to my clients via e-mail with a link to DocuSign; then they adapt a signature and sign and initial where indicated, and that’s it. I e-mail the signed contract to the other parties.

Another service I use is eFax [4] ($9.95/month, discounted through RE/MAX), which does not require any equipment or implementation on my part other than to start giving out my 800 fax number. If I am out of town and receive a faxed contract or lease, I can forward that e-mail to my clients, have them sign and e-mail it, then send that document to all parties.

I have also invested in my tech education. I successfully completed a course called e-Pro [5] ($349, discounted through National Association of Realtors), which helps real estate professionals leverage technology to increase sales. The e-Pro designation says you know how to work with the new technologies in real estate.

Because I decided this would be the year I got more tech savvy, I also invested in a Kodak Zi8 HD [6] video camera ($179 on sale), which takes still photographs and video. I take photos of all my listings, and then upload them to my Website and to about 35 to 40 real estate portals. I also upload photos and videos of my new listings to Facebook and Twitter and to my blog. I can add more real estate-specific information on YouTube [7] and other social media sites.

I have added the following social media tools to my online marketing efforts: LinkedIn [8], ActiveRain [9] (real estate specific), RealTown [10] (real estate specific), Plaxo [11], and several others—and they’re all free. These took a little time to set up, but are well worth the effort in terms of the reach they afford me.

The core thing you need to understand is that today, according to the National Association of Realtors, 80% of buyers search online listings. So you must have your listing at every place that the buyers are looking. Video serves a great purpose in that it ties in the whole social media experience. Videos are the first go-to for homebuyers—and not necessarily just for videos of the properties. It could also be a message you want to give to prospective buyers. Having a video on YouTube takes you to another level, and here is what I’ve learned: If you want to maintain your level in real estate or any sales business, you definitely have to be involved in social media.

I can attribute an additional $50,000 in revenues to the tech tools I’ve implemented and expect 2010 revenues of between $300,000 and $350,000.

URL to article: http://www.blackenterprise.com/events/women-of-power/women-of-power-articles/2010/03/04/a-tech-makeover-story-2/

URLs in this post:

[1] Image: http://www.blackenterprise.com/files/2010/03/03Tech-Nancy_Alert1a.jpg
[2] Nancy Alert & Associates L.L.C.: http://www.nancyalert.com
[3] DocuSign: http://www.docusign.com
[4] eFax: http://www.efax.com
[5] e-Pro: http://www.epronar.com
[6] Kodak Zi8 HD: http://www.kodak.com
[7] YouTube: http://www.youtube.com
[8] LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/
[9] ActiveRain: http://activerain.com/
[10] RealTown: http://www.realtown.com/
[11] Plaxo: http://www.plaxo.com/

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In addition to the RE/MAX Top 100 lists released last week, we have additional Allegiance award winners within RE/MAX Central Atlantic Region (WV, MD, VA, DC) for 2009!

Washington, D.C.
Georgetown Office – First Place: Highest Average Transactions per Associate

Tom Buerger, Georgetown: First Place – Total Transactions Individual
Steve Pflasterer, Georgetown: Second Place – Total Transactions Individual
Kelvin Reaves, Capitol Hill: Third Place – Total Transactions Individual

Tom Buerger, Georgetown: First Place – Gross Commissions Individual
Steve Pflasterer, Georgetown: Second Place – Gross Commissions Individual
Kelvin Reaves, Capitol Hill: Third Place – Gross Commissions Individual

Tom Faison, Capitol Hill: First Place – Total Transactions Team
Todd Norris, Capitol Hill: Second Place – Total Transactions Team
Jackie Von Schlegel, Capitol Hill: Third Place – Total Transactions Team

Tom Faison, Capitol Hill: First Place – Gross Commissions Team
Todd Norris, Capitol Hill: Second Place – Gross Commissions Team
Jackie Von Schlegel, Capitol Hill: Third Place – Gross Commissions Team

Virginia

Willie Colston, Virginia Beach: First Place – Total Transactions Individual
Bob Swartz, Dale City: Second Place – Total Transactions Individual

Willie Colston, Independence: First Place – Gross Commissions Individual
Kristin Kelly, Leesburg Pike: Third Place – Gross Commissions Individual

Frank Prindle, Old Town: Second Place – Total Transactions Team
Alex Nova, Bonney Rd: Third Place – Total Transactions Team

Vicki Nellis, Burke: First Place – Gross Commissions Team
Frank Prindle, Old Town: Sixth Place – Gross Commissions Team
Judy Reed, Independence: Ninth Place – Gross Commissions Team
John Meyer, Leesburg Pike: Tenth Place – Gross Commissions Team

Please help me congratulate these outstanding Associates when you have the opportunity.

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Congratulations to the following Associates that ranked in the RE/MAX Top 100 for 2009:

Teams:
11. Vicki Nellis, Burke, VA
54. Tom Faison, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC
61. Frank L. Prindle, Old Town, Alexandria, VA
95. Judy Reed, Virginia Beach, VA

Individuals:
12. Willie H. Colston, Virginia Beach, VA
- Inducted into Circle of Legends this Week
64. Kristin Kelly, Leesburg Pike, Alexandria, VA
80. Thomas S. Buerger, Georgetown, Washington, DC

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My heart is filled with gratitude and appreciation to those of you that give to Children’s Miracle Network and share my belief that we have a moral obligation to help those in need. Watch the video below and feel free to add it to your facebook pages and blogs!

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At this morning’s convention opening session, RE/MAX International announced a completely redesigned youtube channel. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/remax.

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